Suspect gut problem

[Cavy chaos]

Hi everyone
My lovely neutered 4 year old boar has constantly been having tear drop poop and sometimes I wonder if he is a little lack lustre. He did have a complete gut stop and visit to the vet 3 weeks ago which started again after metaclopramide and metacam injection. He just still has tear drop poop, should I worry? He still has a lot of interest in his ladies so maybe he is just worn out in the evenings. Any suggestions?

 

[Free Ranger]

Is he maintaining his weight by himself? And what has been the pattern... lost weight with the stasis and is gaining again? Lost weight and it has stayed down? Or no weight change overall? Has he been on antibiotics? Any idea what triggered the stasis - was it bloat? Are his poops smaller than usual? Gosh - too many questions. Sorry

Are there any signs of impaction? That's one easy thing to rule out. About 10% of boys get it. Our George is neutered and was about that age when his impaction started. It makes the poops a bit of a funny shape because they get squished up. We only picked it up because of the appearance of a mighty ball of poops as big as a cork one night! We thought it was a one-off as he was finishing up antibiotics for a UTI but the vet showed us how to unbung him which we eventually had to do every night to keep him comfy. It's dead easy*. Turn him over and look at his anus - an impacted boy will have a big bulge like he's about to lay an egg. Gentle pressure at the base and the 'cork' is removed. A sploosh of warm water helps. At first it was just several poops bound together with a bit of caecotrophe. When he was unbunged a day or so after his recent op (when his guts had started moving again) there were about 2 doz stuck behind the pace car, but he's 6 now

*What I mean is it's dead easy now, but at first when they don't realise what's happening there may well be some argument...

 

[Siikibam]

Tear drop poop is also a sign of mild upset tummy. When they’re like that, it’s suggested you take them off veg until at least 2 days after they’ve returned to normal. Has there been a change in his diet, anything you have introduced lately?

 

[Cavy chaos]

he was quite thin and i was trying to feed him up before the stasis, i give him extra pellets And still do. The girls are quite fat so that dont get pellets. He had no antibiotics. He does have any impaction I have checked his rear recently. I can stop the veg and see. nothing has been done differently recently, is there anything that can settle gut stasis? dried herbs, etc. the vet said to feed him fennel have you heard of that? I rang the emergency vet.

 

[Popcorns & Wheeks]

Hi, my piggie Susie suffered with stasis last January, the poor girl had so many health issues and ended up trialing her fair share of antibiotics which is what caused the stasis. I found probiotics a lifesaver when it came to her tummy troubles. Try sprinkling some on food or in critical care/mushed pellets, make sure it is the one specifically for piggies tho.

 

[Piggies&buns]

he was quite thin and i was trying to feed him up before the stasis, i give him extra pellets And still do. The girls are quite fat so that dont get pellets. He had no antibiotics. He does have any impaction I have checked his rear recently. I can stop the veg and see. nothing has been done differently recently, is there anything that can settle gut stasis? dried herbs, etc. the vet said to feed him fennel have you heard of that? I rang the emergency vet.

What has been happening at his weight checks? You should weigh him weekly throughout life but weigh daily during a period of illness. This is so important and is the only way to know what is going on with hay intake.
It’s also the only way to know how much syringe feed is needed during a period of illness.

As Free Ranger has asked, do you know what triggered the stasis?

Feeding extra pellets is not recommended. They need lots of hay to keep weigh on and up. Feeding too many pellets can cause a reduction in hay intake which can lead to a variety of problems.
If he has trouble maintaining his weight then first, finding out a reason for that, but feeding a top up bowl of critical care or a few oats can help.

As has been mentioned, tear drop shaped poops can be because of a mild digestive upset and not enough fibre from hay. Temporarily removing veg from the diet (and ensuring pellets are just one tablespoon per day) will help to increase hay consumption and settle the gut. Veg can then be reintroduced slowly once things have settled. Giving a probiotic may also help.

Youve asked what can settle stasis. Making sure enough fibre/hay/recovery feed is going in, gut medications and dealing with any underlying cause for stasis.

Digestive Disorders: Not Eating - Diarrhea - Bloat - GI Stasis (No Gut Movement)

 

[Free Ranger]

I think if he has gotten visibly thinner there could be something underlying this. George lost weight on an antibiotic which cured his infection but stalled his appetite. He wanted veggies as much as ever (probably more because he was hungry!) but when I looked at all the pigs eating hay together it was quite clear that he was only nosing and nibbling whereas the 2 fat ladies were gobbling it down. When you think that 80% of the diet is hay, and they are eating round the clock when they are awake, you can see why a drop in hay eating is really hard to compensate for. We were giving George 15-30ml of 'critical care' syringe food every day as well as extra veggies and an excess of hay and fresh grass but we only halted his weight loss - he didn't gain any back. The probiotic tip above is a good point - if the problem is just a mild tummy upset this can help. We've had something called bio-lapis in the past and there is also Fibreplex which comes in a massive syringe. It's aimed at rabbits but works OK for piggies. I use both these the same way - mix a little into syringe food for them. Another natural probiotic is 'poop soup'. You get a few fresh poops from a healthy companion and soak in a little water. I then mix this in with syringe food again. You can use soaked and mushed normal food pellets instead if that's what you have in. And poop soup is free

Do you see any other symptoms? Could he be fighting off an infection (upper respiratory tract or urinary tract infections are both regular culprits in piggies). Can you check his pee for any red tint? If you can watch him where he goes just press a bit of white toilet paper onto the patch and see if there is any red in it. Any discharge from nose or eyes, any squinty eyes? Is he as active as usual? It's a tall order as pigs can hide their illnesses very well but you mentioned originally he seemed a little lacklustre.

If he has lost a significant amount of weight recently it's quite possible that the gut stasis and teardrop poops are actually a side effect of whatever else is going on - his hay intake dropped off and he got the gas which blocked his gut... there wasn't enough fibre to push it through. I don't think he'll be able to fatten up again until you can somehow find out what the underlying issue is. If you can start to weigh him more regularly from this point you will see if he's still losing. In your shoes I'd actually go back to the vet and tell them he's thinner and the poops aren't quite right. Get him a thorough check all over - listening to his heart and gut sounds, checking the teeth and mouth, feeling all over etc. They give the bladder a poke around to see if it's 'comfortable'. Perhaps because he went in with stasis as an emergency the rest of the exam slipped under the radar? it's good that he's still interested in his wives though!

Good luck, little husboar x