Weird poops

[MildredMaudeandEnid]

Hi

I've noticed my Maude has had a few weird poops today. They're quite large and wetter than normal. Most have still been formed but there has been one clumpy one. My parents have just gone away for a week so I'm worried about having to take her to the vets as I don't drive.

I've been having a read through past posts and it seems recommended to withhold fresh veg as a first port of call. Is this worth a try?

She's acting normal otherwise. Chasing her cagemate, popcorning, eating and drinking. I've taken her out and felt her tummy which feels soft and normal and doesn't cause her pain. I'm going to weigh her in the morning to make sure she hasn't lost any. If she needs a vet visit my only option would be a local vet who isn't piggy savvy and the specialist vet is a 30 minute car ride away.

Any advice would be appreciated! Thanks!

 

[Piggies&buns]

Yes, if she is experiencing soft poops, the normal course of action is to stop giving the veg and grass. Feed only hay and fhe normal one tablespoon of pellets. Keep her off veg until poops normalise. Then reintroduce veg slowly, starting with herbs is often best. You may also wish to give a probiotic. Do weigh daily.
If poops don’t normalise after a couple of days off veg, then do see a vet

 

[MildredMaudeandEnid]

Yes, if she is experiencing soft poops, the normal course of action is to stop giving the veg and grass. Feed only hay and fhe normal one tablespoon of pellets. Keep her off veg until poops normalise. Then reintroduce veg slowly, starting with herbs is often best. You may also wish to give a probiotic. Do weigh daily.
If poops don’t normalise after a couple of days off veg, then do see a vet

Thanks! I'll skip the veg tonight and see how she's doing tomorrow. What could have caused it?

 

[Piggies&buns]

She could need to be off veg for a few days so do keep an eye.


There can be a variety of things which cause it - too much veg, reduced hay intake, medications etc. You may never know. The important thing is to get the gut to settle again by withholding veg so she increases her fibre intake. A probiotic/poop soup can also help promote the right bacteria in the gut if withholding veg doesn’t help

 

[MildredMaudeandEnid]

She could need to be off veg for a few days so do keep an eye.


There can be a variety of things which cause it - too much veg, reduced hay intake, medications etc. You may never know. The important thing is to get the gut to settle again by withholding veg so she increases her fibre intake. A probiotic/poop soup can also help promote the right bacteria in the gut if withholding veg doesn’t help

I've got some probiotic so I'll see if she'll take a bit with some critical care.

 

[Wiebke]

Hi

I agree with @Piggies&b

I would also recommend to switch from the normal weekly weigh-in to weighing daily at the same time (first thing in the morning is best as that is when the weight is lowest and you can best avoid the ca. 30g swing in weight over the course of the day). This will help you to work out whether it is just a minor tummy upset (dysbiosis =overgrowth of the wrong kind of digestive bacteria) or whether it is caused by not eating enough hay (often because a pain issue or a mechanical problem in the digestive tract anywhere from the mouth to the anus.

You only need to step in with offering top-up feed if your piggy is not eating enough hay (i.e. has lost over 50g); otherwise you take away from the important hay uptake.

When withdrawing fresh food to allow the gut microbiome to rebalance, you ideally wait for at least 24-48 hours after the poos have normalised to allow the gut to stabilise again. Then start with just reintroducing one fresh food. I find fresh herb like coriander or parsley go down best because they contain lots of precious trace elements in a small package and then adding one more veg with every meal over the next 2-3 dinners. Stop and go back to withdrawing fresh feed asap if problems return.

See a vet:
- if the poos have not firmed up completely or very noticeably within 24 hours
- if digestive problems return
- if your piggy continues to lose weight, either fast or steadily a little more with every passing day.

Right now, you do not need any extra measures apart from a bit extra probiotic or home-made 'poo soup' (i.e. live healthy guinea pig gut microbiome transfer if done correctly) from a healthy companion not on antibiotics or stronger meds. When done properly, the water in which healthy totally fresh poos have been soaked is more effective than probiotics because it contains tailor-made microbiome. It mimics natural behaviour in recovering piggies.
Probiotics, Recovery Foods And Vitamin C: Overview With Product Links

Please do not over-react. What you are dealing with is still in the range of a minor tummy upset and will likely sort itself out on its own once you take your piggy off fresh food.

 

[MildredMaudeandEnid]

Hi

I agree with @Piggies&b

I would also recommend to switch from the normal weekly weigh-in to weighing daily at the same time (first thing in the morning is best as that is when the weight is lowest and you can best avoid the ca. 30g swing in weight over the course of the day). This will help you to work out whether it is just a minor tummy upset (dysbiosis =overgrowth of the wrong kind of digestive bacteria) or whether it is caused by not eating enough hay (often because a pain issue or a mechanical problem in the digestive tract anywhere from the mouth to the anus.

You only need to step in with offering top-up feed if your piggy is not eating enough hay (i.e. has lost over 50g); otherwise you take away from the important hay uptake.

When withdrawing fresh food to allow the gut microbiome to rebalance, you ideally wait for at least 24-48 hours after the poos have normalised to allow the gut to stabilise again. Then start with just reintroducing one fresh food. I find fresh herb like coriander or parsley go down best because they contain lots of precious trace elements in a small package and then adding one more veg with every meal over the next 2-3 dinners. Stop and go back to withdrawing fresh feed asap if problems return.

See a vet:
- if the poos have not firmed up completely or very noticeably within 24 hours
- if digestive problems return
- if your piggy continues to lose weight, either fast or steadily a little more with every passing day.

Right now, you do not need any extra measures apart from a bit extra probiotic or home-made 'poo soup' (i.e. live healthy guinea pig gut microbiome transfer if done correctly) from a healthy companion not on antibiotics or stronger meds. When done properly, the water in which healthy totally fresh poos have been soaked is more effective than probiotics because it contains tailor-made microbiome. It mimics natural behaviour in recovering piggies.
Probiotics, Recovery Foods And Vitamin C: Overview With Product Links

Please do not over-react. What you are dealing with is still in the range of a minor tummy upset and will likely sort itself out on its own once you take your piggy off fresh food.

Thanks, Wiebke. Most of her poops are just larger than normal and still firm but she has done a couple that are a bit softer.

I'm guessing that if she's not getting veg then neither is her cagemate? I've put them out for floortime while my other pair have theirs so there's no jealousy.

 

[MildredMaudeandEnid]

I'm not sure if they're getting better or worse. They're back to a normal size and a bit firmer but they're still a very odd shape. I've seen her eating hay and pellets this evening but I'm not sure if she needs a vets trip in the morning.

 

[Piggies&buns]

This still looks like a mild gut upset. It’s good they are firmer, seems to be heading in the right direction. Continue to keep off veggies, feed plenty of hay

 

[MildredMaudeandEnid]

This still looks like a mild gut upset. It’s good they are firmer, seems to be heading in the right direction. Continue to keep off veggies, feed plenty of hay

I've just looked this morning and she's definitely done some normal ones through the night. Strangely I can tell the difference between her and her cagemate's poops. Ethel's tend to be long and thin and Maude's are fatter and shorter. There was definitely some of both this morning.

I'll leave her off the veg again today and hopefully we'll be past whatever it was by tomorrow. Wiebke mentioned that herbs were best for reintroducing fresh food so I'll stock up at Tesco this morning.

 

[Piggies&buns]

I've just looked this morning and she's definitely done some normal ones through the night. Strangely I can tell the difference between her and her cagemate's poops. Ethel's tend to be long and thin and Maude's are fatter and shorter. There was definitely some of both this morning.

I'll leave her off the veg again today and hopefully we'll be past whatever it was by tomorrow. Wiebke mentioned that herbs were best for reintroducing fresh food so I'll stock up at Tesco this morning.

Yes herbs are good - a couple of coriander sprigs can be given to see how she tolerates it

 

[MildredMaudeandEnid]

Maude's poops seem back to normal now so I've given her a sprig of parsley this morning to see how she goes.

Unfortunately one of my other piggies, Millie, is now sick. Her weight has been steadily dropping for the last few weeks and she's now hit 100g weight loss. We've been to the vets again yesterday but the vet can't find anything obviously wrong. She's given her metacam for the next couple of weeks to see if it could be pain related then the next step is bloods under a GA which makes me really nervous. It's just one thing after the next at the moment.