GI Upset

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rshevin

Post   » Sat Sep 08, 2007 5:46 pm


No, I haven't had another xray taken. He seems to have made a full recovery and no longer has that gassy feeling belly but I don't know for sure.

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Bugs Mom

Post   » Sat Sep 08, 2007 5:53 pm


I had the LB on the cis for a week and figured it was all gone. Surprise, the last x-ray showed just as much as ever. I even have a little vibrating pillow for her to sit on, which she just loves, and it still doesn't seem to make a difference.

Maybe lots of gas is normal for some piggies? I hope.

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rshevin

Post   » Sat Sep 08, 2007 6:08 pm


Gas is absolutely normal for pigs because of how their digestive system works. Basically their lower intestine is a giant fermentation vat. It's just the degree of gas that I guess causes problems. Is LB still having symptoms like misshapen poos and lethargy?

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Bugs Mom

Post   » Sat Sep 08, 2007 6:45 pm


Nope, she'd fine now just full of gas. I guess if we ate hay all day, we'd have gas too, huh?

Actually as for the problems on her thread, the latest consenses seems to be it just might, maybe be related to her adrenal gland. The gas seems to have been a seperate issue.

Talishan
You can quote me

Post   » Sun Sep 09, 2007 9:03 pm


"I guess if we ate hay all day, we'd have gas too, huh?"

*sprlft* LOL!

"A long time back Piggy had some gas/stasis issues as the result of bell peppers (weird, I know)."

Not weird at all. Several of ours can only handle small amounts of pepper. Their ability to handle them has decreased with age.

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rshevin

Post   » Sun Sep 09, 2007 9:31 pm


That makes sense Talishan. Piggy isn't young and there's no telling what he was or wasn't exposed to when he was younger. He had 2 homes before ending up at the SPCA and then my forever home. I'm so disappointed I didn't get a decent view of his heart in my pictures. I'm still looking for better ways to view the xray. I realized the screen behind the window was problematic this time around.

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MuffinFace

Post   » Sun Sep 09, 2007 11:09 pm


Waitaminit - maybe I TOTALLY missed one of your responses, but how did you figure out that it was the red pepper? Just trial and error?

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rshevin

Post   » Sun Sep 09, 2007 11:25 pm


It was actually any bell peppers (green, red, etc) and yes, it was trial and error. It finally dawned on me that the reason he kept getting gassy after the initial episode was that I kept feeding peppers! When I ran out, gas went away. Bought more, it came back. Yes, I'm an idiot. It wasn't a totally new food when he had the episode so it took longer to finally make all the connections. I must have fed him more that week.

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MuffinFace

Post   » Sun Sep 09, 2007 11:40 pm


Awwwws. Well, glad you figured it out at any rate. Sucks tho, because peppers are like the ideal veggie (low in Ca, good ratio, high in C) - but hey, I'm sure Piggy and Smudgie are getting the best of whatever else you can get your hands on that DOESN'T cause the bloats!

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rshevin

Post   » Mon Jan 21, 2008 6:37 pm


Today Piggy, Smudgie and I were visiting at the senior community. The boys were on white fleece and I noticed Piggy passed some blood in his urine. My "regular" (as in seen him once since I moved) vet was unavailable until Thursday so I took him to the other exotics vet in town that I knew of.

Piggy has a stone. A rather large one. The vet had a portable ultrasound and the stone was clear as day. He's had vague urinary symptoms as long as I remember but an xray last year came up clear. Since he was only minimally symptomatic, I let it go.

I have no idea what to do. This vet has never done bladder surgery on a guinea pig. Dogs, cats, and rabbits yes but never a cavy. I doubt she's much over 30. I think I'm going to call the other vet tomorrow and see what he says. That vet is older and has been in exotics practice a long time but I also felt his checkup exam last week was very cursory and not thorough. He pushed feeding oranges for vitamin C. But he's supposed to be a wonderful veterinary surgeon. This young vet didn't seem really comfortable with the world of herbavore antibiotics, only wanted to perscribe Baytril and then didn't even have any pills small enough for a guinea pig. We have cephalaxen, which I don't like. I haven't given any yet. It's on the dangerous list but I wasn't all there at the vet and didn't protest for Bactrim hard enough. She didn't even seem to notice I mentioned it. ::sigh:: My sweet, loveable, hunky chunk.

I need some advice.

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Bugs Mom

Post   » Mon Jan 21, 2008 6:40 pm


Oh Smudgie. I have no advice but hope you are able to get some good help for him.

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rshevin

Post   » Mon Jan 21, 2008 6:45 pm


No it's Piggy with the stone, sorry I wasn't clear.

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