Keeping gassy piggy separate? And other small concerns

[Hildegard]

First of all- she has seen a vet today and had an xray- there is excess gas and some build up of poop but no blockages, so the Vet has me giving her probiotics and slurry paste (basically pulverized hay mixed with water) and I am keeping her on a veg free diet for the foreseeable future. She is currently pooping slightly large and soft poops (they still hold their form but definitely wetter than usual), moving around and eating and drinking water. She still looks bloated, but I am hoping the vet is right and this will work.

I had my other pig checked as well and she is fine thankfully.

My questions are- should I let them be together? I currently have them separate so I can keep track of Hilda’s poops but I know it stresses them out to be separated, and movement helps with gas and she definitely moves around more when her sis is with her.

I am new to guinea pigs and this is my first go around with a medical emergency so any help would be appreciated!

 

[Engel]

They should be fine to stay together and it will be more beneficial for her too. I'd start weighing her daily at the same time each day so you can see if she's eating enough. Personally I'd step in with syringe feeding as bloat is painful and a piggy in pain doesn't eat as much as it should. Here's our syringe feeding guides:
Not Eating, Weight Loss And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

Also our guide regarding bloat and gut stasis: Digestive Disorders: Diarrhea - Bloat - GI Stasis (No Gut Movement) And Not Eating

 

[Piggies&buns]

Weighing is the most important part to make sure she is getting enough food. Poops are not so reliable as they are behind food intake by 1-2 days. You do obviously need to make sure poops look healthy so I can see why you would think to separate them but no, they are better to stay together. Separating piggies causes stress and a poorly piggy does not need extra stress. It also has the potential to damage a bond so we don’t recommend medical separations unless absolutely necessary as they can refuse to live together again

Has she been given any gut medications?

 

[Hildegard]

Weighing is the most important part to make sure she is getting enough food. Poops are not so reliable as they are behind food intake by 1-2 days. You do obviously need to make sure poops look healthy so I can see why you would think to separate them but no, they are better to stay together. Separating piggies causes stress and a poorly piggy does not need extra stress. It also has the potential to damage a bond so we don’t recommend medical separations unless absolutely necessary as they can refuse to live together again

Has she been given any gut medications?

Thank you for responding! They are back together now (I ended up taking the partition down on shortly after posting lol- they kept sniffing each other and it was clear they would be calmer and happier together). I will definitely weigh them!

The vet did not give me any gut medicine- I was wondering if I should get simethicone or gripe water? She is eating and drinking great and moving around and her poops are looking normal but she is definitely still just a bit rounder than she should be! I am worried she won’t be able to shift the gas without a little extra help.

Giving her the paste has been a challenge, but it has definitely seemed to help move things along

I have also been putting her on a massage pads in the hopes that will help the gas bubbles pass!

 

[Piggies&buns]

Simethicone isn’t recommended as it gathers gas into one big bubble which can make passing it more painful. Gripe water is a better choice.

This guide will help further Digestive Disorders: Diarrhea - Bloat - GI Stasis (No Gut Movement) And Not Eating

 

[Hildegard]

They should be fine to stay together and it will be more beneficial for her too. I'd start weighing her daily at the same time each day so you can see if she's eating enough. Personally I'd step in with syringe feeding as bloat is painful and a piggy in pain doesn't eat as much as it should. Here's our syringe feeding guides:
Not Eating, Weight Loss And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

Also our guide regarding bloat and gut stasis: Digestive Disorders: Diarrhea - Bloat - GI Stasis (No Gut Movement) And Not Eating

I have been syringe feeding her the paste for about 20 hours! Sorry- should have been more specific!

They should be fine to stay together and it will be more beneficial for her too. I'd start weighing her daily at the same time each day so you can see if she's eating enough. Personally I'd step in with syringe feeding as bloat is painful and a piggy in pain doesn't eat as much as it should. Here's our syringe feeding guides:
Not Eating, Weight Loss And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

Also our guide regarding bloat and gut stasis: Digestive Disorders: Diarrhea - Bloat - GI Stasis (No Gut Movement) And Not Eating

Simethicone isn’t recommended as it gathers gas into one big bubble which can make passing it more painful. Gripe water is a better choice.

This guide will help further Digestive Disorders: Diarrhea - Bloat - GI Stasis (No Gut Movement) And Not Eating

ok, thank you so much! For your help!

 

[Hildegard]

Tuesday night, I noticed my pig Hildegard was gassy, so I brought her to the vet the next day. It’s my first round dealing with gas and guinea pigs. The vet said there was definitely gas in the xray but no blockage etc
She sent me home with probiotics and critical care and gave her a subcutaneous shot.

I have been giving her hand massages, but I got her a massage pad, feeding her the critical care every six hours and the probiotics as prescribed by the vet. She is still eating on her own and drinkimg amd somewhat curious and moving around etc, but honestly she seems more lethargic now than she did the first day I brought her back from the vet.

I’m worried that the vet gave me nothing to actually help her pass the gas. I asked her about both gripe water and simethicone and she said we could try simethicone on Monday if Hilde does not show improvement.

Obviously, it’s easy to be impatient to see your piggies get better, but I’m genuinely worried that the critical care and probiotics are not gonna actually help her pass the gas.

I am also worried because she is really enjoying the critical care- hopefully this is just because she’s gotten used to the whole syringe thing, but I’m worried it’s because she’s not eating on her own now and she’s genuinely hungry. When I first tried to feed her with it and she wanted nothing to do with any of it.

 

[Wiebke]

Tuesday night, I noticed my pig Hildegard was gassy, so I brought her to the vet the next day. It’s my first round dealing with gas and guinea pigs. The vet said there was definitely gas in the xray but no blockage etc
She sent me home with probiotics and critical care and gave her a subcutaneous shot.

I have been giving her hand massages, but I got her a massage pad, feeding her the critical care every six hours and the probiotics as prescribed by the vet. She is still eating on her own and drinkimg amd somewhat curious and moving around etc, but honestly she seems more lethargic now than she did the first day I brought her back from the vet.

I’m worried that the vet gave me nothing to actually help her pass the gas. I asked her about both gripe water and simethicone and she said we could try simethicone on Monday if Hilde does not show improvement.

Obviously, it’s easy to be impatient to see your piggies get better, but I’m genuinely worried that the critical care and probiotics are not gonna actually help her pass the gas.

I am also worried because she is really enjoying the critical care- hopefully this is just because she’s gotten used to the whole syringe thing, but I’m worried it’s because she’s not eating on her own now and she’s genuinely hungry. When I first tried to feed her with it and she wanted nothing to do with any of it.

Hi

Acute bloat is very painful, so a piggy won't feel like eating and it is a struggle to get food in. The fact that she is keen on her syringe feed is a very positive sign - it means that her bloating is not so severe and painful that she is fighting for her life right now. However, there is obviously still enough gassing and upset of the gut microbiome going on. You could try and see whether 'poo soup' (i.e. live healthy guinea pig gut microbiome transfer from a healthy companion may help a bit with that. If done correctly, it is more effective than general probiotic. Unfortunately, getting on top of serious dysbiosis (overgrowth of the wrong kind of digestive bacteria) is not easy in guinea pigs. Their gut is a lot thinner but much longer than that of meat-eating pets, so working the gas out is a lot more difficult.

You can find the detailed step-by-step preparation in this link here: Probiotics, Recovery Foods And Vitamin C: Overview With Product Links

All the best.

PS: Please keep your updates to the same thread. It makes it much easier for us to keep track of ongoing cases; especially as not all of us are around all the time and can read every thread. We are doing this for free in our own free time. Your cooperation to allow us to help you best would be appreciated. Please bookmark your support thread of an ongoing case or pick it up via the Find Thread/your threads button by the top bar when you come onto the forum. We jump between lots of threads every single day.


If your vet has access to ranitidine/zantac, that would be even better. It had to be taken off the market for a few years but it seems like may be making a comeback with the problem with it solved. It is by far the best anti-gassing drug; unlike simethicone or gripe water it is however prescription-only.

 

[Hildegard]

Hi

Acute bloat is very painful, so a piggy won't feel like eating and it is a struggle to get food in. The fact that she is keen on her syringe feed is a very positive sign - it means that her bloating is not so severe and painful that she is fighting for her life right now. However, there is obviously still enough gassing and upset of the gut microbiome going on. You could try and see whether 'poo soup' (i.e. live healthy guinea pig gut microbiome transfer from a healthy companion may help a bit with that. If done correctly, it is more effective than general probiotic. Unfortunately, getting on top of serious dysbiosis (overgrowth of the wrong kind of digestive bacteria) is not easy in guinea pigs. Their gut is a lot thinner but much longer than that of meat-eating pets, so working the gas out is a lot more difficult.

You can find the detailed step-by-step preparation in this link here: Probiotics, Recovery Foods And Vitamin C: Overview With Product Links

All the best.

PS: Please keep your updates to the same thread. It makes it much easier for us to keep track of ongoing cases; especially as not all of us are around all the time and can read every thread. We are doing this for free in our own free time. Your cooperation to allow us to help you best would be appreciated. Please bookmark your support thread of an ongoing case or pick it up via the Find Thread/your threads button by the top bar when you come onto the forum. We jump between lots of threads every single day.


If your vet has access to ranitidine/zantac, that would be even better. It had to be taken off the market for a few years but it seems like may be making a comeback with the problem with it solved. It is by far the best anti-gassing drug; unlike simethicone or gripe water it is however prescription-only.

Thank you so much- I will definitely look into that! (and I will definitely keep my inquiries on the same thread now- so sorry!)

She is doing much better now- eating and drinking as normal, and less and less gassy, and her poos have been looking delightfully normal for 36 hours- but I will ask my vet about zantac as well- hoping there will not be a next time, but good to be prepared.

I am curious tho- she seems to be 100% non gassy late morning/early afternoon- but them gets puffy again at night (although it’s been getting progressively less dramatic)- is this normal?

Thank you again for your time!

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you so much- I will definitely look into that! (and I will definitely keep my inquiries on the same thread now- so sorry!)

She is doing much better now- eating and drinking as normal, and less and less gassy, and her poos have been looking delightfully normal for 36 hours- but I will ask my vet about zantac as well- hoping there will not be a next time, but good to be prepared.

I am curious tho- she seems to be 100% non gassy late morning/early afternoon- but them gets puffy again at night (although it’s been getting progressively less dramatic)- is this normal?

Thank you again for your time!

Hi

Glad that it is getting better.

See whether one of the fresh veg she gets for dinner could be the culprit by leaving them out in turn or whether is it is fresh food generally.

 

[Hildegard]

Hi

Glad that it is getting better.

See whether one of the fresh veg she gets for dinner could be the culprit by leaving them out in turn or whether is it is fresh food generally.

Hi! She is getting no veg for a few weeks until she is normal! (Even then I will be very slow in introducing veg back- I am giving her vit C tablets and she is eating her pellets). I was also curious whether it was something I was giving her- but I feed her the exact same amounts and the same things on her other feedings as well! I did just switch to grain free pellets, just to try and get rid of any potential problems. Thankfully it’s less and less noticeable each night.

 

[Swissgreys]

Hi! She is getting no veg for a few weeks until she is normal! (Even then I will be very slow in introducing veg back- I am giving her vit C tablets and she is eating her pellets). I was also curious whether it was something I was giving her- but I feed her the exact same amounts and the same things on her other feedings as well! I did just switch to grain free pellets, just to try and get rid of any potential problems. Thankfully it’s less and less noticeable each night.

Based on my own limited experience with bloat, there isn't always a specific reason/cause.
Cutting out all veg and avoiding certain specific veg (like cabbage) can help, but some piggies just seem prone to the occasional episode.

Lucy struggled with bloat as she got older (3+) and my vet felt it could be partially due to a slowing of her digestive system coupled with less movement, but more importantly she was just predisposed to it.
I kept her diet simple, gave the occasional course of probiotics, made sure she had plenty of space and a reason to move around her cage, and just kept a very close eye on her. Sometimes there really is nothing more you can do, and fingers crossed that this was a one off episode for you.