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Post neuter

Lovelypigys

Lovelypigys

Junior Guinea Pig
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My Guinea pig Chandler got neutered on Thursday, he has now started eating and drinking normally but I am just now seeing tipped poops. One was also lighter then normal and I see him reaching down under his stomach and bringing out a poo (sorry, I don’t rlly know how to explain it?) is he having trouble pooping? Or is his body just adjusting to the changes? Our vet isn’t open until Monday so I can’t even call it in. Is this normal?
Thanks!
 
They are pretty soft and look moist, would it be safe to take him off veg for a few days this early after surgery. (His surgery was 2 days ago?)
 
He is still moving around and talking, right now he’s actually munching on some hay which I’m happy to see!
 
Could it be his meds? I forgot to give him veg with them a few times?
 
If his poops are soft ans mushy and he is having a digestive upset then you can remove fed to encourage higher amount of hay intake.

Are you weighing him daily? This is essential to ensure he is eating enough hay .
 
Piggies&buns said:
If his poops are soft ans mushy and he is having a digestive upset then you can remove fed to encourage higher amount of hay intake.

Are you weighing him daily? This is essential to ensure he is eating enough hay .
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I don’t think we have a working scale in the house but I’ll definitely look around. I’ll start lowering his veg intake tonight and see if that works for now. I’ve still got a complementary appointment at the vet for him so ill call it in on Monday.
 
Lovelypigys said:
I don’t think we have a working scale in the house but I’ll definitely look around. I’ll start lowering his veg intake tonight and see if that works for now. I’ve still got a complementary appointment at the vet for him so ill call it in on Monday.
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if you don’t have any at home, then do buy some . It’s so important to know what is going on with his hay intake daily particularly during his recovery.
Routine weekly weight checks at part of routine care, and then switching to daily weight checks where there are health concerns. These are so important as they are the only way to check piggies are eating enough hay and enable you to step in with syringe feeding (and to know you’re giving enough syringe feed) if needed.

If he has a digestive upset, then veg just needs to be removed not just lowered.

Don’t forget also that poop output 1-2 days behind food intake and there is a gap in food intake during surgery. This is also why monitoring poop output is unreliable and delayed information information to use as hay intake information
 
Piggies&buns said:
if you don’t have any at home, then do buy some . It’s so important to know what is going on with his hay intake daily particularly during his recovery.
Routine weekly weight checks at part of routine care, and then switching to daily weight checks where there are health concerns. These are so important as they are the only way to check piggies are eating enough hay and enable you to step in with syringe feeding (and to know you’re giving enough syringe feed) if needed.

If he has a digestive upset, then veg just needs to be removed not just lowered.

Don’t forget also that poop output 1-2 days behind food intake and there is a gap in food intake during surgery. This is also why monitoring poop output is unreliable and delayed information information to use as hay intake information
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I know you’re supposed to remove veg when that happens but can I do it with his antibiotics and pain meds? The instructions say to be given with food (which the vet clarified to be veggies for piggies)
 
Lovelypigys said:
I know you’re supposed to remove veg when that happens but can I do it with his antibiotics and pain meds? The instructions say to be given with food (which the vet clarified to be veggies for piggies)
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Piggies eat hay constantly so aren’t normally told for meds to be given with food because they should always be eating hay.
Often the ‘to be given with food’ applies to cats and dogs who can vomit. Piggies can’t.

What meds is he on?
 
Just seen you’ve said antibiotics - Antibiotics themselves can upset the gut. It is recommended that a probiotic is given when a piggy is on antibiotics. A probiotic needs to be given 1-2 hours either before or after a dose of antibiotic (never the same time as an antibiotic dose). A probiotic can help settle the gut and replace gut bacteria killed off by the antibiotic.
 
Okay thank you! He’s on Enrofloxacin & Metacam. It wasn’t our vet that has workowith pigs before who had explained the after care so she might have just been going with the normal routine.
 
Piggies&buns said:
Just seen you’ve said antibiotics - Antibiotics themselves can upset the gut. It is recommended that a probiotic is given when a piggy is on antibiotics. A probiotic needs to be given 1-2 hours either before or after a dose of antibiotic (never the same time as an antibiotic dose). A probiotic can help settle the gut and replace gut bacteria killed off by the antibiotic.
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I’ll ask about some probiotics on Monday. I think I know where one of our scales is so I’ll start weighing him tomorrow!
 
The only thing is that enrofloxacin (baytril) does not taste nice so following it up with something tasty can help remove the taste.

Are you sure they are actually soft and mushy poops - the type associated with a digestive upset - rather than properly formed but just very fresh?
 
Piggies&buns said:
The only thing is that enrofloxacin (baytril) does not taste nice so following it up with something tasty can help remove the taste.

Are you sure they are actually soft and mushy poops - the type associated with a digestive upset - rather than properly formed but just very fresh so soft anyway?
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There still soft now and it’s been quite a few hours so I’m pretty sure they are from a upset stomach sadly.
 
Also remember that if you see a piggy popping his head down it may be to eat the fudgy, squishy caecotrophe poop which is normal for them to eat. This is different from the normal waste poops which we are so familiar with. Although it sounds like he has squishy waste poops. He has just had surgery and you would think this can upset the system a bit. But it's good to keep an eye on his progress - the antibiotic is an important precaution. I usually give AB (bleaugh) then metacam (yum!) so that takes the taste away!

Or he might be popping his head down because he's figured out something looks a bit different down there...?
 
Lovelypigys said:
I don’t think we have a working scale in the house but I’ll definitely look around. I’ll start lowering his veg intake tonight and see if that works for now. I’ve still got a complementary appointment at the vet for him so ill call it in on Monday.
Click to expand...

Hi
Cheap kitchen scales from a superstore or online will do. Make sure that you have batteries, too. Weighing once weekly all life long and first thing in the morning during any illness for best day-to-day comparison helps you spot gradually developing problems early on and managing loss of appetite and weight during an illness. Keep in mind that the poo output is always running a day or two behind, so by the time any measures of yours are coming in effect, you are consistently running two days late if you only ever monitor the poo output.

Please step in with offering additional feeding support in term of pellets you soak in warm water in case your boy is suffering from partial loss of appetite, which usually firstly impacts on eating less hay. Take him off any fresh veg but make sure that this doesn't result in offering overall less food; hence my tip to offer additional top up feed until you can see your vet.
You can find lots of practical tips, including how to improvise in an emergency in this guide here: All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures

For possible post-op neutering complications: Neutering operations: Considerations, post-op care and complications and a successful recovery example

All the best.
 
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