GI Status - Manually Breaking up Obstruction?

[Lubblobba]

I lost my piggy to gut stasis in November. We visited 3 different vets while he was sick. With the last vet, he hadn't pooped in over a day even though he was still eating small amounts.

However I'm concerned about what the vet did to him, which was that he manipulated his gut with his hand to break up the stool that was building up inside him. In which case was he obstructed? I suggested this at the 2nd vet visit and they said unlikely, but no x-ray or further investigation was offered.

He didn't respond in a way to suggest what was done was painful however he hadn't really shown pain signals all day even though he was really unwell.

He passed less than 30 minutes later after we admitted him to vet 3 and we are wondering if the way he was handled might have caused his rapid decline. He had very little energy and was struggling to be hand fed so it may have just been his time.

Unfortunately I don't have experience dealing with sickness and would really like to do my best to learn more to ensure I can make the best decisions for other piggies. I put all my trust in vets to save Toby and I don't think enough was done, but didn't know any better at the time. I've read the gut stasis info thread and stuff online but am struggling to know whether the actions taken were safe and standard.

 

[VickiA]

I’m so sorry. I don’t have an answer for your question. Losing our beloved pets often leaves us with lots of unanswered questions. It’s all part of the grieving process. Sending you a gentle hug as you clearly loved your piggy & sought help from a number of vets.

 

[Wiebke]

I lost my piggy to gut stasis in November. We visited 3 different vets while he was sick. With the last vet, he hadn't pooped in over a day even though he was still eating small amounts.

However I'm concerned about what the vet did to him, which was that he manipulated his gut with his hand to break up the stool that was building up inside him. In which case was he obstructed? I suggested this at the 2nd vet visit and they said unlikely, but no x-ray or further investigation was offered.

He didn't respond in a way to suggest what was done was painful however he hadn't really shown pain signals all day even though he was really unwell.

He passed less than 30 minutes later after we admitted him to vet 3 and we are wondering if the way he was handled might have caused his rapid decline. He had very little energy and was struggling to be hand fed so it may have just been his time.

Unfortunately I don't have experience dealing with sickness and would really like to do my best to learn more to ensure I can make the best decisions for other piggies. I put all my trust in vets to save Toby and I don't think enough was done, but didn't know any better at the time. I've read the gut stasis info thread and stuff online but am struggling to know whether the actions taken were safe and standard.

Hi and welcome

BIG HUGS

I am so very sorry for your loss under such distressing circumstances.
Since your boy was not salivating from the mouth, there was clearly no blockage but more likely a case of GI stasis (no gut movement in the caecum, the largest and last fermentation chamber where 80 of the digestive mass can be found at all times). The poo output is always reflecting the poo input with the appropriate time lapse.
Whether your vet's manipulation was fatal is impossible to say because your piggy was already extremely weak; he wouldn't likely have lasted much longer anyway, I am extremely sorry to say; having had to rush a number of my of own with a range of gut issues for mercy euthanasia to the vets over the years.

An a caring owner and at the worst time of the year when seeing a vet with guinea pig experience is even more potluck than ever, you have nevertheless done all the right things as an owner and have not failed your boy in any way.
A serious gut problem is sadly often something for which there is no cure. It is too complex, narrow and large an organ. The fact that guinea pigs are rodents doesn't help. It means that the most effective medication, steroids, is a big no no for them, which leaves vets with very little effective medication to tackle the problem. Diagnosing what is actually the case is also anything but easy. Sadly, we can only ever do our best as a dedicated owner but it never comes with any guarantee of success. That is always out of our own control.

Thread 'Wiebke's Guide to Tummy Trouble'

May 31, 2024

1 Available Gut Medication
2 Mild and Medium Bloating Symptoms
- Milder bloat
- Secondary bloating
- Thickened bowel (IBS-like symptoms)
- Build-up of fluid in the body cavity
3 Severe Bloating
- Severe Bloat (Dysbiosis)
- Blockage
- Twisted or trapped gut (volvulus and hernia)
4 GI Stasis (No Gut Movement)
- Sudden full GI...

• Wiebke
• Replies: 4
• Forum: Wiebke's Guides to the Body

• 

Thread 'Wiebke's Guide to Poops'

May 30, 2024

1 How the Digestive System Works
2 Poo Eating (Coprophagy)
3 Health Monitoring: Weighing vs. Poos Watching
- What does weighing do?
- What does the poop output tell you?
4 Minor Poop Issues
- How to deal with a minor tummy upset
- Funny poops: What do they mean?
- Caked on poops
5 Serious Diarrhoea
6 Impaction
7...

• Wiebke
• Replies: 3
• Forum: Wiebke's Guides to the Body

• 
• 

Please accept that what you are currently grappling with is being stuck in a soul-searching grieving mind loop, which we all experience in some form or other after a loss. It is caused by our own human wiring to reflect everything back onto ourselves as guilt/failure or - much more rarely - as intense anger onto another person if you are blaming an outside source.

These strong feelings are not a reflection of you having done wrong but quite simply of how deeply you care. They are the other side of the same coin we call 'love'. If you do didn't love, you wouldn't fret now.
However, traumatising circumstances can mean that these thoughts can truly take over your mind and life to the degree that you struggle to function and sleep.

Thread 'Human Bereavement: Grieving, Processing and Support Links for Guinea Pig Owners and Their Children'

Jun 29, 2019

1 The grieving process
- Loss and the start of the grieving process
- Grieving with a terminally ill guinea pig
- Going through the grieving process
2 Ways of coping
- Expressing and processing your feelings
- Regaining your guinea pig
- Burial and marking the passing
- Dealing with special days
3 How do I tell my children?
- Finding local support lines and charities...

• Wiebke
• Replies: 4
• Forum: End of Life and Bereavement Support Corner

• 

If you feel overwhelmed or stuck, please contact one of the free Blue Cross (UK only animal charity) pet bereravement platforms tomorrow for some trained volunteer support. All forum members who have made use of them and come back with feedback have done so with a positive experience.
Pet bereavement and pet loss

I sincerely hope that the factual information on the range of possible gut problems and on how the grieving process runs will help you to put things into a bit more of a perspective and to break out of your guilt loop.

My heart is with you.

 

[Lubblobba]

Hi and welcome

BIG HUGS

I am so very sorry for your loss under such distressing circumstances.
Since your boy was not salivating from the mouth, there was clearly no blockage but more likely a case of GI stasis (no gut movement in the caecum, the largest and last fermentation chamber where 80 of the digestive mass can be found at all times). The poo output is always reflecting the poo input with the appropriate time lapse.
Whether your vet's manipulation was fatal is impossible to say because your piggy was already extremely weak; he wouldn't likely have lasted much longer anyway, I am extremely sorry to say; having had to rush a number of my of own with a range of gut issues for mercy euthanasia to the vets over the years.

An a caring owner and at the worst time of the year when seeing a vet with guinea pig experience is even more potluck than ever, you have nevertheless done all the right things as an owner and have not failed your boy in any way.
A serious gut problem is sadly often something for which there is no cure. It is too complex, narrow and large an organ. The fact that guinea pigs are rodents doesn't help. It means that the most effective medication, steroids, is a big no no for them, which leaves vets with very little effective medication to tackle the problem. Diagnosing what is actually the case is also anything but easy. Sadly, we can only ever do our best as a dedicated owner but it never comes with any guarantee of success. That is always out of our own control.

Thread 'Wiebke's Guide to Tummy Trouble'

May 31, 2024

1 Available Gut Medication
2 Mild and Medium Bloating Symptoms
- Milder bloat
- Secondary bloating
- Thickened bowel (IBS-like symptoms)
- Build-up of fluid in the body cavity
3 Severe Bloating
- Severe Bloat (Dysbiosis)
- Blockage
- Twisted or trapped gut (volvulus and hernia)
4 GI Stasis (No Gut Movement)
- Sudden full GI...

• Wiebke
• Replies: 4
• Forum: Wiebke's Guides to the Body

• 

Thread 'Wiebke's Guide to Poops'

May 30, 2024

1 How the Digestive System Works
2 Poo Eating (Coprophagy)
3 Health Monitoring: Weighing vs. Poos Watching
- What does weighing do?
- What does the poop output tell you?
4 Minor Poop Issues
- How to deal with a minor tummy upset
- Funny poops: What do they mean?
- Caked on poops
5 Serious Diarrhoea
6 Impaction
7...

• Wiebke
• Replies: 3
• Forum: Wiebke's Guides to the Body

• 
• 

Please accept that what you are currently grappling with is being stuck in a soul-searching grieving mind loop, which we all experience in some form or other after a loss. It is caused by our own human wiring to reflect everything back onto ourselves as guilt/failure or - much more rarely - as intense anger onto another person if you are blaming an outside source.

These strong feelings are not a reflection of you having done wrong but quite simply of how deeply you care. They are the other side of the same coin we call 'love'. If you do didn't love, you wouldn't fret now.
However, traumatising circumstances can mean that these thoughts can truly take over your mind and life to the degree that you struggle to function and sleep.

Thread 'Human Bereavement: Grieving, Processing and Support Links for Guinea Pig Owners and Their Children'

Jun 29, 2019

1 The grieving process
- Loss and the start of the grieving process
- Grieving with a terminally ill guinea pig
- Going through the grieving process
2 Ways of coping
- Expressing and processing your feelings
- Regaining your guinea pig
- Burial and marking the passing
- Dealing with special days
3 How do I tell my children?
- Finding local support lines and charities...

• Wiebke
• Replies: 4
• Forum: End of Life and Bereavement Support Corner

• 

If you feel overwhelmed or stuck, please contact one of the free Blue Cross (UK only animal charity) pet bereravement platforms tomorrow for some trained volunteer support. All forum members who have made use of them and come back with feedback have done so with a positive experience.
Pet bereavement and pet loss

I sincerely hope that the factual information on the range of possible gut problems and on how the grieving process runs will help you to put things into a bit more of a perspective and to break out of your guilt loop.

My heart is with you.

Thanks so much for your detailed reply. I knew losing my best bud would be tough but couldn't imagine the true extent or that it would happen in the way it did, when it did. It's made me feel inexperienced when I felt I knew piggies quite well, as well as all the guilt of my decisions. I'll do as you said, thank you for the links and information. Just learning about them better and talking to others makes it a little easier, so I really do appreciate your reply.

 

[Wiebke]

Thanks so much for your detailed reply. I knew losing my best bud would be tough but couldn't imagine the true extent or that it would happen in the way it did, when it did. It's made me feel inexperienced when I felt I knew piggies quite well, as well as all the guilt of my decisions. I'll do as you said, thank you for the links and information. Just learning about them better and talking to others makes it a little easier, so I really do appreciate your reply.

Being able to talk about it and not feeling so isolated does really help. Grieving can take you to some really weird places; it is so not what you'd expect. Yes, there is the sadness but there is so much more you would never expect... We can at least help to show you what is going on and hopefully give you a handle on what is overwhelming and crushing you.

I am so very sorry that you have had such a traumatic experience.

We continue to be here for you.

 

[Merab]

So sorry for your loss.
Holding you in my heart