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Impactions

Ladyhawke

New Born Pup
Joined
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Hello all!
I have a senior foster guinea pig with anal impactions. I have become quite the pro at cleaning his perineal sack. I have to do that about every other day. We have addressed his lack of nutrition with Timothy hay, Oxbow pellets, supplemental vitamin C, and vegetables for about three weeks now. Anyone have any idea about long term care? With nutrition will his impactions lesson? This is my first time addressing this issue and aren’t really getting any advice from our exotic veterinarian.

TIA
 
Hello. I had a piggy that had to be “emptied” every day when he got older. About 6-7. It never got better it always needed doing.
 
Hello all!
I have a senior foster guinea pig with anal impactions. I have become quite the pro at cleaning his perineal sack. I have to do that about every other day. We have addressed his lack of nutrition with Timothy hay, Oxbow pellets, supplemental vitamin C, and vegetables for about three weeks now. Anyone have any idea about long term care? With nutrition will his impactions lesson? This is my first time addressing this issue and aren’t really getting any advice from our exotic veterinarian.

TIA

Hi!

The new recommendation is to supplement with vitamin B because what is getting stuck are the caecotrophs - the poos that contain the digestible fibre for the second run through the gut. Vitamin C gets extracted during the first run but not vitaminB (especially B12).
Because of the nature of the poos, it is also important that you feed a very steady grass hay based diet without any dietary variation and fed very regularly. These measures can help with minimising the impact of mild and medium impaction.
Please take the time to read our impaction information: Impaction - How To Help Your Guinea Pig.

Unfortunately, impaction is a progressive problem that affects around 10% of older boars; this means that the problem will get worse over time and can lead to you having to clear out your boy 2-3 times a day in the advanced stages. :(
 
Hi!

The new recommendation is to supplement with vitamin B because what is getting stuck are the caecotrophs - the poos that contain the digestible fibre for the second run through the gut. Vitamin C gets extracted during the first run but not vitaminB (especially B12).
Because of the nature of the poos, it is also important that you feed a very steady grass hay based diet without any dietary variation and fed very regularly. These measures can help with minimising the impact of mild and medium impaction.
Please take the time to read our impaction information: Impaction - How To Help Your Guinea Pig.

Unfortunately, impaction is a progressive problem that affects around 10% of older boars; this means that the problem will get worse over time and can lead to you having to clear out your boy 2-3 times a day in the advanced stages. :(
Thank you for this advice. I have read that article and it was very helpful. Tuxx loves his Timothy Hay and dives into the stack and eats from the middle out. I will talk to the Vet about a Vitamin B supplement.
 
Hello. I had a piggy that had to be “emptied” every day when he got older. About 6-7. It never got better it always needed doing.
Thank you for your reply. This is our first boar with this issue and it is good to hear about the future. We like to be informed and prepared.
 
It’s easy to do. Never caused a problem. Very very smelly though 🤢
 
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