Hello there,
I recently adopted two guinea pigs, one of which we thought was a female and turned out to be boy (His name is Link). We love him so much already so we decided to keep him and get him neutered as we cannot have more guinea pigs right now and he already bonded so well with the female piggie (Mipha).
He got his surgery today. So far, he is eating and drinking water. He also peeing and pooping. My concern comes about his poop right now. he is pooping soft. Very soft, not diarrhea but not how it's normally. It's very mushy.
Is this normal on the first day after getting surgery? How long should I wait before taking him back to the vet because of this?
Hi and welcome
Poos always represent what has gone in and gone on 1-2 days before (depending on how sluggish the gut is); so funny or soft poos the day after an operation are par for the course as there is usually a feeding gap and a reaction to the operation cocktail. As long as he is well in himself, this is not to worry about. Think of the gut as a long conveyor belt in a factory.
You may find the information and the practical advice in these links here helpful:
Tips For Post-operative Care
A Guide to Boar Neutering Operations (Considerations, Post-op Care & Complications and Success Story)
Weight Loss Explained: BMI, Weighing, Poos and Feeding Support (Explains what each of these things does/does not do for health monitoring)
Please be aware that your boy won't be fully safe with a sow until 6 weeks post-op. The little baby in my avatar on the left was the surprise legacy from a supposedly safe of over 5 weeks post-op boar (not one of mine). How long have your boy and your sow been together before their adoption and while at yours?
This is important because a) the likelihood that your sow is pregnant and b) if you put them straight back together there is a ca. 50% risk of a pregnancy if your sow isn't yet carrying for the first couple of weeks post-op; only afterwards the risk is gradually decreasing. Ideally you keep them with a divider for the time being so they can interact and keep their bond alive.
Here is the access link to our full Pregnancy, birth, mother&baby care, dad care during and after, baby sexing, diet and hot weather care advice which covers the whole period in practical detail. Our advice is specifically targeted at owners without previous experience finding themselves faced with a pregnancy or surprise babies not of their making. I would strongly recommend to bookmark the link.
If you wish to, you can open an ongoing support link in our Pregnancy section (only visible to registered members) for any questions, concerns and advice for the coming weeks. We kindly ask to only run one thread in the Pregnancy section so all information is kept together and helps us to refresh our memory for personalised support for as long as needed. Please bookmark your support thread so you can pick up easily whenever needed.
Pregnancy, Mother & Baby Care Guides
