Swollen or bloated female

Talishan
You can quote me

Post   » Sat Jul 24, 2010 1:02 am


Keep posting and then give your wife your password and have her post. ;-)

If the vibrator pad is helping, if you and your wife can possibly do it, keep it going periodically through the night. If nothing else, being picked up and manipulated gently can help in and of itself ... but if the pad is helping, try to keep her on it on a regular interval.

6 1/2 hours and counting. You'll make it. She'll make it. Hang in.

Quinfin

Post   » Sat Jul 24, 2010 2:27 am


She is progressing. She passed her first pellets in 6 hours. The pad, massaging, and the hydrating seem to be working. 5 more hours to go. Should I see if she'll eat or wait till she sees the vet?

Tracis
Let Sleeping Pigs Lie

Post   » Sat Jul 24, 2010 2:35 am


That is good news!

You could offer her hay or pellets. The fiber will help keep her GI system moving. It might be best to avoid vegetables or fruit until her GI system returns to normal.

Quinfin

Post   » Sat Jul 24, 2010 3:40 am


Thanks Tracis. I think shes going to make it to the vet. Shes eating her pellets and hay. Even passed some more pellets, which is soft and extremely moist. THANK EVERYONE WHO RESPONDED. You saved her life. I would not have known what to do without you.
THANKYOU

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Brainerror

Post   » Sat Jul 24, 2010 6:06 am


Good luck on the bloat! it's such a difficult thing to battle when vets aren't available, but by the sound of it, you and you're wife are doing a cracking job!

Keeping fingers crossed for you and your piggy

tiggyswift

Post   » Sat Jul 24, 2010 11:10 am


How is she doing now? Did you get her to the vet? Keeping my fingers crossed she makes a full recovery. You and your wife did a wonderful job!

Quinfin

Post   » Sat Jul 24, 2010 6:33 pm


Sorry it took so long to post. Wife couldnt help pull shifts on our little one, so I did it by myself, and I just woke up. We took Popcorn, our piggie, to Dr. Katz office in Stuart because of the good reviews in the list sent by Talishan and because they opened up the earliest, at 7:30. But when we got there we found out Dr. Katz wasn't in today and the Dr. in didn't see guinea pigs. We then took her to Dr. Pace in Palm City. We were there before he got there at 8:00. When I took Popcorn out of her carrier at the vet's office I saw the bottom of the carrier covered with droppings. Evidently the blockage had stopped. Dr. Pace gave her a shot of reglan anyway and gave us some metronidazole to give her twice a day for a week. I just the call back from Dr. April Romagnano, the emrgency vet from Palm Bch. apologizing for not calling sooner and asking about Popcorn. She said she's the only small pet emergency vet within 500 miles. I had Popcorn out of her cage and in a clothes basket all night. Her female piggie companion didnt like it and was slinging droppings, food, and bedding out of their cage all night. The chaos has finally ended cause "Popcorn" and "Soda" are together again and doing fine, other than alittle tired like me. I know for a fact that it is a miracle Popcorn is alive. She was limp as a dishrag, not eating, not drinking, not passing any waste, and swollen so much her eyes were begining to close. With no vet to take her to, we had accepted the fact that she would not be with us in the morning. I just didn't want to lay her down and let her die alone, I wanted to be there holding her when she passed, no matter how late it was. The miracle of her survival was not her will to survive, nor was it my ability to stay up all night, I've pulled all-nighters before. The TRUE miracle were you people on this web site. Without you, I would not have known what to do other than comfort her in her last few hours. I can't begin to thank you and feel I owe a debt I can never repay. From the bottom of our hearts, my whole family thanks you all.
Quintin

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Catie Cavy
Supporter 2011-2020

Post   » Sat Jul 24, 2010 6:57 pm


I’m so glad Popcorn is doing well. You should give yourself credit too. We see so many people who give up on their guinea pigs, even with problems very easy to treat and yours was not. Popcorn and Soda are lucky to have you as their dad.

Cinnabuns Legacy

Post   » Sat Jul 24, 2010 7:01 pm


I just got done reading this thread, and wow. You did an amazing job, they are indeed very lucky to have you.

jedifreac

Post   » Sat Jul 24, 2010 7:21 pm


Wow, with some persistence and patience, you saved your guinea pig's life! This is amazing. Congrats and get yourself some well deserved rest!

Talishan
You can quote me

Post   » Sat Jul 24, 2010 9:43 pm


Ditto the posts above. You did not give up, and that counts for a lot. Give yourself some credit too, that is after you've gotten some rest.

1. Again, pigs that have had one bloat episode do seem to show a proclivity to repeat. It can happen to any pig, but in my experience adult females seem to be most vulnerable, for reasons unknown to me.

Give Popcorn smaller vegetable feedings more often if possible. If it were me I'd give her no romaine at all for a while. Reintroduce the most benign vegetables -- redleaf lettuce, greenleaf lettuce, carrot -- slowly, in small quantities, and take note of how she reacts to each. If you hit one (bell pepper is sometimes a culprit, for example) that seems to bother her, write it down and don't feed it again. Supplement her vitamin C separately if necessary.

2. Save the ER vet's name and phone number. It was decent of her to call. Hopefully you, your wife, Popcorn and Soda will never need her again, but if you do, you have the information at hand.

Congratulations on a job well done.

Quinfin

Post   » Sat Jul 24, 2010 9:46 pm


Her waste and Soda's are extremely moist. Is that an issue I should be concerned with? I havent fed them any fruits or vegetables since Popcorns gorging.

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