Guinea pig swallowed syringe stopper/plug!!

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Miss-S

Post   » Fri Aug 17, 2007 10:56 am


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?

User avatar
Mum
I GAVE, dammit!

Post   » Fri Aug 17, 2007 11:00 am


Just as an fyi, liquid paraffin is mineral oil.

User avatar
Miss-S

Post   » Fri Aug 17, 2007 11:06 am


Thanks Mum,

I thought it might be, but I wasn't sure.

xx

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momof911kids
I GAVE, dammit!

Post   » Fri Aug 17, 2007 11:39 am


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.

maremma

Post   » Fri Aug 17, 2007 9:09 pm


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.

User avatar
Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Fri Aug 17, 2007 10:46 pm


I am not a fan of mineral oil used orally.

User avatar
Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Fri Aug 17, 2007 11:19 pm


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).

Talishan
You can quote me

Post   » Fri Aug 17, 2007 11:24 pm


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.

User avatar
Mum
I GAVE, dammit!

Post   » Fri Aug 17, 2007 11:59 pm


maremma, you did not offend me. I'm just concerned that you've now offered this advice several times here in the medical forum.

We try to keep the advice on this forum accurate and based on research or known fact!

I've indeed used mineral oil for some time to clean anal sacs - sometimes it really helps to make the sac more lubricated. I've also used it to extrude stuck penises.

On the rare occasion that I've given ivermectin orally, I've mixed it with vegetable oil.

Katrina16

Post   » Sat Aug 18, 2007 7:36 am


Thank you all for the replies.

She is peeing and pooping normally, and totally acting herself so I think it hasn't got stuck in her.

User avatar
Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Sat Aug 18, 2007 10:19 am


That's very good news, Katrina16!

Mum -- do you think castor oil would be a possible alternative to the use of mineral oil? Is the issue of rancidity (is that even a word?) the reason why veg-based oils aren't ideal for anal sac cleaning?

I have to admit...the more I think about mineral oil and its chemical make-up, the less I like the idea of using it for much of anything.

User avatar
Mum
I GAVE, dammit!

Post   » Sat Aug 18, 2007 11:06 am


do you think castor oil would be a possible alternative to the use of mineral oil?
I haven't heard of that for years - isn't that what people used to take for constipation? :-p

Really, I don't know. Josephine would be the best person to answer this I think.

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