A 4-year-old guinea pig cries and stops eating. Gastric distension
Channel: Dr David Sing
Date: 17/02/2019

A veterinary educational video for guinea pig owners to be aware of stomach distension in the guinea pig. 

17 Feb 2019

The guinea pig had blood in the urine around 10 days ago. Vet 1 prescribed antibiotics. The guinea pig stopped eating yesterday. Vet 1 did an X-ray which showed a bladder stone. 

The vet does not perform bladder stone removal. The owner consulted Toa Payoh Vets for immediate surgery. However, the guinea pig's stomach is much distended with gas, as seen in the X-ray. The rectal temp is 35.9 deg C and 35 deg C which is below the normal of 38 deg C. Not fit for anaesthesia and surgery today 

Owner is given medication to move the gut and to relieve the gas by rubbing the swollen stomach. The owner was able to get some gas passed out. The guinea pig eats a bit of vegetable and passes only 2 small faecal pellets. Definitely too risky to do bladder stone removal as he will die on the operating table.

The owner goes home to "blurp" the guinea pig's stomach by gentle patting and massage of the stomach. The guinea pig did pass some gas from the mouth. He was fed Fiberplex to move the intestines. Oral electrolytes, multi-vit and critical care powder and pain-killers in small amounts. No more baytril antibiotics to be given as the good gut bacteria might have been eliminated. Vet 1 had prescribed another bottle of baytril yesterday.

Follow up on Mar 2, 2019. The guinea pig had passed away

Updates are at:
https://2010vets.blogspot.com/2019/02/3432-guinea-pig-has-bladder-stone-and.html