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Dribbling & Soft Poop

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Coco&Luna

Coco&Luna

Adult Guinea Pig
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Hey, I had my girls at the vets yesterday morning & I asked her to check coco's teeth because id noticed twice that under her chin was wet. When she tried to coco went ballistic and she wasnt able to do it and told me she'd need anesthesia to have them checked. I refused this for now because she seems to be eating ok and shes 5, so i dont wanna put her under anesthesia unless its absolutely necessary. She has also been having having periods of doing soft poops that she walks in and gets all mushed into her feet & cage. These poops are often small and teardrop shaped (dehydration?) but also very soft and mushy and dries into a very crumbly mess. I mentioned this to the vet and she advised i take away all veggies for 24 hours. I've done so and this has had no effect at all. This has been going on for weeks now, but she is still eating fine and is still as active as ever. Really confused by this and any help would be greatly appreciated.
 
Sounds like a mixture of things going on maybe.

First of all does her breath smell? oral thrush can lead to drooling, and it would smell like a damp dishcloth?

If she is in pain for any reason this could affect her gut as she would possibly be eating less (even only slightly). Has she lost any weight?

Is she taking fluids ok?

Where abouts in Scotland are you? is the vet you are seeing on our recommended vets locator?
 
Just smelled her breath, i cant smell anything, i really do have a terrible sense of smell though.
over the past few months she has also had periods of not pooping much and when she does they are really dry, teardrop shaped poops.
She has always been a small eater, but she has been fussier with her food for several months.
I've always worried about her fluid intake, she really doesn't drink much. I have monitored it for the past two days though and she has drank maybe 50ml total & this is without having had vegetables in 24 hours too.
Since February she has steadily lost about 80 grams, I put this down to her getting old and fussy.
She currently weighs 851g
Right now she has generally had really soft poo for about a week & this has happened on several occassions in the past?

I take her to Taylor veterinary surgery. My usual vet specialists in small animals and is amazing with guinea pigs. However, on this occasion (and last) i had to settle for other vets as she was on holiday and am unsure of their knowledge on piggies.
 
Is it possible for you to see your regular vet when she is back off holiday?

Is there anyway you could get here to see Glenn?:

http://www.apexvets.com/

I know Scotland is large though and you could be hours away.

What veg does she have on a daily basis? what pellets? and how much hay?
 
I'm taking her on Friday to see her. Yeah, it is really far away, ill definetily keep the link though incase of any emergencies in the mean time.

i try to change up their veg often cause they get bored quickly. Just now in giving them little gem lettuce, romaine lettuce, cucumber, red and green pepper, parsley & tiny bits of brussel sprout.
they have unlimited meadow hay and a bowl wagg guinea pig crunch and excel guinea pellets.
 
Am wondering if that is too much leafy stuff in one go, especially with the sprouts on top.

Good luck at the vets. I would get them to smell her breath to see if there is any sign of oral thrush. This can track up from the gut too so could also potentially be affecting her poo.

In the meantime you could try giving her Dioralyte if the poos are still soft. Little and often throughout the day. They can have flavoured or unflavoured.
 
hey, i got her to smell her breath and she managed to check her teeth easily and said they were fine. She thinks she has a fibre deficiency because she doesn't like the hay ive been buying her. Shes ordered me in a pro fibre paste to pick up on Monday. I just assumed cause she spends alot of time sitting and sleeping in her hay that she's been eating it too. Ive bought a wee bag of timothy hay with dandilions.to try...she really doesn't seem amused with it though, lol. Ty for your help again Helen x
 
oh dear, just been on thehayexperts & already have £50 in my basket! ive got excel fresh forage, oxbow orchard grass and some grow your owns to try :). Why is buying stuff for pets so much more exciting than buying stuff for yourself, lol. Thank you so much for such a great link!.
 
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