URGENT! Liquid diarrhea and antibiotics

[Laliluxxi]

Hello, this forum has helped me a lot with questions I had in the past about my boar's health so I made this account solely for this since I didn't finds anything specific so bear with me please.
My 3 year old piggie Pepe started peeing with squeaking less than 2 months ago, short after I noticed he was peeing blood. We got him to an emergency vet and she prescribed antibiotics for 10 days.
The antibiotics were giving him a tummy upset but nothing too worrying.
After the 10 day period I stopped giving him the antibiotic and everything seemed fine for a few days but then it all started again and he was bloated.
So we took him to the vet once again, this time one we already knew, and they did all sort of tests on him but he only had an UTI, no stones in sight or anything. The vet said the bloat was normal since he wasn't eating much because of the antibiotic and that he had also a little bit of an ear infection but nothing to worry about.
They gave us antibiotics again for 10 days, he has been on them for 7 days aprox.
He was still bloated and not having much of an appetite but thankfully he wasn't hurting anymore when going to the toilet.
His poops this past month have been small and kind of thin but he was well nontheless.
This new antibiotic made him the same as the other: bloated and not very hungry, but he was eating almost everything and drinking well.
Today I woke up to give him the antibiotic (every 12h) and I saw he suddenly had liquid diarrhea, nothing I have ever seen before, nor in him or in my past pets.
He's drinking more water now, eating hay and even playing and behaving more active than this past few days, and even the bloat has seemed to have disappeared with the diarrhea.
I'm worried sick about him and can't get him to a vet right now.
Please, help! Why is this happening now?!
What should I do now while I can't get him to the vet?

 

[Piggies&buns]

Have you taken him off veg given he has diarrhoea?
Are you weighing him daily and syringe feeding him a recovery feed?
Have you tried a probiotic or poop soup from a healthy companion?

 

[Siikibam]

If he has had diarrhoea then that is considered an emergency and he needs to see the vet soon as possible.

With regards the antibiotics, they can kill the appetite. When they’re on them, it’s usually recommended that you switch to weighing once daily and topping up with syringe feeds as normal. You can’t judge the hay intake by eye hence the weighing. How has his weight been? And was he given any meds for the bloating?

 

[Laliluxxi]

Have you taken him off veg given he has diarrhoea?
Are you weighing him daily and syringe feeding him a recovery feed?
Have you tried a probiotic or poop soup from a healthy companion?

Yes, I have taken him off vegs and now he has fresh water, hay and some pellets for fiber. He weights normal, 1,1k. His companion died February of this year before turning 8 but I wanna give him a probiotic, yes, just don't know which one could be good for him and where to buy, I'm gonna research.

 

[Laliluxxi]

If he has had diarrhoea then that is considered an emergency and he needs to see the vet soon as possible.

With regards the antibiotics, they can kill the appetite. When they’re on them, it’s usually recommended that you switch to weighing once daily and topping up with syringe feeds as normal. You can’t judge the hay intake by eye hence the weighing. How has his weight been? And was he given any meds for the bloating?

He lost a bit of weight a month ago when the vet told me to change his diet because of the UTI, she said he was a little big overweight (1,2kg almost 1,3kg), nothing alarming and the vet was actually happy when we visited again. He still weights 1,2kg, it didn't change since. The diarrhea has seemed to almost fully stop since I made the post, he even seems better than yesterday? I'm actually confused. He drank and ate a lot of water and hay.

 

[Wiebke]

He lost a bit of weight a month ago when the vet told me to change his diet because of the UTI, she said he was a little big overweight (1,2kg almost 1,3kg), nothing alarming and the vet was actually happy when we visited again. He still weights 1,2kg, it didn't change since. The diarrhea has seemed to almost fully stop since I made the post, he even seems better than yesterday? I'm actually confused. He drank and ate a lot of water and hay.

Just keep him on the water and hay. How hot has it been lately where you are?

Please see a vet if the poos have not mostly solidified within the next 48 hours and give probiotics and/or poo soup from a healthy companion to help rebuild and rebalance the digestive microbiome in the gut.
This link here tells you more about how to make poo soup (i.e. live microbiome transfer from a healthy companion not on antibiotics) and about support products: Probiotics, Recovery Foods And Vitamin C: Overview With Product Links

You have to wait for at least 48 hours after the poos have normalised (24 hours in a mild case, but liquid diarrhea counts as severe) before you can gradually start re-troduing veg into the diet again. Start with a little fresh herb (good for trace elements) and then add one more new veg in a small quantity for the next 2-3 meals if the poo output stays stable.

Please see a vet promptly (i.e. within 24 hours) if the diarrhea returns or persists.

 

[Laliluxxi]

Just keep him on the water and hay. How hot has it been lately where you are?

Please see a vet if the poos have not mostly solidified within the next 48 hours and give probiotics and/or poo soup from a healthy companion to help rebuild and rebalance the digestive microbiome in the gut.
This link here tells you more about how to make poo soup (i.e. live microbiome transfer from a healthy companion not on antibiotics) and about support products: Probiotics, Recovery Foods And Vitamin C: Overview With Product Links

You have to wait for at least 48 hours after the poos have normalised (24 hours in a mild case, but liquid diarrhea counts as severe) before you can gradually start re-troduing veg into the diet again. Start with a little fresh herb (good for trace elements) and then add one more new veg in a small quantity for the next 2-3 meals if the poo output stays stable.

Please see a vet promptly (i.e. within 24 hours) if the diarrhea returns or persists.

Sorry for not responding sooner! He stoped having diarrhea soon after, he even seemed to also feel better about the bloat, his tummy wasn't hard and round anymore. His poops haven't normalized yet but I'll wait a bit. He's happy and playful, even more than yesterday, so at least I'm not worried sick about him suddenly crossing the rainbow bridge
Since we live in Spain the hot weather has been kind of unbearable but he has a cooling mat and most of the day we have the air conditioning on. I'm going to buy critical care and probiotics just to be sure, but he seems to be eating and drinking well now. Hoping for the best! Thank you!

 

[Laliluxxi]

Hello, I haven't seen any post talk about this and I'm very anxious about my piggie Pepe's health so...(excuse my improper English grammar)
Days ago I posted here about him having liquid diarrhea but it soon stopped after I made the post.
I washed him up after that and he seemed better. He wasn't eating much and his poops were small but since he was on Septrin and Metacam for a UTI and bloat I thought it was normal and didn't worry much.
Today he seemed very tired and sleepy, but I, again, thought it was the medicines.
He wasn't pooping since yesterday and I didn't know about peeing, so I got him some cucumber and tried to make him eat a bit.
He ate half and suddenly was bloating again.
I touched his tummy and I almost had a heart attack when I saw him whine in pain and start having some sort of spasms. I quickly tried my best to help him and it stopped but he was lethargic and bloated and didn't respond to much.
We rushed to the emergency vet (Wich is also the last one we went to) and explained the situation. I was crying like crazy because I thought he had gut stasis. Turns out he had a gigantic gas in his stomach but his gut was still moving hopefully.
The vet that saw him was an angel and after seeing his temperature, glucose and everything else was ok she explained that we needed to stop all treatment of Septrin and Metacam and just give him the gut stimulant she gave us at the hours needed. She told us they had him already put him a shot and other medicines to get him to feel better but he was going to be tired and drunk-like after that.
She told us to go home and please watch out for him as he needed to eat and poop or else we would need to come back again.
This all was at 8pm, it's 1am now (oops, sorry for the late post haha) and he has been like this since. He is better than before we went to the vet. He's not fully lethargic but he is very tired and only wants to lay down for now. He also isn't eating or drinking as far as I know.
The vet told us to wait and to actually expect this for now as this medicines were kind of strong.
When should I start to worry?
I need to get him to take gut stimulant in 3 hours (4am, 8 hours after the first take at the vet) and I thought maybe I should wait for tomorrow for him to start eating again since having a medicine shot is way stronger than having it via oral.
I'm so happy he's ok and the last thing I want is to need to rush to the vet again because he's refusing to eat.
Has anyone experience something similar?
Thank you xx.

 

[Hannah_xx]

I’m sorry to hear Pepe is so unwell with a bad case of bloat. Please keep up with the gut stimulants that your vet has given you. Did your vet give you any recovery food such as critical care? It is essential that you try and keep his gut working, if he isn’t eating he needs syringe feeding every hour. If you don’t have critical care you can soak pellets into a paste. You can also try massaging his belly to help with movement.
Wishing you and Pepe all the luck, keep us posted.
Most of the forum members will be asleep now. I’m sure you’ll get some more advice a bit later when the U.K. is awake .

 

[Siikibam]

Please step in immediately with some syringe feeding as mentioned above. He is not pooing because he’s not eating much hay. Hay makes up the largest part of their diet. So when they become I’ll and cut back on eating it (usually weight loss a sign), then to in need to step in and feed them fibre to keep their guts going.

You will also have to switch to weighing once daily. Have a read of the guides below for further information. Lastly, what medicine did they inject him with?

I’m also going to merge this thread with the previous one as it is somewhat of an ongoing issue. That way others who give you more advice can read the background information in one place, rather than looking it up.

I hope your boys does start improving soon.

Digestive Disorders: Not Eating - Diarrhea - Bloat - GI Stasis (No Gut Movement)
All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures
Probiotics, Recovery Foods And Vitamin C: Overview With Product Links

PS with regards the vet saying your boy is overweight, this may not be true. You cannot judge a guinea pigs’ weight by scales only. You should also check the heft. One piggy at 1200+g could be at an idea weight compared to another which could be thin at that weight. Please see the guide I’ve linked to below for future reference.

Weight - Monitoring and Management

 

[Laliluxxi]

I’m sorry to hear Pepe is so unwell with a bad case of bloat. Please keep up with the gut stimulants that your vet has given you. Did your vet give you any recovery food such as critical care? It is essential that you try and keep his gut working, if he isn’t eating he needs syringe feeding every hour. If you don’t have critical care you can soak pellets into a paste. You can also try massaging his belly to help with movement.
Wishing you and Pepe all the luck, keep us posted.
Most of the forum members will be asleep now. I’m sure you’ll get some more advice a bit later when the U.K. is awake .

The vet didn't give us any critical care food but I had order Oxbow Critical Care since I can't buy locally, it will arrive on Monday and in the meantime I'll soak pellets into a paste and serringe feed it to him.

Thank you for responding late in the night, I'll be taking care of him all night and hopefully in the morning I can post about him being better.

 

[Siikibam]

Please make sure you are syringe feeding every 2 hours. You’re aiming for minimum 60ml in a 24 hour period because he’s not eating. Do make sure you get some sleep. You don’t want to be ill yourself.

 

[Laliluxxi]

Please step in immediately with some syringe feeding as mentioned above. He is not pooing because he’s not eating much hay. Hay makes up the largest part of their diet. So when they become I’ll and cut back on eating it (usually weight loss a sign), then to in need to step in and feed them fibre to keep their guts going.

You will also have to switch to weighing once daily. Have a read of the guides below for further information. Lastly, what medicine did they inject him with?

I’m also going to merge this thread with the previous one as it is somewhat of an ongoing issue. That way others who give you more advice can read the background information in one place, rather than looking it up.

I hope your boys does start improving soon.

Digestive Disorders: Not Eating - Diarrhea - Bloat - GI Stasis (No Gut Movement)
All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures
Probiotics, Recovery Foods And Vitamin C: Overview With Product Links

PS with regards the vet saying your boy is overweight, this may not be true. You cannot judge a guinea pigs’ weight by scales only. You should also check the heft. One piggy at 1200+g could be at an idea weight compared to another which could be thin at that weight. Please see the guide I’ve linked to below for future reference.

Weight - Monitoring and Management

Thank you! I have ordered Oxbow Critical Care and it will arrive on Monday. In the mean time I'm going to soak some pellets and serringe feed it to him.
Hopefully tomorrow he will feel much better!
Regarding the weight thank you for the link to a guide since my family agreed with the vet and said he was a little bit chubby but I really disagree. He has always been a healthy chunky boy but he never had problems with it (his paws were great and he was active) and seeing him get skinny because of illness now breaks my heart.
Thank you overall for the reply at this hour

 

[Laliluxxi]

Please make sure you are syringe feeding every 2 hours. You’re aiming for minimum 60ml in a 24 hour period because he’s not eating. Do make sure you get some sleep. You don’t want to be ill yourself.

I've been sleeping very badly since he first got sick. I kept thinking if I went to sleep when I wake up the next morning he wasn't gonna be there anymore, and I couldn't contain that harmful thought. It's amazing how much us as owners love our piggies as they are children. Most people think I'm crazy when I say I feel like a mom. Caring, talking and playing with him, like he's some kind of child.
His cage mate (8 year old Netherlands Dwarf Bunny) died on February this year suddenly without any previous symptoms and since then I think I have become a liiiittle bit more paranoid about my pet's health.
I'll get sleep after I make sure he's a little bit better, I promise! I'll post again when there is an update (don't want to spam the post, sorry hehe, I'm new to this kind of stuff).
Good night!

 

[Piggies&buns]

I hope he is ok.
Definitely keep up with regular syringe feeding and make sure you weigh him every morning so you can be sure he is getting enough syringe feed in each 24 hour period.

I’m sorry for the loss of your rabbit.
For future reference, please don’t keep guinea pigs and rabbits in the same cage. Their dietary needs are different, they cannot speak the same language so don’t offer companionship, rabbits can injure piggies. Also rabbits carry diseases harmlessly to them but those diseases can make guinea pigs seriously ill/be fatal.

 

[Laliluxxi]

I hope he is ok.
Definitely keep up with regular syringe feeding and make sure you weigh him every morning so you can be sure he is getting enough syringe feed in each 24 hour period.

I’m sorry for the loss of your rabbit.
For future reference, please don’t keep guinea pigs and rabbits in the same cage. Their dietary needs are different, they cannot speak the same language so don’t offer companionship, rabbits can injure piggies. Also rabbits carry diseases harmlessly to them but those diseases can make guinea pigs seriously ill/be fatal.

Yeah we found out a little late but it never gave us problems (even tho I wouldn't do it now for sure).
They have always been free in the house (with rules, of course)...
My precious Tomi (Rabbit) was raised by my oldest piggie (Cuicui) since birth almost. He was dominant of Tomi and protected him but also scolded him when necessary. When Cuicui passed away Tomi got depressed and every day he went to the place he used to be and stay there after searching for him.
Years later we suddenly adopted a stray puppy which was absolutely in love with Tomi (it was mutual).
The latest addition to the family was Pepe, he was going to get "put to sleep" so I traveled hours to pick him up (he was only 2 months old) and Tomi quickly became his parental figure. They purred into each other, sleep together, eat separate bowls and clean each other (mostly Tomi would clean Pepe as he purred loudly). He "protected" Pepe from our puppy as he didn't let him approach for precautions (he was king of the house and everyone in it)
When Tomi passed away I knew both Pepe and Traski (dog) would suffer, but mostly Pepe since they did everything together.
Since then I have been more and more with him. I wish I could bring him more piggies to play with but I can't bear the thought of having to go through the death of more pets. So I try to feel that void as hard as I can.
I wouldn't mix bunnies with piggies, but they were an exception.

 

[Siikibam]

How old is your piggy? They really do need company of their own kind. Unfortunately interacting with a human is not enough. Keeping him alone for years would be the same as you no longer having any human interaction and only a whale to communicate with.

Please also keep your dog away from your piggy. There have been many stories of attacks despite dogs previously being calm and ‘friendly’. He needs a friend of his own kind. That’s actually one of their needs.

Hope he’s better soon. Have you weighed him yet this morning?

 

[Laliluxxi]

How old is your piggy? They really do need company of their own kind. Unfortunately interacting with a human is not enough. Keeping him alone for years would be the same as you no longer having any human interaction and only a whale to communicate with.

Please also keep your dog away from your piggy. There have been many stories of attacks despite dogs previously being calm and ‘friendly’. He needs a friend of his own kind. That’s actually one of their needs.

Hope he’s better soon. Have you weighed him yet this morning?

Pepe is 3 years old. I do know my company it's not enough but I really can't afford to get a companion for him right now for multiple reasons. Also my dog is actually kind of afraid of Pepe. Since we have always told him to not go near him he never does. He just watches him from afar.
I haven't weighted him yet, I'm going to right now, thank you for reminding me.
I am actually very scared.
He's very very very lethargic, won't move, won't pee, won't poo, won't drink, won't eat...
The skin of his back paws and bum is pale and a little bit purple-ish?
I have been feeding him the pellet mush every 2 hours since. He doesn't show improvement with the medicines or water/food.
I'm so scared this might be the end.
He's breathing, awake and isn't cool or hot.
What am I supposed to do now? Wait? Or should I rush him to the vet to get hospitalized like the emergency vet said yesterday?
The only thing I want now it's for him to survive.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Given what you’ve said with the extreme lethargy and pale skin then I would rush him to the vet as an emergency
If he has gone into stasis then he needs urgent help

 

[Laliluxxi]

Given what you’ve said with the extreme lethargy and pale skin then I would rush him to the vet as an emergency
If he has gone into stasis then he needs urgent help

We just came home from the emergency vet once again. He's hospitalized for now. The vets said he was very debilitated and they were going to try and stabilize him and see how he spent the night but the whole time they were like trying to get me to know he wasn't going to make it.
This all started as a UTI and now he's going to die after 4 vet visits because of the same medicines they gave him in the first place? Can't believe it. I feel so guilty and ashamed.
I can't believe that now the only thing I can do is wait for them to call me on the phone to tell me what happened.
For now the only thing I can do is wipe my tears and hope that my little man gets through it.
Still, thank you for the help.
Hopefully I'll have an update soon, and I really wish it's a good one.

 

[Posyrose]

I've no advice to give, just sending you hugs and support.

 

[Wiebke]

Hello, I haven't seen any post talk about this and I'm very anxious about my piggie Pepe's health so...(excuse my improper English grammar)
Days ago I posted here about him having liquid diarrhea but it soon stopped after I made the post.
I washed him up after that and he seemed better. He wasn't eating much and his poops were small but since he was on Septrin and Metacam for a UTI and bloat I thought it was normal and didn't worry much.
Today he seemed very tired and sleepy, but I, again, thought it was the medicines.
He wasn't pooping since yesterday and I didn't know about peeing, so I got him some cucumber and tried to make him eat a bit.
He ate half and suddenly was bloating again.
I touched his tummy and I almost had a heart attack when I saw him whine in pain and start having some sort of spasms. I quickly tried my best to help him and it stopped but he was lethargic and bloated and didn't respond to much.
We rushed to the emergency vet (Wich is also the last one we went to) and explained the situation. I was crying like crazy because I thought he had gut stasis. Turns out he had a gigantic gas in his stomach but his gut was still moving hopefully.
The vet that saw him was an angel and after seeing his temperature, glucose and everything else was ok she explained that we needed to stop all treatment of Septrin and Metacam and just give him the gut stimulant she gave us at the hours needed. She told us they had him already put him a shot and other medicines to get him to feel better but he was going to be tired and drunk-like after that.
She told us to go home and please watch out for him as he needed to eat and poop or else we would need to come back again.
This all was at 8pm, it's 1am now (oops, sorry for the late post haha) and he has been like this since. He is better than before we went to the vet. He's not fully lethargic but he is very tired and only wants to lay down for now. He also isn't eating or drinking as far as I know.
The vet told us to wait and to actually expect this for now as this medicines were kind of strong.
When should I start to worry?
I need to get him to take gut stimulant in 3 hours (4am, 8 hours after the first take at the vet) and I thought maybe I should wait for tomorrow for him to start eating again since having a medicine shot is way stronger than having it via oral.
I'm so happy he's ok and the last thing I want is to need to rush to the vet again because he's refusing to eat.
Has anyone experience something similar?
Thank you xx.

Hi

Metacam, the painkiller, doesn't cause these symptoms; severe bloat is extremely painful. Please don't stop it if your piggy can still swallow.
Nor does an antibiotic cause bloating; they can cause diarrhea; but I agree with your vet to stop it. Something else is going on.

You need to step in with feeding and watering support NOW (actually right at the moment you notice small poos, which means that your piggy has not eaten much in the 24 hours it takes for the food to pass from the mouth to anus, so you are already running a day behind). Waiting with feeding support until tomorrow will mean that it is definitely too late. Piggies can't afford to fast for several days; whatever happens, you need to keep feeding them through any crisis for as long as they are able to accept food and process it. A guinea pig that is not able to eat or whose gut is slowing down/stopping from lack of feed is a dying piggy, sadly.

PLEASE read all the practical advice and follow it in these links here, which we cannot repeat in full in every single post if you want to be within a chance of saving your piggy's life:
- Digestive Disorders: Not Eating - Diarrhea - Bloat - GI Stasis (No Gut Movement) (See chapter Bloating)

- All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures (the guide is very complete and talks you through every possible aspect of the field with all the little and large life-saving how-to tips)

- Emergency, Crisis and Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment
(All about crisis care, including when you are not prepared)

- A Practical and Sensitive Guide to Dying, Terminal Illness and Euthanasia in Guinea Pigs (includes an important chapter on working out whether your piggy can be saved and how to spot when it is too late for help; as well as what you can do for a dying guinea pig)

Fingers very firmly crossed for your poorly piggy!

 

[Siikibam]

Your piggy is in the right place. Hopefully they can help him start recovering. Good luck and do let us know how you get on.

 

[Laliluxxi]

Your piggy is in the right place. Hopefully they can help him start recovering. Good luck and do let us know how you get on.

Unfortunately they called us to let us know he passed away this evening fighting till the last moment.
It's devastating. Just in 24h it went from looking better and being hopeful about his health to this.
Loosing two members of my family in such a short time period...
Pepe was loved to the fullest for every second of his life in this house with us. He was the king and was treated like so.
Hopefully he's now reunited once again with his big bunny brother over the rainbow bridge.
Thank you to everyone that tried to help me on this journey and sending much love to those that have recently lost their piggies.

 

[weepweeps]

I’m so sorry Pepe has crossed the bridge. His bunny buddy will be waiting for him.

 

[Siikibam]

I’m sorry you lost him.

 

[Tnoz]

So sorry for your loss
Thinking of you

 

[Laliluxxi]

Just a quick update in case someone is searching answers for this same symptoms or similar: Unfortunately we found out the UTI, bloat or antibiotics weren't are fault for his passing. Turns out he had lymphatic cancer as the vet told us it is a very common cause of death in guinea pigs. Sadly it seems there wasn't any options for us even if we tried our hardest. Be careful with this symptoms and have your piggies blood tested if needed.

 

[Tiamolly123]

I’m so sorry