3 year old guinea pig - India - Digestive issues

[Khyatik1990]

Hi,

I am Khyati and I am based in India. My baby is a 3 year old guinea pig ( Nibbles ). A month ago I observed he had watery poo to which I immediately rushed him to the vet who started him on pro biotics and other meds. Before this episode his poo was Bean shaped and little dark brown in color which as per the several posts I have read is normal.

During the diarrhea episode, the doctor told me to take him off all fresh veggies and only given him pellets and timothy hay. His poo slowly became semi solid however till date it has not restored to its original state. During my visit to the vet he weighed only 500gms, however now the weight has increased

He loves cucumbers and was able to have them daily, however now if i give him more one day his poo starts to be come softer than usual. He is very picky when it comes to vegetables only prefers ( Coriander, cucumber, cauliflower, carrots, lettuce (sometimes), broccoli (rarely) ).

Currently, i give him a mix of fresh veggies ( Cucumber i give him only once in 2 or 3 days ) , mostly little cauliflower and coriander and the rest of the day he has access to pellets, hay and fresh water. Also, i usually keep a small bowl of pellets throughout the day and he eats it whenever he feels hungry. Is this a good practice?

Today i observed his poop is green and mushy. I'm not sure what do i do next. Any suggestions?

P.S: He is susceptible to molar sepsis and had a bad episode around 6 months ago where for a week he had to be taken to the vet for antibiotics through IV andalso Infrared treatment. However he is much better now

 

[Wiebke]

Hi

If problems with digestion persist, please contact your vet again. Sadly it is not a good time for faecal tests to find out what could be causing the problem.
Panacur (a worming medication) can also help with other bugs in persisting gut issues and is something that your vet may have in store.
Digestive Disorders: Diarrhea - Bloat - GI Stasis (No Gut Movement) And Not Eating
Guinea Lynx :: Diarrhea

Hay is the mainstay of diet, and your piggy should eat as much of it (ca. 80% of the daily food intake). 1 tablespoon of pellets (which consist to a large extent of fillers) should make perhaps 5% of what a piggy eats in a day. The more hay your piggy eats, the better as that is important for dental and gut health as well as longevity.
Our diet guide looks at all food groups in detail: Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

If your boy has issues with fresh veg, try fresh herbs like coriander/cilantro, parsley, mint etc. so he gets a good amount of trace elements and vitamins but without too much fluid. Rather make sure that he has plenty of fresh water and that you rinse your fresh food. Keep him off any foods that cause his digestive issues to become worse until the underlying problem has been sorted.

PS: Could you please add your country to location in your account details (accessed by clicking on your username on the top bar). This will make it appear with every post you make and allows us to tailor any advice to what is relevant and available for you/your vet with just a quick glance to the left. Thank you!

 

[Khyatik1990]

Hi

If problems with digestion persist, please contact your vet again. Sadly it is not a good time for faecal tests to find out what could be causing the problem.
Panacur (a worming medication) can also help with other bugs in persisting gut issues and is something that your vet may have in store.
Digestive Disorders: Diarrhea - Bloat - GI Stasis (No Gut Movement) And Not Eating
Guinea Lynx :: Diarrhea

Hay is the mainstay of diet, and your piggy should eat as much of it (ca. 80% of the daily food intake). 1 tablespoon of pellets (which consist to a large extent of fillers) should make perhaps 5% of what a piggy eats in a day. The more hay your piggy eats, the better as that is important for dental and gut health as well as longevity.
Our diet guide looks at all food groups in detail: Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

If your boy has issues with fresh veg, try fresh herbs like coriander/cilantro, parsley, mint etc. so he gets a good amount of trace elements and vitamins but without too much fluid. Rather make sure that he has plenty of fresh water and that you rinse your fresh food. Keep him off any foods that cause his digestive issues to become worse until the underlying problem has been sorted.

PS: Could you please add your country to location in your account details (accessed by clicking on your username on the top bar). This will make it appear with every post you make and allows us to tailor any advice to what is relevant and available for you/your vet w

Hi

Thank you for the quick revert

I have updated my location in my profile, hopefully you are able to see it now

My boy is very picky and unfortunately due to covid issues i may have access to only mint leas which I wtry. Just a few more questions

1) Is spinach a good option?
2) He has more affinity towards pellets and doesnt really eat much hay except that he likes to sit on it
. Giving him only pellet based diet is it a good option?
3) Unfortunately my previous vet never guided me to de worm my baby and in 3 years i never did. My current vet has advised for his bowels to come back to normal and then to de worm. Do you think de worming him now will help?
4) I'm able to feel his spine ( If i am correct to assume its the spine as its on the top portion of his body ), is that good to feel so much bone?
5) I dont trust tap water hence give him only sealed bottled water. Is this ok? Or do you recommend i should boil the water and then give it to him post cooling down

I'm sorry I'm extremely concerned on what can I do to ensure he is healthy and super worried with regards to his poop situation

 

[Wiebke]

Hi

Thank you for the quick revert

I have updated my location in my profile, hopefully you are able to see it now

My boy is very picky and unfortunately due to covid issues i may have access to only mint leas which I wtry. Just a few more questions

1) Is spinach a good option?
2) He has more affinity towards pellets and doesnt really eat much hay except that he likes to sit on it
. Giving him only pellet based diet is it a good option?
3) Unfortunately my previous vet never guided me to de worm my baby and in 3 years i never did. My current vet has advised for his bowels to come back to normal and then to de worm. Do you think de worming him now will help?
4) I'm able to feel his spine ( If i am correct to assume its the spine as its on the top portion of his body ), is that good to feel so much bone?
5) I dont trust tap water hence give him only sealed bottled water. Is this ok? Or do you recommend i should boil the water and then give it to him post cooling down

I'm sorry I'm extremely concerned on what can I do to ensure he is healthy and super worried with regards to his poop situation

1) Spinach is very high in calcium and should not be fed daily. Picky eating can often be the result of a guinea pig not being able to process certain foods.
2) If your boy is not eating hay, then the cause of the problem could be overgrown back teeth. It is the very abrasive silica in hay and fresh grass that is keeping their constantly growing chewing teeth at the back of the mouth (the premolars and molars) ground down; guinea pig teeth have some of the fastest growing rodent teeth because of their grass/hay based diet on which they hve evolved as a species. Pellets go soft in contact with saliva and don't provide that vital abrasion.
When the back teeth are not longer ground down well or evenly, the premolars grow spurs that either bridge over the tongue and trap it, making swallowing very difficult or less often they grow painfully into the flesh of the cheeks.
Sadly most vets are not familiar with rodent teeth and would not consider checking them or have an idea how they should normally look.
4) Not eating much hay means that your boy is missing out on most of his normal food intake. If you can feel the spine, your boy is very underweight. Our weighing guide tells you how you can check by feeling around the ribs whether your boy is underweight or not ('feeling the heft'): Weight - Monitoring and Management
3) Too little hay fibre in the diet can lead as a secondary complication for the gut to derail and the poos turning soft.
Picky eating can be an indicator of overgrown teeth and the increasing difficult to chew. Please feed soft veg and cut it into fine strips. Feed mint if he will take it; you have to make do with what you can get for the time being.
It doesn't necessarily have to be a bug or a worm; panacur has a wider spectrum of efficiency but it should not be used on spec.
Your vet sounds like they have some good instincts.
Please accept that I can only make guesses by what you are telling me; I can only show you avenues to pursue with your vet.
5) If your water supply is not safe, then please boil any water, whether it is for drinking or rinsing fresh food or cleaning feeding dishes.

For support feeding, please read these guides here. They will take you through the whole issue step by step.
- Emergency, Crisis and Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment (includes some improvisation tips, which may come in very handy under the current circumstances)
- Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
- If you can, please get some probiotic powder (in a pinch for humans) to add to the syringe feed in order to help stabilise the gut.

 

[Khyatik1990]

1) Spinach is very high in calcium and should not be fed daily. Picky eating can often be the result of a guinea pig not being able to process certain foods.
2) If your boy is not eating hay, then the cause of the problem could be overgrown back teeth. It is the very abrasive silica in hay and fresh grass that is keeping their constantly growing chewing teeth at the back of the mouth (the premolars and molars) ground down; guinea pig teeth have some of the fastest growing rodent teeth because of their grass/hay based diet on which they hve evolved as a species. Pellets go soft in contact with saliva and don't provide that vital abrasion.
When the back teeth are not longer ground down well or evenly, the premolars grow spurs that either bridge over the tongue and trap it, making swallowing very difficult or less often they grow painfully into the flesh of the cheeks.
Sadly most vets are not familiar with rodent teeth and would not consider checking them or have an idea how they should normally look.
4) Not eating much hay means that your boy is missing out on most of his normal food intake. If you can feel the spine, your boy is very underweight. Our weighing guide tells you how you can check by feeling around the ribs whether your boy is underweight or not ('feeling the heft'): Weight - Monitoring and Management
3) Too little hay fibre in the diet can lead as a secondary complication for the gut to derail and the poos turning soft.
Picky eating can be an indicator of overgrown teeth and the increasing difficult to chew. Please feed soft veg and cut it into fine strips. Feed mint if he will take it; you have to make do with what you can get for the time being.
It doesn't necessarily have to be a bug or a worm; panacur has a wider spectrum of efficiency but it should not be used on spec.
Your vet sounds like they have some good instincts.
Please accept that I can only make guesses by what you are telling me; I can only show you avenues to pursue with your vet.
5) If your water supply is not safe, then please boil any water, whether it is for drinking or rinsing fresh food or cleaning feeding dishes.

For support feeding, please read these guides here. They will take you through the whole issue step by step.
- Emergency, Crisis and Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment (includes some improvisation tips, which may come in very handy under the current circumstances)
- Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
- If you can, please get some probiotic powder (in a pinch for humans) to add to the syringe feed in order to help stabilise the gut.

Hi,

This is excellent information

He does eat hay but not to the constituency that you have mentioned.

For pro biotic the doctor has given enterogermina along with enterochronic podwer. Also i had started him on diluted orange juice for vitamin c intake

I have attached the prescription for your reference.

I will give him more of hay and observe how much he eats and parallely take the earliest appointment with the vet to have him checked once more

I really appreciate your help. Stay safe and take care

 

[Siikibam]

Was it the vet that recommended giving him diluted orange juice? I’m not too sure if that’s a good idea. @Wiebke @VickiA @furryfriends (TEAS) @PigglePuggle @Piggies&buns

 

[Wiebke]

Hi,

This is excellent information

He does eat hay but not to the constituency that you have mentioned.

For pro biotic the doctor has given enterogermina along with enterochronic podwer. Also i had started him on diluted orange juice for vitamin c intake

I have attached the prescription for your reference.

I will give him more of hay and observe how much he eats and parallely take the earliest appointment with the vet to have him checked once more

I really appreciate your help. Stay safe and take care

Hi!

Diluted orange juice is not a good idea. your piggy will get more compatible vitamin C either from fresh herbs or if you really want to 1/8 of a human tablet, diluted in 1-2 ml of water and syringed straight away. Don't put in the water as you can't control the intake (piggies will drink less with additives). You will also every quickly get a problem with algae.

Has your vet checked the teeth at the back?

 

[Khyatik1990]

Was it the vet that recommended giving him diluted orange juice? I’m not too sure if that’s a good idea. @Wiebke @VickiA @furryfriends (TEAS) @PigglePuggle @Piggies&buns

Yes the vet recommended it to ensure he is getting vitamin c. They asked me to to add around 0.5ml water to few drops of concentrated orange juice and feed it to him once a day for 5 days
My worry is he isnt putting on weight because I'm able to feel his bones

 

[Wiebke]

Yes the vet recommended it to ensure he is getting vitamin c. They asked me to to add around 0.5ml water to few drops of concentrated orange juice and feed it to him once a day for 5 days
My worry is he isnt putting on weight because I'm able to feel his bones

Please step in with syringe feeding support as recommended in my previous post where you can find the relevant green links (one of which includes tips on how you can work around availability issues). Your feeding home support is crucial to your boy's survival.

 

[Khyatik1990]

Please step in with syringe feeding support as recommended in my previous post where you can find the relevant green links (one of which includes tips on how you can work around availability issues). Your feeding home support is crucial to your boy's survival.

I have been reading the information in the links and it is very helpful
Is there a substitute for hay ? Or any way that i can mash up the hay soaking it in water and grinding it in the mixer and syringe feeding it?
I understand hay is also important to ensure their teeth are healthy, however if the above will help in his overall health I'm ok to do it. He is eating his veggies, pellets and drinking water too

 

[Siikibam]

Hay also helps grind their teeth down as they’re continually growing. So mushing it would take away that part of it. And I’m not sure you’d get the same nutrients from it when mushed etc.

 

[KajBhu]

Hi,

I am Khyati and I am based in India. My baby is a 3 year old guinea pig ( Nibbles ). A month ago I observed he had watery poo to which I immediately rushed him to the vet who started him on pro biotics and other meds. Before this episode his poo was Bean shaped and little dark brown in color which as per the several posts I have read is normal.

During the diarrhea episode, the doctor told me to take him off all fresh veggies and only given him pellets and timothy hay. His poo slowly became semi solid however till date it has not restored to its original state. During my visit to the vet he weighed only 500gms, however now the weight has increased

He loves cucumbers and was able to have them daily, however now if i give him more one day his poo starts to be come softer than usual. He is very picky when it comes to vegetables only prefers ( Coriander, cucumber, cauliflower, carrots, lettuce (sometimes), broccoli (rarely) ).

Currently, i give him a mix of fresh veggies ( Cucumber i give him only once in 2 or 3 days ) , mostly little cauliflower and coriander and the rest of the day he has access to pellets, hay and fresh water. Also, i usually keep a small bowl of pellets throughout the day and he eats it whenever he feels hungry. Is this a good practice?

Today i observed his poop is green and mushy. I'm not sure what do i do next. Any suggestions?

P.S: He is susceptible to molar sepsis and had a bad episode around 6 months ago where for a week he had to be taken to the vet for antibiotics through IV andalso Infrared treatment. However he is much better nowView attachment 139540

Hi did he survive these complications? My guinepig is also suffering from same situation.
I am from New Delhi and I am not able to find any vet for my guinepig. Can you please suggest some good vet here in New Delhi if you know any?

 

[Piggies&buns]

Hi did he survive these complications? My guinepig is also suffering from same situation.
I am from New Delhi and I am not able to find any vet for my guinepig. Can you please suggest some good vet here in New Delhi if you know any?

I’m afraid you aren’t likely to get any answer as this thread is over 4 years old and the original poster has not been back on the forum since 2020