Chronic Bloating
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- You can quote me
"Where can I get one for my office -- er, guinea pig?"
I got a combination vibration and heating pad from K-mart. It was called "Homedics" brand and was in with the health care supplies (foot soakers, heating pads etc. etc. etc.), but you can sometimes find them in the automotive section. The one I have came with an adapter for a car's cigarette lighter.
It has three settings each for vibration and heat. We used it on low vibration, no heat, for our megacolon pig. The results were not dramatic but it did seem to help him a little from time to time.
I got a combination vibration and heating pad from K-mart. It was called "Homedics" brand and was in with the health care supplies (foot soakers, heating pads etc. etc. etc.), but you can sometimes find them in the automotive section. The one I have came with an adapter for a car's cigarette lighter.
It has three settings each for vibration and heat. We used it on low vibration, no heat, for our megacolon pig. The results were not dramatic but it did seem to help him a little from time to time.
When Milly first bloated, I had a frantic search around the shops to find a massage cushion quickly, as I had read that this helps. I couldn't find a combined heat and massage cushion, so mine is just what is called a massage pillow. It's just a small cushion full of tiny beads with a small vibrating thingy in the middle, run off batteries.
It does help Milly. I put the cushion on my lap, covered with a plastic cloth and a towel, with Milly on top. I can feel her gut contracting along her sides, and she produces a lot of poops! (I bought my Mum one for her stiff neck, and she thinks it's great!).
It does help Milly. I put the cushion on my lap, covered with a plastic cloth and a towel, with Milly on top. I can feel her gut contracting along her sides, and she produces a lot of poops! (I bought my Mum one for her stiff neck, and she thinks it's great!).
"The vet did mention that the liver has quite a lot to do with the digestion and glucose production, so I'm wondering about trying milk thistle, which I believe is safe for pigs."
I've used milk thistle with several pigs and bunnies. They generally love it and eat it right up. The SamE (samilyn stuff has the active ingredient of milk thistle in it, and is a good product to try.)
I've used milk thistle with several pigs and bunnies. They generally love it and eat it right up. The SamE (samilyn stuff has the active ingredient of milk thistle in it, and is a good product to try.)
Wow Milly's masssager sounds really neat. I am going to go and try to find one like that for Sweetpea! The one I have for her is very affective but is a pain in the butt to hold under her.
Sweetpea most often does the exact same thing when she is on the massager. I can feel her sides moving too and then she makes me a nice pile of poops as her bloating drops dramamtically.
This last time though we had a lot of trouble and I am not sure why. When she finally did get poop out I was shocked. They were WAY larger than she usually makes. They looked like one of my bigger boys made them.
Has the size and shape of Milly's poops changed since she has developed boating issues?
I have read in the past that as a guinea ges they are a lot more likely to develope problems if we change their diet. That surely complicates things for Milly too.
I'm sorry if you told me this before but did you have Milly's heart checked? I am going to be taking Sweetpea back in to have her heart rechecked. I took Sweetpea and Darty in after we discovered Lovebugs heart condition because they are all sisters form the same litter. At the time Sweetpea has a slightly irregular shaped heart but the vet didn't want to begin treatment becasue she wasn't displaying any symptoms and it was slight.
I have recently read now that heart conditions can cause bloating too.
Sweetpea most often does the exact same thing when she is on the massager. I can feel her sides moving too and then she makes me a nice pile of poops as her bloating drops dramamtically.
This last time though we had a lot of trouble and I am not sure why. When she finally did get poop out I was shocked. They were WAY larger than she usually makes. They looked like one of my bigger boys made them.
Has the size and shape of Milly's poops changed since she has developed boating issues?
I have read in the past that as a guinea ges they are a lot more likely to develope problems if we change their diet. That surely complicates things for Milly too.
I'm sorry if you told me this before but did you have Milly's heart checked? I am going to be taking Sweetpea back in to have her heart rechecked. I took Sweetpea and Darty in after we discovered Lovebugs heart condition because they are all sisters form the same litter. At the time Sweetpea has a slightly irregular shaped heart but the vet didn't want to begin treatment becasue she wasn't displaying any symptoms and it was slight.
I have recently read now that heart conditions can cause bloating too.
Here's a weird thing... You know I said that my Sukie had a chronic bloating problem? Well, I've been a bit worried about Holly, one of my others, for a few days, and took her to the vets today. I thought it might be a UTI, but the vet ruled that out and said it feels like gas in her intestine. So I now have 2 pigs with the same condition, out of 3!
I have metoclopramide and prepulsid to give her, and am going to cut out veggies and give grass instead. Will give her probiotic every day too.
I have metoclopramide and prepulsid to give her, and am going to cut out veggies and give grass instead. Will give her probiotic every day too.
We've lost Milly.
She suffered two more lots of colapsing/seizures/convulsions, each one longer than the last, and she never came around after the last one.
Thank you for all your advice and support. I don't think that we prolonged her life, but I think we made the last few months more comfortable for her.
We'd had her since she was 6 weeks old, and she would have been 6 this summer. She was one of the family, and we miss her dreadfully.
She suffered two more lots of colapsing/seizures/convulsions, each one longer than the last, and she never came around after the last one.
Thank you for all your advice and support. I don't think that we prolonged her life, but I think we made the last few months more comfortable for her.
We'd had her since she was 6 weeks old, and she would have been 6 this summer. She was one of the family, and we miss her dreadfully.