Bloated Stomach is tight and is swollen; possible bloat?!

[Melissa123]

I already have a vet appointment set up for Guinness for today. My regular vet isn't in today. I am taking him to an ER that is very well known for their exotic care, so I am not worried about this. I noticed he was more puffed out than normal while eating his bell peppers this morning and his belly looked much more round on the sides. I of course picked him up to give him a look over and felt his belly, it is much harder and swollen than normal. He seems to be eating and drinking the same. He is going to the bathroom just fine for now, too. I've never dealt with this in any of my boys. Anyone have experience in this? Will keep everyone updated as soon as I know what is going on! Thanks all

 

[Dee_E]

I haven't. Good luck at the Vets!!

 

[bpatters]

Maybe he's just full of what he's been eating?

If a guinea pig is acting normal -- eating, drinking, peeing, pooping, moving around the cage, and there are no symptoms of an illness such as an infection or tumors, then there's really no need for a vet visit for something like you describe. If he were mine, I'd watch him carefully and see if the extended belly goes down after he's slept and pooped for a while, or if any other symptoms develop.

But you can bankrupt yourself taking them to the vet immediately after you notice something out of the ordinary. If it's the sign of a contagious illness, or if the animal is in pain, then yes, go to the vet. But if it can be caused by something like the breakfast they just ate, then give it a little while and see if anything develops.

A pig in bloat is a pig in pain. It will be puffed up, not eating, and generally looking miserable. Your pig doesn't sound like it has any of those symptoms.

 

[GuineaLoveer]

Any updates
Can you sex piggies you should sex him he may be a female and pregnant
Can you post a pic?

 

[Melissa123]

@GuineaLoveer, I do know how to properly sex them and no, he is not a she and no he is not pregnant. @bpatters, My husband said I was over reacting and I did cancel the appointment. I will be keeping a very close eye on him. I am always over cautious with all of my animals as I have had something happen years ago that resulted in thousands of dollars of medical bills and a lot of suffering. So yes, I would rather take them to a vet when I noticed something is going on. That is what Care Credit is for. I kind of felt insulted when I first read this, but I had to take a step back and read it again before I replied. Thank you for your experienced answer.

 

[Melissa123]

Guinness is about the same; still acting spunky, as always! I am still on alert mode, though. He is my stone piggy and because of this I am very quick to taking him to the vet. Since I am taking all of the new boys in tomorrow morning, I will be talking to my vet about this tomorrow to get her insight.

 

[couchon]

If it were me, I would take him to the vet, not just watch him. It is better to be safe. Bloat is extremely serious. My girl has been struggling with bloat for 5 months, and I know that they can eat and even poop during a bloat. I would go to your regular vet for a checkup.

 

[foggycreekcavy]

If a pig is eating and drinking, he does not have bloat. Bloat is a serious emergency situation. A pig with bloat will not eat or drink, and usually sits in the corner or the hideout puffed.

If they are still eating, they may have gas, but bloat is when they are not eating and extremely sick.

 

[couchon]

From my personal experience with 5 months of bloat, I don't agree. Firstly, bloat can be a water bloat, when you tip a piggy and they sound like a water bottle and have water in their stomach, not just gas. This is an extremely serious condition . Just yesterday, I had to take my piggy to the vet for it. Her stomach was over 5 times the size of a normal stomach. However, she was still pooping, although very little. That doesn't mean it's not very serious. The vet had to make a tough call on whether or not we should drain her stomach. My piggy also gets gas, and she does eat through it. That doesn't mean it's not extremely serious, and I would not recommend that a person who is not experienced with bloat not take a pig to the vet for it. Plus, just because it's pre-bloat(even if that's what it is) is no reason to wait until it does become an emergency., which, again as I know from experience, can be in a matter of 5 hours. Take him to the vet to be safe!

 

[bpatters]

I think the owner needs to assess the situation and then decide if a vet is needed. It's no different from having a kid that wakes up with a runny nose -- is it allergies? a cold? strep throat? pneumonia? In the absence of symptoms that say otherwise, you wait a while and see what happens. If the kid gets sicker, you take them to the doctor. If not, not.

In the OP's case, the pig's stomach was full after eating breakfast. It was feeling fine, acting normal, and had no other symptoms whatsoever of bloat. I don't know about you, but I'm not spending money on a vet visit that isn't necessary, and it certainly wasn't going to hurt the pig to wait a few hours and see if its stomach goes down. If not, she should go to the vet.

Couchon, you have a very sick pig that has given you no end of headaches and worry in trying to manage the illnesses. You see every other pig's symptoms through that filter. But the vast majority of pigs don't have the same kind of problems that your pig does, and it's not particularly helpful to recommend that they go to the vet at the first possible inkling that something might be wrong. Most people can't afford vet visits that often, and if they repeatedly take in a pig that really has nothing wrong with it, they're apt to be put in the crying "wolf" category and not taken seriously when something really is wrong.

I think it's far more responsible to try to teach people how to evaluate the symptoms and decide which ones need immediate treatment and which ones can possibly wait to see if they improve. Not all symptoms, even of intestinal problems, need immediate vet visits.

 

[couchon]

@bpatters, you are definitely right about me seeing things through a lens. I never even knew bloat can be such an issues before. However, even if it's not about bloat, the one thing I learned about piggies even before this experience is that they are incredibly fragile. I wouldn't give this advice for a dog (and I have one and love him dearly - he is my family) or a child, simply because neither of those goes downhill so fast. Presumably, the owner has seen her pigs after they have eaten before, and she felt something was different - I think it's a good idea to go for an appointment in that situation, maybe not an emergency one but at least one with a good exotic vet. And if your vet is going to judge you/disregard you for being overly cautious, I would say they are not a good vet (or at least I wouldn't want to work with them). And going for a general checkup even a few times a year shouldn't break the bank. I think a gassy pig no less warrants a vet visit that one that is sneezing a lot for no apparent reason but seems fine otherwise. Yes, it may be dust in the hay and it may just be one time gas, but a check up is not going to hurt and may one of those days catch something early.

 

[foggycreekcavy]

And going for a general checkup even a few times a year shouldn't break the bank

The thing is, a regular vet visit usually costs at least $50. A few times a year would be $150 saved for a vet emergency.

I would like to know where you got the information on "water bloat". I have never heard of it, and would like to look into it if you can give me your resources.

 

[couchon]

@foggycreekcavy,i will give you some links - I just have to find them. I first learned about it on Guinealynx. My piggy was super bloated, and I have never seen any sort of bloat before, and someone posted and said: "It's not water bloat, is it? Tip her over a bit, and if she sounds like a water bloat, that's what it is." I tipped her over, and I heard the water swooshing around. That was the very first time ever. We did an x-ray, and her stomach has expanded to 4-5 times normals size and was filled with fluid/water. The vet drained out 40 cc's that day. She has since not stopped bloating for 5 month (she bloats every few days, although most times she has learned to eat/poop through it, and it works itself out) and no tests have been able to figure out why as of yet, though we are certainly not giving up! It's not fluid in the lungs or anywhere else, like for a heart pig - it's just the stomach. Some days she gets gas bloat only, which is usual not bad at all for her - it's the water bloat that makes her feel really bad. I am glad you asked. I have really been wanting to spread the word about this, because while it is rare and has stumped every vet we have been to, I am sure she is not the only one out there.

 

[couchon]

Double post

 

[couchon]

Here's a link to my CinnaMoo's thread:https://www.guinealynx.info/forums/viewtopic.php?t=66987&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

The fifth post is the first one to reference a water bloat. Then, someone else referrs to it as ascites, although I gather that this is something more related to heart problems, and my pig is NOT a heart pig.

This is not water bloat, but here's another thread I looked at for a pig that ate while bloated: https://www.guinealynx.info/forums/viewtopic.php?t=37871

Here's another non-heart-related water bloat: https://www.guinealynx.info/forums/...previous&sid=5abe273dc7b163eae3374e5c1e7ab70d By the way, I am very familiar with the drooling this poster refers to just before her pig passed. It's the stomach being so bloated with water that it backs up and starts coming out through the mouth. That's why we had to have CinnaMoo's stomach drained. Most times, she can work through the bloats, but when it gets that bad, the water has to come out. One more note, my vet is 100% against lasix for my pig, since she feels it is not the same thing at all as a heart pig's water retention, and my girl actually gets dehydrated sometimes even with all that water in her stomach (I don't know if that's the same with heart pigs).

It's a little hard to find cases that are exactly like hers, because it seems VERY rare. I think I read more links before, but I just don't remember where they are now. I will try to give you whatever I have.

 

[Melissa123]

Update: I did talk to my vet today. She thinks it is the cucumber that I feed every other day since he just decided a week ago that he loves them! So, no cucumber for a few days to see if this helps. I've been checking on his belly, it seems to be getting smaller and less firm. His tummy is very sensitive ever since his bladder surgery. I'm pretty sure he isn't in pain, just makes it very clear he doesn't want me in that area.. he thinks it's a trick! She said to keep an eye on him and if I had any concerns to contact her right away. I would MUCH rather take my pets to the vet asap if something arises with them. I guess I'm a hypochondriac when it comes to my fur babies. I do not have children, so I can't say what I would do if they became ill. I hate going to the doctors for myself, so I will put that off for as long as I can. Not my pets, they are the one exception. By the way, my vet only charges $20 for a check- up and the ER vet only charges $37 if you schedule an appointment- $97 if you walk in.. My vet's pricing isn't awful and she is an AMAZING exotic animal vet! The only reason I didn't take him into the vet yesterday, was because he wasn't critical (still eating, drinking, and eliminating) My vet knows his history and knows what she's doing. I really appreciate the advice from everyone, but as said in the Medical forum on the top, "Posts do not replace the advice of a competent guinea pig vet" but I definitely love hearing about your experience in this area! Thanks all

 

[couchon]

So happy to hear he is better

 

[GuineaLoveer]

Omg is it that chea to get a check up for a piggy?
Were do u live?

 

[Melissa123]

Omg is it that chea to get a check up for a piggy?
Were do u live?

The vet's office name is Indian Creek Veterinary Hospital and I live in Columbus, Ohio. I've heard of other vet clinics being much more per visit. True exotic vet's in this area are slim to none. There are only 3 that I am aware of and honestly, 1 of those truly can't be called an exotic. Dr. Ingrid is amazing! There have been times (especially after Guinness had his stones removed) when I brought him in because I was overly paranoid. She never charged me when everything was fine; not a dime. This is a husband and wife practice and I definitely can tell everyone is a big team there. Is it wrong to love my vet??? LOL

 

[Melissa123]

It won't let me edit right now but I meant to say this also....
She has patience with me when I ask a million questions and always answers every single one. I'm not joking either; for his surgery I wrote a huge list of questions.