Constant bloating with soft poo

[poopie]

I am wondering if anyone has had a similar condition with their guinea pig and how they resolved it. My little Piggie is 2 1/2 and lives with her sister. They are Peruvians. Since December she has slowly been losing weight but eats loads . She was originally around the 1000 gr weight in December and this morning weighed in at 775 gr but has been as low as 695gr. I have had Piggies for many years but this girl has me stumped. She has had sticky clumpy poos which get all on her feet so has to be washed and checked on several times a day. The poos have been off and one like this for a couple of months and I did the normal cutting out of veg and then stopped the grass as both seemed to cause issues with her poo. She is now only on Meadow Hay and Excel pellets but she still bloats most days and still has soft poo. She is thin around her shoulders but her belly is like a pregnant piggie and she can gain up to 80 gr from first thing in the morning to evening. Over the night-time she will shrink in size only to blow up the next time she eats. I now have her split from her sister so I can monitor exactly how she is eating and drinking and am thinking of only giving her 3 small meals a day of hay and a few pellets as she will bloat even just on hay alone. In every way she seems healthy happy but obviously the weight loss is concerning and if I allow her more hay and pellets she has more loose poo and then loses more weight. Has anyone had a piggie with bloat all the time that had this happen?
We live many hours from a exotic vet and only have a local farm vet who treats our dogs.

 

[Piggies&buns]

I’m sorry to hear this.

Please do not only give 3 small meals of hay - she needs hay to be constantly available 24/7. Without being able to eat enough hay, it will cause many issues.
Pellets should only ever be one tablespoon per pig per day in any event.

Removing veg helps in a case of a minor digestive upset and will resolve within a couple of days. The fact it has been going on for so long and she has lost such a lot of weight, is still bloating and having soft poops even on a hay only diet suggests that you are dealing with something much more and she really needs to see a knowledgeable vet for tests, diagnosis and treatment. Bloat alone is a painful and very serious condition which requires various medications.

Please also do not separate her from her cage mate. Doing this will not tell you she is eating enough but it will stress them both out, and can lower immune systems due to stress. They are much better off being together.
The only way to know she is eating enough hay is through daily weight checks. Please weigh her daily - once a day in the morning (don’t weigh more than once otherwise you pick up far too much fluctuation which is not helpful) and syringe feed her accordingly to stop the weight loss.

You can try giving a probiotic but it is not a medication and will not resolve any issues other than potentially help replace gut bacteria - it will not cure an medical issue on its own and is purely a digestive support.

Emergency and Crisis Care as well as Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment
Digestive Disorders: Not Eating - Diarrhea - Bloat - GI Stasis (No Gut Movement)
All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures
Probiotics, Recovery Foods And Vitamin C: Overview With Product Links

 

[poopie]

Thank you so much for your reply. She is right next to her sister , just apart to prevent poo on her as well. I had to check that there wasn't some low level bullying that I wasn't aware of. I had been giving two huge piles of hay but keeping them a little apart helps me to see how much she is eating and drinking and she is eating loads of hay. I will reduce the pellets to 1 tablespoon per day but worried that she would lose more weight if I did that. It is like being between a rock and a hard place and I will look into getting help from a qualified vet . I should have said that her Bloat is a soft bloat , her sides are soft not hard if that helps explain. I did Clip her down so I could see and check her all over for anything amiss but all looks fine.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Do step in with syringe feeding. Having her apart and watching a hay pile won’t tell you she is actually eating enough - it’s only the weight checks that do that. Overdoing pellets long term will run the risk of not enough hay intake plus the associated issues of too much calcium in the diet (most calcium coming into the diet via pellets and unfiltered drinking water).
If she is eating lots and lots of hay and still losing weight then that is concerning - there are some health issues which can cause this and they require diagnosis and treatment.

I hope you can get to the vet and she is ok

 

[Merab]

Welcome to the forum.
Just want to offer support

 

[poopie]

Thanks for the welcome! I weighed her this morning and she had gained a little 780 gr. I gave them both 15 gr of pellets . I did try the tablespoon but wasn't sure if it was supposed to be a level one or a heaped one and then the bits kept falling off the spoon lol. Is this the correct amount or should I reduce it more. It didn't look like very much so wanted to check with you.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Thanks for the welcome! I weighed her this morning and she had gained a little 780 gr. I gave them both 15 gr of pellets . I did try the tablespoon but wasn't sure if it was supposed to be a level one or a heaped one and then the bits kept falling off the spoon lol. Is this the correct amount or should I reduce it more. It didn't look like very much so wanted to check with you.

A level spoon. 15g of pellets each is likely still to be too much so you may still need to reduce it more - they really don’t need many pellets at all.

Ive just switched pellet brand to one made by a small UK based company run by a forum member, but the commercial brand I used to give came to just 6g for a tablespoon although I only only gave about 10-12 individual pellets to each piggy (in my case, I actually only feed pellets about three days out of the seven).

 

[poopie]

A level spoon. 15g of pellets each is likely still to be too much so you may still need to reduce it more - they really don’t need many pellets at all.

Ive just switched pellet brand to one made by a small UK based company run by a forum member, but the commercial brand I used to give came to just 6g for a tablespoon although I only only gave about 10-12 individual pellets to each piggy (in my case, I actually only feed pellets about three days out of the seven).

Ok , I can reduce it a little tomorrow. Thanks for clarifying that.

 

[poopie]

I just wanted to pop in and say that the great advice given here worked. My beautiful girl is no longer bloated looking with soft poo but passing normal looking ones. I cut their pellets down to 25 gr a day and they are having 3 great piles of hay. She weighed in at 753gr this morning and I know it does take them ages to regain weight lost but at least she is eating great like a horse, so the weight should slowly go back on.

 

[Piggies&buns]

I’m so glad to hear that. Yes regaining weight takes a lot longer than losing it. Keep an eye on her weight for a while longer to ensure she is continuing to eat enough hay and her weight goes up each day.

(Do ensure it is just one tablespoon of pellets per pig per day)

 

[poopie]

I’m so glad to hear that. Yes regaining weight takes a lot longer than losing it. Keep an eye on her weight for a while longer to ensure she is continuing to eat enough hay and her weight goes up each day.

(Do ensure it is just one tablespoon of pellets per pig per day)

Yes , the two of them only get 25 gr split into 2 bowls. I checked my diary weight for her from a month ago and she was the exact same weight as today. Given that she is eating so much it is a wonder that she isn't heavier but she is happy and acts normal.

 

[Merab]

Thanks for the update.
Good to hear that she’s much better now.