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Urgent - Possible Bloating And Constipation In Female Guinea Pig?

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JulieAndJames

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My guinea pig Mocha is a 1 year old female. I noticed teardrop shaped and mushier poops about 2 days ago, and today, I witnessed her assuming the poo position and making soft squeaky wheeking noises. She is eating normally, almost always at the hay or the food bowl. She is also behaving normally. I guess I might be a little paranoid, but are these early signs of constipation / bloating? Is there anything I can do to try and relieve the constipation before I take her to the vet? And when should I decide to take her to the vet? Obviously, I'm willing to pay whatever it takes and do whatever tests necessary, but I just don't want to get too ahead of myself, since I only observed mushy poops and one episode of wheeking while pooping (and she's eating and behaving normally).

ALSO, I might take her to the vet this week just in case. Do any of you have a general idea of what the vet should do in this case (most likely normal physical exam, eating/behaving normally, mushy/teardrop shaped poops). I don't want to get duped into paying for extra unnecessary tests, since I'm a college student. But of course, I want to do what is best for my piggies.
 
@JulieAndJames Teardrop shaped and mushier poops suggest a stomach upset/digestive issue. Has she been eating anything that she doesn't normally have? Or is there any change that she's had access to veg that wasn't 100% fresh? I know from experience that a stray piece of wilted veg can get into their bowls sometimes.

She's not constipated as she is pooping, but she has discomfort in and around her stomach.

The vet can prescribe pain relief, the most common name in the UK for it is Metacam. The vet can also prescribe gut motility drugs such as Metoclopromide or Zantac which can help the system get back to normal.

See what the vet says, they might suggest staying off veg for a day or two to let her stomach settle. Just hay and pellets for a while.

You can always ask for an xray if you want to rule out any internal issues, but I think I'd opt for the med's first.
 
JulieAndJames said:
My guinea pig Mocha is a 1 year old female. I noticed teardrop shaped and mushier poops about 2 days ago, and today, I witnessed her assuming the poo position and making soft squeaky wheeking noises. She is eating normally, almost always at the hay or the food bowl. She is also behaving normally. I guess I might be a little paranoid, but are these early signs of constipation / bloating? Is there anything I can do to try and relieve the constipation before I take her to the vet? And when should I decide to take her to the vet? Obviously, I'm willing to pay whatever it takes and do whatever tests necessary, but I just don't want to get too ahead of myself, since I only observed mushy poops and one episode of wheeking while pooping (and she's eating and behaving normally).

ALSO, I might take her to the vet this week just in case. Do any of you have a general idea of what the vet should do in this case (most likely normal physical exam, eating/behaving normally, mushy/teardrop shaped poops). I don't want to get duped into paying for extra unnecessary tests, since I'm a college student. But of course, I want to do what is best for my piggies.
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Please take her off any fresh food, weigh daily at the same time in the feeding cycle and start syringe feeding to prop up her guts with fibre. You can add a pinch of probiotics to the syringe feed to help re-balance the guts. Offer some very rough fibre, like brown cardboard. Piggies with an unpset tummy often crave it as they struggle to process the normal fibre.
These are home support measures to make sure that your girl is not losing weight and that her guts keep going.
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

If it is taking you several days to get a vet appointment, make one now. There is often a pain/discomfort issue involved.
 
Thank you guys for your replies! One last question: should I separate the guinea pigs to monitor their poops? Right now, since they share a cage, I have no way of 100% knowing which poops are coming from which piggy, and how much from each piggy.
 
I would seperate for an hour or so and monitor then pop them back, don't really want to stress her anymore being away from her friend. When is the vet apt?
 
Wonderful. I just gave Mocha some floortime and she produced two beautiful solid poops, very different from the mushy teardrops she was making yesterday. Wow, I don't think I've ever described poops as "beautiful" before. I've been restricting veggies since last night. Vet appointment is today (urgent care), and wellness exam / follow up is in 2 weeks. Thank you guys so much for your advice. I think I tend to worry and fret excessively about them, but it's better to be safe than sorry, esp when they have such delicate digestive tracts.
 
Definitely. That's what the forum is for. Asking questions and reassuring each other.

Let us know how the appointment goes.
 
Hey everyone, piggies are doing well. I restricted veggies for 1 week, and now they are back on their normal diet, both making mountains of lovely poops. Thank you all for your advice! Really eased my anxiety when I was worried.
 
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