straining to poop very smelly squishy poop

[SeraphinaPheobe&Primrose]

HI
one of my older females (4 years old) has been recently straining to poop and her poos are very soft and extremely stinky. I'm going to be taking her off veggies for a few days, I read someone with a similar issue had said they had been feeding them more cilantro which might've caused this? I have been feeding cilantro every day and a bigger variety of veggies recently as one of my other Guinea Pigs is nursing.

although I'm quite worried about her because she's making this little whining wound while straining to poop, I was wondering if I should pop her over to the vet today or wait and see if no veggies for a few days helps improve this?

her weight hasn't changed and she is active eating and drinking a tons, her casemates aren't having the same issues as her but they also hate cilantro and refuse to eat it.
so maybe it is the cilantro causing it?
idk please give me your thoughts!

 

[Piggies&buns]

Soft poops are often caused by a gut imbalance - not necessarily the coriander itself but just the change in veg. Coriander is absolutely fine to feed daily, but if it’s something they aren’t used to, or any new veg, then it can cause this. Introduce new foods slowly into the diet.
Do take her off veg until poops normalise, feeding only hay and the normal one tablespoon of pellets. This gives the gut time to rebalance and if things don’t improve, then do see a vet. You can also give some probiotic to help settle things. 24 hours after poops go back to normal, you can reintroduce veg but do so slowly.

 

[Wiebke]

HI
one of my older females (4 years old) has been recently straining to poop and her poos are very soft and extremely stinky. I'm going to be taking her off veggies for a few days, I read someone with a similar issue had said they had been feeding them more cilantro which might've caused this? I have been feeding cilantro every day and a bigger variety of veggies recently as one of my other Guinea Pigs is nursing.

although I'm quite worried about her because she's making this little whining wound while straining to poop, I was wondering if I should pop her over to the vet today or wait and see if no veggies for a few days helps improve this?

her weight hasn't changed and she is active eating and drinking a tons, her casemates aren't having the same issues as her but they also hate cilantro and refuse to eat it.
so maybe it is the cilantro causing it?
idk please give me your thoughts!

Hi

PLEASE read and follow the tips in the guide links below and see a vet promptly if things don't get better. What causes dysbiosis (overgrowth of the wrong kind of bacteria in the gut microbiome) can vary quite a lot; any new foods or foods suddenly upped quantity or individual sensitivities to specific foods can be one reason, but by no means the only one or the one applying here.

That is the problem with doing online research - you won't necessarily be able to put personal experience into the correct perspective or be able to judge the level of knowledge of the poster.

Your first aim in any case is to rebalance the gut microbiome. Please switch from the usual once weekly weigh-in to weighing daily, as you should whenever something is not right. Hay is very often the first casualty, but as it makes around 80% of the daily food intake and you cannot judge it by eye nor is the poo output up to date (it is running about a day behind, two or more if the gut is very slow). Your kitchen scales are your best friend in supporting a piggy through a health issue.

Digestive Disorders: Diarrhea - Bloat - GI Stasis (No Gut Movement) And Not Eating
Probiotics, Recovery Foods And Vitamin C: Overview With Product Links
Weight - Monitoring and Management

Emergency, Crisis and Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment

All the best! Personally, I would see a vet sooner as this has obviously been going on for while already.

 

[SeraphinaPheobe&Primrose]

Soft poops are often caused by a gut imbalance - not necessarily the coriander itself but just the change in veg. Coriander is absolutely fine to feed daily, but if it’s something they aren’t used to, or any new veg, then it can cause this. Introduce new foods slowly into the diet.
Do take her off veg until poops normalise, feeding only hay and the normal one tablespoon of pellets. This gives the gut time to rebalance and if things don’t improve, then do see a vet. You can also give some probiotic to help settle things. 24 hours after poops go back to normal, you can reintroduce veg but do so slowly.

Hi

PLEASE read and follow the tips in the guide links below and see a vet promptly if things don't get better. What causes dysbiosis (overgrowth of the wrong kind of bacteria in the gut microbiome) can vary quite a lot; any new foods or foods suddenly upped quantity or individual sensitivities to specific foods can be one reason, but by no means the only one or the one applying here.

That is the problem with doing online research - you won't necessarily be able to put personal experience into the correct perspective or be able to judge the level of knowledge of the poster.

Your first aim in any case is to rebalance the gut microbiome. Please switch from the usual once weekly weigh-in to weighing daily, as you should whenever something is not right. Hay is very often the first casualty, but as it makes around 80% of the daily food intake and you cannot judge it by eye nor is the poo output up to date (it is running about a day behind, two or more if the gut is very slow). Your kitchen scales are your best friend in supporting a piggy through a health issue.

Digestive Disorders: Diarrhea - Bloat - GI Stasis (No Gut Movement) And Not Eating
Probiotics, Recovery Foods And Vitamin C: Overview With Product Links
Weight - Monitoring and Management

Emergency, Crisis and Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment

All the best! Personally, I would see a vet sooner as this has obviously been going on for while already.

thanks for the replies so I've given a fecal sample to my vet just in case to make sure maybe it was just the upped quantity and change in veg
I do also weigh them daily already just because I'm always worried about them getting sick and me not catching it soon enough
I gave my other pigs veg and had to separate her so she didnt eat any, felt bad for her cuz she loves her veg but it's needed
I will be keeping a close eye on her for the next few days, I've noticed she isn't constantly straining but every so often

 

[Wiebke]

thanks for the replies so I've given a fecal sample to my vet just in case to make sure maybe it was just the upped quantity and change in veg
I do also weigh them daily already just because I'm always worried about them getting sick and me not catching it soon enough
I gave my other pigs veg and had to separate her so she didnt eat any, felt bad for her cuz she loves her veg but it's needed
I will be keeping a close eye on her for the next few days, I've noticed she isn't constantly straining but every so often

Thank you for adding that to the background information, so we know better where you stand and which measures have already been taken. I sincerely hope that you can get through it.

If you have healthy companions not on any medication, you may use their freshly dropped poos to make 'poo soup' (i.e. live guinea pig microbiome transfer, mimicking natural behaviour).
You may have to take one of the companions out and feed them a little treat to stimulate poo production, but the fresher the soaked poos and the quicker you can syringe the water in which they have been soaked, the greater the chance of live tailor-made microbiome reaching the gut and helping to kick start the ailing digestive crew down there. You can find the 'poo soup' recipe in our probiotics guide link. If done properly, it is more effective than probiotic powder.

 

[SeraphinaPheobe&Primrose]

Thank you for adding that to the background information, so we know better where you stand and which measures have already been taken. I sincerely hope that you can get through it.

If you have healthy companions not on any medication, you may use their freshly dropped poos to make 'poo soup' (i.e. live guinea pig microbiome transfer, mimicking natural behaviour).
You may have to take one of the companions out and feed them a little treat to stimulate poo production, but the fresher the soaked poos and the quicker you can syringe the water in which they have been soaked, the greater the chance of live tailor-made microbiome reaching the gut and helping to kick start the ailing digestive crew down there. You can find the 'poo soup' recipe in our probiotics guide link. If done properly, it is more effective than probiotic powder.

I've never heard of that but I'll definitely give it a try if changing her diet doesn't help. I got the results of the decal matter test back and luckily no parasites. Talked to the vet and it seems the increase in veggies might've been the culprit, so I've been instructed to give her less watery veggies like lettuce and more cilantro/parsley types

hopefully she will be feeling more comfortable soon! I've been trying to give her little belly massages to try and help, which she does not appreciate because she's one of those pigs that hates being handled and out of her cage lol

 

[Wiebke]

I've never heard of that but I'll definitely give it a try if changing her diet doesn't help. I got the results of the decal matter test back and luckily no parasites. Talked to the vet and it seems the increase in veggies might've been the culprit, so I've been instructed to give her less watery veggies like lettuce and more cilantro/parsley types

hopefully she will be feeling more comfortable soon! I've been trying to give her little belly massages to try and help, which she does not appreciate because she's one of those pigs that hates being handled and out of her cage lol

Please take her off fresh food altogether first and only re-introduce it slowly one by one, starting with a little herb once her poos have been back to normal for at least 48 hours. Keep in mind that she will get what she needs with the hay. I would also recommend to supplement her with probiotics in order to help stabilise the dysbiosis (overgrowth of bad bacteria). Some piggies have a much more sensitive digestive system than others.