Soft poops and antibiotics

[Claire W]

Connie is on antibiotics again and she has soft poops It happened the last time she was on them as well. She also has a pro biotic and doesn't have watery fruit or veg whilst on them. Is this normal?

 

[Sarah from Chucklebunnies]

Hello. Soft poos while on antibiotics are fine, especially if you are giving her probiotics to keep her gut working well. Diarrohea is a common side effect of antibiotics in humans too - especially the penicillin derivatives. So don't worry.

I have given part of a weetabix, or a bit of all bran as a help in the past, (different piggies liked different cereals) but it can help as it gives extra fibre. The only other thing is to make sure she's drinking plenty and maybe give a small piece of banana as a treat because it is a rich source of potassium and piggies with loose stools can lose potassium.

If she does move from soft stools to genuine diarrohea then please take her straight back to the vets. They can dehydrate very fast indeed. But soft stools just show she's reacting to the antibiotics really...

I hope this helps a bit, wishing Connie a speedy recovery,

Sarah

 

[pelicano]

How are you giving the probiotic? It's best to syringe it in at a separate time of day to the antibiotics. Hope your piggy is on the mend soon.

 

[Claire W]

Hello. Soft poos while on antibiotics are fine, especially if you are giving her probiotics to keep her gut working well. Diarrohea is a common side effect of antibiotics in humans too - especially the penicillin derivatives. So don't worry.

I have given part of a weetabix, or a bit of all bran as a help in the past, (different piggies liked different cereals) but it can help as it gives extra fibre. The only other thing is to make sure she's drinking plenty and maybe give a small piece of banana as a treat because it is a rich source of potassium and piggies with loose stools can lose potassium.

If she does move from soft stools to genuine diarrohea then please take her straight back to the vets. They can dehydrate very fast indeed. But soft stools just show she's reacting to the antibiotics really...

I hope this helps a bit, wishing Connie a speedy recovery,

Sarah

Thank you so much for your reply It just looks worse when she walks in it as it squashes down then. I am making sure she is taking in enough fluids as she became a bit dehydrated last week. She wants to drink and keeps going to her water bottle which is good. xx

 

[Claire W]

How are you giving the probiotic? It's best to syringe it in at a separate time of day to the antibiotics. Hope your piggy is on the mend soon.

I am giving her the probiotic around 1.5 to 2 hours after the antibiotic xx

 

[tattyruncy]

Awwwww the little darling My girls send their love and cuddles to Connie xoxo Lets hope she is feeling better soon

 

[pelicano]

If you wanted to try a different probiotic (not sure which one you're using), the best one I've found is Entrodex. Here are a couple of links:

http://www.vydexanimalhealth.co.uk/products.asp?PID=44

http://www.vydex.co.uk/animal/probiotics.html

 

[Sue G]

Poor little Connie, she does seem to be "going through it" doesn't she. Hope she'll be loads better very soon, I know how much of a worry it is to you Claire.

 

[Laura-CCC4]

Baytril especially can cause intolerance in some pigs, but the symptoms would be more severe (loss of appetite included) if it was a full antibiotic intolerance. If her poops are just a bit soft, I wouldn't worry too much as you are giving her the probiotic.

Thanks for the info on Entrodex, Sarah. I've never heard of it before (but then I'm happy sticking to my US exports of Bene-bac!).

 

[Claire W]

Baytril especially can cause intolerance in some pigs, but the symptoms would be more severe (loss of appetite included) if it was a full antibiotic intolerance. If her poops are just a bit soft, I wouldn't worry too much as you are giving her the probiotic.

Thanks for the info on Entrodex, Sarah. I've never heard of it before (but then I'm happy sticking to my US exports of Bene-bac!).

I felt a little sorry for her this morning as when they were having floor time, Connie squeaked like mad when I opened the fridge and looked really disapointed when she didn't get any veggies and Eliza got some little gem