Abnormal Poops

[Pohtaytur]

So, I have been busy lately, and my parents have been helping to take care of my pigs with cage cleaning. I was cleaning their cage today and I noticed that their poops weren't normal when I checked the bin. Some were soft, others pointy, some were small, and today's had some larger than normal ones but had good colour, still with soft ones, and less small ones. They have white pee, which I tried looking up whether it was good or bad, and some places said bad while others said normal. They are still eating well, but I wanted to stop go to the vet to get them checked out.

My mother is against this since she thinks I'm overreacting and that they won't really be helpful, that $70 per pig will only mean the vet basics for health checks and it'll reveal nothing useful. Apparently the veggies she feeds around dinner are straight from the fridge, and I don't know if it's affecting them? We've also been adding fresh grass to their cage for them to eat as well. She keeps telling me to just wait and see how they are after we warm up the veggies for feeding, but I don't know if she's just delaying it since it's coming out of my pocket and I have to pay for school soon... Am I just overreacting or should I go to the vet anyways?

 

[Claire W]

Hi, they could just have a slight tummy upset so I would take them off of fresh veg for 24-48 hours and see if that helps

 

[Pohtaytur]

Hi, they could just have a slight tummy upset so I would take them off of fresh veg for 24-48 hours and see if that helps

Sure, I'll do that! Thanks for the input! Should I slowly add it back up after the two days if it seems fine after?

 

[Piggies&buns]

If poops are soft then you need to stop feeding all veg and grass until poops normalise. Then reintroduce veggies slowly 24 hours after they normalise.
If poops don’t normalise after 48 hours off veg, then you will need to see a vet

Please switch to daily weight checks so you can monitor hay intake more closely. Smaller than normal poops can indicate a reduced hay intake. If they are losing weight then you need to step in with syringe feeding.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Regarding the white pee, it’s normal for them to have a milky white pee as it is the body’s way of excreting excess calcium.
However if it happens a lot or if the pee is gritty when dried, then you will need to check the diet and see a vet as this can indicate bladder issues such as sludge or the potential for stone formation.

Ensure you only feed one tablespoon of pellets per pig per day, ensure drinking water is filtered and that high calcium veggies are kept limited to once a week

 

[Pohtaytur]

If poops are soft then you need to stop feeding all veg and grass until poops normalise. Then reintroduce veggies slowly 24 hours after they normalise.
If poops don’t normalise after 48 hours off veg, then you will need to see a vet

Please switch to daily weight checks so you can monitor hay intake more closely. Smaller than normal poops can indicate a reduced hay intake. If they are losing weight then you need to step in with syringe feeding.

Alright, I'll make sure to do that.

 

[Pohtaytur]

So, update, their poops have gotten better from the two days so far. Some of them have a bit of a point, but someone had said that it was because of the way they lie down? Overall though the others look normal so far. I'll still wait until tomorrow evening to be doubly sure, and their weights haven't changed from yesterday. Harold did get a bit lighter, but apparently the shelter lady was kind of easy to give them treats. Not sure, I'm just thinking of what possible reasons it might be. I'll keep weighing them, but I'll be bringing them in to a vet to get a check up soon. Thanks everyone for the advice so far, I'm really grateful for the help! It's my first time raising animals so I keep feeling like everything can go wrong.