Hello,
I feel awful.
Eden is poorly (saw the vet yesterday and will see her again tomorrow) so she is having to be hand-fed. She is living alone now (usually is with 6 other sows) but today she has been squeaking a lot and I felt bad so I let her see Misty. I was feeding Eden with the syringe when Misty took an interest. I gave some to Misty and let the syringe stopper go too far and she bit it off... and swallowed it! I am in a panic because I was told it can get stuck in her intestine. Is this likely to happen?
Any help will be greatly appreciated.
Guinea pig swallowed syringe stopper/plug!!
Oh dear I am so sorry this has happend. Did you call her vet and tell them what has happend?
If it were my girl I would be pushing A LOT of extra fluid and fiber to help her get it through her system and also give her mineral oil or liquid parifin right after a good dose of lots of fluids to help it slip through her system. Keep checking her poops and pen looking for it and of course rush her to the vet if she shows any signs of pain or blockage.
If it were my girl I would be pushing A LOT of extra fluid and fiber to help her get it through her system and also give her mineral oil or liquid parifin right after a good dose of lots of fluids to help it slip through her system. Keep checking her poops and pen looking for it and of course rush her to the vet if she shows any signs of pain or blockage.
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Talishan
- You can quote me
We've used mineral oil successfully, but only occasionally. You don't want to use a lot of it, and you don't want to use it regularly, but if it's used only occasionally (and not very much of it), it's worked moderately well for us.
Mineral oil is an inorganic substance and will coat what's in the GI tract. If you have something that needs to absorb fluid, such as vegetable matter that's not moving through properly in stasis, you *don't* want to coat it. A stopper, though, is insoluble to begin with. I don't think a very small amount of mineral oil is a bad recommendation in this case.
Don't use very much and don't use it regularly. I believe if that's done you can actually damage the mucosal lining of the intestine. (The stuff can dissolve label adhesives, so I can just imagine it could in fact dissolve mucosal tissue over time as well.) One of ours actually seemed to like it and would take it willingly (about 1/3 an eyedropperful). If you administer it via syringe, be exceptionally careful not to aspirate the patient. One vet told us mineral oil "can set up the worst kind of aspiration pneumonia" -- so if you do use it, be very careful.
Ditto Maremma. Fluids, fiber. Keep checking her droppings and see if you find it (or pieces of it). Be ready to take her to the vet immediately if you see any sign of pain or a blockage.
Mineral oil is an inorganic substance and will coat what's in the GI tract. If you have something that needs to absorb fluid, such as vegetable matter that's not moving through properly in stasis, you *don't* want to coat it. A stopper, though, is insoluble to begin with. I don't think a very small amount of mineral oil is a bad recommendation in this case.
Don't use very much and don't use it regularly. I believe if that's done you can actually damage the mucosal lining of the intestine. (The stuff can dissolve label adhesives, so I can just imagine it could in fact dissolve mucosal tissue over time as well.) One of ours actually seemed to like it and would take it willingly (about 1/3 an eyedropperful). If you administer it via syringe, be exceptionally careful not to aspirate the patient. One vet told us mineral oil "can set up the worst kind of aspiration pneumonia" -- so if you do use it, be very careful.
Ditto Maremma. Fluids, fiber. Keep checking her droppings and see if you find it (or pieces of it). Be ready to take her to the vet immediately if you see any sign of pain or a blockage.
I don't have anything useful to add and I don't know about the safety of mineral oil in guinea pigs. If I am ever in doubt, I check with my vet.
Talishan, the aspiration pneumonia you are referring to is lipid or lipoid pneumonia. I have seen it in a patient during my clinicals (I am a respiratory therapy student) and the doctor said that the lungs do not fully recover from it ever. The mineral oil destroys the lung tissue and it can't be repaired. This patient was going to be on a ventilator for the rest of their life. They got it from taking mineral oil for constipation and apparently aspirated a small amount.
Talishan, the aspiration pneumonia you are referring to is lipid or lipoid pneumonia. I have seen it in a patient during my clinicals (I am a respiratory therapy student) and the doctor said that the lungs do not fully recover from it ever. The mineral oil destroys the lung tissue and it can't be repaired. This patient was going to be on a ventilator for the rest of their life. They got it from taking mineral oil for constipation and apparently aspirated a small amount.
How freaky darkmuffet! And to think of all those pregnant women out there who take mineral oil to induce labor... and look what could happen! How hard is it to aspirate?
And what is the cat fur ball medicine made of? I was just thinking something thicker that the piggies could lick off or you could wipe on their tongues or inside their mouths might be safer then something "oily". But I haven't a clue what that cat stuff is made of?!
And what is the cat fur ball medicine made of? I was just thinking something thicker that the piggies could lick off or you could wipe on their tongues or inside their mouths might be safer then something "oily". But I haven't a clue what that cat stuff is made of?!
Well now that they have hairball foods, I don't have to use that stuff, but I wonder if in small amounts it would be OK to use in this instance. Are the flavorings and minor enhancements bad for pigs that swallowed syringe plugs?
PS, since I started using the hairball food for my cats, OH my, what a difference.
PS, since I started using the hairball food for my cats, OH my, what a difference.
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PooksiedAnimals
- Supporting my GL Habit
I believe my vet told me that turn-around time (including 2-pass) was 12 hours. So if she's pooping after 12 hours, I'd say the stopper didn't block anything.
Hi Katrina,
Peter Gurney suggests giving about 1ml of liquid paraffin if your pig swallows any kind of plastic. Now I don't know how accurate this is. I would still check with the vet. Here's the link if you would like to have a look: http://www.oginet.com/pgurney/bloat.htm.
Hope it helps?
xx
PS: don't feel bad, you were just trying to be nice, and thoose stoppers are an absolute nightmare!
PPS: If it makes you feel any better, my friends pig did the same and she was fine. Also I'm sure RachelM told me that happened to her Bramble too, and she was ok! Maybe pm her to see if I'm right and see what she did?
Peter Gurney suggests giving about 1ml of liquid paraffin if your pig swallows any kind of plastic. Now I don't know how accurate this is. I would still check with the vet. Here's the link if you would like to have a look: http://www.oginet.com/pgurney/bloat.htm.
Hope it helps?
xx
PS: don't feel bad, you were just trying to be nice, and thoose stoppers are an absolute nightmare!
PPS: If it makes you feel any better, my friends pig did the same and she was fine. Also I'm sure RachelM told me that happened to her Bramble too, and she was ok! Maybe pm her to see if I'm right and see what she did?
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momof911kids
- I GAVE, dammit!
Tha hairball gel I have is supposed to be all natural and has canola oil, cod liver oil, and cocoa butter in it. Not sure if it would help in this type of situation though.
Mum I am sorry I offend you. I know you prefer not to use mineral oil for any reason.
I have only ever suggested the use of it in very special cases and never indefinately.
One is for this case. When a pet eats a non food item that could easily get stuck and cause a blockage that would then require the very dangerous abdominal surgery we all dread.
Two, is when a heart guinea is in the dangerous stage of bloat and cannot have reglan.
Three, a vet cannot be reached immediatley to get the reglan for a healthy heart guinea. (such as no exotics vet on call or no emergency vet office in your town)
For no other reasons would I suggest it. Three of my vets all agreed it was the safest alternative for my heart guinea. She has had to use it more than once and it had no ill effects.
I took care of an elderly man that had been gulping mineral oil for years before I started taking care of him with no ill effects.
My grandmother used more moderate doses on herself for years with no ill effects and I have used it for myself for many years with no ill effects.
There is a huge difference between intestines and lungs. Oil can't be hacked all the way out or reabsorbed into the body once it gets in the lungs. The lungs do not have any fiber running through it to "rub it clean" like the intestines. Lungs are made to handle air, intestines more solid things.
A simple solution to prevent aspiration as easily is to do what I do and mix the dose of mineral oil with a little bit of criti care or something more "solid" like that and let the guinea lick it or if they are refusing to eat,give via syringe like plain criticare.
I have only ever suggested the use of it in very special cases and never indefinately.
One is for this case. When a pet eats a non food item that could easily get stuck and cause a blockage that would then require the very dangerous abdominal surgery we all dread.
Two, is when a heart guinea is in the dangerous stage of bloat and cannot have reglan.
Three, a vet cannot be reached immediatley to get the reglan for a healthy heart guinea. (such as no exotics vet on call or no emergency vet office in your town)
For no other reasons would I suggest it. Three of my vets all agreed it was the safest alternative for my heart guinea. She has had to use it more than once and it had no ill effects.
I took care of an elderly man that had been gulping mineral oil for years before I started taking care of him with no ill effects.
My grandmother used more moderate doses on herself for years with no ill effects and I have used it for myself for many years with no ill effects.
There is a huge difference between intestines and lungs. Oil can't be hacked all the way out or reabsorbed into the body once it gets in the lungs. The lungs do not have any fiber running through it to "rub it clean" like the intestines. Lungs are made to handle air, intestines more solid things.
A simple solution to prevent aspiration as easily is to do what I do and mix the dose of mineral oil with a little bit of criti care or something more "solid" like that and let the guinea lick it or if they are refusing to eat,give via syringe like plain criticare.
Again, does anyone know if veg oil is a safer alternative? Or some other type of plant-based oil? What about castor oil as another possibility?
If anyone is interested in reading it, here is the MSDS on mineral oil.
ETA: All of this discussion has made me wonder if it's really a good idea to use mineral oil for cleaning anal sacs-? (since it could coat cecal pellets and be ingested).
If anyone is interested in reading it, here is the MSDS on mineral oil.
ETA: All of this discussion has made me wonder if it's really a good idea to use mineral oil for cleaning anal sacs-? (since it could coat cecal pellets and be ingested).
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Talishan
- You can quote me
As I understand it, one of the biggest issues with mineral oil is its coating action -- that is, if you're trying to hydrate an animal in stasis and get the fecal mass rehydrated and on its way out, mineral oil is the last thing you want. It might slick it, but it will coat it and it will not rehydrate. You are working against yourself (and the animal) if you use mineral oil to slick something that has to be hydrated (or rehydrated) in order to pass.
I don't know if any of the vegetable or plant-based oils have this sealing or coating action. If they don't, I would suspect (read: guess, not know) they may be safer alternatives.
Sef, I would suspect (see note above) that the small amount of mineral oil used in cleaning an anal sac, then ingested via cecotropes, would not be enough to cause damage. I suspect -- not know.
I don't know if any of the vegetable or plant-based oils have this sealing or coating action. If they don't, I would suspect (read: guess, not know) they may be safer alternatives.
Sef, I would suspect (see note above) that the small amount of mineral oil used in cleaning an anal sac, then ingested via cecotropes, would not be enough to cause damage. I suspect -- not know.