Guinea pig experiencing digestion issues

[5guineapig]

Have already taken him to the vet Wednesday morning and was prescribed .6ml Reglan (2-3 times a day), .5ml Simethicone (2-3), and .4ml Metcam (1-2), as well as given some more critical care to feed him. He had eaten his veggies normally on Tuesday evening, but around 9pm seemed more closed off than usual. I noticed two fully formed poop pellets stuck in his rear and helped him squeeze that and anything else out, but didn't see any improvement so I made an appointment for the morning after. Since being to the vet he has taken very very little nibbles of hay and the cucmber slices i will offer him. He will happily take his medicine and CC and is definitely less bloated and dehydrated than he was when I first caught this (i gave him a syringe of fluid thursday morning and feed him a syringe of water when he gets his medicine), but I worry that he has not pooped in a while (I have checked to see if he needs help squeezing them out and have seen nothing) and will succumb from this when he is very clearly still staying strong. Currently have him on a light heating pad with a vibrating feature to keep him warm and hopefully get his gut moving. He will get up and shift around, sometimes walk/shuffle a few feet to lay somewhere else, and i have seen him stand on his back paws to clean his face a bit, so I know he is not on his death bed as I've experienced that with another piggie before, but I was wondering if theres anything else I can do to help speed up recovery, or if I should expect a longer wait for results. I have been worried sick and getting absolutely no sleep checking on him each night so even just a confirmation that it will take time helps. For some more background on him he is about 1 1/2 years old, born in my house after I picked up his mother so I don't have exact genetic history, but I can say that his mother, brother, half-sister, and other non-related cage mate are all doing fine right now. They also did Xrays on him at the vet and did not see anything besides some bloating.

 

[Piggies&buns]

I’m sorry to hear he is unwell.

Please remove veg from the diet for a piggy with bloat. He should have just hay and as much critical care as necessary.
Please make sure you weigh him every morning so you can be sure he is getting enough critical care to keep his weight stable.

Poop output is 1-2 days behind food intake so it will take 1-2 days after enough food has gone in the system before you start seeing poop output. If enough food isn’t going in yesterday or the day before then you won’t see poops today or tomorrow.
This is why the daily weight checks are essential as they provide real time information of food intake. Watching Poop output is unreliable due to the delay.

Digestive Disorders: Not Eating - Diarrhea - Bloat - GI Stasis (No Gut Movement)
All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures

 

[5guineapig]

I’m sorry to hear he is unwell.

Please remove veg from the diet for a piggy with bloat. He should have just hay and as much critical care as necessary.
Please make sure you weigh him every morning so you can be sure he is getting enough critical care to keep his weight stable.

Poop output is 1-2 days behind food intake so it will take 1-2 days after enough food has gone in the system before you start seeing poop output. If enough food isn’t going in yesterday or the day before then you won’t see poops today or tomorrow.
This is why the daily weight checks are essential as they provide real time information of food intake. Watching Poop output is unreliable due to the delay.

Digestive Disorders: Not Eating - Diarrhea - Bloat - GI Stasis (No Gut Movement)
All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures

Thank you for your condolences and help. I have read that I should not be feeding him any veggies on multiple blog posts, but my vet suggested a very small amount of either cucumbers or watermelon each day to ensure he has enough fluids in him and possibly reignite his appetite. I'm a bit weary about giving him watermelon due to all the sugar in it but thought it would be okay to offer him a cucumber slice seeing as he barely eats it anyways. Should I stop this completely? I honestly haven't seen much bloat in him since the first day, but again I do not know what caused his current state in the first place so I'm not sure if that is just a symptom or the cause and if that would effect how I should continue going about treating him.

 

[Piggies&buns]

If he is no longer bloated then you can begin to very slowly reintroduce veg. You are right though, bloat can be a symptom; Bloat can also come in waves, you think you’re over it and it comes back - so you need to tread carefully.
I would not give watermelon, herbs are generally the thing we advise to start with as they tend to be mild on the digestion.
You could offer a small amount of water from a syringe (only ever offer, never squirt water into the mouth) but there is water in critical care which will also help with hydration levels.

It is the daily weight checks which are your vital tool in determining his progress.

 

[fluffysal]

@Piggies&buns , am I right in thinking the simethicone is unsuitable?

 

[piggieminder]

@fluffysal It's not recommended in UK and not by this Forum but vets in US and Australia still use it. It collects the gas into one big bubble which is very painful for piggies to pass.

 

[Piggies&buns]

That is why simethicone isn’t recommended for piggies. The fact it fathers gas into one big bubble is fine for human babies but for piggies with a very different gut type that one big bubble makes things harder to pass and more painful

 

[5guineapig]

That is why simethicone isn’t recommended for piggies. The fact it fathers gas into one big bubble is fine for human babies but for piggies with a very different gut type that one big bubble makes things harder to pass and more painful

yes i've also seen this on the forums, but wasn't sure if i should continue using it. Like I said it seems his bloat has gone down significantly and it was offered to me by my vet. I've been in contact with them daily about his condition and they haven't recommended weening him off of it yet, but I wonder if I should.

 

[5guineapig]

If he is no longer bloated then you can begin to very slowly reintroduce veg. You are right though, bloat can be a symptom; Bloat can also come in waves, you think you’re over it and it comes back - so you need to tread carefully.
I would not give watermelon, herbs are generally the thing we advise to start with as they tend to be mild on the digestion.
You could offer a small amount of water from a syringe (only ever offer, never squirt water into the mouth) but there is water in critical care which will also help with hydration levels.

It is the daily weight checks which are your vital tool in determining his prog

If he is no longer bloated then you can begin to very slowly reintroduce veg. You are right though, bloat can be a symptom; Bloat can also come in waves, you think you’re over it and it comes back - so you need to tread carefully.
I would not give watermelon, herbs are generally the thing we advise to start with as they tend to be mild on the digestion.
You could offer a small amount of water from a syringe (only ever offer, never squirt water into the mouth) but there is water in critical care which will also help with hydration levels.

It is the daily weight checks which are your vital tool in determining his progress.

thank you. I will make sure to keep an eye on his weight. From the last time I weighed him three weeks ago he doesn't seem to have lost a significant amount. He's currently a little over 2lbs when he usually weighs in at 2.3lbs.

 

[Piggies&buns]

It’s easier if you quote weights in grams.

Any weight loss over 50g (2oz) is cause for concern.

 

[5guineapig]

It’s easier if you quote weights in grams.

Any weight loss over 50g (2oz) is cause for concern.

my conversion was wrong in the first place oops. He is 1096grams right now and is typically a little over 1100g, so i take this is a good sign. I've been putting him on the floor in his carrier so he can get a little interaction with the other pigs and he'll get out and run to different spots in the room to lay down in. My main concern right now is just the lack of poop, but if you are saying that it will be delayed then I think the only thing I can do right now is wait a little. Thank you so much for your help.