Oxbow "poop chart"

[PigglePuggle]

I was just writing a bit of a lecture about guinea pig digestive health and I googled "guinea pig poops" and found that Oxbow Animal Health actually have this helpful poop guide for piggies and bunnies on their website! It's not spot on accurate but thought it might be helpful for new owners, seeing as we all love piggy poop and might not be sure what's normal

 

[PigglePuggle]

I also have to say, that even armed with the latest guinea pig veterinary textbook and full access to all the veterinary journal articles ever written, there is nothing in any of the veterinary literature on piggy gut health and emergency digestive issues that is anywhere near as good as @Wiebke 's forum guides!
The forum guide to bloat and gut stasis saved Puggle's life a couple of years ago, and that is the info I'll be using in my lecture on digestive emergencies

 

[Bradshaw Piggies]

I agree, 100%. I've made my way through tons of literature, and in some of the better veterinary publications around, but they are still a very much under-researched species (yet ironically a very commonly occurring species reported as test subjects in other literature).

I remember talking about this with Kim and Simon at C&R. They were talking to me about recent publications and the 'few lines' of text that guinea pigs had in there.

I did read one study from 2018 that interestingly reported that of 1000 pet guinea pigs; only 80 were deemed healthy. The most common diseases/disorders reported being skin issues, dental issues (interestingly a higher incidence of dental problems in boars rather than sows) and orthopaedic issues. They had categorised the animals into age groups. This again was only an investigation into occurrence of illness as reported by owners; they unfortunately did not provide detail as to how pigs were deemed 'healthy' or 'unhealthy'. I was speaking to the OH about it; it is interesting to try pinpoint why illness occurrence is so high in domestic piggies - nutrition? housing? environment? or a genetic lottery as a result of years and years of selective breeding?

I do feel that unfortunately piggies are still seen as 'throw away' or 'starter pets'; a possible contribution to lack of research? How many piggies are realistically presented for veterinary care and how many perish as a result of lack of knowledge of owners?

 

[PigglePuggle]

I agree, 100%. I've made my way through tons of literature, and in some of the better veterinary publications around, but they are still a very much under-researched species (yet ironically a very commonly occurring species reported as test subjects in other literature).

I remember talking about this with Kim and Simon at C&R. They were talking to me about recent publications and the 'few lines' of text that guinea pigs had in there.

I did read one study from 2018 that interestingly reported that of 1000 pet guinea pigs; only 80 were deemed healthy. The most common diseases/disorders reported being skin issues, dental issues (interestingly a higher incidence of dental problems in boars rather than sows) and orthopaedic issues. They had categorised the animals into age groups. This again was only an investigation into occurrence of illness as reported by owners; they unfortunately did not provide detail as to how pigs were deemed 'healthy' or 'unhealthy'. I was speaking to the OH about it; it is interesting to try pinpoint why illness occurrence is so high in domestic piggies - nutrition? housing? environment? or a genetic lottery as a result of years and years of selective breeding?

I do feel that unfortunately piggies are still seen as 'throw away' or 'starter pets'; a possible contribution to lack of research? How many piggies are realistically presented for veterinary care and how many perish as a result of lack of knowledge of owners?

I think the stats often refer to piggies presenting at rescue or vet clinics, there are (hopefully!) lots of healthy piggies that havent been included in these studies, especially in the UK. But yes, also the neglected animals that aren't on anyone's radar, especially in countries where vet care is really expensive- I was reading a Veterinary Dermatology review article from the USA today, and 50% of the piggies brought to a small animal hospital in California over a 10 year period for any reason had some skin pathology- mostly mange mites and pododermatitis over there, not much ringworm surprisingly- but these were just the piggies whose owners were willing and able to pay the vet fees for a specialist vet!

I was also though reading some exciting advances in rabbit and rodent dental diagnosis, some hospitals doing computer prediction overlays on xrays showing the optimal dental alignment so malocclusion cases could have their wonky teeth trimmed to the best fit for natural tooth wear to avoid repeated surgeries...

Very inconsistent, piggy vet care and vet research- often trends towards what interests particular vets, no joined up overview of all the possible health problems, especially emergency medicine!

All very patchy though

 

[Bradshaw Piggies]

That does surprise me with the ringworm. Exactly, how many piggies go under the radar?

The dental advances do seem to be coming on now. I saw a webinar the other day about veterinary advances in dental care for rabbits and guinea pigs (including conscious dentals - interestingly). It does seem to be the focus at the moment.

I agree re interest of vets. I dread to think what we are going to do if/when the brilliant vets at C&R decide to call it a day.

It is all very patchy, especially when compared to other species.

 

[VickiA]

I also have to say, that even armed with the latest guinea pig veterinary textbook and full access to all the veterinary journal articles ever written, there is nothing in any of the veterinary literature on piggy gut health and emergency digestive issues that is anywhere near as good as @Wiebke 's forum guides!
The forum guide to bloat and gut stasis saved Puggle's life a couple of years ago, and that is the info I'll be using in my lecture on digestive emergencies

I have to agree with you about the bloat guide. Before I joined the forum I was a lurker and one of my piggies owed her life to Wiebke’s knowledge about bloat.

 

[Lorcan]

I know it's not an exact science but I've seen piggy poop as dark as the "abnormal" one (not specifically from the goblins) especially if it's in that "just pooped" state and not entirely dry. But that being said I know that's their regular poop, and I know their eating habits/weights/appetites/voices are all at their normal state too.

If anything, the chart is a reminder to find out what your piggy normally poops out, and to keep an eye on it in case that ever changes.

 

[Bradshaw Piggies]

I know it's not an exact science but I've seen piggy poop as dark as the "abnormal" one (not specifically from the goblins) especially if it's in that "just pooped" state and not entirely dry. But that being said I know that's their regular poop, and I know their eating habits/weights/appetites/voices are all at their normal state too.

If anything, the chart is a reminder to find out what your piggy normally poops out, and to keep an eye on it in case that ever changes.

I agree. Every animal has their own “normal”

 

[Wiebke]

I was just writing a bit of a lecture about guinea pig digestive health and I googled "guinea pig poops" and found that Oxbow Animal Health actually have this helpful poop guide for piggies and bunnies on their website! It's not spot on accurate but thought it might be helpful for new owners, seeing as we all love piggy poop and might not be sure what's normal
View attachment 204796

Over a dozen years on this lively forum and coming up to 80 piggies of my own as well as going back half a century to my childhood piggies is providing me with a unique insight and a historic perspective into what works or not in terms of practical care advice and how to get it across best.

It is quite often not so much about the big concepts but how to apply them practically. A lot of my guides are based on observation and common sense to provide the mortar between the scant scientific bricks. As more becomes known, we try to incorporate it in our guides - the forum format thankfully allows us to update constantly. It is never about being perfect but getting it as right as we can for the time. If I have to rethink some points and change our advice, then that is fine. Guinea pigs are only just at the start of a major learning curve when it comes to research.


PS: Just to say that the latest research seems to suggest that guinea pigs are coprophages (poo eaters) but that unlike rabbits, they do NOT produce caecotrophs; they just run their normal poos twice through the gut but do not extract the digestible fibre at the end of the first run to form special poos for the second run.
Instead of that they have a mucus membrane which catches the gut microbiome before the poos are expressed. Very occasionally a little bit of this mucus escapes and there is always some gut microbiome still in the excreted poos. Guinea pig digestion is not as effective as the rabbit one; which is why piggies have a comparatively larger caecum.
But it is nice to know that my practical observatorial advice that the poo output is running about day behind the input (longer if the gut has slowed down in illness) is actually correct and that our forum advice re. the importance of weight monitoring in ill piggies for up to date information is proven to be correct.

How The Digestive Physiology Differs between Rabbits and Guinea Pigs

@PigglePuggle
I will add the poo chart to our digestive problems guide with the appropriate credits.

 

[Wiebke]

I know it's not an exact science but I've seen piggy poop as dark as the "abnormal" one (not specifically from the goblins) especially if it's in that "just pooped" state and not entirely dry. But that being said I know that's their regular poop, and I know their eating habits/weights/appetites/voices are all at their normal state too.

If anything, the chart is a reminder to find out what your piggy normally poops out, and to keep an eye on it in case that ever changes.

Poos lighten in colour as they dry out. Darker poos when dry are usually an indication that the hay intake is lower in comparison to the fresh veg intake; these poos are also often softer. Just my own observation.

Anyway, every piggy also has their own 'normal', and that also changes gradually throughout life. My old piggies often have smaller poos but they are no longer eating as much as a piggy in their prime since their metabolism is slowing down. However, 'poology' is not quite as exact a science as people interpreting all the little variations seem to think.

 

[PigglePuggle]

Yes I find dark poos are often after broccolli or spinach days, or after a fancy salad bag binge on supermarket day- they get lighter through the week as the leafy veg runs lower and we are running on peppers and cucumber!

 

[Wiebke]

That does surprise me with the ringworm. Exactly, how many piggies go under the radar?

The dental advances do seem to be coming on now. I saw a webinar the other day about veterinary advances in dental care for rabbits and guinea pigs (including conscious dentals - interestingly). It does seem to be the focus at the moment.

I agree re interest of vets. I dread to think what we are going to do if/when the brilliant vets at C&R decide to call it a day.

It is all very patchy, especially when compared to other species.

Sadly far, far too many. Home treatment on spec is the norm in the USA and many other countries where vets have usually not the first idea about guinea pigs.

 

[Lorcan]

Poos lighten in colour as they dry out. Darker poos when dry are usually an indication that the hay intake is lower in comparison to the fresh veg intake; these poos are also often softer. Just my own observation.

Anyway, every piggy also has their own 'normal', and that also changes gradually throughout life. My old piggies often have smaller poos but they are no longer eating as much as a piggy in their prime since their metabolism is slowing down. However, 'poology' is not quite as exact a science as people interpreting all the little variations seem to think.

Yeah, once it's been sitting for a bit, the colour tends to match to the chart. I know when I first got the goblins one of them has smaller poops than the other (and I still haven't worked out who) which threw me, but after several months of it it doesn't worry me as it did. They're busy demolishing a hay cube (loudly, because they're upstairs from me and I can still hear it) as I type.

But it's more than that. I know the forum is no substitute for a vet's care, but stuff like this reminds me I trust the advice on the forum, and that this proves that trust is not misplaced. And when I have to ask the occasional daft question the reply comes back in terms that I can understand but also have that research to back them up.

 

[Princess Dustmop]

I think ringworm may be less common in US guinea pigs because most US guinea pigs are indoor piggies, so less exposure to other animals that could transfer ringworm. I've had one guinea pig get ringworm (she happened to be the only guinea pig in the house at that point in time; she wasn't always), and we're pretty sure it came from a bat that was in her room shortly before. We noticed the ringworm (not as ringworm, but as an issue) and the vet recognized it straight away.
I mean, ringworm is ubiquitous, but it would have to transfer from owner to piggy for the most part to get to them inside. I guess it could come in on hay or something, but in 25 years and a dozen guinea pigs, we've had one case of ringworm ... when there were bats in the house. (Our piggies certainly got veterinary care, so it wasn't just that they never went to the vet. I think the only pet we've had that never got taken to the vet was my black bear hamster.)