Ruby Sue Medical

[ItsaZoo]

It seems Ruby Sue overindulged during Christmas. She looked kind of puffy and felt bloaty yesterday when I held her. And she was sitting in a corner puffed up after leaving trails of soft, smelly poos for her housekeeping staff to deal with.

I think maybe too much lettuce and peppers might be the culprit. She’s always chewing the bars when we get near the refrigerator so she gets veggies throughout the day. Millie gets some corn husks in place of veggies, which are more like forage food. Ruby Sue isn’t a fan of corn husks. I may have to give timothy treats like the Oxbow rewards instead.

So I quit the veggies and gave some Benebac. I have a tube of Bio Sponge, but I don’t know how to measure it. She should get about 1 ml, but it’s in a big tube for horses. Is 1 ml about the size of a dried split pea? I gave her about that amount. And she got floor time to run around and get that digestion working.

Today she’s eating more hay and she isn’t as puffy. Hopefully we’re getting back on track and she’ll feel better for the new year.

[Sef]

Oh goodness, poor Ruby Sue. We have a male who is prone to this kind of thing from time to time. Limiting veggies, pushing probiotics, giving Metacam for pain if needed, and applying warmth and giving massage if you notice more signs of bloating can all go a long way toward getting things back on track. I have Bio Sponge on hand but have rarely used it. There are 60 cc's in the entire tube if I remember correctly, so 1 ml is going to be a pretty small amount. Hopefully that will help her as well. If push comes to shove, you could also give her some healthy cecals from Millie, mushed up in a little Critical Care.

Sending Get Well wishes to your little one!

[Lynx]

Poor girl! I think Bio Sponge is not an exact science (regarding the dose). However it is possible you might be able to pull 1 cc into a 1cc syringe from the larger syringe if you prefer to be more accurate.

[Sef]

Now that you mention it, Lynx, I'm pretty sure that's what I have done in the past. It's just a really small amount.

[Sef]

By the way, speaking of probiotics. I have been using this with our guys when needed:
Healthy Gut Guinea Pig Probiotics

It's really easy to sprinkle on food; mix into Critical Care; or just mix with a little water and syringe-feed it separately.

[ItsaZoo]

Ruby Sue is feeling good again. She was getting better yesterday. By this morning she was back to chewing on the bars for treats and pooping like a champ. She didn’t get any veggies until this morning when she pitched a fit and got a little slice of baby carrot.

I gave her a small pearl of BioSponge and some Benebac when this started. I have the powdered Benebac and I mixed up one scoop which is about 1/5 of a teaspoon.

Thanks for the link to the guinea pig probiotics, Sef. That looks like a good product and easy to use.

[Sef]

Oh, good news for Ruby Sue! I know how worrying GI issues are.

[Lynx]

Yes, definitely good news for Ruby Sue!!

[ItsaZoo]

Ruby Sue seems to be feeling unwell again. She’s still eating a little hay, but she’s not interested in her vitamin C or the Simple Rewards treats. After her last digestive issue, I cut way back on veggies. So I replaced them with a couple of Simple Rewards each day. I figured they would be a better option.

So now I quit the veggies again and tonight she got some BeneBac. I suspect that the lettuce is the culprit. I always worry that there’s some recall I didn’t hear about, but I’ve been making salads with the same lettuce.

Hope she gets back on track soon. She’s munching on hay now, so that’s a good sign.

[Waddles]

GI issues are so tricky to diagnose. When I had a pig with GI issues, my vet suggested removing all veggies and then introducing it back one variety at a time in case there's a particular veggie that is causing the issue.

"..leaving trails of soft, smelly poos for her housekeeping staff to deal with." - had a chuckle about the "housekeeping staff" comment. Soft poos are a challenge when it comes to keeping the cage bedding clean.

[Sef]

Agree that GI issues are so much trial and error. And even then, it seems like these flare-ups can be random. One of mine (Albert) is dealing with this on-and-off, too (just had another flare-up last night), and I have not been able to figure out what the triggers are. As Waddles mentioned, a so-called "elimination diet" might help. With Albert, this latest flare-up might have been a little bit of cucumber that I recently introduced in their diet, but prior to this he has had flare-ups despite eating pretty much the same foods daily without issue.

I do know that once a guinea pig has had one of these episodes, they seem to be prone to it happening again. I feel for you---it can be so frustrating. Has anything in Ruby Sue's environment changed? I personally have IBS and know that stress can be a trigger.

Anyway, here's hoping that you can figure out what's going on with your sweet girl. How is she doing?

[Lynx]

Me: "Cut back on the coffee and take Metamucil once a day."

Oh, hey, guinea pigs! Ignore that!

I hope your trial and error turns something up - or at least alleviates it. Stress can be difficult to identify but definitely affects this.