Gut issue?

[Agashe]

Hello, this will be a bit long but I will be as breif as possible while giving as much possibly useful info as possible,Wednesday Hazel a 2 1/2 old guinea pig ate a large part of puppy pad,about a CD size worth because he decided to do it while I was asleep and he got under the fleece somehow. Saturday came and it seemed he was doing at the very least okay. He weighed 1000g on Saturday and now he’s weighing 956 (syringe feeding has started) about 3 days ago I noticed my younger guinea J Rod (about 2 months) making complaining/whimpering noises and couldn’t figure out why, yesterday I saw Hazel shoved right up J Rods butt...like a lot through out the day to the point where I’m considering separating them,I even picked up all the poos off the fleece and put them to the side of the cage to check if Hazel was still pooping and walked in finding Hazel in the poop pile eating some of it. I have a cage divider and am highly considering using it because of how persistent Hazel is,Hazel is eating,drinking,chewing on cardboard (no ink) and twigs but I guess not eating and drinking enough as the poos are now a bit tear dropped shaped at the very end of the poops. He’s active and alert,he even rumble struts but not enough for me to think it’s bullying. He took the critical care really well for the first few ML which is VERY odd as he usually hates syringe feedings. Is this a possible infection? Any thoughts? Also should I divide them? J Rod doesn’t seem to be being bullied because hes eating,drinking and all that without issue other than Hazel wanting to be under him. I don’t want to cause more stress,J Rod follows him everywhere so I can’t imagine he is being bullied? I just don’t want J Rod harassed but what if Hazel can’t help it because he really needs it? Again he doesn’t take syringe feeding well so I’m trying to avoid poop soup because I worry I’ll choke him or it’ll get in his lungs or something.

Notes
•Hazel has no teeth issues as far as his last appointment (last month)
•he WAS on antibiotics but he wasn’t recently enough for me to think this is part of the issue
•his top weight at vet was 1038. About a month ago

•J Rod is for sure a boy

•Vet said since he’s eating and pooping he’s not likely to be or get blocked but could potentially happen. I asked if she recommended x rays and she said she wouldn’t at that point (I talked to her 2 days ago but I didn’t have enough daily weighs to say for sure weight was being lost)

There WILL be a vet visit tomorrow or at the very least the next day any advice would be great though as I want to cross out anything and everything to figure this out

 

[Piggies&buns]

Please don’t separate them. Eating poop is normal. They can also do it to help settle a poorly tummy - it’s the natural probiotics. I would give poop soup or a probiotic such as benebac or fibreplex.

if he is losing weight, then he isn’t eating enough hay, so you must continue and be persistent with the syringe feeding. You need to get enough into him in a 24 hour period to stabilise his weight. Continue to weigh him daily to ensure you are getting enough into him.

otherwise I think the vet will need to perform further checks to find out what is going on.

Today's instructional video on our Facebook page - Syringe feeding
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
Not Eating, Weight Loss And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre

 

[Siikibam]

I would also add that if the poops are tear shaped you need to take him off veg completely.

Hope you get to the bottom of it soon.

 

[Agashe]

He hasn’t had any veggies in a bit,the only thing recently was grape vine that he ate a bit of but that wasn’t super recent

 

[Agashe]

Please don’t separate them. Eating poop is normal. They can also do it to help settle a poorly tummy - it’s the natural probiotics. I would give poop soup or a probiotic such as benebac or fibreplex.

if he is losing weight, then he isn’t eating enough hay, so you must continue and be persistent with the syringe feeding. You need to get enough into him in a 24 hour period to stabilise his weight. Continue to weigh him daily to ensure you are getting enough into him.

otherwise I think the vet will need to perform further checks to find out what is going on.

Today's instructional video on our Facebook page - Syringe feeding
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
Not Eating, Weight Loss And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre

I know the poop eating is normal,it’s just the persistent nature of him basically harassing J Rod at every turn that’s bothering me. He doesn’t bother J Rod otherwise but when he does J Rod whines for a few minutes straight that’s how long it goes on. It’s been happening for 4 days now,the vet said they have to see him to give me probiotics so I’m doing that tomorrow as that’s their only next opening

 

[Piggies&buns]

I know the poop eating is normal,it’s just the persistent nature of him basically harassing J Rod at every turn that’s bothering me. He doesn’t bother J Rod otherwise but when he does J Rod whines for a few minutes straight that’s how long it goes on. It’s been happening for 4 days now,the vet said they have to see him to give me probiotics so I’m doing that tomorrow as that’s their only next opening

Unless things are different in the US (I don’t think so though) but Probiotics aren’t a prescribed medication, so you don’t need a vet. You can buy them from a pet shop/Amazon etc.

 

[Agashe]

Unless things are different in the US (I don’t think so though) but Probiotics aren’t a prescribed medication, so you don’t need a vet. You can buy them from a pet shop/Amazon etc.

I would prefer if I got them from the vet as I have been having back to back bad luck with my boys and the last thing I need is something to come in expired or messed up or something,forgive me for sounding paranoid but so far Hazel has had to deal with the loss of his brother (heatstroke) and he himself experienced a bit of the heat. J Rod has had a URI and lost his bro from it (they were pet store piggies but I don’t have access to a rescue near me except one that’s about 4 hours away/the humane society SOMETIMES has them but it’s a hit or a miss if they do) Hazel just ate a puppy pad and is now having this issue with eating which I THINK is gut flora issues (hopefully and isnt a surgery needed issue) and all of this is in about 3 months now. I’m just very very scared and nervous about even doing things on my own because I don’t want to mess anything up. That being said if I did order it online it would arrive tomorrow and that’s also the vet visit day anyways since that was their only opening

 

[Siikibam]

I would check the price of probiotic before you go to the vet. You can then serve price difference, if any. If it’s expired you will see from the date on the packaging.

I can understand why your losses have made you more cautious. Hopefully they get to the bottom of it tomorrow.

 

[Agashe]

As description say my guinea pig started hooting after his feeding,I didn’t even get everything in because he fought it so bad. He wasn’t hooting when I stopped and about 5 minutes after I put him in his cage I heard him,it sounded like someone dragging a pencil across a spiral notebook. He doesn’t have a URI as far as I’m aware,he has little to no symptoms. Only symptoms he has is not eating/drinking right and he’s eating a lot of poop but I think that is related to eating a puppy pad. I gave him a breathing treatment and he’s not hooting anymore but idk if he coughed the stuff up or the treatment working means a possible URI again.

Edit:Nevermind hes still doing it,I can only hope he’ll make it through the night

 

[Piggies&buns]

As description say my guinea pig started hooting after his feeding,I didn’t even get everything in because he fought it so bad. He wasn’t hooting when I stopped and about 5 minutes after I put him in his cage I heard him,it sounded like someone dragging a pencil across a spiral notebook. He doesn’t have a URI as far as I’m aware,he has little to no symptoms. Only symptoms he has is not eating/drinking right and he’s eating a lot of poop but I think that is related to eating a puppy pad. I gave him a breathing treatment and he’s not hooting anymore but idk if he coughed the stuff up or the treatment working means a possible URI again.

Edit:Nevermind hes still doing it,I can only hope he’ll make it through the night

please have him seen by a vet again In case he has aspirated some of the feed

 

[Agashe]

please have him seen by a vet again In case he has aspirated some of the feed

The vet visit is today,I will be sure to let her know he’s doing it on and off,the most worrying part to me besides the breathing is now the fact that I’m scared to syringe feed him. He takes like 1-2 ml like a baby looking for moms milk but after that he has NO INTEREST in it whatsoever,last night I was actually about to make poop soup from J Rods droppings to mix it with the critical care to see if it would make Hazel more willing to take it but i didn’t even get to do that before I heard the “pig grunting noise” he actually sounds like it’s just in his nose but it very well could be in his lungs. I have to wait till 3pm and it’s 8am now so I’m hoping he pulls through this

 

[Agashe]

please have him seen by a vet again In case he has aspirated some of the feed

I was given benebac and an anti inflammatory for him,I was told at 1024gms he was actually a little over weight so he SEEMS to be at about the right weight right now and probably gained weight from the loss of his cage mate and is now at a better weight because he’s more active because the baby is now in the cage so he’s being more active. I have to keep an eye on his weight and his eating. She said that the “hooting/grunting from the nose” was possibly just him somehow getting the critical care up his nose as she said lungs sound perfectly fine. The poops are now normal today. If anything worsens or improves I need to give them a call. So if weight goes down I need to call because he’s not eating right,if he really improves on his eating and his weight goes up I need to call because that means he was/is in pain so we have to go from there. Vet said since a week has passed it’s MOST likely the pad was passed but its somewhat possible for a small piece to be stuck somewhere but she doesn’t think that’s the case.

 

[Siikibam]

There is no set weight for piggies so the best way to tell if one is overweight is to check the BMI - feel the heft. They shouldn’t be entirely impalpable and nor should they be individually palpable.

 

[Agashe]

There is no set weight for piggies so the best way to tell if one is overweight is to check the BMI - feel the heft. They shouldn’t be entirely impalpable and nor should they be individually palpable.

Well the stomach is flush with the ribs,it’s not too big,not too small,is that what you mean by impalpable? I assume what she meant was he was “plumper” where his stomach was wider than the ribs by a little

 

[Siikibam]

You should be able to feel the ribs a little under a layer of ‘meat’. Not feeling the ribs at all means they’re on the chubby side. Feeling every single rib by itself indicates they’re on the small side.

Have a read of the link below.
Weight - Monitoring and Management

 

[Agashe]

You should be able to feel the ribs a little under a layer of ‘meat’. Not feeling the ribs at all means they’re on the chubby side. Feeling every single rib by itself indicates they’re on the small side.

Have a read of the link below.
Weight - Monitoring and Management

I think he possibly was on a little bit of the chubby side as I feel the ribs but it doesn’t feel individual?

 

[Siikibam]

You shouldn’t feel every single rub.

 

[Agashe]

You shouldn’t feel every single rub.

Oh...when I’m massaging the little ones stomach sometimes I feel his bottom rib,is that normal?