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Guinea pig has sudden watery diarrhoea

GuineaDan

GuineaDan

Junior Guinea Pig
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I feel very stressed and panicked as I write this. So one of my guinea pigs who is 3yrs 7mo suddenly got diarrhea tonight, at 1am. He's on medication fir a UTI, including a painkiller which says "stop using if it causes diarrhea or vomitting". Plus he's had to deal with a stressful past couple of weeks with travelling. So all things considered, not too surprised but I am worried. He's been eating but hasn't been acting quite as greedy as normal.
Currently, I'm keeping him warm, syringing water and selective recovery plus every now and then, and I'm going to mash a couple of poops from my other guinea pig into the selective recovery plus. I was wondering of anyone else had any other suggestions on what I can do until I can get him to a vet? Unfortunately I don't drive and I don't think my parents would be willing to get him seen at 2am when he has a vet appointment Wednesday. But I do plan on getting him to the vets ASAP tomorrow morning and staying up with him tonight
 
Severe runny diarrhoea is considered an emergency and needs to be seen straight away, so please do get him seen asap.

Sometimes being on antibiotics can really affect their system.

What need to do now, aside from the important vet visit, is

- switch from the routine weekly weight checks and instead weigh him daily, at the same time each day, so you can more closely monitor hay and recovery feed intake. Those weight checks will tell you if he is getting enough food in each 24 hours and aill allow you to adjust the amount of syringe feed you give to keep his weight stable each day.
- stop giving vegetables for the time being
- you can also give a probiotic to help settle the tummy. The poop you mention is a good idea but you don’t just give them the poops from the companion. You need to give some snacks to the companion and as soon as some poops are produced , you put them in water to soak. The poops must be collected straight away, if they sit for any length of time then the good gut bacteria immediately start to die off. Leave the poops soaking in water for 10-15 minutes. Remove the poops and then syringe just the water to your poorly piggy.

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
 
Thank you for the advice! I only ever saw giving companion poop, wasnt aware it needed to be fresh but ill keep that in mind!
The diarrhea ended up lasting only for 30 minutes roughly, thankfully. I've been monitoring him since then and he hasn't produced any more watery poo in 4~ hours, though the poops he has made have been very soft. He's still acting a bit more withdrawn than normal, but I've seen him eat hay
I'll definitely try to get him seen today since it could very well come back, I'm not taking any chances
 
Small update: since he hasn't had any diarrhea in 11 hours at this point, the vet recommended to stop the antibiotics and give fibre supplements until his booked appointment tomorrow. Of course if he has any more watery diarrhea between now and then we'll likely go as an emergency appointment. But for now I'm just making sure he's drinking enough and giving him a little bit of recovery food every now and then. He loves it lol. I've also seen him eating hay. Time to take a well earned nap I think lol.

And of course, a picture of the piggie that causes constant stress.
 

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Make sure you weigh him daily so you can monitor his hay intake properly.
Keep us posted after his appointment tomorrow.
 
So his diarrhea cleared up and the vet suspected it was due to the meds. Unfortunately he's going to need to have risky surgery for the bladder stone since its too big to be flushed out. The other option would be just to be constantly giving him antibiotics which wouldn't be good for his other organs. Suffice to say I'm feeling very nervous. He's been a strong boy this whole time so I just hope he continues to be
 
GuineaDan said:
So his diarrhea cleared up and the vet suspected it was due to the meds. Unfortunately he's going to need to have risky surgery for the bladder stone since its too big to be flushed out. The other option would be just to be constantly giving him antibiotics which wouldn't be good for his other organs. Suffice to say I'm feeling very nervous. He's been a strong boy this whole time so I just hope he continues to be
Click to expand...
You have made the right choice.
Bladder stone surgery is the only option with bigger stones and usually has a good outcome.
Did the vet say why they consider the surgery to be risky?
If he is healthy this shouldn't be risky at all (aside for the usual concerns over surgery which would be the same for any operation).
Are your vets experienced with guinea pigs?

I am sure he will be fine.
He is clearly receiving excellent care and is a tough piggy.
 
I appreciate the reassurance. He said it was risky as he was nearly 4 years old but he has been under anaesthetic a lot of times before (his jaw is a bit twisted so he has regular dentals). The fact that he was just ill does little to soothe my nerves but he was perky today.
I do believe he is experienced with them, yes. He was very knowledgeable about them and I think last time I went he said he had done the surgery before.
 
Another update: he pulled out of surgery fine! Unfortunately it was more complex then they first thought - it was stuck between the bladder and the left kidney tube, so it was dilated. The next 24 hours are critical, I'm making sure he keeps warm and I'm gonna be syringe feeding him often until he starts eating again. And of course here's a picture
 

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Thank you for your kind words. I'm currently alternating between having him all wrapped up with me and cage time so he can destress a bit. Luckily he's very eager to take the water, not so much food. But he's tried to go for food, so I'm hopeful he'll start eating soon.
 
Hello, I just had some questions regarding syringe feeding and keeping warm.
1. I looked at the syringe feeding guide, and I think Mario falls under not eating at all and partial eating (I've seen him pick at bits of treats but drop them). I'm probably going to err on the side of caution and give him the recommended amounts for not eating. I was wondering if giving lower amounts more frequently would be alright? I feel like he gets a bit overwhelmed otherwise.
2. How often should I be checking his temperature? Right now I've been picking him up and swaddling him whilst cuddling his brother roughly every hour or so for half an hour, but I'm not sure if there's a better way to do this? What's a good way to gauge a piggie's temperature without a thermometer? Currently I've been checking the ears and comparing body temperature to the healthy piggy.
3. What about sleep? I mean this in a sense of how long would it be okay for me to sleep for before I have to syringe feed/check him again, given that he's in a critical stage? Currently I'm thinking of maybe taking 2 hour power naps, checking on him (& giving food and heat) and then sleeping again lol. It's not going to be easy but I'm not currently working so I feel like I can manage it for a couple of days. I'm just not sure if 2 hours is too long? Perhaps I'm being a bit paranoid lol.

Any advice would be appreciated! These piggies are the first ones fully under my care so I'm quite paranoid about them lol.
 
The health experts can give you better advice, but I can tell you what I have done.
When I have had sick piggies I have used a lukewarm hot water bottle wrapped in a towel.
When the piggy was too warm he moved off.

I often add a bit of mashed banana to the syringe feed - mine love it.
I have also put a small dish, like a ramekin dish, into the cage with some of the syringe feed and mashed banana. This encourages piggy to eat between feeds.
It doesn’t matter if cagemates share!

I also pop in a dish of raw oats mixed with grated carrot or sweet potato to help tempt a piggy to eat.

Caring for a sick piggy is physically and emotionally draining so it is important to look after yourself as well.

Mario sounds as if he is excellent hands with you.
Holding you in my thoughts.
 
Thank you for the tips! I placed a hot water bottle in one corner of the cage but unfortunately he just stayed in his hidey. I don't really want to put it in there because he'd have to choose between being too warm and being hidden, which doesn't sound fair to him.
I tried the mashed banana! Whilst he usually goes crazy for banana (I have a video of him attempting to steal my banana by peeling it lol) he wasn't too interested. Or, well, he lunged for the banana but when it was actually in his mouth he dropped it. So I definitely think he wants to eat, he's just not feeling well. But it was a good test! I'll probably mash a little bit in with the feed every now and then, just to give it a little taste boost! Might borrow my mom's blender to blend in his favorite too lol.
Despite refusing to eat anything, he's still surprisingly active in the sense that he's trying to jump out of the basket to go back to his cage lol. Though in his cage he just stays in his hidey, which is very unlike him. But I think he's showing positive signs so I'm trying to keep optimistic about it.
 
Small update: With feedings throughout the night (testing my nocturnal limits lol), I've finally started to see a small improvement in his appetite! I've seen him eat a little bit of hay, a couple of nuggets and some bell pepper! He's also been urinating and defecating from what I can see as well! Of course he's not out of the woods yet, so I'm still keeping a sharp eye on him and syringe feeding, but to see him eat feels like a huge relief.
 
Another positive update! It's been 3 days since the surgery, so luckily we're out of the most critical period. He's acting virtually back to normal! He's becoming more active, eating hay, pellets and veg, and drinking water! He also seems to think he's less ill than he is considering he keeps trying to jump into and out of his cage lol. He's not 100% back to normal - the vet says his toilet won't be normal for quite a while yet, though he is still going to the toilet! He'll still need very close monitoring of course, but I feel like I can breathe easier now lol. We've also spaced his feedings to every 3-4 hours instead of 2. There was an issue with using the scales (it tried to say he was either 400g or 1.3 kg which... he definitely isn't either lol) but between today and yesterday his weight has been stable so I'm hopeful. Thank you to everyone for your kind comments and advice!
 
Another piggie update: he went to the vets for his post op check and the vet was surprised at how well he was doing! He even took a pic of him lol, he was right when he called him a special boy. He still has a few days left of medication, but as long as there's no blood after he stops the medication (particularly within 3-4 days of stopping) then he gets the all clear! (assuming his incision continues to heal up nicely of course) And if he does get blood again, it'll just be a case of more painkillers to reduce inflammation and let his bladder settle down. He's also been extra ravenous (I'm assuming due to the cisapride) and naughty lol, keeping him from jumping out of the cage when I'm just trying to spot clean or give hay is virtually impossible lol, he's a little troublemaker through and through.

Here's a picture of him and his brother snuggling when he (Mario) was more unwell, I used Luigi as a hot water bottle to help keep him warmed up lol
...And now he's wheeking at me for more food! Never ends lol
 

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What a positive update! Well done boys 💕
Bladder stones make your heart sink so it's great that he's come through his surgery so well. Are you able to try the forum's tips on reducing dietary calcium, such as filtering water and limiting pellets? I'm in an area with such terrifically scummy hard water that we actually buy 'soft' low Ca bottled water for the pigs :roll:
Personally we've been able to encourage more drinking by putting water bottles near the pellet bowl and bedtime hideys: my pigs drink as they eat pellets and they can just pop their heads out to drink at night without getting out of their comfy nests! My vet is very big on 'keeping everything flushing through' to lessen the likelihood of stone formation.
 
Yeah, we were hoping he wouldn't need surgery, but it's impressive he's lasted this long with a bladder stone without surgery haha!
Yes, I have been filtering water for the past year or so - I used to live in a very hard water area, but now the water isn't as hard here. Still, I filter their water to be on the safe side. Their pellets are also reduced (compared to when I first got them lol) but Mario isn't too big on pellets usually, it's Luigi who I see stuffing himself more often than not lol! That's great advice about the drinking, thankfully Mario has always drunk a lot of water (likely in response to the bladder stone) so we don't really need to do much to encourage him with it. He loved being syringe fed water lol. We're cutting down on anything high in calcium, so there's some veg he'll be having a lot more sparingly, plus adding in a bit of cucumber to his veg. Ironically, the one without the bladder stone is the one who stuffs himself more on things high in calcium like pellets and broccoli lol. My vet also agreed on keeping everything flushing through as well! Thank you for your advice and support.
 
It's a subject close to my heart because our George has a pretty big bladder stone and we are living with it. He had a whopping stone form actually in his penis at the end of summer which was squeezed out promptly by a very surprised vet. He was fine for a month and then he got another in the bladder. This was indeed preceded by a sudden unquenchable thirst... possibly kidney issues because he is getting on in years. At the age of 6 it was a difficult choice but the thing which pushed me away from surgery was that he'd never had any trouble till this age and then it was one stone straight after the other so we figured the chances of a third stone forming (if he could even make it through the op) were pretty high. I don't know how long he will be able to live with his stone - if he can get rid of a very stubborn UTI he's battling we'll have more of an idea. But he's doing OK, it bothers him to pee (quiet chirping, in contrast to the much louder squeals when he got the UTI) but apart from that he's active, he's hungry and he's still the boss of the girls!
nosy boy.webp
 
Aww what a cute little piggie, I wish you the best of luck with getting him comfortable.

Just when I thought he was out of the woods, he decides to worry me! I weighed him again today and he seems to have dropped 70g - I'll doublecheck soon to make sure the scale wasn't off or something, but it does have me very worried if it's true. He's acting ravenous still, but he seems to be trying to eat everything apart from hay? He's eaten part of a wicker toy (not a lot whatsoever, but now I'm paranoid), he's eaten some dried herbs, and he's eaten cucumber and is begging for his night time veg. On the other hand, I don't think I've seen him eat any hay like he usually does. So worrying. I'll be stepping in with regular syringe feeds again it looks like - he didn't get syringe fed yesterday because the vet said we could stop, so I'm wondering if that has anything to do with it? I was spacing them apart more leading up to it, but maybe quitting like that wasn't the best for him? Ugh I just feel very worried.
I've seen a few poops from him and a wee, I've seen him drink water, and he's still moving around very actively and agile.
 
Very quick post weight check: I was convinced the scale yesterday said 878g, but my mom said it was 807g? If I'm right, then he's lost 60g which is worrying, but if my mom's right then he's well within normal weight fluctuation. Wish we thought to write down the weights before. I was sure he was around 870g at the vets on Thursday, but the kitchen scale is pretty different than the ones vets use. It seems to focus around the center of the scale (i.e. where the bottom of a bowl would go) which is... not exactly piggie distribution lol. Very frustrating and worrying! For now we'll just stick to re-adding syringe feeding until tomorrow where we can check his weight again. Definitely hoping I was wrong lol, but we'll see! Hopefully he's eating hay when I'm not looking.
 
So the past few days he's gone from 812g -> 778g -> 757g. I know that 30-40g is within daily fluctuation but I do feel like dropping a bit of weight each day is something to be concerned about. He's still active, going to the toilet, drinking and he's been begging for food (he's definitely eating veg, unfortunately hay is a lot harder to judge but I think he's eating some at least). He's nearing the end of his meds (unless he starts peeing blood again). I am wondering if the cisapride might be responsible for the weight loss? Since it's stimulating his gut more. We plan on calling the vets tomorrow for advice. For now, we're giving him syringe food every few hours and keeping a close eye. Poor thing definitely feels skinnier, so I hope he fattens up more soon.
 
You're right, if he's dropping day on day there is an issue. Do his poops look thinner or fewer in number? We had emeprid instead of cisapride but I don't think there's much difference. If you see him eating throughout the day his guts are moving. But if he's on antibiotics they can start to affect the appetite sometimes. We never had much bother with them in the past but old George has had a battle this time. It's been grass that's kept him going - we bring some in every morning and they all look forward to it. It helps to keep the teeth down if they aren't eating much hay... but as long as you see him eating some hay you know he still can!

How is his pain? Is he squeaking to pee or poop or is he not bothered by it? And what meds does he get (and how much?)

George eats throughout the day but nowhere near as much as he did. He gets topped up with Recovery food mixed with Fibreplex probiotic and a bit of poop soup from the girls. But George's appetite dropped right off when he was on his Septrin so it's impossible to know for now how much of his weight loss is due to bladder pain and how much is due to his reduced appetite on this antibiotic. He had 5 days on it - then a serious gut crisis so we had to take him off everything. He pulled through the worst but had to go back on it for 10 days with regular syringing until his guts normalised because his UTI was very painful. 24 hours after finishing it he was eating like a horse and looked great. Unfortunately he had to go back on it again 5 days later as the infection returned, and his eating slowed again. This time we didn't bother with emeprid beyond the first couple of days. He'll finish the AB again this Thursday (that's 3 weeks this time) so we'll know more then - his poops are almost back to normal size but much fewer than before. I don't really expect him to bulk up again but if he can maintain his weight that'll do (currently 890g). He gets 5 ml slurry in the morning to cushion the blow of his dose and then another 15ish in a big afternoon session. He gets a ml or two in the evening again to cushion the blow of the AB. It's a top-up... he's eating OK and pooping OK (now) and I don't expect him to suddenly stop eating in the night as he's busy and active when the other two are. We've recently switched to Critical Care fine grind (brown packet, papaya flavour) because he loves it best of all and will slurp some up from a bowl.

Keep an eye on his pee - ideally you don't want to see much cloudy sediment at this stage. If he's drinking plenty that's good.
 
Grass is a great idea, I'll give him some tomorrow since he usually can't get enough (not too much though since he hasn't had any for a while).
His poops look like normal poops except they look a bit... short? They're not as long as normal poops. The vet did say it would take a few weeks for his poops to be normal again, though.
I've not heard him squeak whilst going to the toilet (though I never heard him squeak even when he had the bladder stone and UTIs).
He's currently on 0.6ml of Baytril every 12 hours, 0.3ml Loxicom every 24 hours, and 0.2ml Cisapride every 12 hours (tablet dissolved in 1ml of water). His last day of meds is the 29th, with a close eye needing to be kept for any blood after (he'll go back on the Loxicom if so).
I'm very sorry to hear about the stress you've gone through with George. Mario's appetite has been a lot bigger on the other hand, which makes him dropping more weight even more concerning. I'm wondering if his gut meds are "forcing" his body along rapidly so he isn't gaining weight from food? But that's just speculative. We'll call the vets tomorrow, I'll ask him about it. He's pretty piggie savvy (Mario's surgery was surprisingly complex) so I do trust what he says. I'll have to see about different critical care flavours- he doesn't seem to care for it much lol. Of course whenever his brother was on it instead he'd beg for it, typical piggie.
They have wood shavings so looking for cloudy sediment isn't really possible. Maybe putting him in a plastic tub until he pees would be best? Would be good for checking for blood too. Yes, though, I've seen him actively drinking plus he loves syringed water lol. Will turn his nose up at the food but beg me for the water.
I've also noticed his food begging seems to be from 7am to 7pm, with it heightening at 3pm. 7am is when he has Baytril and Cisapride, but not Loxicom. Hm, the mystery continues.
But I would like to thank you for taking the time to write such an informative post, it's very appreciated.
 
That's no problem. Sometimes when reading about another pig something can chime with your situation. I hope the vet can shed some light.

George is doing OK thanks - he's just an old lad now. I was properly broken hearted when I first realised he had a stone but at 6 he's the oldest pig I've ever had. After 10+ years of rescue piggies there tends to always be something with somebody but we had a really good run of health with the current trio so it was my own fault for relaxing too much! He's doing fine now his guts are more comfortable.

Mine all have a good foraging session in the mornings. They screech for their veg when we get up, I stop the begging afterwards with a handful of fresh hay. Then they nap until the grass comes in. Then tbh they lay around for most of the day with only the occasional nibble. So if I'd only had a poorly one I'd be thinking "oh no, he's not eating!" but I can compare him with my hefty ladies who are also taking a break. There used to be a tea-time foraging session but it now starts between 3 and 4 and I think it's because that's when the daylight goes (they're by a window). So George has his top-up food between 3 and 4 when he's ready to eat anyway and then I pop him back to eat hay with the others. I suppose 'in the wild' animals come out to eat at dawn and dusk so that sort of fits...?

The CC fine grind is easier to syringe than the normal CC. The green pack is aniseed flavour and it tends to be a bit strong for mine - we sometimes do it 50/50 with Recovery which my vet stocks and which doesn't really taste of anything! I ordered some Emeraid to try, but it was creamy coloured and smelt a bit like baby sick so perhaps unsurprisingly George wasn't keen! Louise will eat it - but Louise will eat anything :roll:
 
I know how that feels - both of my boys will most likely need regular dentals (according to one specialist, but this vet seems to think it's better to wait until it becomes an issue first and do the dentals as necessary? A bit of conflicting advice lol)
Oh, that makes sense! Luigi's very skittish compared to Mario so it can be a bit hard to compare their behaviours sometimes - like it's just more common for Mario to be out and about than Luigi. But, yes, I think considering when they're both resting in their houses is a good idea to tell me that it's just dozing time for them. Seems obvious but I didn't quite notice haha. I've also been finding that his begging is also calmed down by something he can chew on, which makes sense as well. They're currently both enjoying a large cardboard tube, plus Mario loves chewing on sticks. But of course now that he's gotten some extra treats he expects even more lol (we opened up another one of their "Christmas gifts" and gave them some of the herbs/hay in it and now he thinks he's getting loads lol).
That makes sense! I find with Recovery/Recovery plus if it's too hard to syringe then I just add more water, and he loves water so it works out lol. I'll probably need to get some more soon, I've gone through a lot of our supply these past 2 weeks lol.
 
He stopped his meds on the 29th, his weight has gone from 757g -> 752g -> 737g. He'll be weighed again tonight. I suppose the weight loss here isn't too big - it's well within the daily fluctuations - but the fact that his weight is still going down little by little each day is worrying. He'll go back to the vets in a couple of days if he doesn't stabilise of course. His behaviour is less ravenous now - due to not being on the gut medication anymore. Which means he can at least get a bit more rest (considering he was looping around my room before lol) and hopefully gain a bit more weight. I'm wondering about a possible UTI, since he has a bit of a strong smell from his bottom (which was a symptom for a UTI previously), and I'm also wondering if his teeth are giving him issues (he's been given a stick to chew on when I can watch him, and he's very much trying to chew on it with his back teeth). Worrying about lots of different possibilities lol. He's still active and bright, just very skinny unfortunately!
If anyone has any recommendations for any additional food to help his weight, it'd be appreciated. Of course I know it won't be a quick fix and I don't want to overfeed him anything that would make him too full for hay - I'm just wondering if there's any relatively healthy but still fattening additions I could add, as long as they're low in calcium.
 
Another 30g lost... I'm getting very worried now, should the medication have flushed out of his system 2 days after stopping? Or is it likely still due to that? The vet said a few days after medication he should start improving/stabilising again, but I don't know how long a few days should be. I'll probably ring up the vets tomorrow to see what they think, cause this is 100g since Friday/Saturday. I just can't work it out - he's actively eating and begging for food, being given veg and being syringe fed every few hours, so by all logic he shouldn't still be losing weight. It just makes me very paranoid that there could be a much deeper underlying reason for it (though his X-Ray pre-op 2 weeks ago didn't show anything aside from the bladder stone).
I've seen that oats are sometimes used to help piggies gain some weight, so I'll introduce some to him slowly to see if that helps at all.
 
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