[Gpdd] (HEALTH) Piggy bloat and gassy pigs info for Mollie's slave and Lucy's slave

[Sandra Oliver-Poore]

I would like to share my experiences with bloat and gas maybe it will help with Mollie's and Lucy's bloat.

Ask your vet about Reglan for bloat/gas, it works really well. One of my most beloved Penny Giggles, Brown Noise, needed spay surgery but she had always been a "gassy" gal.  My vet put her on Reglan a few days before her surgery and he had me take her off all fresh food, she was to have only pellets and hay.  She came through the surgery fine and the vet continued her on Reglan post op as well as her restricted diet and she did just great. I had not realized at all how much this treatment had helped her and after 2 wheeks of recuperation I returned her to her cage mates cage and she resumed a regular diet. She bloated up immediately so much that it stretched her operation site and it itched, she chewed, and actually ate away her stitches and into her abdominal cavity with the obvious result. I recall another piggy had Reglan with really good results, but I can't recall what we were treating.

Simethecone (GasX) is a very good remedy as well  I think Peter Gurney wrote about it.  Besides being effective and available, the dosage on it doesn't have to be precise and you can use it more often than 3-4 hrs if needed.  It is extremely safe

The other point is to be very careful about putting Mollie back on a regular diet. I strongly recommend you add yogurt or other probiotics to her diet for a while to get her gut flora reestablished.  Give it between doses of antibiotics and continue it for at least a wheek after discontinuing antibiotics. Doen't be afraid of Timothy or grass hay, it provides the roughage she needs to stabilize her system. 

Since Mollie didn't have a stone I would highly recommend cranberry juice 2 times a day, it has a natural antibiotic action, and keep her on it from now on.  Buy the expensive one that is pure unsweetened cranberry, usually only found on the health food isle.  It cost about 7$ here. Pour it into ice cube trays and freeze and then just defrost 1 cube at a time keeping the left overs in a small jar like baby food jars.  Give it by syringe along ubtil she learns to eat it from a spoon or cup.  For you other readers, it is good to give cranberry juice regularly, teach your piggy to like it by serving it as a :dressing" on romaine.or by drinking it yourself in front of them.

My final advice is tos to give her a long period of convalescence my experience says that it takes longrt than you would think by observation for a piggy to really trcover. special treatment for at least a month.

Good luck and good health
Sandy