Guinea Pig (F, 2.5yrs old) Showing pain when pooping - unsure the Vet is moving fast enough, advice needed!

[DPasksalot]

Hello everyone,

I've included a video link at the bottom of this post to show the pain our poor Guinea Pig is in whenever she tries to poop.

Poor girl has been sick for a month now, first two weeks she was not eating due to an abscess in her mouth (Now healed, more details HERE) and then the pain when pooping started.

She has been on antibiotics for 2 weeks with the problem still showing and while we don't want to play down our exotic vets ability, it just feels like we are searching aimlessly in the dark without a clear plan on identifying why she is in pain and moving incredibly slowly on any progress.

• Blood was taken, and in the meantime, Willow had both LoxiCom and EnroCare daily and we continued 10ml twice a day of CriticalCare.
• Initial blood tests took a week to come back, Vet said he found slight signs Willow was fighting something off so prescribed Enroxil (0.06ml twice a day) and Coxycycline (0.06ml twice a day)

Has anyone got any insight as to what possible problems this could be and what we should investigate next?

VIDEO LINK: Willow Poop Pain

• Species: Guinea Pig
• Age: 2.5 years old
• Sex/Neuter status: NOT Neutered, Female.
• Body weight: 640grams
• Duration: 2 weeks
• Your general location: UK

 

[Piggies&buns]

Oh bless her, she does look distressed.

Can you tell us how much pain medication she is on and whether it is dog or cat loxicom.
Are the poops normal when they do come out?
Is she maintaining her weight?
Has the vet done any other checks/scans?

 

[Wheekallweek]

My boy Larry is really struggling with the same problem.
It might be worth asking for an ultrasound. Our vets did and soon found the issue was actually with his bladder. As he is pooing pressure is applied to his bladder as the poo moves past it.
Just a thought x best of luck x

 

[DPasksalot]

Oh bless her, she does look distressed.

Can you tell us how much pain medication she is on and whether it is dog or cat loxicom.
Are the poops normal when they do come out?
Is she maintaining her weight?
Has the vet done any other checks/scans?

Medicine: So unfortunately she isn't currently on LoxiCom as we ran out, still got the bottle and it was the one for cats.

Poops: Very, very soft. We have to keep cleaning her hands as she keeps stepping in it and it collects under her nails often. We've cut out green/salad food down to a single lead a day as we previously introduced those too quickly and she had very bad diarrhea

Weight: Ever so slightly climbing, she was down to 611 grams but these days is up to 640grams - thats with the CriticalCare twice a day and her eating Hay/Pellets as normal

Vet/Scans: None yet, speaking on the phone he would like to try an ultrasound if she didn't improve - which she hasn't. Just worried if we dont get any answers as we have to wait a week each time for an appointment :/

 

[DPasksalot]

My boy Larry is really struggling with the same problem.
It might be worth asking for an ultrasound. Our vets did and soon found the issue was actually with his bladder. As he is pooing pressure is applied to his bladder as the poo moves past it.
Just a thought x best of luck x

Oh i see, wishing Larry a speedy recovery!

I hate to self diagnose as i'm not a vet, but i was worried after reading online that Willow might have a bladder stone or similar pain as you've suggested - especially as we haven't seen any blood, discharge or anything from Willow and while the poops are soft still have an OK form/shape.
If you dont mind me asking, whats the treatment for Larry? Hoping there is something that can be done for him?

 

[Piggies&buns]

Can you get the vet to prescribe more pain meds? Is she in any discomfort at any other time or only when trying to go to the toilet?
What dose was she on previously?

I would cut all veg out completely if she is having soft poops.

Keep up with the daily weight checks to make sure she is stable on hay. If not, you’ll have to increase syringe feeding. (make sure pellets aren’t being overfed - just one tablespoon per day)

Has a scan been booked in then? I would definitely be wanting to rule out a bladder stone first
The other thing is sterile cystitis - it’s not bacterial so antibiotics won’t work - but is only diagnosed when everything else has been ruled out

 

[Piggies&buns]

Is she having any probiotics to help with her digestive imbalance? Or does she have a healthy companion so you can make poop soup for her?

 

[Wheekallweek]

I have to be honest his bladder has no stones, perhaps a little sludge but it is massively inflamed to the point it is now rock solid. The vet is unsure whether it may be cancerous. I am waiting to hear back from a specialist today. He is currently on very strong pain relief x2 and muscle relaxant but it doesn't appear to be working and we are running out of options.
I am so sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but this doesn't mean the same will happen to your baby at all so please try not to worry. Larry also has some other health problems which I don't think are helping.
I honestly wish you the best of luck and will keep you and Willow in my thogghts and prayers. Get better soon Willow

 

[Dilly's Piggies]

Aww that video made me so sad, that's a very painful little girl. My first thought like others is bladder stones tbh, it's known that they cause pain when pooping as well, I've had 2 girls that were like this too and they had bladder stones.

I would get her booked in for both an xray and ultrasound as soon as possible, xray will show any stones and the ultrasound will check for soft tissue problems etc, my vet normally does both at once to check everything.

Her weight is quite low also so I'd continue syringe feeding, weigh her daily and up it if she loses weight. Since she's on antibiotics and having soft poops I would get a good probiotic like Fibreplex to go with that as antibiotics kill all bacteria, even the good bacteria, so it can result in digestive problems and weight loss.

And like others have said, get some more pain relief for her and check the dosage is enough to keep her more comfortable whilst you're waiting for scan results.

Let us know how you get on, I hope she's better soon.

 

[DPasksalot]

I have to be honest his bladder has no stones, perhaps a little sludge but it is massively inflamed to the point it is now rock solid. The vet is unsure whether it may be cancerous. I am waiting to hear back from a specialist today. He is currently on very strong pain relief x2 and muscle relaxant but it doesn't appear to be working and we are running out of options.
I am so sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but this doesn't mean the same will happen to your baby at all so please try not to worry. Larry also has some other health problems which I don't think are helping.
I honestly wish you the best of luck and will keep you and Willow in my thogghts and prayers. Get better soon Willow

Oh I'm so sorry to hear that about Larry, I'll keep everything crossed that you guys somehow get a sudden turnaround and the right outcome - I really appreciate you sharing your story despite being in a difficult time yourself however as there are quite a few similarities with Willow

The vet can't feel any stones or "hardness" so I wonder when we have a scan next week we'll know what kind of fate our piggy has. It's difficult how to feel but your heart breaks when you hear how much pain they are in

 

[DPasksalot]

Can you get the vet to prescribe more pain meds? Is she in any discomfort at any other time or only when trying to go to the toilet?
What dose was she on previously?

I would cut all veg out completely if she is having soft poops.

Keep up with the daily weight checks to make sure she is stable on hay. If not, you’ll have to increase syringe feeding. (make sure pellets aren’t being overfed - just one tablespoon per day)

Has a scan been booked in then? I would definitely be wanting to rule out a bladder stone first
The other thing is sterile cystitis - it’s not bacterial so antibiotics won’t work - but is only diagnosed when everything else has been ruled out

Many thanks to you and user Dilly's Piggies, we went to the vet yesterday and in summary:

* Willow's previous blood test showed she was inflamed and fighting off an infection; the vet expected it to be a 2 week course.
She is now on FibrePlex, Enroxil, Gabapentin and DocyCycline (and Critical Care of course)

* We have a scan booked for a week in case she doesn't improve, I wanted one sooner but the Vet knows better I guess - Willow is putting on weight so hopefully recovering slowly but surely.
He felt her stomach and checked her bum and couldn't see any obvious signs of hardness or blood/discharge, so encouraged the medicine should do it

Otherwise in the back of my mind I'm preparing myself it's cystitis. Trying to hold back as I'm not a vet and self diagnosis can be dangerous but all the same, want the best for this piggy ASAP!

Thanks again for your help everyone, I'll be sure to post updates as they come

 

[Swissgreys]

Thanks for updating, and fingers crossed that the meds do the trick for Willow.

 

[Wheekallweek]

I hope the meds do the job for Willow and she is feeling better soon x

 

[Dilly's Piggies]

It's great that she has a scan booked and you got some more meds for her, did they restock metacam for you too or has it been switched with gabapentin? I hope this combination of meds help her better than before and she's doing better now, you're doing a really good job, remember to take care of yourself too, I know having a sick piggie is very stressful