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Piggy Squeaking When Pooping

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Maddykins

Maddykins

Junior Guinea Pig
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I'm a bit worried about one of my piggies and was wondering if anyone here has any thoughts and/or advice? Martin is roughly 2-2 and a half years old (not exactly sure as we got him from a rescue and they weren't exactly sure). He is sometimes squeaking when he is pooping, this has been going on for the last few days, perhaps even a week or so, and I am worried that he is in pain because it's not his normal behaviour. He does not squeak every single time he poops, probably only about half or even a third of the time. I have also watched him wee a number of times when he hasn't been pooping and he does not squeak when he only does a wee. His poops appear normal to me. It's hard to tell about his wee but there is definitely no blood, and I am aware that there is a number of calcium discharges on the fleece but I'm sure they are not all his, some will be from my other piggy. I think this is mainly from the pellets they are eating not from veggies as this past week or so they haven't even had anything high in calcium. We moved from the UK to France about three weeks ago and the only pellets I could find in a store here (i.e. that were not muesli but actually pellets) are Vitakraft ones. I am slowly reducing the amount I am giving them...just looked on the packet and it doesn't even say how much calcium is in them.

Otherwise, Martin is completely his normal self. He's always been a skittish pig but he has really blossomed with us over time. He enjoys a little cuddle, he wheeks loudly for his food, he's eating normally, running about, sleeping comfy etc. The only thing I could possibly comment on is that he doesn't seem to drink much at all from the water bottle but he has always been like that compared to my other pig and possibly I am just missing him anyways, it's hard to know. He also had a little check and rinse of his anal sac about a week ago and all seemed normal I might add.

I am planning to book a vet's appointment but I am concerned about whether the vet I see will be well-qualified enough with exotics. I live in Lyon in France and will try to ask about guinea pig experience and find a suitable vets but neither me or my partner drive it has to be within a reasonable distance and I don't know anyone to ask for personal testimonies. So I was wondering if anyone here with experience could suggest what a normal course of action would be considering his symptoms so I can assess the urgency of this and arm myself with some knowledge to take as well.
 
Sorry to hear Martin is crying at times.

Possible UTI, would suggest getting a urine sample tested for blood. Blood isn't always visible to the eye... UTI is often successful treated with antibiotics such as septrin and metacam to reduce inflammation, if he is still squeaking after this would suggest an X-ray to rule out stones.

Hoping it will be sorted quickly, let us know how you get on. Lots of healing vibes to him.
 
dito get your vet to test , if posertive he will give you meds

you can monitor the progress of the meds , by buying test sticks you self

they can be bought from ebay or amazon and what you need is a small box of 9 peramitor urine test sticks. price approx 8 pounds

colect a sample from your pig , dip in a test stick for a few seconds and take it out,
leave for 60 seconds and hold the stik against the colur chart on the box

you are looking blood and the scale is clearly marked, blood!
the other pads on the stick give values of other components of the wee
but you need not worry about them
just test for blood every day , and by the time the meds are finished , the
pads sould show no blood.
if they do than anothet visit to your vet will be nessesary
 
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Hello, called a few vets and the first appointment I can get is tomorrow at 3.30pm. Martin is still his normal happy self but I do think his squeaking is getting a bit louder and more frequent when he poops and I've noticed him doing it when just peeing now a few times too. :( I couldn't get an earlier appointment and I feel so bad that he is going to be in pain until then. Is there anything I can do in the meantime that would help at all? Will he be ok to wait that long?
 
I thought my Martin might have had a water infection because sometimes he was squeaking in pain when he was pooping. This was going on for a good 5 days or so before I managed to get him to the vets on Friday, poor little thing. I'm not sure how experienced the vet was with piggies because I only took him there as it was the earliest place we could get an appointment...anyways the vet weighed him (weight normal, we know as we weigh him regularly at home), and felt him around and said he had bad wind and a bit of constipation so that was probably why he had been crying when pooping sometimes. He prescribed 'Rongeur Digest' which I am to add to his water every day for 5 days...the ingredients are lactose, colostrum, mannan-oligosaccharides, beta-glucans. From what I can gather on the internet it's a common probiotic used here in France for rabbits and guinea pigs. Vet also told me no veggies for 7 days and if he's not better in 7 days to bring him back.

Yesterday his pain seemed to be even worse judging by the noise and more consisent too like crying every single time he was pooping. He doesn't seem as bad today but still regularly crying when pooping, I feel so bad that I didn't think on to ask the vet for a painkiller for him...and I'm concerned a probiotic won't be enough to sort out his tummy? I know that in France they place a lot of emphasis on 'natural' and homeopathic treatment in healthcare and it seems this attitude exists in veterinary care too which concerns me...

Does anyone have any further recommendations? Should I wait the whole 7 days if he's not showing any signs of being a bit better by tomorrow? Also, will rubbing his tummy help? Me and my partner have been doing it a bit each day but it clearly causes him pain so we don't really like to and not sure if it is helping at all or not? I should add that he is eating hay normally, I think he's eating a little bit less pellets than normal but not huge difference, his behaviour is normal (happy, popcorning, wheeking), his wee looks normal, and his poops look normal too.
 
Massaging his tummy will definitely help if it is wind but you need to be certain there isn't a blockage. Do you know if you can get baby Gripe water in France? if so that can help too. I agree with the vets recommendation of a probiotic but am concerned that the one he has given you has lactose in, as guinea pigs are lactose intolerant. I know there was a vet on here last year though that also gave a probiotic with lactose in and owner was told it was ok. Could you see if they have a different brand you could use?

I think if he has wind a pain killer is needed, so I would get him back to the vet quicker if you can.

How did the vet rule out a bladder issue?
 
I have just answered on your other thread. It is a good idea to keep threads together though so we have everything together.

Please could an admin combine them? @lisaali @sport_billy
 
I'm not sure, I will have a google and if it's available I can get some tomorrow (pharmacies are mostly closed here on Sunday). I read somewhere else that it would be safe to give a tiny amount of Buscopan, do you know anything about that? I take it for IBS myself so I have some that I could give to him but I'm not really convinced it would help based on my own and my partner's more specialist knowledge of the drug and how it works/its effects. If it's safe and worth a try we can give him it. We don't have a syringe for him either but I assume the pharmacies will sell them for babies so again I could get one for him tomorrow if necessary.

I did tell the vet that he was crying in pain and he didn't say anything about a painkiller although to be fair he only cries in pain sometimes when he is pooping, never when he is just sitting around and he is laying around with his legs stretched out, popcorning etc so I doubt he is in constant pain but still it is awful hearing him cry when pooping. :(

Regarding lactose, that's what I thought when I was reading the instructions too but it does even have a picture of a guinea pig on the packaging! Will it make him sick or upset his tummy? He has been taking it since Friday evening and so far poops are all normal and everything. Shall I continue giving him it in the meantime? I could call the vet again tomorrow and ask about that...I know I need to focus on the welfare of my piggy but I also have an anxiety disorder and it's scary thought to tell the vet 'I think you are wrong and I want a different treatment'...also, they charged me upwards of 12 euros for the tiny bottle! Money's no object though when it comes to my little ones even if that does seem steep to me. Also there is the option of going to a different veterinary surgery too, but it is likely that I wouldn't be able to get an appointment before Tuesday either way, maybe later. There is an emergency vets here too though if the worst happens and he seems to go downhill.

I said I was concerned that he might have a water infection, and he asked me if I had seen any blood and I said no (I'm confident that i haven't missed any, he's been on a number of different coloured fleeces and I've been vigilant in watching him pee a lot etc and no blood). He felt his tummy and sides and Martin was crying and the vet said he had lots of wind that he could feel and a bit of constipation and that his tummy was all swollen with wind. He also asked questions about his eating, behaviour (both normal), whether he had been coughing or sneezing or anything (he hasn't). He felt around his bladder/genital area too. Also, he doesn't cry when he is only doing a wee so I thought maybe that would indicate it's not a bladder problem as he only cries when he poops?
 
We aren't able to recommend non veterinary medication, so I would ask your vet about Buscopan. If the probiotic was sold by the vet as suitable for pigs then I would go with it for now unless he has got worse since using it? Plenty of fluids are good for wind too, along with the gentle massage and the gripe water if you can get it. The gripe water would be in the baby section of a supermarket hopefully. This is the one I use:

Woodwards Gripe Water 150ml | Woodwards | Alcohol free - Boots
 
According to Basic supplies to look for in a French pharmacy - The Connexion, "To calm a windy child and help them sleep, instead of Gripe Water, French mothers traditionally use a few drops of orange flower water (eau de fleur d'oranger) which you can find on the baking aisle of the supermarket. A few drops of Bach Rescue Remedy, available in either pharmacies or health stores across France, can also ease the trouble. "

I don't suppose you know anything about orange flower water? And I won't even think about Rescue Remedy! :hmm:
 
Maddykins said:
According to Basic supplies to look for in a French pharmacy - The Connexion, "To calm a windy child and help them sleep, instead of Gripe Water, French mothers traditionally use a few drops of orange flower water (eau de fleur d'oranger) which you can find on the baking aisle of the supermarket. A few drops of Bach Rescue Remedy, available in either pharmacies or health stores across France, can also ease the trouble. "

I don't suppose you know anything about orange flower water? And I won't even think about Rescue Remedy! :hmm:
Click to expand...

I am afraid I am not sure about orange flower water, maybe check with the vet. I have known of rescue remedy being used for pigs but not for gas, more to calm them down when they are scared, like on a vet visit.
 
Martin is still unwell. His behaviour is normal, eating normal and all of that, but he is still crying when pooping. One time when I watched him closely a tiny drop of wee came out that looked orangey pink to me and I was worried it was blood but there is no blood anywhere on the fleece and I read on guinea lynx it could be because of porphyrins or something oxidising so I think it might just be that because it was more like orangey colour. Watching him closely, he has finished his course of probiotics but is no better :( I have booked another vet appt for Friday morning to take him back as the vet said if he wasn't better by Thursday (which is tomorrow) to bring him back. He definitely feels less swollen with wind than he was, and I have heard him pass gass a few times but it must still be there because he is clearly still in pain when his tummy is rubbed and when he is pooping. My poor little thing, and I am worried in case there is something else wrong too like UTI or even worse, bladder stones...:/
 
Sorry to read this.

We had a piggy that had cystitis and she would only cry when pooing not weeing. I would be inclined to think UTI - has the vet tested any wee with a dipstick to check for blood and proteins? Blood isn't always viable to the naked eye you see. If so I would at least give some AB's a try like Septrin and then ask for an xray to rule out stones if it persists , the vet can do an xray with just a whiff of gas not a full GA . Some anti inflammatory pain killer metacam would also help with any bladder information

An xray could also show any pockets of gas. Is he eating and pooing in normal amounts?
 
No the vet has not checked his urine but I think he will at the appointment on Friday morning - I will insist if he doesn't offer. I think it may be a UTI too, that as well as gas. I could hear him passing gas again before too a bit.

Yes he is eating normally although the vet said not to give him any veggies for 7 days (which will be until tomorrow). But he is eating hay and pellets fine, and I've noticed he is eating more cardboard and paper and things than normal but I think that is because of his upset tummy. He is also pooping normally from what I can see and the poops are all a normal colour and consistency.
 
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