Not eating/pooping

[mukk_thepig]

Hi all!
My little lady (she's almost 5) is having some issues and we would greatly appreciate any feedback/advice you might have!

She has stopped eating all foods, except for carrots, parsley, dill and celery (which we consider treats so she would generally get quite little of). She seems interested and food and gets all excited when I open the fridge, but when I bring her food she just turns the other way. As a result, she is obviously not pooping.
She is still munching on hay, just not nearly as much as usual. She is drinking plenty and moving quite a lot.

This all started on Saturday/Sunday. On Sunday she was still pooping (loads, but all perfect shape and consistency) but her food intake had gone down. We started syringe feeding her on Sunday evening to avoid further issues (together with Fibreplex for good measure).

We took her to the vets (Tuesday as they had no availability on Monday) and they checked her teeth (all good, perfect teeth they said). Overall, she seemed to have no issues so they assumed it was gas. They injected her with antibiotics, painkillers and an anti-shock. They gave us instructions for: Simeticonum (x2/day, 0.5ml), Meloxicam (x1/day, 0.3ml) and told us to continue syringe feeding her (with probiotics and vitamin C, which we always give her anyway).

Wednesday rolls around, she has not pooped. The vet wants to see her again but finds no issues: teeth still great, belly still moving and making sounds, piglet still active and looking happy. They give her a shot to stimulate her guts, with the expectation that she would be very thirsty and hungry. She did get thirsty, keeps on drinking but no food.

We syringe feed her four/five times a day (one sachet per day, she really hates it), provide vitamin C, fresh water, fresh hay. Gave all medicines as adviced. I am also massaging her several times a day (I know it might be stressful for her to be picked up so much, but I really want to help her).

Anyone has had similar issues? I tried looking around on the forum/the internet, but could not find much
Thankful in advance for any suggestion!

 

[Piggies&buns]

I’m sorry to hear this.

It’s good you are syringe feeding her. You also need to make sure you weigh her every morning to ensure you are getting enough syringe feed into her to keep her weight stable each day.
You are aiming for a minimum of 60ml of syringe feed per day.

We do not recommend the use of simethicone as it gathers gas into a big bubble which can make things more painful (simethicone is fine for humans but not so good for piggies).

Piggies need their painkillers twice a day as they metabolise them quickly. Once a day isn’t usually enough and a piggy in pain is going to be reluctant to eat.
Ideally you would be given gut stimulants to gift her yourself at home as well.

Not Eating, Weight Loss And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre
All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures
Digestive Disorders: Not Eating - Diarrhea - Bloat - GI Stasis (No Gut Movement)

 

[mukk_thepig]

Hi! Thank you for your response and the links provided!

I forgot to mention but yes, we are weighing twice a day (excessive perhaps, but trying to err on the side of caution). She has not lost any major weight, variations are minimal (ca. 20gs up in the evening and down in the morning)

I will stop the simethicone right away and increase the painkiller, thank you pointing that out! Our vet also advised to give her fresh pineapple juice to try and reduce bloat, but I am thinking isn't that too acidic for a poorly piggy?

I am also confused because I see her reaching over for her butt and munching on something, but I have not seen any actual droppings

 

[Wheekallweek]

She could be munching on the cecotrophs, which they do normally eat and you rarely see. If she is, that's good she's still producing them!

 

[Piggies&buns]

Hi! Thank you for your response and the links provided!

I forgot to mention but yes, we are weighing twice a day (excessive perhaps, but trying to err on the side of caution). She has not lost any major weight, variations are minimal (ca. 20gs up in the evening and down in the morning)

I will stop the simethicone right away and increase the painkiller, thank you pointing that out! Our vet also advised to give her fresh pineapple juice to try and reduce bloat, but I am thinking isn't that too acidic for a poorly piggy?

I am also confused because I see her reaching over for her butt and munching on something, but I have not seen any actual droppings

Best not to weight twice a day. You pick up too much fluctuation which then makes it inaccurate.

Please speak to your vet before changing the painkiller dosage.
Please don’t give pineapple juice. It isn’t going to reduce bloat.

 

[mukk_thepig]

Hi all!

Little update: we took her for an x-ray which confirmed she is indeed bloated.
The vet had instructed us to continue what we are doing and add Carbodote once a day.

Should we allow her some fresh vegetables, or dry food only? Seeing some mixed opinions on that. And in general, anything else we could do to help her?

Thank you!

 

[Piggies&buns]

Hay and syringe feeding only

I hope she is ok

Digestive Disorders: Not Eating - Diarrhea - Bloat - GI Stasis (No Gut Movement)

 

[mukk_thepig]

Hi everyone! Good news - we have poops!

We took her back to the vet for a second scan on Friday, which showed the bloat had increased. We were all feeling very lost, vet included. But we had a rather bumpy ride on our way back and as we got home, she pooed! I had never been happier to see poo on my living room floor

Not sure if it really was the car ride back, the massages she got or if the combo of medicines she was on was helping slower than I had expected. Regardless, we are super happy and thought to share the news with you as well. We are obviously keeping her off fresh food for a bit longer and will support her gut with probiotics going forward!

Thank you for the support and the advice, it was all very much appreciated

 

[Wheekallweek]

Yay! So glad she's all better

 

[mukk_thepig]

Hi everyone! Hope you had a great start to the year
After her bloat episode, Ferdi started whimpering when pooping. Her poops also turned soft so I stopped any fresh veggie and ensured she had plenty of hay and pellets. I took her back to the vet thinking she had a UTI or a stone, but they did not think so. They think her anal muscles are still sore from the whole bloat situation and prescribed more meloxicam (the one for cats, 0.5ml once a day for five days).
Has anyone had a similar experience? Anything I can do to help her feel better, aside from the meloxicam? She is eating plenty of hay and pellets and drinking plenty, she is getting probiotics to help her gut but I feel I am not doing enough
Thank you in advance!