Massive Piggy - Bloating?

[MunchCrunch&Co]

Hiya
First time posting on here.
I adopted 2 female guinea pigs 3 weeks ago. Once of them (Muffin) was much bigger than the other (Puffin) but I kind of went with the idea that she was a bit overweight.
When I posted a photo online of her last week I got many people telling me she looked pregnant.

Photo here:

I took her back to the place I adopted her from and they looked at her and straight away said that she was pregnant. I made an appointment with the vet there and she agreed (after a small examination) that Muffin was pregnant. She gave me some information on what to do with pregnant piggies and that was it.

I realised afterwards that I really should have pushed for a scan so that I would know how many she was having and how far along she was. I went to the vet again this morning and Muffin had a scan. Result: she is not pregnant! I was pretty angry about the situation at this point and so went to my local PDSA (who were lovely) and Muffin had an x-ray. Apparently there are masses on both sides and these are apparently gas and poop.

I'm not sure what to think anymore. PDSA are not exotic pets and therefore do not necessarily know enough about guinea pigs. However, the stress poor Muffin has gone through today has made me rethink taking her to another vet if is just gas/poop.

My question is, firstly from looks, could she just be very overweight? (She weighs around 1200g).
Secondly, what would people suggest I do to help her out? If this is gas and poop do I limit her food?

I have 6 guinea pigs and a hamster and this is the first time I have ever had any problems - but boy it is stressful!

Thank you in advance

Rivkah

 

[happy_piggy]

@Wiebke is good for this. I wish you the best of luck!

 

[MunchCrunch&Co]

@Wiebke is good for this. I wish you the best of luck!

Thank you x

 

[Skittypigs]

Hiya
First time posting on here.
I adopted 2 female guinea pigs 3 weeks ago. Once of them (Muffin) was much bigger than the other (Puffin) but I kind of went with the idea that she was a bit overweight.
When I posted a photo online of her last week I got many people telling me she looked pregnant.

Photo here:

I took her back to the place I adopted her from and they looked at her and straight away said that she was pregnant. I made an appointment with the vet there and she agreed (after a small examination) that Muffin was pregnant. She gave me some information on what to do with pregnant piggies and that was it.

I realised afterwards that I really should have pushed for a scan so that I would know how many she was having and how far along she was. I went to the vet again this morning and Muffin had a scan. Result: she is not pregnant! I was pretty angry about the situation at this point and so went to my local PDSA (who were lovely) and Muffin had an x-ray. Apparently there are masses on both sides and these are apparently gas and poop.

I'm not sure what to think anymore. PDSA are not exotic pets and therefore do not necessarily know enough about guinea pigs. However, the stress poor Muffin has gone through today has made me rethink taking her to another vet if is just gas/poop.

My question is, firstly from looks, could she just be very overweight? (She weighs around 1200g).
Secondly, what would people suggest I do to help her out? If this is gas and poop do I limit her food?

I have 6 guinea pigs and a hamster and this is the first time I have ever had any problems - but boy it is stressful!

Thank you in advance

Rivkah

Wow, she is pretty big, I hope she gets sorted and will be interested to hear what wiebke has to say

 

[Critter]

I second tagging Wiebke, but I am thinking if it was the dreaded bloat she would be showing signs of stress. I assume she is eating and pooping as normal? Bloat is often very painful and is an emergency, but if your piggy is behaving normally then perhaps it is not that. I wouldn't recommend squeezing her at all but do her sides feel hard? That CAN be a sign of bloat.
If t's any consolation out of my nine piggies two of them have looked permanently pregnant, some are simply large. Also I believe scans do not always show pregnancies up until the latter stages, but @Wiebke knows more on that.

 

[Wiebke]

Hiya
First time posting on here.
I adopted 2 female guinea pigs 3 weeks ago. Once of them (Muffin) was much bigger than the other (Puffin) but I kind of went with the idea that she was a bit overweight.
When I posted a photo online of her last week I got many people telling me she looked pregnant.

Photo here:

I took her back to the place I adopted her from and they looked at her and straight away said that she was pregnant. I made an appointment with the vet there and she agreed (after a small examination) that Muffin was pregnant. She gave me some information on what to do with pregnant piggies and that was it.

I realised afterwards that I really should have pushed for a scan so that I would know how many she was having and how far along she was. I went to the vet again this morning and Muffin had a scan. Result: she is not pregnant! I was pretty angry about the situation at this point and so went to my local PDSA (who were lovely) and Muffin had an x-ray. Apparently there are masses on both sides and these are apparently gas and poop.

I'm not sure what to think anymore. PDSA are not exotic pets and therefore do not necessarily know enough about guinea pigs. However, the stress poor Muffin has gone through today has made me rethink taking her to another vet if is just gas/poop.

My question is, firstly from looks, could she just be very overweight? (She weighs around 1200g).
Secondly, what would people suggest I do to help her out? If this is gas and poop do I limit her food?

I have 6 guinea pigs and a hamster and this is the first time I have ever had any problems - but boy it is stressful!

Thank you in advance

Rivkah

Hi! I am sorry for your odyssey. What have the PDSA vets prescribed to get on top of the gas and build up of poos, which argues for either a slowed down gut or partial blockage?

Ideally she should have zantac and emeprid or metoclopramide as gut stimulants and anti-gassing meds to help her get the poos out and break the gas down. These two medications work on different parts of the digestive system. You need a vet prescription for that and it would be good to get another vet check at some point to see how things are working.

Please take her off any fresh food and keep her as much on hay as possible to help stabilise the guts. Top her up with fibrous syringe feed if necessary. You can give her also gripe water; this is a mild herbal anti-colic medication for babies; it is quite effective in breaking up gas.
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

In defense of your vets - it is not at all easy to diagnose a pregnancy without a scan in the last third of a potential pregnancy when the baby skeletons become visible. To be honest, I would not dare to say whether your girl was pregnant or not, but I would also not say that she was looking badly bloated straight away without a closer examination. The two can look rather similar from the outside, but not on a scan. She can be simply a big girl! You can ask for a copy of the scan and see another vet for a second opinion about it.

However, no rescue worth their salt should rehome potentially pregnant sows or guinea pigs that have ongoing health issues. The good rescues all have a mandatory 10 weeks pregnancy watch for any incoming sows that are over 4 weeks old (i.e. weaned). Sadly anybody can call themselves a breeder or rescue, which is why we have a recommended rescues list on the top bar, which comprises those UK rescues that we can guarantee for.

We also have got a recommended UK vets locator on the top bar.

 

[MunchCrunch&Co]

Wow, she is pretty big, I hope she gets sorted and will be interested to hear what wiebke has to say

Thank you! Yep she's massive!

 

[MunchCrunch&Co]

I second tagging Wiebke, but I am thinking if it was the dreaded bloat she would be showing signs of stress. I assume she is eating and pooping as normal? Bloat is often very painful and is an emergency, but if your piggy is behaving normally then perhaps it is not that. I wouldn't recommend squeezing her at all but do her sides feel hard? That CAN be a sign of bloat.
If t's any consolation out of my nine piggies two of them have looked permanently pregnant, some are simply large. Also I believe scans do not always show pregnancies up until the latter stages, but @Wiebke knows more on that.

Thank so so much for your reply. She is not in any discomfort. She is the happiest pig I have. She's loving and very easy going. Glad I'm not the only one who thought she might be pregnant!

 

[MunchCrunch&Co]

Hi! I am sorry for your odyssey. What have the PDSA vets prescribed to get on top of the gas and build up of poos, which argues for either a slowed down gut or partial blockage?

Ideally she should have zantac and emeprid or metoclopramide as gut stimulants and anti-gassing meds to help her get the poos out and break the gas down. These two medications work on different parts of the digestive system. You need a vet prescription for that and it would be good to get another vet check at some point to see how things are working.

Please take her off any fresh food and keep her as much on hay as possible to help stabilise the guts. Top her up with fibrous syringe feed if necessary. You can give her also gripe water; this is a mild herbal anti-colic medication for babies; it is quite effective in breaking up gas.
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

In defense of your vets - it is not at all easy to diagnose a pregnancy without a scan in the last third of a potential pregnancy when the baby skeletons become visible. To be honest, I would not dare to say whether your girl was pregnant or not, but I would also not say that she was looking badly bloated straight away without a closer examination. The two can look rather similar from the outside, but not on a scan. She can be simply a big girl! You can ask for a copy of the scan and see another vet for a second opinion about it.

However, no rescue worth their salt should rehome potentially pregnant sows or guinea pigs that have ongoing health issues. The good rescues all have a mandatory 10 weeks pregnancy watch for any incoming sows that are over 4 weeks old (i.e. weaned). Sadly anybody can call themselves a breeder or rescue, which is why we have a recommended rescues list on the top bar, which comprises those UK rescues that we can guarantee for.

We also have got a recommended UK vets locator on the top bar.

PDSA haven't prescribed anything. He was a little bit clueless what to do with guiena pigs. He said I shouldn't feed her veg until her bloat goes down? Can I not feed her veg and how often/how long?
I think if it continues any longer or she shows any sign of discomfort I will definitely take her to proper guinea pig vet. They weren't treated well obviously where they were til now and I think the diet at the pet shop has made her ill - they feed them loads of cabbage and apple so it's not surprising they are bloated. I'm going to make a complaint and see if it helps.
Thank you so so much for your reply. I really appreciate it. So much stress!
I'm just upset that they didn't offer ultrasound outright.

 

[DM030819]

It's fine to not feed her veg. Make sure she has access to plenty of hay in the meantime.

It's difficult to say for how long, but I'd probably aim for 2 days and see how she goes.

Is she still pooping and peeing okay? Eating okay? Seem okay in herself?

It's worth starting to weigh her regularly, then you can keep a track on whether she is getting fatter.

 

[MunchCrunch&Co]

It's fine to not feed her veg. Make sure she has access to plenty of hay in the meantime.

It's difficult to say for how long, but I'd probably aim for 2 days and see how she goes.

Is she still pooping and peeing okay? Eating okay? Seem okay in herself?

It's worth starting to weigh her regularly, then you can keep a track on whether she is getting fatter.

Ok shall try out tomorrow and next day maybe. Then start reintroducing small amounts.

I weighe dher last week and this week and she has gone down a tiny bit.

She is pooping and peeing fine. She is generally really easy going. Even now after the most traumatic days he has just been cuddling me and licking my hands :-)

Thank you so much

 

[Tiamolly123]

Your not going wrong providing you give them lots of Timothy hay, good for there system & teeth.
Now all you have to do is enjoy your piggies. Gorgeous little one & I really like the names.

Hi & welcome to our forum

 

[Critter]

So is this confirmed definite bloat? I apologise, I thought it was a guess but then I re-read your post - sorry.

 

[MunchCrunch&Co]

So is this confirmed definite bloat? I apologise, I thought it was a guess but then I re-read your post - sorry.

I don't know anything is definite but I'm going to go along with that for a few days and see how the non vegetable diet goes for her. Thank you so much for your help. I assumed there aren't any other reasons why she'd be so big if she is pooping properly, peeing properly and generally being very sweet. She is a bit lethargic - but so would I be if I were very overweight I guess?

 

[Critter]

I'm just very glad indeed that she is still pooping properly and seeming well in herself. Hopefully it will get sorted. Do you have a follow up appointment?

 

[MunchCrunch&Co]

I'm just very glad indeed that she is still pooping properly and seeming well in herself. Hopefully it will get sorted. Do you have a follow up appointment?

Always pooping . I don't have a follow up appt no. But can always go there if I need to. Thank you