Sick Pig been ill for a while, bloating, cysts etc

re: HELP NEEDED! What do I do?

Is he impacted?

He needs to see a vet as bloat can be life threatening.

re: HELP NEEDED! What do I do?

Ditto Peggysu, you need to get him to the vet, and immediately. Can you call your parents and let them know the situation is bad and that he needs veterinary attention right away?

A pig that's not pooping is in severe dire straits, and a pig with bloat is likely to go into shock - which by itself can be fatal. You NEED to get him urgent care right away. There's really nothing that can be offered to you via an internet forum at this point.

re: HELP NEEDED! What do I do?

Call a cab if you can to get to the vet?

If your parents aren't able to get there but you need them to cover the visit, ask them to call the vet and have their credit card pre authorized.

re: HELP NEEDED! What do I do?

10 minutes after the post they were here. Rushed him out to Pets @ Home (the specialist we go to was way too far out).

He's severely bloated. They gave him painkiller and this other stuff to clear the bloat. He looks a lot better now.

I'll keep y'all posted.

re: HELP NEEDED! What do I do?

What's the "stuff to clear the bloat" called?

re: HELP NEEDED! What do I do?

Fibreplex (for rabbits [they've given us the measured dose based off his weight etc so shouldn't be a problem])

Lil pig's looking a lot better. Still very bloated and huddled up in the corner, but he's a lot more alert and a lot more rigid when picked up. He actually washed himself earlier too, so the pain must be going a bit.

Not holding my breath though.

re: HELP NEEDED! What do I do?

Can you get an x ray to see if he has a blockage or stones?

re: HELP NEEDED! What do I do?

I would still take him to an exotic vet as soon as possible.

re: HELP NEEDED! What do I do?

There's nowhere near me open at this time of night.

But anyway, the pig just keeps getting better. He won't take bottle or syringe water but water-covered veggies go down so well.
Also RE: him not passing any poo, I lifted him up, and I've never seen so much in my life, I swear!

Like I say, can't hold my breath yet, but the pig looks good. Best he's looked in a while.

re: HELP NEEDED! What do I do?

2 days later - He's now eating, drinking, sleeping, and (mostly) moving around properly. Poop passing normally too.

However he still spends a lot of time in the corner (without looking overweight or impacted), and only one side is tense and sounds hollow when tapped (still a sign of bloat).

How urgently does he need to get into the vets? Will he make a recovery without?

Parents are out of town, and I'd get a cab, but at my age I just don't have the money.

re: HELP NEEDED! What do I do?

I'd call the vet and update them on the current situation.

re: HELP NEEDED! What do I do?

I'm not an expert, but if it was my guinea pig, I wouldn't wait. Can you borrow money from a neighbor, or get a neighbor to take you to the vet you went to before?

re: HELP NEEDED! What do I do?

I would at least call the vet you went to and explain that your guinea has improved, but that you are still concerned, and ask for their advice. And I would do it ASAP - if you wait until the weekend, your visit may be more expensive, not to mention too late.

re: HELP NEEDED! What do I do?

First off - the tenseness has gone and he's gone back to his old self. Maybe I'm just getting paranoid; either way, I'm going to get him checked in as soon as I can (promise, if there was more I could do then I'd do it)

Anyway, I called the vet (cheers for the idea), and they said to carry on with the Fibreplex doses. I'll see how it goes.

EDIT: I've filled the cage with fresh new straw if that helps. He's burrowing around as usual.

re: HELP NEEDED! What do I do?

I would definitely get an x-ray done to make sure there is no underlying medical condition that caused him to get stopped up. I've lost two pigs and a chinchilla to bloat/gas issues, all 3 were stemming from other medical problems. Liver cancer causing a torsion in the intestines, cysts, etc.

A cavy savvy vet can actually see quite a bit on an x-ray.

re: HELP NEEDED! What do I do?

Odd that you say that - he has a huge cyst on his belly that's stopped him running around for years. Vets told me it does no harm and probably isn't worth operating. Reckon that could've caused it?

Also, it has gotten noticeably bigger and chunkier/more solid lately, I've noticed that.

re: HELP NEEDED! What do I do?

If I were you I'd just call your neighbour and get them to drive you there. Out of all the people that live around you one of them would have to be nice enough.

re: HELP NEEDED! What do I do?

Smudgetoffee said:

Odd that you say that - he has a huge cyst on his belly that's stopped him running around for years. Vets told me it does no harm and probably isn't worth operating. Reckon that could've caused it?

Also, it has gotten noticeably bigger and chunkier/more solid lately, I've noticed that.

Click to expand...

If it's inhibiting his ability to get proper exercise it could be causing a whole host of problems. Are you seeing a vet that specializes in exotics or small animals? If not you should.

re: HELP NEEDED! What do I do?

JD In Van said:

If it's inhibiting his ability to get proper exercise it could be causing a whole host of problems. Are you seeing a vet that specializes in exotics or small animals? If not you should.

Click to expand...

Ditto this, I would be very concerned with a vet who told me that my animal's lump "wasn't worth removing" when it was so large that it was inhibiting him from running. One the size of a pea or a dime may be a different idea, but it's pretty clear that this lump is significantly impeding his quality of life.