chronic loose stool in 5 y/o piggie

[realdealoatmeal]

hi everybody,

my piggie and i have been going through it these past few months. as the title states, she has has loose stool for a few months now. we have been to the vet multiple times and gotten two second opinions as well. all testing has come back negative for everything. we were given kaolin-pectin for it which did not help at all. then i was told to keep using that till i ran out (she took it about a month) along with bene-bac probiotics. the probiotic helped for what seemed like a day then we were right back to loose stool. the vets are at a loss as all her tests come back negative for any infections or parasites. they told me it could just be her age. she’s only 5, i don’t feel she is that old.

as of now she’s been getting bene-bac once daily, 2 tablespoons of critical care feedings, 1 tablespoon of pellets, unlimited timothy hay and water, and no veggies/fruit. i dont know what else to try..

the cage is clean, her cage mate is not sick, and she is acting normal, eating and drinking and wheeking. any suggestions on how to make her more comfortable or things i should tell the vet next time we go are appreciated

 

[Piggies&buns]

I’m sorry to hear this

This can be age related. At 5 years old she is on the older side (it’s considered the lower end of being elderly) and several things can start to happen - finding what can be the harder part!

Their systems just start to not work as well as they get older which can cause gut imbalances. This is just purely age related so very little you can do other than manage the symptoms and ensure high fibre intake.

There can also be a direct or indirect pain issue which causes these kind of poop issues.
Arthritis for example will cause pain and pain can cause a reduction in hay/fibre intake and thus poop and gut issues.
It can also be something internal putting pressure or discomfort onto the gut or discomfort in the gut itself.

So things to talk to your vet about would be daily pain meds in case she has arthritis starting; scans to check her gut but also her reproductive system in case there is something like cysts causing pressure inside her.

I would keep going with the benebac but given her friend is well you may also like to give her poop soup (live micro biome transfer : take her friend into a box and give her some snacks, collect her poops the moment they are produced and immediately soak in some water for 5 minutes. Remove the poops and then Syringe the water to your poorly piggy).

Also make sure you have switched from the routine weekly weight checks and are instead weighing her every day. This is so you can monitor her hay intake in real time and can adjust the critical care needs accordingly to keep her weight stable.

Wiebke's Guide to Tummy Trouble
Weight and Weight Loss Explained: BMI, Weighing, Poos and Feeding Support
Probiotics & Live Gut Microbiome Transfer ('Poo Soup'); Recovery Formula Foods And Vitamin C: Overview With Product Links and Transfer Recipe

This guide also explains some of the health issues which can start to creep in once a piggy gets to 4/5 years old

Journey through a Lifetime: The Ages of Guinea Pigs