I'm sorry to hear your piggies have bloat. Unfortunately mine get it all the time, so I'm beginning to feel relatively experienced with dealing with gassy pigs! I've probably had to deal with gas bloat on at least 30 occasions now, unfortunately. I don't want to say 'don't use infacol' because clearly it worked for you, and many owners and forum members seem to use it. I don't personally, because I've read in a number of places that it could potentially make the problem worse. Infacol works by making little gas bubbles into one big gas bubble, so that human babies can burp them out. Unfortunately piggies can't burp, and I have read somewhere that it causes a bigger gas bubble in their intestine, potentially making them more uncomfortable. This information my be incorrect - I'm not sure. But I avoid infacol personally.
The best things I've used are 1) Metaclopramide and 2) Ranitidine, both of which are unfortunately only available from the vet. These are both motility drugs. One of my boys is around 1.1kg, and has about 1ml Metaclopramide and 0.3mls of Ranitidine every 12 hours, making sure there is a two hour gap between the Metaclopramide and Ranitidine as apparently they don't interact well. For severe bloat, I have also had to take piggies to a vet to be deflated - they take xrays then stick a needle in them to get the gas out and release the pressure!
I feel there isn't much substitute for having 'proper' meds, but there are things around the house that can help: my vet told me that pineapple juice works well. I give my piggies around 2 - 3mls of normal pineapple juice a few times a day when they have bloat. I think there is a chemical or enzyme or something in pineapple juice that stimulates the gut. Fresh juice may be best, but cartoned is fine also. If my piggies are not producing poos, I also give them about 0.3mls of olive oil two or three times a day - preferably not at the same time as giving them any liquids (as they don't mix!). Again, this is something I've read can reduce constipation and bloat.
Also exercising the piggy, and vibrating it really helps a lot. I use my partners XBox controller, and set up 'force feedback' on the computer so that it vibrates continuously. I then wrap this in a towel and have my piggy lie across it for around 20 minutes. I also get him out a lot to walk around.
It's also important to syringe feed your pig while it has bloat/isn't eating. They really need to get good fibre back into their system, and get their guts working properly again. Syringe food can be bought from a vets (mine supply 'Supreme Science - Recovery Plus'), but you can also just soak their normal pellets in warm water, and mash with a fork or blend. It can be fed with a syringe, or some people have said it can be sucked up a straw and administered that way if there is no syringe available.
The other thing is to get friendly bacteria back into your sick piggies gut, which helps restore their digestion back to normal. The home prepared version of this is a bit gross - 'poop soup', which basically involves taking a very fresh poo from a pig that is healthy and well, soaking in a little warm water, and syringe feeding. The alternative is to purchase a guinea pig probiotic such as 'Vetarc: Pro-C Probiotic' which I get from Pets at Home.
ProC Probiotic 100gm | Pets At Home I don't ever put in their drinking bottle, I either mix with water as instructed and syringe feed, or sprinkle the powder on food.
The last think I can suggest is diet. I had to cut out all gassy veggies (brocolli, kale, cabbage, pak choi etc.). Then I also had to cut out all fruit. Mine were still getting bloat, so a vet (and my friend who is a vet nurse) suggested that I also cut out any veg with a high sugar content, as sugar ferments in the stomach and may produce gas in particularly sensitive individuals. So I had to do away with red and yellow peppers and had to offer very little carrot/ tomato etc. I wouldn't suggest at this stage that you need to go this crazy with cutting back on things, it's just mine are clearly very sensitive. I have recently been suggested by GP forum members that I switch to wheat/ grain free pellets, as mine may be intolerant to grain. So now I'm trying that as well........
Large amounts of great quality hay is also really important - Oxbow timothy hay is expensive, but so worth it!
Sorry for the incredibly long post, but I hope some of it helps....
