• Discussions taking place within this forum are intended for the purpose of assisting you in discussing options with your vet. Any other use of advice given here is done so at your risk, is solely your responsibility and not that of this forum or its owner. Before posting it is your responsibility you abide by this Statement

Abnormal poop

D

dee10535

New Born Pup
Joined
Dec 16, 2021
Messages
40
Reaction score
7
Points
80
Location
Dallas, TX
One of my guinea pigs has weird poop. Usually hers are pointy, they have been like that for a long time. Technically not normal, but there was never an indication that anything else was wrong. Now, though, her poops look really different. Some of them are small, some are big, but all are malformed to some extent. Most of them have this weird dent like thing running down the middle. I attached pics. As for appetite, she seems to be eating less, but I'm not yet sure (as I speak she is gobbling up pellets). I am trying to decide whether the vet is necessary- our main vet is too expensive, so I would have to see if there are any cheaper ones. Has anyone seen poops like this before?
 

Attachments

  • 0427221510.webp
    0427221510.webp
    27.4 KB · Views: 23
Hello, is your piggie eating like a full bowl of nuggets? As they should only get 1 table spoon of nuggets a day, is there plenty of hay available as this is a piggies main diet, are you feeding any veggies?
 
They mainly get lettuce, although today I gave her less since I don't know the problem. I had been cutting down their pellets because of calcium pee, but the timing is suspicious and I wonder whether decreasing the pellets might have caused this because she is very sensitive. But ive never seen poops like this before.
 
They have unlimited access to timothy hay but I think she's eating less than usual.
 
Are you feeding a lot of lettuce? Are they drinking any water? You say sensitive, how do you mean?
 
A good amount of lettuce usually. She has had some water, although not a lot yet. Her poop is usually pointy and sometimes small which suggests to me she has long term mild GI dysfunction that I could never identify. So that's what I mean when I say sensitive. Also she has other problems too like a probable soft tissue sarcoma on her underbelly as well as chronic respiratory problems (possibly allergies with allergic bronchitis).
 
dee10535 said:
One of my guinea pigs has weird poop. Usually hers are pointy, they have been like that for a long time. Technically not normal, but there was never an indication that anything else was wrong. Now, though, her poops look really different. Some of them are small, some are big, but all are malformed to some extent. Most of them have this weird dent like thing running down the middle. I attached pics. As for appetite, she seems to be eating less, but I'm not yet sure (as I speak she is gobbling up pellets). I am trying to decide whether the vet is necessary- our main vet is too expensive, so I would have to see if there are any cheaper ones. Has anyone seen poops like this before?
Click to expand...

Hi

Please take your piggy off any fresh food until the poos have normalised again for at least 24 hours, ideally 48 hours.
Follow the recommendations for a mild tummy upset: Digestive Disorders: Diarrhea - Bloat - GI Stasis (No Gut Movement) And Not Eating

If you have probiotics at home and/or healthy companions to make ultra fresh 'poo soup' (i.e. live healthy guinea pig gut microbiome transfer which mimics natural behaviour in recovering guinea pigs), then that can help with settling the mild dysbiosis (overgrowth of the wrong kind of bacteria.)
You can find more information, including the exact how to for poo soup in this link here: Probiotics, Recovery Foods And Vitamin C: Overview With Product Links
PS: We do recommend to feed only 1 table spoon per piggy per day anyway. That isn't changing but the more hay your piggy eats to realign the digestive system, the better.

See a vet if the poos do not normalise within that period or recur again soon after.

All the best!
 
I actually had to give a bit more lettuce soaked in water because I feel like she isn't getting enough and she refused the syringe. It really is the behavioral change that is concerning, she doesn't act enthusiastic anymore or come to the cage bars. She eats much less frequently than before. I am going to look into vets.
 
I scheduled an appointment for early Friday morning, which was the earliest they had. Does anyone have any advice on how to keep her stable until then? I know that she will eat some, but what about water? She hasn't really had that much today. How can I keep her hydrated until Friday? I was trying to avoid veggies but I think I will have to give her some to make sure she is getting enough water.
 
dee10535 said:
I actually had to give a bit more lettuce soaked in water because I feel like she isn't getting enough and she refused the syringe. It really is the behavioral change that is concerning, she doesn't act enthusiastic anymore or come to the cage bars. She eats much less frequently than before. I am going to look into vets.
Click to expand...

Please see a vet in view of your crucial additional information.
Have you switched from weighing once weekly to weighing daily at the same time on your kitchen, as we strongly recommend with any guinea pigs who are not eating properly and have behavioural changes. Unlike the poo output, which is always running behind events, weighing gives you the all important instant feedback which you can then use to tailor your feeding support accordingly; especially as you cannot judge the all important hay intake by eye. For this reason, I prefer to weigh first thing in the morning when the daily weight swing is at its lowest point.
Any weight loss data can also help your vet with the diagnosis.

The links below cover all the detailed how to care tips:
Weight - Monitoring and Management
All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures

Emergency, Crisis and Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment

All the best!
 
In the guide it says to offer as much as she will drink. My guinea pig never liked water in syringes, and I highly doubt she would ever drink it. I actually tried it a couple times today and she wouldn't have it. But it also says to stop veggies. But if I don't give her veggies, she won't be getting enough water. How do you balance it?
 
dee10535 said:
In the guide it says to offer as much as she will drink. My guinea pig never liked water in syringes, and I highly doubt she would ever drink it. I actually tried it a couple times today and she wouldn't have it. But it also says to stop veggies. But if I don't give her veggies, she won't be getting enough water. How do you balance it?
Click to expand...

The need to drink comes before the need to eat. As long as your piggy has still some appetite left, they will drink more water from the bottle.
 
Strange. I had her out in a separate enclosure earlier. She ate hay and pellets but in the entire time I only saw her take a couple sips.
 
Hello. Good luck at the vets. My two piggies had never touched their water bottles. When they got soft poops I had to take them off veggies. Then a miracle happened. They both drank. I was so happy because I thought they would get dehydrated. Yours will be fine. If they are thirsty they will drink. Also it started them using it and they both drink a lot more now. Sending your piggy healing vibes ❤️
 
Mine mainly drink when they are eating their evening pellets. They will drink a little when eating hay. When they are eating veggies or grass they rarely drink. They will drink enough for them - they can work it out.
One of my girls recently suffered bloat - her poops were erratic and not like usual even though they looked 'healthy' they just weren't the same shape as usual and when there's more than one pig this isn't easy to spot so well done!
Make sure to keep weighing your girl ideally at the same time every day. There might be some ups and downs but hopefully if she is maintaining her weight like she would from one week to the next it could just be something mild. I would also be looking at getting a vet appointment though 👍
I don't normally give more than one lettuce leaf a day per pig. I give other stuff too but it's mainly hay they get. They do like timothy but we also get 'thinner' meadow hay because one of them actually prefers that. Good luck x
 
dee10535 said:
Strange. I had her out in a separate enclosure earlier. She ate hay and pellets but in the entire time I only saw her take a couple sips.
Click to expand...

In this case, she is simply not thirsty and dehydrated. ;)

The need for water is very individual; some piggies drink a lot in a day. Others will harly ever touch the bottle and only drink if they do not get enough fluid from their fresh food.
For more in-depth information and a list of signs of dehydration in a guinea pig, you may find our drinking guide helpful: All About Drinking And Bottles

Please accept that without direct access to your guinea pig, we can only go by the information and react to the tone of your information. This why we always err on the side of caution in these cases.
 
Update: we took her to the vet today. My mom and I both have this gut feeling she is not going to make it, but decided to try one last ditch effort to save her. Thing is, my vet insisted that gut stimulants do not work, and when I told her what people on the forum said, she still wouldn't budge. I am in the US, and supposedly research has shown they do not work and cause more pain, so I have no choice but to accept her opinion. They think she has moderate or severe gut stasis, but I can't afford the xray to confirm. We don't know what caused it, but she has a big lump that is infected, so thats one possibility. Given her comorbid conditions, I'm pretty sure her chances are slim, but she just didn't look ready to be put down. They said if she doesn't improve in 24 hours she would need hospitalization, but I definitely can't afford that, so I would have to put her down. I'm preparing for the inevitable, but thanks everyone for your advice.
 
dee10535 said:
Update: we took her to the vet today. My mom and I both have this gut feeling she is not going to make it, but decided to try one last ditch effort to save her. Thing is, my vet insisted that gut stimulants do not work, and when I told her what people on the forum said, she still wouldn't budge. I am in the US, and supposedly research has shown they do not work and cause more pain, so I have no choice but to accept her opinion. They think she has moderate or severe gut stasis, but I can't afford the xray to confirm. We don't know what caused it, but she has a big lump that is infected, so thats one possibility. Given her comorbid conditions, I'm pretty sure her chances are slim, but she just didn't look ready to be put down. They said if she doesn't improve in 24 hours she would need hospitalization, but I definitely can't afford that, so I would have to put her down. I'm preparing for the inevitable, but thanks everyone for your advice.
Click to expand...

BIG HUGS

I am very sorry. If the gut issues are secondary (i.e caused by a problem outside that you cannot address), then the prognosis is not all that good. Just follow your heart.

More practical support care advice in case you need it:
Here is our crisis care guide: Emergency, Crisis and Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment
The line between life and death (in case you need this): A Practical and Sensitive Guide to Dying, Terminal Illness and Euthanasia in Guinea Pigs
 
Strange, the vet said gut stasis does not happen by itself. It is always secondary to something. So for my GP's case, they gave her an antibiotic for the infected lump, in addition to palliative medications. Although since she didnt get the xray there is always a possibility that the infected lump is a coincidence and something else caused the stasis. But I don't understand how the vet has actually had some guinea pigs survive since they don't give gut stimulants, they were just syringe fed and the gut restabilized itself in those cases I guess. But everyone on the forum seems to think the gut stims are necessary for recovery, which seems inconsistent with the vet's statement that some guinea pigs survived. In any case, given that her stasis is moderate or maybe even severe I don't think she will be one of the lucky ones, especially because my mom and I working together have still only been able to give her only a small fraction of what she needs to survive. Just not skilled enough sadly.
 
Don't beat yourself up about this. Guinea pigs don't understand what medication is so they are just adapting to what their body tells them. It's not always about skills - sometimes it's just rotten luck. Bloat can be secondary but I reckon it can also just appear on it's own because the gut is a very finely balanced thing.

We get a gut stimulant called emeprid and my pig had honking great doses of this (1.36ml) and didn't show signs of pain from it. Maybe it didn't work but maybe it did. The vet thinks my girls bloat was actually caused by too much rich spring grass - she is a big ol' girl and has access to the same food as both others but she must either be greedier or more sensitive. She also doesn't move around very much and her favourite place to sleep is crammed into a haybox so she's her own worse enemy. We didn't get an x-ray - we didn't need one as you could feel the gas in her. At her worst she was like a little barrel but as it subsided her sides were softer and when I sat her on my lap with her head facing left I could feel (on the side facing away from me) a little 'balloon' half way down which I think was her caecum where a lot of digestion occurs. She took syringe food and painkiller (metacam - loves it) and emeprid (which she didn't like) and poop soup mixed in with the syringe food (OMG she was disgusted) and I had her on a fleece covering a warm rubber water bottle which she sprawled on the warm surface. I tried massaging with an electric toothbrush and surprisingly she quite liked that. She didn't like any hand massage and tbh I don't blame her - if I was swollen up I wouldn't either. By the time she saw the vet she was past her worst because I hadn't realised what it was because I'd not seen it before so I think gut stims weren't the essential difference. But pain meds possibly were as if they are in pain (she was, because her eyes were sunken and squinty) they don't want to eat anyway. So perhaps with syringing little and often, pain meds, a relaxing warm pad and a little bit of massage if she finds it soothing she might turn the corner. Good luck - we'll all be thinking about you x
 
dee10535 said:
Strange, the vet said gut stasis does not happen by itself. It is always secondary to something. So for my GP's case, they gave her an antibiotic for the infected lump, in addition to palliative medications. Although since she didnt get the xray there is always a possibility that the infected lump is a coincidence and something else caused the stasis. But I don't understand how the vet has actually had some guinea pigs survive since they don't give gut stimulants, they were just syringe fed and the gut restabilized itself in those cases I guess. But everyone on the forum seems to think the gut stims are necessary for recovery, which seems inconsistent with the vet's statement that some guinea pigs survived. In any case, given that her stasis is moderate or maybe even severe I don't think she will be one of the lucky ones, especially because my mom and I working together have still only been able to give her only a small fraction of what she needs to survive. Just not skilled enough sadly.
Click to expand...

Hi

Our own advice follows what we have been given consistently by our own vets. Feeding support during GI stasis is crucial in getting your piggy through and that is what you are doing. Sometimes it is not at all obvious whether there is an underlying issue in a seemingly healthy piggy, never mind what it is - actually that is quite often the case; most piggies in that category bounce back very quickly and often never have another episode again.

Your vet has obviously made her own different experiences to common practice. It doesn't mean that she is totally wrong. GI stasis comes in a wide range of severity - from a mild or partial one that can last just minutes or a few hours to a severe where a piggy with underlying issues struggles to bounce back.

Healthy piggies can suffer GI stasis due to heat exhaustion or a heat stroke which can affect any piggy exposed to an amount of heat their body is not equipped to deal with. Please be extra careful with any frailer piggies, especially stasis piggies, during any heat wave or heat spikes as the heat can easily tip a delicate balance the wrong way.
Hot Weather Management, Heat Strokes and Fly Strike

Please just follow your vet's advice as long as it is working. If your piggy is not getting better, then it is time for a review. It doesn't make you a bad owner (you certainly are a very caring one who is doing their very best) and your your piggy is certainly not complaining about not being assaulted by extra bad testing medication on top of the feeding.
Medicine is by no means as clear cut and straight forward as you'd think. It is a constant learning curve of personal and collective experiences and trials and resembles more the walk of an inebriated person wobbling from one side to the other while slowly wending their way forward.

Hang on in there!
 
I'm actually at the vet again and I will probably put her down. I think she is kind of weak from insufficient food and she seems to have minimal to no strength or movement in her back legs. Which means that there is really not a good chance of saving her and I don't want her to suffer.
 
dee10535 said:
I'm actually at the vet again and I will probably put her down. I think she is kind of weak from insufficient food and she seems to have minimal to no strength or movement in her back legs. Which means that there is really not a good chance of saving her and I don't want her to suffer.
Click to expand...

BIG HUGS

I am very sorry that you have to make that decision.
 
I'm so sorry. You've all tried your best and put her at the centre of your decisions with love. In the end that's all we can do x
 
I am worried about what will happen to my one remaining guinea pig. I had her cremated and buried, so my remaining one has no clue she will never see her companion again. And I'm simply not going to be able to get any more guinea pigs, so all I can do is hope she will be ok.
 
Hello, I posted in another thread but thought I'd offer more details here. I had to put one of my guinea pigs to sleep this morning. We had her cremated there, so my lone remaining pig did not see her body. The one that died was quite ill, she could no longer even move her back legs really, so maybe she might have some awareness. However, when I returned home from the vet, she was wheeking away demanding veggies as if oblivious. I will be keeping a close eye, but I'm in a tough spot. The problem is I am not in a position to get any more guinea pigs, fosters or adopted. I don't have the money to care for them, and having guinea pigs is exacerbating my struggles with numerous anxiety disorders. Even if she were to acutely pine, I still would be unable to get her a companion. I am open to rehoming if it comes to that but there are a couple of logistical issues. The only guinea pig rescue that MIGHT (but probably doesn't) take surrenders is located in San Antonio and I live in Dallas Texas, so that probably is out of the question. Option B: find a neighbor. But, it would need to be a person who already owns guinea pigs, and who is also willing to take on a guinea pig with probable ovarian cysts. She is a dominant personality, and my guinea pig who died would sometimes scream in fear because she would chase or nudge her. Likely the cyst. She also teeth chatters a lot to me and to her deceased buddy, so in all honesty i am concerned that even if she wants a friend, she might not be able to safely live with a brand new guinea pig. She has been with her friend her whole life, and she has never been with any others. We estimate she is about 4 and a half, so middle aged. Her ovarian cysts have never been officially confirmed, and since they are not causing any major issues I decided not to give her the risky surgery. Which means that I don't really know how advanced the cysts might be, and it is unlikely anyone would be willing to take her. So I guess my question is: what should I do if nobody is able to take her and she becomes depressed? Any specific things I can do to make her as comfortable as possible?
 
dee10535 said:
Hello, I posted in another thread but thought I'd offer more details here. I had to put one of my guinea pigs to sleep this morning. We had her cremated there, so my lone remaining pig did not see her body. The one that died was quite ill, she could no longer even move her back legs really, so maybe she might have some awareness. However, when I returned home from the vet, she was wheeking away demanding veggies as if oblivious. I will be keeping a close eye, but I'm in a tough spot. The problem is I am not in a position to get any more guinea pigs, fosters or adopted. I don't have the money to care for them, and having guinea pigs is exacerbating my struggles with numerous anxiety disorders. Even if she were to acutely pine, I still would be unable to get her a companion. I am open to rehoming if it comes to that but there are a couple of logistical issues. The only guinea pig rescue that MIGHT (but probably doesn't) take surrenders is located in San Antonio and I live in Dallas Texas, so that probably is out of the question. Option B: find a neighbor. But, it would need to be a person who already owns guinea pigs, and who is also willing to take on a guinea pig with probable ovarian cysts. She is a dominant personality, and my guinea pig who died would sometimes scream in fear because she would chase or nudge her. Likely the cyst. She also teeth chatters a lot to me and to her deceased buddy, so in all honesty i am concerned that even if she wants a friend, she might not be able to safely live with a brand new guinea pig. She has been with her friend her whole life, and she has never been with any others. We estimate she is about 4 and a half, so middle aged. Her ovarian cysts have never been officially confirmed, and since they are not causing any major issues I decided not to give her the risky surgery. Which means that I don't really know how advanced the cysts might be, and it is unlikely anyone would be willing to take her. So I guess my question is: what should I do if nobody is able to take her and she becomes depressed? Any specific things I can do to make her as comfortable as possible?
Click to expand...

Hi

HUGS

I am ever so sorry for your situation. Please be kind with yourself and acknowledge that you are not in a good place for long term decisions right now. Give yourself time so you do not make any knee jerk reactions you may come to rue later on.
Human Bereavement: Grieving, Coping and Support Links for Guinea Pig Owners and Their Children

Sadly, lots of people are in a similar situation and things are starting to get our of hand everywhere with pets being got rid of left, right and centre between the post-pandemic pet dump and the Ukraine war driving up prices even more. :(

If your girl is ok under the circumstances, please hang onto her and keep looking for another bereaved sow looking for a companion but don't rush into anything just because you are hurting badly right now.
The Texas Rustlers website gives you links to somewhat safer places than the usual free-ads but the responsibility will still be fully on you. Never give your piggy away without having seen the new home and set-up for yourself in reality.
Texas Rustlers Guinea Pig and Small Animal Rescue (surrender page with further links)

Here is practical advice and information for single guinea pigs in a range of different situations (including bereavement) and how to pick up on them needing more stimulation: Single Guinea Pigs - Challenges and Responsibilities

Enrichment ideas: Enrichment Ideas for Guinea Pigs

We do not offer private people the option to look for homes for their guinea pigs on this forum; only approvied rescues. The last time we did it about a decade ago, we ended up very quickly being quite literally swamped and abused as a convenient dumping ground for owners wanting to get rid of their pets asap and seeing us as a soft target. We really didn't appreciate the blackmailing tactics being used by some of them.
It was a very distressing experience since most of us have all the piggies we can cope with; plus we ended up needing to rescue some well-meaning but improvident forum members from themselves when they got into trouble over trying to take in too many unwanted piggies than they could actually cope with. Not an experience we want to repeat ever again!
 
I actually have known for over a year I do not want any more guinea pigs, so it's actually not a grief reaction. I just do not have the time, energy, or money to care for a new one. So I cannot look for a companion, unfortunately, she will be my last one. I'll just try to keep her life as enriched as possible! I would feel so guilty if she died of loneliness, but I am 100% certain I will not take in any more pets. We plan to ask an experienced guinea pig owner in our area for advice, so we will see what she says!
 
First thing is that your remaining girl will have had a decent idea about what was going on with her friend. When piggies feel that they are naturally coming to the end they have a tendency to crawl away from the herd to pass so a disappearance is not necessarily unexpected. I've had pigs that have been quite down following a bereavement and tbh there have also been pigs that didn't seem too bothered - one cheerfully climbed over the body of her friend who had suddenly dropped dead in the night to get her morning cucumber slice. She was quite the philosopher! One piggy didn't stop eating or anything, but she took to sitting on the highest point in the enclosure for hours, alert to every noise. She was looking for another pig in the 'territory'.

I understand your position and the reasons given. Just take things day by day. It's something every piggy owner either has faced or will face. In the past I've put out local requests for 'left-over' piggies to match up with my lone one so keep eyes open. Over here some rescues even allow a foster-pig to be homed with you until your current pig passes then they return home. It's rare, but worth investigating? She knows you and she knows her home so she'll be feeling safe there x

It might be worth looking into whether her cysts can be eased with hormone injections? I don't have any experience here but I've seen it being discussed on the forum - but there are apparently different types of cysts...

Take care x
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top