When to reintroduce veggies after a potential case of bloat?

[guineapigsandcoffee]

Hello, everyone!

My sweet boy, about 3-4 years old (I rescued him so his age is somewhat of a mystery), wasn't feeling great over the weekend. My piggies have a knack for showing symptoms of sickness when the vets are closed.

On Saturday and early into Sunday morning, my buddy didn't seem to be feeling quite himself. He is usually very active, running all around the cage. And when he rests, he is fully stretched out in his pigloo. Therefore, his hunched and puffy state was quite unlike his normal demeanor.

I don't believe he ever fully stopped eating, but since I was away at a prior engagement on Saturday before seeing he didn't feel well after returning that evening, I fed him some Critical Care just to be safe. He loved it and ate a good portion. He also never looked bloated, but seemed to feel better after each tummy treatment (massages + electric toothbrush combo). I got up with him throughout the night to check on him, and I found him eating on his own. By Sunday afternoon, he was back to his old self.

I am not sure what he had going on, whether it was an extremely mild case of bloat or just an upset tummy. I say this all to ask, when should I reintroduce veggies? For the past few days, he has had some Critical Care as a substitute and has continued taking his Oxbow vitamins. And unlimited hay and water, of course. But I know he is probably dreaming about some green leaf lettuce right now.

Also, should I slowly incorporate veggies back in? Such as 1/3 cup tonight, 1/2 a cup tomorrow, 3/4 cup the next, etc.

I've had 5 piggies, but I have never dealt with potential bloat before, so I wanted to check. Thanks!

 

[Wiebke]

Hello, everyone!

My sweet boy, about 3-4 years old (I rescued him so his age is somewhat of a mystery), wasn't feeling great over the weekend. My piggies have a knack for showing symptoms of sickness when the vets are closed.

On Saturday and early into Sunday morning, my buddy didn't seem to be feeling quite himself. He is usually very active, running all around the cage. And when he rests, he is fully stretched out in his pigloo. Therefore, his hunched and puffy state was quite unlike his normal demeanor.

I don't believe he ever fully stopped eating, but since I was away at a prior engagement on Saturday before seeing he didn't feel well after returning that evening, I fed him some Critical Care just to be safe. He loved it and ate a good portion. He also never looked bloated, but seemed to feel better after each tummy treatment (massages + electric toothbrush combo). I got up with him throughout the night to check on him, and I found him eating on his own. By Sunday afternoon, he was back to his old self.

I am not sure what he had going on, whether it was an extremely mild case of bloat or just an upset tummy. I say this all to ask, when should I reintroduce veggies? For the past few days, he has had some Critical Care as a substitute and has continued taking his Oxbow vitamins. And unlimited hay and water, of course. But I know he is probably dreaming about some green leaf lettuce right now.

Also, should I slowly incorporate veggies back in? Such as 1/3 cup tonight, 1/2 a cup tomorrow, 3/4 cup the next, etc.

I've had 5 piggies, but I have never dealt with potential bloat before, so I wanted to check. Thanks!

Hi

Start with a little herb or just a few blades of dry (and not damp) fresh grass. see how that goes. Add a little more veg with each passing meal over the next 3-4 days; any new veg initially in a very small quantity so you all low the gut microbiome to rebuild over the course of a week. Continue with feeding support, probiotics and poo soup (life healthy gut microbiome transfer from a healthy companion not on antibiotics in order to help stabilise the microbiome) - the latter, properly done, would be the most effective. Be prepared to stop whenever there are signs of bloating again.
Probiotics Live Gut Microbiome Transfer ('Poo Soup'); Recovery Formula Foods And Vitamin C: Overview With Product Links and Transfer Recipe

If you are dealing with dysbiosis (overgrowth of the wrong kind of digestive bacteria) then gut microbiome can stay rather sensitive for quite some weeks after a bloating event.

If the bloating is secondary; i.e. caused by something outside the gut (pressure on the gut, pain radiating into it, or heart problems, then taking off veg or adding it again should not make any difference since the problem is not digestive but symptoms may persist or recur - in which case you may want to see a vet.