Intermittent pain when pooping

[alpacasqueak]

It‘s awful how much these little furries can worry us, isn‘t it? Fingers crossed she‘ll soon get over it! There‘s a lack of poos today but she‘s been to the vets on Tuesday and, judging by how much weight she lost in these 24hrs, she didn’t have any food that day. So I guess the lack of poos today is not massively surprising.
That’s great, thank you so much. I‘ll definitely switch them all over to lettuce, not taking any risks haha! x

You could always try her with a pellet mush/CC meal in a bowl if she’s fighting the syringe so much (or like my Jess who used to eat off the spoon but not all pigs are that well behaved!) if you’re worried she’s not getting enough hay, just keep an eye on her weight etc as it’s hard to know how much hay they’re getting obviously.
I'm guessing you’ve already read the diet guides but might be worth having a read again just to see if anything might help?
Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets
These teeny fluffs are definitely stressful at times! Hope she’s feeling better soon and stuffing her gorgeous face! x

 

[alpacasqueak]

Sorry completely forgot to say but my pigs are having a lot of grass atm so are having less lettuce/veg than they normally would. I’ve worked my way up with amounts so I haven’t upset tummies but that’s always good for pigs too obviously! x
Feeding Grass And Preparing Your Piggies For Lawn Time

 

[stef.trg]

You could always try her with a pellet mush/CC meal in a bowl if she’s fighting the syringe so much (or like my Jess who used to eat off the spoon but not all pigs are that well behaved!) if you’re worried she’s not getting enough hay, just keep an eye on her weight etc as it’s hard to know how much hay they’re getting obviously.
I'm guessing you’ve already read the diet guides but might be worth having a read again just to see if anything might help?
Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets
These teeny fluffs are definitely stressful at times! Hope she’s feeling better soon and stuffing her gorgeous face! x

I have managed to get some CC into her earlier; a bit of mashed banana & a few oats and it went down like a treat. She is much perkier this evening and seems to be eating properly (we’ll see what the scales say tomorrow morning!). I think her belly is a bit sore from all the poking & prodding they did on Tuesday; thank god for Metacam!

Ah yes, I‘m going to have a read of the diet guide again! Not looked at it since I thought I’d worked their diet out last year. I also definitely want to introduce them to grass this year; so will have a good read as well. Don‘t want any more upset tummies.

Thank you so much for reading all my worrying and your help! It‘s so good to know that there are people who care and help you through these things x

 

[alpacasqueak]

I have managed to get some CC into her earlier; a bit of mashed banana & a few oats and it went down like a treat. She is much perkier this evening and seems to be eating properly (we’ll see what the scales say tomorrow morning!). I think her belly is a bit sore from all the poking & prodding they did on Tuesday; thank god for Metacam!

Ah yes, I‘m going to have a read of the diet guide again! Not looked at it since I thought I’d worked their diet out last year. I also definitely want to introduce them to grass this year; so will have a good read as well. Don‘t want any more upset tummies.

Thank you so much for reading all my worrying and your help! It‘s so good to know that there are people who care and help you through these things x

I’m so pleased she’s enjoyed that then and looking perkier, hope even more today Aw poor girly, it must be sore with these big hoomans getting you!
Yes it might be good for some ideas, hopefully with changing the cabbage out you might be able to see some improvement Hope they enjoy their grass then, mine love it!

My Luigi is a bit funny with having cucumber twice a day so only gets that once or he gets quite squishy poos. It took a while to figure out what the problem was, I stopped things for a few days at a time to see if there was an improvement etc and narrowed it down to watery cucumber! Fine with everything else he ever eats, sometimes there’s just the odd thing that doesn’t mix as well in their tummies, the same as humans!

Aw thank you, you don’t need to thank me! Really hope all settles down now and no more vet trips for you all anytime soon! x

 

[stef.trg]

I’m so pleased she’s enjoyed that then and looking perkier, hope even more today Aw poor girly, it must be sore with these big hoomans getting you!
Yes it might be good for some ideas, hopefully with changing the cabbage out you might be able to see some improvement Hope they enjoy their grass then, mine love it!

My Luigi is a bit funny with having cucumber twice a day so only gets that once or he gets quite squishy poos. It took a while to figure out what the problem was, I stopped things for a few days at a time to see if there was an improvement etc and narrowed it down to watery cucumber! Fine with everything else he ever eats, sometimes there’s just the odd thing that doesn’t mix as well in their tummies, the same as humans!

Aw thank you, you don’t need to thank me! Really hope all settles down now and no more vet trips for you all anytime soon! x

Well she‘s almost back to her old self! Not quite as greedy when it comes to food but eating well. She‘s weighed in at 1215g this morning so we‘re definitely going in the right direction. However, as of today, she‘s started squealing again when passing droppings (her poos have firmed up again). I‘m at my wits end; she doesn’t have stones, she doesn’t have sludge, her ovaries etc looked fine. Could it be a uti? And, if it was, wouldn’t that have gotten much worse over the past 6 weeks? Could it be IC or something completely different? We’ve got another check up appointment tomorrow at lunch and I really want to get to the bottom of this. I can‘t stand hearing her squeal every time

 

[stef.trg]

I had some animal pee sticks at home so I had a quick look at her pee. Now I‘m everything but an expert but to me it all looks perfectly fine. Could she have cystitis without blood in her pee? Would it make sense to put her antibiotics even though there‘s no real reason for it? I really don’t want to risk her tummy to become even more upset; especially if it’s for nothing.



Her poops are all firmed up but still shaped weirdly (which is to be expected after everything I guess). Could that have something to do with her squealing?

 

[alpacasqueak]

I had some animal pee sticks at home so I had a quick look at her pee. Now I‘m everything but an expert but to me it all looks perfectly fine. Could she have cystitis without blood in her pee? Would it make sense to put her antibiotics even though there‘s no real reason for it? I really don’t want to risk her tummy to become even more upset; especially if it’s for nothing.

View attachment 172741

Her poops are all firmed up but still shaped weirdly (which is to be expected after everything I guess). Could that have something to do with her squealing?

Oh no, sorry to hear that, poor girl. I know, it’s horrible to hear them upset with it and squeaking like that.
IC piggies have porphyrin and not blood in their urine, so blood doesn’t show up on the urine samples, obviously they still get the symptoms of a UTI with the problems urinating and pain though. It might be worth speaking to the vet again and telling them what’s happening if you’re still worried.

Ive just read your post on the meds she’s on again and the cat metacam is a very low dose, it is better for them to have the metacam twice a day but the dog one really as it’s 3 times stronger, 0.3 is very low for cat metacam. The emeprid is a gut stimulant rather than an antibiotic, fibreplex is a probiotic, so it looks like your vet is treating her gassy tummy etc. Unless I’m being dozy and there are more meds she’s on as well as those?

 

[stef.trg]

Oh no, sorry to hear that, poor girl. I know, it’s horrible to hear them upset with it and squeaking like that.
IC piggies have porphyrin and not blood in their urine, so blood doesn’t show up on the urine samples, obviously they still get the symptoms of a UTI with the problems urinating and pain though. It might be worth speaking to the vet again and telling them what’s happening if you’re still worried.

Ive just read your post on the meds she’s on again and the cat metacam is a very low dose, it is better for them to have the metacam twice a day but the dog one really as it’s 3 times stronger, 0.3 is very low for cat metacam. The emeprid is a gut stimulant rather than an antibiotic, fibreplex is a probiotic, so it looks like your vet is treating her gassy tummy etc. Unless I’m being dozy and there are more meds she’s on as well as those?

No, you‘re completely right with all of that. They couldn’t find anything wrong with her other than her gassy tummy so we‘re currently only treating that. I had just assumed that they‘ve checked her urine for UTI/IC but now I‘m not so sure anymore. I‘ll take another urine sample tomorrow and ask them to check for porphyrin.

I did think that the Metacam dose was very low; I‘ve already split it into two 0.15ml doses but it’s still not enough. She‘ll be fine for a couple of hours after giving it to her and then she‘ll start squealing again. Poor girl So I‘ll also talk to her about switching her over to dog metacam or at least upping the dose of the cat one. Am I the only one who always feels slightly uncomfortable when telling a vet what to do haha?

 

[Spaghetti & Noodles]

No, you‘re completely right with all of that. They couldn’t find anything wrong with her other than her gassy tummy so we‘re currently only treating that. I had just assumed that they‘ve checked her urine for UTI/IC but now I‘m not so sure anymore. I‘ll take another urine sample tomorrow and ask them to check for porphyrin.

I did think that the Metacam dose was very low; I‘ve already split it into two 0.15ml doses but it’s still not enough. She‘ll be fine for a couple of hours after giving it to her and then she‘ll start squealing again. Poor girl So I‘ll also talk to her about switching her over to dog metacam or at least upping the dose of the cat one. Am I the only one who always feels slightly uncomfortable when telling a vet what to do haha?

I can't offer any advice I'm afraid but I am with you on feeling akward telling vets what I think, I used to be a vet nurse many years ago and always struggle to not tell them as I'm aware things have changed since I was in practice, but sometimes it's hard, like when they ask you to come back for a check you don't really need or they talk to you like you don't understand.

 

[alpacasqueak]

Yes I’ve had similar at my local vets, trying to get some to give dog metacam rather than the cat one has been a struggle at times or to question things! But as I go to Cat and Rabbit normally I know they need more pain relief etc so it can be very frustrating!

No, you‘re completely right with all of that. They couldn’t find anything wrong with her other than her gassy tummy so we‘re currently only treating that. I had just assumed that they‘ve checked her urine for UTI/IC but now I‘m not so sure anymore. I‘ll take another urine sample tomorrow and ask them to check for porphyrin.

I did think that the Metacam dose was very low; I‘ve already split it into two 0.15ml doses but it’s still not enough. She‘ll be fine for a couple of hours after giving it to her and then she‘ll start squealing again. Poor girl So I‘ll also talk to her about switching her over to dog metacam or at least upping the dose of the cat one. Am I the only one who always feels slightly uncomfortable when telling a vet what to do haha?

Oh sorry it’s with you saying about giving her an antibiotic, my mistake I would’ve thought they’d tested her pee with all the other tests they did but it’s definitely worth double checking with them. I’m really not very clued up with IC to be honest (with Rupert having stones and UTIs and not being an IC piggy so I’ve not really dealt with it) so wouldn’t want to give you any bad advice with urine samples etc, hopefully someone else may be able to help more on that? Sorry I’m not much use there!

She could still be squeaking if it’s uncomfortable for her to poop with the metacam dose being so low, with cat metacam that dose really won’t be doing much for her bless her. Hopefully your vet will increase it and she’ll be feeling better soon.
These pigs do like to worry us! x

 

[stef.trg]

Yes I’ve had similar at my local vets, trying to get some to give dog metacam rather than the cat one has been a struggle at times or to question things! But as I go to Cat and Rabbit normally I know they need more pain relief etc so it can be very frustrating!

Oh sorry it’s with you saying about giving her an antibiotic, my mistake I would’ve thought they’d tested her pee with all the other tests they did but it’s definitely worth double checking with them. I’m really not very clued up with IC to be honest (with Rupert having stones and UTIs and not being an IC piggy so I’ve not really dealt with it) so wouldn’t want to give you any bad advice with urine samples etc, hopefully someone else may be able to help more on that? Sorry I’m not much use there!

She could still be squeaking if it’s uncomfortable for her to poop with the metacam dose being so low, with cat metacam that dose really won’t be doing much for her bless her. Hopefully your vet will increase it and she’ll be feeling better soon.
These pigs do like to worry us! x

I‘m hoping that the fact that she‘s still squealing will make them more willing to give her a higher dose. Pewter absolutely hates Metacam, the little weirdo!

I‘m quite confident there‘s nothing seriously wrong with her; she seems to be completely back to her usual self & I‘m sure the tests would‘ve found something if there was something to find. The straining does seem to be a little less frequent today; she’s passing plenty of droppings without a peep. I‘m definitely going to mention IC and Cystease to the vets tomorrow. I‘ve got this weird piggy mum gut feeling that some Cystease and a good & thorough look at her diet might be the key to help her.

And please, don’t apologise! We can’t all be experts in everything. You‘ve helped me so much, I honestly couldn’t be any more grateful for all the time & effort you‘ve put into answering all my questions and concerns x

 

[stef.trg]

I can't offer any advice I'm afraid but I am with you on feeling akward telling vets what I think, I used to be a vet nurse many years ago and always struggle to not tell them as I'm aware things have changed since I was in practice, but sometimes it's hard, like when they ask you to come back for a check you don't really need or they talk to you like you don't understand.

Oh I can imagine it being even more awkward when you actually have experience! But yes, totally agree. I always feel a bit like I’m telling an expert how to do their job & I can‘t stand it if people are trying to tell me how to do my job. So I‘m always super conscious about that when trying to get my thoughts across. But at the same time I‘m also aware that many general vets don’t know as much about guinea pigs as I‘d like them to. It‘s a real pickle that one haha! But I‘ll be brave and tell my vets what I‘d like them to look at tomorrow

 

[stef.trg]

Well, we had our check up appointment today at lunch. I had a lovely long chat with the vet & she was very happy to listen to me and take my suggestions on board. She had sent the x rays on to some exotic specialists who all agreed that Pewter looks absolutely healthy other than the being a bit gassy (likely caused by spring greens). We‘ve checked her urine again today and there‘s definitely no blood. So the most likely at this point is a mild form of IC. We‘re increasing the Metacam dose to 0.5ml twice a day (it‘s still the cat one, unfortunately) and see how she gets on. If she still struggles, we‘ll increase again. I also picked up some Cystease on my way home & we‘ll start by giving her 1 capsule a day until we have the symptoms under control. In terms of diet, we’d planning on doing trial and error in the upcoming weeks to work out what triggers her IC to flare up.

She hasn’t had a squeaky poo or wee all day today, though, and she weighed in at 1220g this morning I‘m very glad we have a diagnosis & can start treating her properly now!

 

[alpacasqueak]

Well, we had our check up appointment today at lunch. I had a lovely long chat with the vet & she was very happy to listen to me and take my suggestions on board. She had sent the x rays on to some exotic specialists who all agreed that Pewter looks absolutely healthy other than the being a bit gassy (likely caused by spring greens). We‘ve checked her urine again today and there‘s definitely no blood. So the most likely at this point is a mild form of IC. We‘re increasing the Metacam dose to 0.5ml twice a day (it‘s still the cat one, unfortunately) and see how she gets on. If she still struggles, we‘ll increase again. I also picked up some Cystease on my way home & we‘ll start by giving her 1 capsule a day until we have the symptoms under control. In terms of diet, we’d planning on doing trial and error in the upcoming weeks to work out what triggers her IC to flare up.

She hasn’t had a squeaky poo or wee all day today, though, and she weighed in at 1220g this morning I‘m very glad we have a diagnosis & can start treating her properly now!

Sorry I haven’t replied, wasn’t well yest and not feeling too bright today! () So glad your appointment went well and you could have a good chat to the vet, sorry you couldn’t get the dog metacam though, some vets can be a struggle to get it from, especially now it says Cat and Guinea Pig on the bottle! Hope the increased cat one helps though Cystease is brilliant for bladder pigs, hope that helps too!
So pleased she didn’t do any sore squeaks yesterday and her weights good again, sounds like a good day! Hope she’s feeling more comfortable now and no spring greens helps with her gassy tummy too Fingers crossed no more diet tweaks are needed but sounds like you’ve got a good plan!

Thanks so much, glad I could help a little and so pleased she’s feeling a bit better Let me know how she’s doing! Hope you all have a good day and only hear happy squeaks x

 

[stef.trg]

Sorry I haven’t replied, wasn’t well yest and not feeling too bright today! () So glad your appointment went well and you could have a good chat to the vet, sorry you couldn’t get the dog metacam though, some vets can be a struggle to get it from, especially now it says Cat and Guinea Pig on the bottle! Hope the increased cat one helps though Cystease is brilliant for bladder pigs, hope that helps too!
So pleased she didn’t do any sore squeaks yesterday and her weights good again, sounds like a good day! Hope she’s feeling more comfortable now and no spring greens helps with her gassy tummy too Fingers crossed no more diet tweaks are needed but sounds like you’ve got a good plan!

Thanks so much, glad I could help a little and so pleased she’s feeling a bit better Let me know how she’s doing! Hope you all have a good day and only hear happy squeaks x

Oh no, I‘m so sorry to hear that! We’re sending you a big hug (especially Pew, for helping us so much) & hope you‘re feeling better soon

Yes, the fact that there‘s a guinea pig on the bottle was exactly it! Although she did mention that we can consider switching to dog metacam if she ends up needing it long term. So at least we know that’s an option if we need it.

She‘s had another good day with only one squeaky poo right before her evening dose of metacam. So what we‘re doing clearly seems to work for her! She is also 100% back to her old, sassy self which is really good to see. We‘ll definitely keep you posted how we get on, thank you again so so much for your help. I really couldn’t be more grateful! x

 

[alpacasqueak]

Oh no, I‘m so sorry to hear that! We’re sending you a big hug (especially Pew, for helping us so much) & hope you‘re feeling better soon

Yes, the fact that there‘s a guinea pig on the bottle was exactly it! Although she did mention that we can consider switching to dog metacam if she ends up needing it long term. So at least we know that’s an option if we need it.

She‘s had another good day with only one squeaky poo right before her evening dose of metacam. So what we‘re doing clearly seems to work for her! She is also 100% back to her old, sassy self which is really good to see. We‘ll definitely keep you posted how we get on, thank you again so so much for your help. I really couldn’t be more grateful! x

Thanks so much, aw thanks Pewter you little beauty, feel much better! Hospital appt this week so hopefully I’ll get a proper diagnosis too!

Yes it can be such a pain with some vets now, with a good dose (dog metacam is obviously three times stronger than the cat) so much more has to be given with the cat and GP one. Pigs would normally be prescribed 0.3ml+ per kg of the dog metacam, so you’d have to give at least 0.9ml of the cat one etc.
I really hope if she continues to have pain they will increase it or I’d speak to another vet as not nice for her to be sore with pooping a million times a day being a piglet bless her!

So glad she’s back to her sassy self though! So great she’s improved so much and is a happy girl, hopefully no squeaky poops at all soon and no more vet trips needed in the near future! Thanks so much, so nice of you, happy to help So glad she’s feeling better, she’s such a beautiful girl Hope she has no squeaky poops today and just lots of munching x

 

[stef.trg]

Thanks so much, aw thanks Pewter you little beauty, feel much better! Hospital appt this week so hopefully I’ll get a proper diagnosis too!

Yes it can be such a pain with some vets now, with a good dose (dog metacam is obviously three times stronger than the cat) so much more has to be given with the cat and GP one. Pigs would normally be prescribed 0.3ml+ per kg of the dog metacam, so you’d have to give at least 0.9ml of the cat one etc.
I really hope if she continues to have pain they will increase it or I’d speak to another vet as not nice for her to be sore with pooping a million times a day being a piglet bless her!

So glad she’s back to her sassy self though! So great she’s improved so much and is a happy girl, hopefully no squeaky poops at all soon and no more vet trips needed in the near future! Thanks so much, so nice of you, happy to help So glad she’s feeling better, she’s such a beautiful girl Hope she has no squeaky poops today and just lots of munching x

We will keep our paws & fingers crossed for your appt, hopefully they‘ll find what’s going on!

Yes, I‘ll definitely push if she keeps being in pain. Can‘t have her be in pain when pooping for the rest of her life with nothing to help her. I‘ve seen today that our vet practice is recruiting for a new vet so maybe we‘re super lucky and they can find someone who specialises in guinea pigs. Long shot but one can be hopeful

We had a bit of a squeaky evening yesterday, clearly little gem is a no-no! But we‘ll work it out eventually & as long as she is happy so am I Her little squeaks definitely seem to bother me more than they bother her, brave girl. And sh’s munching like there‘s no tomorrow! So we‘re as happy as we can be and are just taking every day as it comes x

 

[alpacasqueak]

We will keep our paws & fingers crossed for your appt, hopefully they‘ll find what’s going on!

Yes, I‘ll definitely push if she keeps being in pain. Can‘t have her be in pain when pooping for the rest of her life with nothing to help her. I‘ve seen today that our vet practice is recruiting for a new vet so maybe we‘re super lucky and they can find someone who specialises in guinea pigs. Long shot but one can be hopeful

We had a bit of a squeaky evening yesterday, clearly little gem is a no-no! But we‘ll work it out eventually & as long as she is happy so am I Her little squeaks definitely seem to bother me more than they bother her, brave girl. And sh’s munching like there‘s no tomorrow! So we‘re as happy as we can be and are just taking every day as it comes x

Thanks so much, me too!

Yeah definitely good to keep pushing sometimes! Fingers crossed for a new piggy specialist! Or just one that knows a bit more about pain med dosages anyway!

Sorry she had a squeaky evening, glad it’s not bothering her too much but definitely not good for us humans worrying about them! Hope you can find another bit of greenery she’s ok with but at least it’s not affecting her appetite! Glad you’re all happy chaps and hope no more squeaking very soon! x