I've got a piggy that has recurring stasis. To stay healthy he needs a tummy massage every 3 to 4 hours. If I'm an hour late, he goes into stasis the next day, and it's TLC time, even though he seems in perfect health with a good appetite before.
I am wondering if with older animals, their guts just get a bit saggy, not as good muscular contractions, and pockets of food build up? Milo my piggy seems to be fine after he's managed to pass what is obviously a blockage - an impacted, large ball of small poops, plus a load more misshapen ones which have apparently been shed from this ball inside him.
I have started, when he's very ill, giving him quite a deep tummy massage, more like you would press onto your side if you got a stitch from running. I noticed this morning he hadn't eaten much in the night, so I did this deep massage at his first session - I could feel a lump inside, which moved as I massaged it - we then had gurgles like water slopping around a bucket!
At his 2nd daily session he passed 'the blockage', and has eaten some. Still not got much appetite, except for veggies! Not for hay or pellets, because there's half a ton of poo filling up his tummy. He actually won't poo when he's like this, without some help - I'm getting lots of misshapen poops out of him now, and I expect him to recover tomorrow if I keep at it.
I do have to massage his tummy normally (not the deep massage, just a medium pressure, circular motion either side of his belly button) every 4 hours at least, every day. This is the only thing keeping him alive. I've tried extending the gaps between sessions when he seems perfectly recovered, but he gets stasis again the next day. If I ever got a job, I'd have to have him PTS as he's obviously uncomfortable and quite miserable when he's got an attack of it. In fact I decide every time 'I'll get him PTS next week' - and then he's fine, so I think oh well we'll see maybe next time.
The regular, frequent tummy massage has made such a huge difference to him though - he's so much better now (till I forget again
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