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Loose Stools! Help Please

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irene

irene

Teenage Guinea Pig
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Hi my adorable cinnamon who is about 1 1/2 years old has developed loose foul smelling stools! I have stopped the green veggies and she's eating her pellets and hay she is small but always has been weighs about 1 lb 11 ounces ( sorry you know Americans are terrified of the metric system lol) anyway I don't have Any good exotic vets near me, located one a distance Away but can't get there until next week as a relative borrowed my car for the holiday weekend! The loose stools are less than when it started a few days ago. Is there anything I can do for her in the meantime? I am also giving her Bene bac which I had from a prior URI episode. I just wNt to make sure she doesn't go downhill before I can get get to a vet!
 
I hope that you can see a vet soon! Here is a list of recommended vets for your state: http://www.guinealynx.info/cabinet/index.php/Veterinarians_New_York

Please to her up with hand feed to make sure that she is not losing any weight and also make sure that she is well hydrated. If necessary, get an electrolyte rehydrating sports/tummy bug additive from the pharmacy to add to the water and syringe that, too. Sadly, I don't know what the US brand is; here in the UK it is called dioralyte.
Also offer her some very rough brown cardboard and probiotics. if she has a healthy companion, you could try making poo soup by soaking a very fresh health poo in some boiled, cooled water and then syringe water; it contains all the good stuff for the guts and may help to rebalance.

You can find all the necessary information in our complete hand feeding guide: https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/complete-hand-feeding-guide.115359/
 
Wiebke said:
I hope that you can see a vet soon! Here is a list of recommended vets for your state: http://www.guinealynx.info/cabinet/index.php/Veterinarians_New_York

Please to her up with hand feed to make sure that she is not losing any weight and also make sure that she is well hydrated. If necessary, get an electrolyte rehydrating sports/tummy bug additive from the pharmacy to add to the water and syringe that, too. Sadly, I don't know what the US brand is; here in the UK it is called dioralyte.
Also offer her some very rough brown cardboard and probiotics. if she has a healthy companion, you could try making poo soup by soaking a very fresh health poo in some boiled, cooled water and then syringe water; it contains all the good stuff for the guts and may help to rebalance.

You can find all the necessary information in our complete hand feeding guide: https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/complete-hand-feeding-guide.115359/
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Thank you! Now when you say rehydrating or sports replenishment we have Pedialyte here which is given to babies when they have diarreah is that the sort of thing you are referring to? She is eating and drinking and still begging for food which I'm hoping is a good sign
 
Yes, pedialyte sounds useful, as long as it can be added to boiled, cooled water. follow the instructions on the product.

It is a good sign that she still has got her appetite. I would still recommend to top her up with hand feed; you may find that she will gobble it down. if she has her appetite, she may eat it straight from a spoon or even a bowl in her cage. Her weight sounds low for an adult guinea pig.
 
is there anyone who could possibly give you a lift to the exotic vets? loose stools are obviously a worry, but the foul smell means her gut is very unbalanced and she more than likely needs more help to get back on track. it's good her gut it still moving through. keep her going with recovery food as mentioned above and as much hay as possible so her gut doesn't slow down and allow toxins to build up.

ideally though, i would try and get to the vet before next week.
 
biscandmatt said:
is there anyone who could possibly give you a lift to the exotic vets? loose stools are obviously a worry, but the foul smell means her gut is very unbalanced and she more than likely needs more help to get back on track. it's good her gut it still moving through. keep her going with recovery food as mentioned above and as much hay as possible so her gut doesn't slow down and allow toxins to build up.

ideally though, i would try and get to the vet before next week.
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Excuse my ignorance but when you say "recovery" food what exactly do you mean? Is that only through a vet? From what I read we have much less available to us here in the US when it comes to giinea pigs unfortunately
 
irene said:
Excuse my ignorance but when you say "recovery" food what exactly do you mean? Is that only through a vet? From what I read we have much less available to us here in the US when it comes to giinea pigs unfortunately
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Also should I not be giving ANY veggies? She begs for them EVErYTIMe I come near her
 
irene said:
Excuse my ignorance but when you say "recovery" food what exactly do you mean? Is that only through a vet? From what I read we have much less available to us here in the US when it comes to giinea pigs unfortunately
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No, please don't give any fresh veg at all, as hard as it is until at least 24-48 hours after the poos have firmed up again, and then reintroduce only slowly and gradually. Tender tummies are much more likely to remain a bit iffy for a while after. Give as much fibre as possible; that is the best thing you can do to help stablising the guts again. Around 80% of the daily food intake should be fibrous hay anyway, and only ca. 10% fresh veg.

Rocevery foods are powdered formulas, which you can get either from a vet or online. It doesn't matter which of these products.
Here is the link to them: https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/probiotics-recovery-foods-and-vitamin-c-overview-with-product-links.115404/

Please always see a vet asap if there is very smelly diarrhea or if soft poos or cow pads don't firm up again within 24 hours of taking them off any fresh food.
http://www.guinealynx.info/diarrhea.html
 
Over in the UK we have various brands, and whilst they are prescribed by vets you can also purchase some of them. One example is Bio-Lapis, which can be purchased on line. I will do a search and see if I can find one in the USA, but in the meantime perhaps this has been covered before (I don't know) and someone may be able to give you a link xx

Edit: Posted at the same time as Wiekbe, I'll abort my mission being as there's now a link :) xx
 
Thank
Critter said:
Over in the UK we have various brands, and whilst they are prescribed by vets you can also purchase some of them. One example is Bio-Lapis, which can be purchased on line. I will do a search and see if I can find one in the USA, but in the meantime perhaps this has been covered before (I don't know) and someone may be able to give you a link xx

Edit: Posted at the same time as Wiekbe, I'll abort my mission being as there's now a link :) xx
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Thank you all!
 
irene said:
Thank

Thank you all!
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I was having a silly moment there anyhow. The BioLapis is a pro-biotic (prescribed by the vet and purchasable on-line). I was thinking of one thing but typed another by mistake.
The brand of the Critical Care that I was actually trying to type is Supreme Science Recovery! Sorry about that.
 
No oti
Critter said:
I was having a silly moment there anyhow. The BioLapis is a pro-biotic (prescribed by the vet and purchasable on-line). I was thinking of one thing but typed another by mistake.
The brand of the Critical Care that I was actually trying to type is Supreme Science Recovery! Sorry about that.
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No problem thank you so much I'm going to see if I can get that I am already giving her a probiotic, I'm so worried about get and she is sooo adorable
 

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irene said:
Excuse my ignorance but when you say "recovery" food what exactly do you mean? Is that only through a vet? From what I read we have much less available to us here in the US when it comes to giinea pigs unfortunately
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it is available from vets and online aswell. it is a complete feed for piggies who need extra help, or are not eating enough or anything at all. science selective do one and oxbow do one called critical care :)
 
biscandmatt said:
it is available from vets and online aswell. it is a complete feed for piggies who need extra help, or are not eating enough or anything at all. science selective do one and oxbow do one called critical care :)
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Thank you! I ordered the oxbow but will take a bit to get here in the meantime doing everything I can
 
That's great news just a thought are you weighting her daily (around the same time) to keep tract of her weight. This will give you a good indercation on how well she's doing.
 
Tinkoz said:
That's great news just a thought are you weighting her daily (around the same time) to keep tract of her weight. This will give you a good indercation on how well she's doing.
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Ohh thank you this is all new to me I'm learning as I go! I weighed her a few days ago but will now do daily!
 
We all started out knowing very little or in my case the only thing I knew with my first GP was I got the best 7th birthday present ever :-) :yahoo:
we learn as we go and this is defentley the best place to learn from,
 
Tinkoz said:
We all started out knowing very little or in my case the only thing I knew with my first GP was I got the best 7th birthday present ever :-) :yahoo:
we learn as we go and this is defentley the best place to learn from,
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Yes for sure it is! Here in the US I aeems guinea pigs are not seriously considered as true "pets" andhhard to find support or understanding about them. Thanks again!
 
irene said:
Yes for sure it is! Here in the US I aeems guinea pigs are not seriously considered as true "pets" andhhard to find support or understanding about them. Thanks again!
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irene said:
Yes for sure it is! Here in the US I aeems guinea pigs are not seriously considered as true "pets" andhhard to find support or understanding about them. Thanks again!
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Hi all! Thank you all for your help the update on my cinnamon is that her stools have definitely improved, they are still clumpy but not as loose and not as much but they are not pellets yet. She is otherwise active, eating her hay and pellets and drinking water. She did lose about an ounce during this illness. I have been u able to get to the vet due to transportation issues and now the holiday weekend. I am giving her probiotic as well. She hasn't had any fresh veggies in 2 days now any further advice? How long is it ok for her to not have veggies?
 
Keep her off the fresh veg for a couple more days I think I'm sure a better piggy expert will tell you if this is right or not but I personally would be cautious and just stick to what your doing till her poo's are more normal again. Am glad to here cinnamon is improving :-)
 
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Tinkoz said:
Keep her off the fresh veg for a couple more days I think I'm sure a better piggy expert will tell you if this is right or not but I personally would be cautious and just stick to what your doing till her pools are more normal again. Am glad to here cinnamon is improving :-)
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Thank you so much! Hoping she's on the road back to health!
 
Good luck at the vets I'm the same as you I'd rather an expert saw my baby's to put my mind at rest, my local vet laughted at me when I tried to book in a health cheek for my girls because they were both well but I like to get them looked over once a year just to make sure iv not missed anything needless to say when they laughted I changed vets,
 
irene said:
Well fortunately I lovated a local vet who does see guinea pigs so I have an apt for her tomorrow! Even though she is improving I will feel better once a vet sees her
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Best of luck! Please keep her off fresh veg for as long as necessary and if necessary, top her up with vitamin C (which is in her pellets, too, so she is not comletely oing without). I hope that your vet can help to get through her digestive problem. it is great that it is getting better on dry food and that she hasn't lost much weight, but her slow recovery shows clearly that something is amiss.
 
Chief Guinea Pig said:
Good luck!
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Thank you all! The vet put her on Flagyl twice daily and sent out a sto sample, she only weighed 1 pound 5 ounces in the vets scale but she is eating her hay and pellets and is not dehydrated . No masses felt in abdomen. Vet said good sign that stoolismore formed.no veggies for the next 5 days . And even then have to see if pellets yet. The vet said that this is what they do first before any more invasive expensive diagnostics.i will be calling vet tomorrow to see if stool sample showed anything
 
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