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Sandy has weird poos

Hope4gem

Hope4gem

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Sandy has a history of having teardrop shaped poos. This has been a regular thing for her ever since she got very sick 6 months ago. I wasn't really worried about it because her weight has been stable. But just the past few days she's had about 3 occurrences where two poos are stuck together, almost like beeds on a string. Not sure what could be wrong. Another piggy of ours, Suzy, has a vet appointment scheduled for this week so I'll see if they can see Sandy too.
 
Hello. Great you can chat to the vet about it. My Percy quite often has smaller and softer poops. I take him off veg for a bit and then slowly reintroduce it. I got some pro C as well and sprinkled a bit on his veg. That worked.
 
I hope your Sandy can be sorted out by the vet. In the meantime, I would stop all veg until 48 hours after her poops are back to normal. Hope she’s better soon b
 
@weepweeps and @Siikibam
Thank you for the advice. This morning there were not many poos in the cage. Her weight is still good, but I'm going to supplement with syringe feed just in case. She also sounds like her breathing is a little off. The vet opens in two hours and I will definitely be calling them as soon as they open. Now I'm worried that she has a URI. All of this is more difficult because we just lost Lilly a few weeks ago so of course I'm hypervigilant right now.
 
It can be very stressful after the loss of a piggy. You are definitely doing the right thing by getting her checked over. If she has a URI then it can be treated. If she’s fine then you have peace of mind. Hope she’s ok. Let us know how you get on.
 
So the vet just opened and I called them. They're next opening is January 5th and that's so far away. The vet's office said that they can't see Sandy the same time that they are seeing our other pig, Suzy, this week. Sandy's breathing thankfully seems better right now. Maybe it was just hay dust or something? Her eyes and nose are clear. There are more poos in the cage, but they are still a little soft. So for the time-being, I'm going to continue to hold off on veg, keep supplementing with CC (which she's eating without syringing), and continue to monitor. As far as other vets there isn't many options at all. There might be one other vet that sees piggies nearby, but that's only if they have any openings. The emergency vet is about two hours away, but we will certainly take her there if it seems warranted.
 
Sandy's breathing continues to sound good. No other signs of illness except that she still has soft poos. I stopped all veg at least 5 days ago. It's gotten a little better, but still not completely back to normal. I think her cagemate, Penny, has soft poos too. We haven't changed their diet. Their weight is stable. I was worried something was wrong with the hay so I opened a new box and got rid of the old one. I'm going to call the vet again tomorrow and take whatever appointment they can give me. Even if it's a ways away at least we'll have something scheduled. In the meantime, we can always go to the emergency vet if it seems warranted. I just wish I knew what was causing it. I'm worried about them.
 
When I took Suzy to the vet tonight I was able to ask the vet about Sandy and Penny. She suggested cutting out fruit/veg, which we're already doing. She wants their hay intake increased. She suggested using a mixture of Timothy and Orchard to see if the variety gets them eating more. I asked about using critical care, but she seemed focused on the hay. I have an appointment scheduled for January 6th. Prior to that, if they're still having issues next week she will prescribe Metacam to see if that helps.
 
Have you given a probiotic? Given you’re in the US then it would be Bene-bac that you would be able to get hold off.
If her weight is stable (and as long as it remains so) then you don’t need to give any syringe feed but you could put a bowl of critical care in the cage (rather than syringe feed).
 
Piggies&buns said:
Have you given a probiotic? Given you’re in the US then it would be Bene-bac that you would be able to get hold off.
If her weight is stable (and as long as it remains so) then you don’t need to give any syringe feed but you could put a bowl of critical care in the cage (rather than syringe feed).
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I will definitely try bene-bac and resume offering CC in the cage, as they'll eat it right out of the bowl. Thank you very much for the suggestions. I really appreciate it.
 
Good news. Sandy's and Penny's poos have returned to normal. They got to have a sprig of cilantro today so we'll see how that settles and gradually increase veg from there. I'm going to continue with the CC and Benebac for at least a few more days and see how it goes from there.
 
So, Sandy and Penny's poos looked good for about 48 hours and then they started to change to a lighter brown color. They maintained a healthy oval shape, but I haven't seen this color before and the poos seem too dry. Any ideas what might be causing it? I still have their appointment scheduled for January 6th (the soonest I could get in).
 
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Hiya Percy and Pepper have been having odd poops for a while. It comes and goes. Odd shapes and occasional odd colour. I have taken them to the vets who couldn’t find anything wrong. So I just manage it myself now. If they are really soft I take them off veg but usually they are just odd shapes. I think it helps to just give them a plain diet. Not too many other treats like forage or pea flakes or carrots. Are they maintaining their weights? Ok in themselves?
 
weepweeps said:
Hiya Percy and Pepper have been having odd poops for a while. It comes and goes. Odd shapes and occasional odd colour. I have taken them to the vets who couldn’t find anything wrong. So I just manage it myself now. If they are really soft I take them off veg but usually they are just odd shapes. I think it helps to just give them a plain diet. Not too many other treats like forage or pea flakes or carrots. Are they maintaining their weights? Ok in themselves?
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Thanks for sharing. Glad to know I'm not the only one! They haven't had any treats like pea flakes for months. I took them off veg and fruit for about a week because their poos were teardrop shaped. Now the shape got better, but just started with an odd color brown. Their weight has been good, but I'll continue to monitor just in case. I've been gradually reintroducing veg so hopefully that will help. They're just as active as always and I haven't seen anything else concerning with them. Thanks again for the support. I really appreciate it!
 
Dont forget poop output is 1-2 days behind food intake so the colour and being drier may be because of being hay only (if the timeline fits). Poops will also start to dry out quite quickly when they are sitting in the cage
 
Piggies&buns said:
Dont forget poop output is 1-2 days behind food intake so the colour and being drier may be because of being hay only (if the timeline fits). Poops will also start to dry out quite quickly when they are sitting in the cage
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Thank you for the advice. If I'm understanding your message correctly hopefully continuing to gradually reintroduce veg will help. The timeline would seem to fit that. Thanks again!
 
I weighed Sandy today and she's 40 grams less than her last weight. Unfortunately, I had resumed weighing weekly so I don't know if she lost that weight quickly or over the course of a few days. I know that a difference of approximately 30 grams can be normal, but given the change in her poos as described earlier in this thread I'm concerned about this weight difference. In addition to offering CC in the cage as I have been doing, I started syringing additional CC to Sandy in hopes of staving off any weight loss.

Another concern is that one of the girls, either Sandy or Penny, sounded like they were whining as if in pain. I heard it twice this evening. I've checked both of them and can't see any visible potential sources of pain. Each time the whining lasted for a few seconds and then stopped. I don't think they are whining towards each other (like complaining because they're invading each other's space) because each time they were not near each other. I can't figure out who it is yet, but will do my best to sort it out. They have an appointment scheduled for January 6th, but I will certainly take them to the emergency vet sooner if it seems warranted.
 
Hiya. When Percy started to have soft poops he also was squeaking very quietly. I never did work out if it was when he was weeing or pooping. I took him to the vets. They prescribed painkillers for 7 days. The squeaking stopped but his poops took ages to return to normal. Even now he still has some weird shaped ones. When I took him off veg he lost weight. But he’s slowly put it back on. He also had a urine sample tested. Cost £100 and showed nothing 🙄. I don’t know how to link my thread but it’s called Not sure if Percy is Poorly.
 
weepweeps said:
Hiya. When Percy started to have soft poops he also was squeaking very quietly. I never did work out if it was when he was weeing or pooping. I took him to the vets. They prescribed painkillers for 7 days. The squeaking stopped but his poops took ages to return to normal. Even now he still has some weird shaped ones. When I took him off veg he lost weight. But he’s slowly put it back on. He also had a urine sample tested. Cost £100 and showed nothing 🙄. I don’t know how to link my thread but it’s called Not sure if Percy is Poorly.
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Thank you for sharing your experience. I really appreciate it. Helps me to know I'm not the only one dealing with these piggys' mystery illnesses.
 
Sandy's weight went back up and Penny's weight continues to be good, but I am continuing the CC and benebac for now out of an abundance of caution.
I still heard whining twice? today from one of the pigs for a few seconds. I think it's Sandy. It doesn't seem to be coming from Penny. Sandy and Penny's poos continue to improve and look almost completely normal now. So now that they seem to be better with that I guess it's time for a new problem. 🤦‍♀️ Earlier today, I saw Penny rock back and forth for a few seconds (not rumble strutting). It stopped just as quickly as it started. The only thing I could think it might be is hiccups, but I'm not sure. Once today she wasn't as excited for veg as usual, but other than that she seems to be behaving normally. Vet appointment is still scheduled for January 6th, but will see emergency vet sooner if it seems warranted.
 
Sandy and Penny saw the vet today and the vet wants us to stop all veg and fruit, continue encouraging fiber, and add vitamin C supplement via children's chewable vitamin C tablet. We can also do a stool culture. I'm not sure how I feel about giving my piggies vitamin C via a tablet.
 
Hope4gem said:
Sandy and Penny saw the vet today and the vet wants us to stop all veg and fruit, continue encouraging fiber, and add vitamin C supplement via children's chewable vitamin C tablet. We can also do a stool culture. I'm not sure how I feel about giving my piggies vitamin C via a tablet.
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I’ve had to do it when mine have been off all veg for a period of time (once when Holly had colitis she was off veggies for weeks on end). It’s not forever. Not sure if you can get the Oxbow vitamin C tablets but if you can, they are very well enjoyed by my lot. https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=o...nt=mobile-gws-wiz-hp#lbl=OVERVIEW&pie=plaji-i
 
VickiA said:
I’ve had to do it when mine have been off all veg for a period of time (once when Holly had colitis she was off veggies for weeks on end). It’s not forever. Not sure if you can get the Oxbow vitamin C tablets but if you can, they are very well enjoyed by my lot. https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=o...nt=mobile-gws-wiz-hp#lbl=OVERVIEW&pie=plaji-i
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Good idea. I've tried them a long time ago and they wouldn't eat them, but I can certainly try again. Thanks for sharing your experience. I appreciate it.
 
Happy to report that for the past week Sandy and Penny have consistently had better poos. We were able to stop the Critical Care and Bene-bac. We were even able to gradually start to introduce veg again and so far, so good. They have been tolerating veg which is great because the last time I tried introducing veg they didn't tolerate it. Here's hoping they continue to do well.
 
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