Specialist Loose poops and reduced appetite to hay

[Wiebke]

Thankyou. I want to syringe some probiotics in her. What is the best way to measure this and give to her? I got some in her and her poos seem better already! She's been outside eating grass all day. I think it says to mix 1 scoop with 200ml water for their water bottle, but she won't drink from that. How can I mix some up and syringe and how much at a time?

Thankyou

Mix some into a little water and syringe as much as she wants to take. About a pinch for 5-10 ml. The measurement doesn't need to be exact; the carrier material counts as fibre. This is the kind of scenario you throw the kitchen sink. Please be aware that the digestive issues can be a result of problems in the mouth but that it can also work the other way round if the teeth are not ground down enough by hay fibre for weeks.

All the best!

 

[Gadzy]

@Wiebke Surely if it was something bad with the teeth she wouldn't be grinding up grass and eating hard vegs etc surely?

Do you think it's a wise move to have the sedation and examination of her teeth and x-ray? It's alot of money ... I've only just got the other one better which cost 100's!

 

[Wiebke]

@Wiebke Surely if it was something bad with the teeth she wouldn't be grinding up grass and eating hard vegs etc surely?

Do you think it's a wise move to have the sedation and examination of her teeth and x-ray? It's alot of money ... I've only just got the other one better which cost 100's!

Any vet will only sedate as much as necessary but as this is a rather baffling case, further investigations are necessary to get to the bottom of it. We can only guess based on what you are reporting and on our experience; but that covers only so much and is never enough to replace a vet or a proper investigation. Unfortunately, difficult cases can quickly run into the hundreds of pounds or dollars, as I know myself.

Both mouth and gut will require a closer investigation to see what is wrong.

HUGS

 

[Gadzy]

Thanks for the support @Wiebke ... The fact she's woofing grass and veg and also hard veg surely indicate that there's not much wrong with the teeth. The meadow hay I got from haybox is very soft to be fair and is pretty much like grass! I have a feeling the checkup on teeth won't show anything and it's something else, but I guess you have to rule things out at a time with this sort of thing?

There is absolutely no pain or discomfort in the stomach and the vet literally felt quite hard to make sure. It's an absolute joke. I guess grass is better than nothing right now and it's helping her maintain her weight. Tue vet mentioned grass has more calories in there than hay as well, but wants her back on the hay quickly. Never know the x-ray may show something that is unable to see with the naked eye.

 

[Gadzy]

Just a quickie @Wiebke. Can guniea pigs get random bugs like humans get? For example a stomach bug or something or do they not really get these sort of things.

 

[Gadzy]

Hi, @Wiebke @Piggies&buns @eileen ...Coco my guniea pig has just come round from sedation and had a good talk with the vet. She said she has never seen such nice teeth. x-ray showed no bladder stones or gas in stomach. Kidneys all good as well. They wanted a blood sample as well but it was a struggle so they couldn't. The one thing they did find was some sort or white plaque at the back of the mouth/throat. She said it's almost like a thrush? She said she treated a pig a while ago with a similar thing, but its not often they see this problem. She said to treat that, but it can take a while for it to be cured and to persevere with the treatment. She was unsure if that would cause her to not eat hay and anything hard, but symptoms of the other pig were very similar and they treated it. so its worth a try right? I have no clue pigs could get thrush or anything like this and would this link to the fact shes not eating as much? I mean everything else has been checked and if this does not work then i guess a blood test is the next step...

 

[Piggies&buns]

Yes oral thrush can cause them to not want to eat. Wiebke actually mentioned oral thrush as a possibility at post #15 of this thread. Wiebke will certainly be able to tell you more about it than I can (I don’t have personal experience of it in piggies).

 

[Wiebke]

Hi, @Wiebke @Piggies&buns @eileen ...Coco my guniea pig has just come round from sedation and had a good talk with the vet. She said she has never seen such nice teeth. x-ray showed no bladder stones or gas in stomach. Kidneys all good as well. They wanted a blood sample as well but it was a struggle so they couldn't. The one thing they did find was some sort or white plaque at the back of the mouth/throat. She said it's almost like a thrush? She said she treated a pig a while ago with a similar thing, but its not often they see this problem. She said to treat that, but it can take a while for it to be cured and to persevere with the treatment. She was unsure if that would cause her to not eat hay and anything hard, but symptoms of the other pig were very similar and they treated it. so its worth a try right? I have no clue pigs could get thrush or anything like this and would this link to the fact shes not eating as much? I mean everything else has been checked and if this does not work then i guess a blood test is the next step...

Oral thrush can affect guinea pigs and cause symptoms similar to dental problems as it makes swallowing difficult.
Treatment is usually with itrafungol. I hope that that will do the trick. The good news is that it is not a chronic dental issue. The gut should recover once the problem in the mouth is solved. But it really needed this thorough investigation to find the cause which is not the most obvious.

Take a deep breath - there is still all to play for!

@FurryFriends has actually looked after guinea pigs with oral thrush in her sanctuary; she may be able to add her experience if she has time.

 

[Gadzy]

@Wiebke Just read the vets evaluation letter and it says a "white fungal plaque at back of throat" I believe they have given me a written prescription to collect from the chemist for something called "Daktarin" it's a gel I have to use on a cotton bud which will work it's way to the back of the mouth if I move it around her mouth as much as I can... Sounds a bit strange, but she used this to treat the other guniea pig which had the same issues and problems. Not sure if you e heard of it but it's " Daktarin Sugar Free 2% Oral Gel"

Is this for humans maybe?

 

[Wiebke]

@Wiebke Just read the vets evaluation letter and it says a "white fungal plaque at back of throat" I believe they have given me a written prescription to collect from the chemist for something called "Daktarin" it's a gel I have to use on a cotton bud which will work it's way to the back of the mouth if I move it around her mouth as much as I can... Sounds a bit strange, but she used this to treat the other guniea pig which had the same issues and problems. Not sure if you e heard of it but it's " Daktarin Sugar Free 2% Oral Gel"

Is this for humans maybe?

Yes, daktarin is an antifungal fungal brand name which is more widely known in as athlete's foot cream in a different preparation.

Personally I would prefer the itrafungol because it is much easier to use as it is syringed. I have had it prescribed in the past 8 years for a number of fungal complaints and I know that @furryfriends (TEAS) has had it prescribed for oral thrush. It is a cat systemic anti-fungal medication. Your vet may not have come across it for use in guinea pigs, though.

 

[Gadzy]

@Wiebke I agree, I just tried putting some on a cotton bud and swabbing round the mouth. It needed an extra pair of hands! Unsure if it did anything but she had a drink after and probably washed it all away...!

 

[Wiebke]

@Wiebke I agree, I just tried putting some on a cotton bud and swabbing round the mouth. It needed an extra pair of hands! Unsure if it did anything but she had a drink after and probably washed it all away...!

If you are really struggling with applying it (it's definitely not comfy) I would recommend contacting your vet and asking her about the option of trialling itrafungol (which is a lot more expensive though).

 

[Gadzy]

@Wiebke I'll try it for a few days and if not I'll ring them! Do you think I could syringe a tiny amount of this stuff I got instead of swabbing with cotton buds...