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Constipation

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Plum

Plum

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Hi my guinea pig was really ill last week, he was rushed to the emergency vets and diagnosed with dermititus in the penis, this seems to be healing very well afterwards with anticeptic and sudacrem (recommended by the vet) applied daily. However, since then he seems to be very constipated and looks uncomfortable and constantly tired, also he is eating but very little, but more to what he was eating beforehand. He has not had a full stool since taking him to the vets. He definately has perked up since the vets last week and seems to be constipated only, any tips on how to help him?

Thanks, Plum x
 
I was just about to ask the same question!

If your guinea pig is not impacted and has not pooed properly (or at all) in a week, then you need to take it to the vets - now!

The vet needs to check for a blockage (possibly by x-ray) and the guinea pig will need a gut stimulant to get things moving again.

The pig will also need to be aggressively syringe fed to help get the guts working, particularly if he hasn't eaten well for the past few days. Hold off on syringe feeding until he has been seen by a vet though - if he has a blockage, you don't want to add to it with more food.
 
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When piggies are under the weather they stop or reduce their food intake and as a result their guts stop. Pain is often a good reason to stop them eating properly and I have a piggie with a manky willy who needs constant monitoring for pain relief (and cleaning :)>>>)

It sounds to me like your guinea pig needs to go back to the vet as a matter of urgency (ie tomorrow) for a painkiller (metacam) and also a gut stimulant to help re-start his poos....but unless he is also taking his full quota of food then poos will be small/infrequent.

Firstly then, the painkiller - metacam gives pain relief and is an anti-inflammatory. Bandit gets this when his willy is causing him grief.

Secondly, the gut stimulant - Many vets use metoclopromide but the drug cisapride has now come back on the market and this can be gvien orally. He will need to be on this for a few days (and zantac - ranitidine) may also hlep as it stimulates a different part of the gut and should be given with either metoclopromide, cisaprode or emeprid).

You also need to be weighing him daily to check for weight loss becuase he is not eating properly and, most importantly, giving him syringe food (hydrate pellets in hot water and allow to cool , then blend to a slurry - or you can get Supreme Science Recovery Plus or Oxbow critical Care from your vet or the internet) He needs 120ml in 24 hours fed in 20ml quanitities every 2-4 hours.

The pain killer, gut stimulant combined with the syringe feeding should help sort him out but it may take 1-2 weeks. As he has not been pooing for a few days it really is urgent that you see a vet tomorrow.

HTH
x
 
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Yes sorry, he has not had a full or whole pellett since the weekend. The vet took him away to check him out and came back with the diagnosis and showed me how to clean his penis for the next week. She provided recovery feed with syringes but I have had difficulty in getting Max to take much of this. The vet did not mention anything regarding his anus. Max did start eating himself once he had been checked out but just little bits and starting quite abit of water. He just doesnt seem right today and was wanting some advice before ringing the emergency vets incase it was something i could resolve myself.

thanks x
 
Okay, it doesn't sound like there is a blockage, so Pebble's advice is spot on. In the meantime, you need to keep up with the syringe feeding - there are some good threads on here and on other sites to show you how to do it if you are struggling. Keeping his guts moving at this stage is essential. I'm sorry you are finding it hard, it is really tricky to get the hang of, particularly if the pig doesn't want to cooperate!
 
Okay thats a great help. I have been continuing with the feedings and I will take him to the vet first thing in the morning. Metacam is what the vet gave him last week and that did help so I will ask for this again and ask for some gut stimulant to help with his poo's.

Thanks x
 
Thank you! :)

Just want to say thanks so much for all of the great responses last night! It was very reassuring for me. I took Max to vets first thing this morning, he was making a lot of grunting noises which I put down to discomfort of the constipation. I suggested to the vet a gut stimulant and he actually gave him a painkiller and antibiotic, so I am assuming for this that the antibiotic will help with the constipation. The vet said that both of these combined should help ease his pain and relax him which will in turn help him pass the lodged pellets. He just said if there is no improvement in 2 days to bring him back down, but he is quite sure this should do the trick. Hopefully by the time I get in from work he has had plenty potty time and is back to his gorgeus happy little self! Thanks again everyone, much appreciated! :)

Plum
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Hi Plum

Thanks for the update - it is great that you took him to the vets this morning.

I'm a little confused by the antibiotic though. Was it a one off injection or did he give you a course to take home with you to administer orally? I may be wrong, but I have never heard of an antibiotic being used as a gut stimulant before. I think the pain medication should really help him though, so this is good. Again, was that a one off injection or did the vet give you some to take home with you?

If your pig's poo output hasn't shown noticeable improvement when you get home today, then I think you should keep up with the syringe feeding as this will help to keep his system moving.

Where abouts in the country are you? I'm curious as someone might be able to help you find a vet in your area that is more knowledgeable with guinea pigs.
 
Little Pig said:
Hi Plum

Thanks for the update - it is great that you took him to the vets this morning.

I'm a little confused by the antibiotic though. Was it a one off injection or did he give you a course to take home with you to administer orally? I may be wrong, but I have never heard of an antibiotic being used as a gut stimulant before. I think the pain medication should really help him though, so this is good. Again, was that a one off injection or did the vet give you some to take home with you?

If your pig's poo output hasn't shown noticeable improvement when you get home today, then I think you should keep up with the syringe feeding as this will help to keep his system moving.

Where abouts in the country are you? I'm curious as someone might be able to help you find a vet in your area that is more knowledgeable with guinea pigs.
Click to expand...

I'm also concerned about the fYact no gut stimulant was given ?/

I think as little pig said, we need to know where we are to see if we can find a recommended vet near you
 
My Snowball had a similar problem. Check out my threads it'll be there. He had quite a few gut stimulants, we even had to give them him at home. And syringe feed him loads.

Hope your piggie gets well soon
x
 
Gut Stimulant

Hi this is exactly the reason I felt I had to come on here again and get some feedback today because I did not understand why he gave him an antibiotic either and I was hoping that someone would pick up on this if it didn't seem right. He told me that the pain killer and anitbiotic should relax him and then he should be able to go? I went in and I told the vet that I thought he was constipated and that his dermatitus was healing nice but he was not eating much and not pooing hardly at all. I've just been on the phone to my partner and he is now in from work and he said that Max still hasn't touched his food and still hasn't passed any pellets! :( I'm really worried now, I feel like I'm trying my best, I'm taking him to the vets where I'm hoping he will be made better but nothing is happening....If I lose him I'm gona be devastated and i'll never forgive myself! All I want is someone to give him something to soothe him and make him better...I don't care about costs or anything like that, he is my little boy the way i see it and I just want him to get better no matter what. We live in Peterlee in County Durham, if anyone can tell me where to go I'll take him. My partner has just suggested contacting a different vet in the area to see what they have to say about what the vet this morning gave him.

Thanks very much for the on-going support!
Plum :(
x
 
Just read through your thread, again as other posters have said I am supprised that no gut stimulant has been given.

I just had a look through the recomended vets thread and the only one I could find near you is http://www.merialvetsite.com/sites/cestria/staff.html it may be worth giving them a ring to get advice. Hoping that some of our Scottish members may be able to suggest somewhere close to you also.

Hope Max feels better soon x
 
If he isn't eating then syringe feeding is essential. The recovery or critical care needs to be a toothpaste like consistency and you should be aiming for 15 to 20 mls every 2 to 3 hours. If he isn't eating then his guts will have gone into stasis and you aren't going to see any poos. Syringe feeding will keep him alive, but a gut stimulant is also needed. If your current vet won't do this then you need to go somewhere else.
 
Hi I read your posts about creamy discharge that was smelly in Snowball. I have just come back from the vets - I am the user who was seeking advice regarding constipation - Max has been given a gut stimulant and I have to syrine feed him but he also has the same problem you are referring too - my vet advised to clean this up with canesten cream to help with this but I also have Hibiscrub - is this better for Max? He also needs to start getting food down him, any tips on the best way to do this and to get him pooping again? Thanks x
 
Woh!

Can we take this step by step please?

Your original post didn;t mention a creamy discharge or canestan. I have a lot of experience with boar guineas and creamy discharge....and also guineas with unrelated gut stasis hence why I posted earlier. However both symptoms together may mean different advice/actions are needed.

You said earlier that Max had been given an antibioitic on his last vet trip but now you are saying he's been given a gut stimulant instead? I'm confused.

Please don;t think you are being criticised in any way - just let us know the facts so we can help. Don;t say stuff you think we want to hear...we are not judging you...what we need are the true facts so we can hlep you get the best treatment for Max.

At the moment it appears you may not have a cavy-experienced vet but we need to know what meds he's been given to help point you in the right direction.

Can you please give us the full step-by-step facts as they occurred including dates of vet visit and meds given? If you would prefer not to do this publicly on the forum can you please send this to me by PM?

If Max did not have a gut stimulant today and he doesn;t start pooing properly tonight then you will need to take informed emergency action TOMORROW without fail - with a cavy savvy vet

http://www.gilmoorvets.com/about.html

These guys have a history of guinea pigs - but best check with the receptionist and get the right vet if they are still working there. If you Pm me for myphone number we can have a hchat on the telingbone as I am in most of tomorrow.

HTH
x
 
Rest In Peace our gorgeus little Max. xxxxx

Hi,

I just want to say thanks for all the help on the forum, it has been greatly appreciated and I couldn't fault any of the support. Sadley Max passed away early hours of Friday morning and me and my partner are absolutely devastated!

To Pebbles, I just read your last thread and your concern regarding the creamy discharge....I think I must have came across wrong in one of my threads as Max didn't have a creamy dischage, I was just responding to someone else's thread, but I appreciate all the effort and the offer to talk over the phone and not once has anyone on this site made me feel under critiscism...everyone has been amazing, including your very good self.

This all started over a week ago on the Thursday, I noticed he wasnt eating, then we noticed bleeding and took him to emergency vets who diagnosed him with dermatitus to the penis, they cleaned him up with antiseptic and put on sudocrem and showed us how to do it all for the following week. He wasnt going to the toilet well. We have had him to the vets 4 times in one week and still this has happened. When i posted my first thread I was concerned about constipation in Max. His Penis had healed nicely but he hadn't been to the toilet and and looked really off colour. I received great advice from this site and took him straight to the vets again on Thursday morning and the vet gave him an antibiotic injection and a pain killer injection. When I updated people on this site no one could understand why the vet hadn't gave him a gut stimulant so I started to worry about this. By the time my partner had got in from work, Max still hadn't passed anything and when I got in from work we took him through to the out of hours emergency animal hospial in Gateshead (Vets Now Emergancy) and told him about the injections earlier that morning and all our concerns regarding a gut stimulant. The vet took him away and washed out his bottom due to our constipation concerns and he also injected him with a gut stimlant. The vet was a lovely guy and did say that he couldn't hear any movement of the stomach and bowels at all hence why he injected him with the gut stimulant. He gave us more recovery feed and told us to get as much down as we could. We took him home and he took 4 syringes of the recovery feed, which i thought was a good sign, but as the night went on he just seemed to get weaker and weaker. I cuddled him for a long time before I put him into his bed and as poorly as he looked he seemed very contented in my arms. I thought after all of the injections he had had through that day he must have been shattered and needed to sleep, but we came down yesterday morning and he had passed away. We called the vet from the previous night and my partner spoke to him, he told us that from what he saw the night before he knew it would be 50/50 chance and he was extremely sorry for our loss, but that Max must have gave up the fight. He said there was a possibilty that although we got the dermatitus on his penis under control it could have already spread internally and the anitbiotic from the morning may have been too late. I just wish that from the first ever visit they had gave him an anitbiotc, aswell as the painkiller, I just feel if he had that antibiotic from the start he would have had a better fighting chance, but I'm not the professional so I guess I have no right to judge that. I have so many questions and don't fully understand why this happened when he has been to the vets so many times this week. He has went from a full bill of health 2 weeks ago running around with Bobby on the floor, to not being here today and I still don't have a solid answer.

I can't even describe how we are feeling about all of this, we just feel like we tried everything we possibly could and have failed. He was loved and adored by both me and my partner and we are devastated. Rest in Peace gorgeus boy, well will miss you so much. xxxxxxxxxxx

I am now left upset and worried sick about Bobby who is his little guinea pig companion. Will he be lonely on his own now? will he have low mood now Max is not with us? They were very close! It's all been very distressing. Any advise on this situation would be much apprecaited also.

Thank you all so much for your best efforts to help, once again it has been very much appreciated. I just hope I did eveything I could, there's always that punishing question when something like this has happened.

Plum
x
 
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