My guinea pig has got diarrhoea, what do I do?

[08boothc]

My guinea pig Rosie has developed diarrhoea since yesterday. She still acts normal but when i try and pick her up she squeals like she is pain. Her poos aren't runny bet are wetter than usual. She also has lost her appeitte and barely touches her food. I'm really about and she will not drink water as she hates it. I tried to bottle feed her but she just won't drink. Finally I know taking her to the vets is the best option but it will be closed tomorrow due to it being the Monday bank holiday and i will take her Tuesday. Is there anything i can do in the meantime.

 

[purple duck]

Try giving her cucumber, it has alot of water in it so if she will eat it will lower the risk of her becoming dehydrated.

I had a problem afew months ago with one of my pigs who became ill at a time when the vets wasn't open. Its hard to know what to do, I rang the vet anyway and was told it would be a £60 charge if i needed to see the vet that night and then the cost of any treatment on top. I was advised by the veterinary assistant to try giving him mashed up celery and to keep him warm, that could be worth a try.

hope shes better soon

 

[CandyFloss]

I read somewhere that reducing fruit/vegetables for a couple of days can help diarrhoea. If theyve just been out on fresh spring grass too that can sometimes (I think) cause problems.
Hope this helps but I'm no vet so best to see a vet when they're open - also meantime try to keep any poopy feet / hair / bottoms clean.
xx
PS If she's not drinking though then yes cucumber and watery food might help at least keep her rehydrated....

 

[PiggiePal]

Yes, I'd just give her loads of hay and her dry food, no veg for a few days. It may be that she has bloat from being on the grass. Maybe do a search for info on bloat on the forum.xx

 

[HairlessWillow7]

Probiotic is very good for piggies with diarrhea. If you can get any probiotic, feeding your piggy a mixture of a healthy piggy's poo and water will work. It sound disgusting, but it works very good. Also, a lot of timothy hay is good for digestion.

Hope this helps, good luck with your piggy

 

[Wiebke]

Check her for bloat - that needs to be seen by a vet asap, or it can kill. Most vets have an out-of-hours number on their answering machine. It is very expensive, but if it is a matter of life or a painful death, you may have to face it. It certainly doesn't sound like your average diarrhea, rather like a problem (blockage?) in her intestines.

My Howel had similar symptoms when he had an internal swelling after his neutering operation that pressed on his gut exit; he was in great pain and lost his appetite from that; he also ended up not being able to poo and pee.

Please don't feed fresh veg, but syringe her water and mushed pellets, as often as you can round the clock, even through the night; your care can make all the difference. Weigh her twice daily.

here is more information on bloat with a clear description of the symptoms:
http://www.oginet.com/pgurney/bloat.htm
http://www.guinealynx.info/diarrhea.html#
http://www.guinealynx.info/handfeeding.html

 

[bekked]

problem with guinea pigs is that when they lose their appetite they lose weight VERY quickly. Dangerously quickly, sometimes!
Maybe untill tuesday if you absoutely cant afford an emergency vet? I've found with any pigs I've had with this issue, maintaining their weight and making sure they dont starve due to lack of appetite has been vital.

Often I've resorted to feeding them jars of baby food, you know the pre-made mush?
Dont go for anything salty or savoury, but good solid foods like porridge, summer fruits, and 'grandmas rice pudding' are all favoured by guinea pigs.
I have found that alot of guinea pigs are very fond of these flavours, and will go crazy for them if offered.

As I said, maintaining a sick piggies weight untill you get to the vet is VITAL, even if it means you're spoonfeeding your piggie babyfood 4 or 5 times a day!
The diahreah the vet will fix, it's up to you to keep your piggie well fed and nourished in the meantime.


Good luck!



PS: If you try your piggie with jars of baby food spoon feed them with a metal spoon rather than a plastic one, as they tend to try and nibble the spoon itself. Plastic shreds could hurt them!



I hope your vet appointment on tuesday goes well.

 

[Pebble]

I agree with an urgent vets visit and hand feeding your piggie as per the suggestions here.

However a word of caution:

Although processed baby food has been used to feed piggies who are not eating/underweight when they have other problems such as dental/URI/UTI....it is usually mixed with critical care/mushed pellets or Supreme recovery.

PIggies are hindgut fermenters and due to the increased level of processed carbohydrates baby food contains compared to their normal diet, it can upset the balance of the piggy gut causing/exacerbating bloat or diarrhoea.
(This has happened to me in the past when I have given it to underweight pigs with no gut problems - they have developed mild bloat)

So until your vet has ruled out bloat, please restrict your piggies diet to mushed pellets, water and hay

HTH
x.

 

[08boothc]

Thanks for your responses. She is a lot better now, she has got her appeitie back and her poos are coming back to normal. Her pain is much better now. But she still won't drink. I have given her cucumber as suggested so she doesn't dehydrate and i'm still going to take her to the vets. Thanks for your help!

 

[PiggiePal]

glad she's feeling better. Don't feed grass or Veg for a few days apart from the cucumber. Plenty of hay and dry food x

 

[bekked]

I agree with an urgent vets visit and hand feeding your piggie as per the suggestions here.

However a word of caution:

Although processed baby food has been used to feed piggies who are not eating/underweight when they have other problems such as dental/URI/UTI....it is usually mixed with critical care/mushed pellets or Supreme recovery.

PIggies are hindgut fermenters and due to the increased level of processed carbohydrates baby food contains compared to their normal diet, it can upset the balance of the piggy gut causing/exacerbating bloat or diarrhoea.
(This has happened to me in the past when I have given it to underweight pigs with no gut problems - they have developed mild bloat)

So until your vet has ruled out bloat, please restrict your piggies diet to mushed pellets, water and hay

HTH
x.

Yikes! I didnt know that!
I've allways given that to my piggies when they've had poor appetites as they seemed to like it!

Now I feel awfull, like maybe I was just making them sicker and even worse.. maybe I was basically making them MORE uncomfortable. : (

 

[Pebble]

Yikes! I didnt know that!
I've allways given that to my piggies when they've had poor appetites as they seemed to like it!

Now I feel awfull, like maybe I was just making them sicker and even worse.. maybe I was basically making them MORE uncomfortable. : (

Please don;t beat yourself up.......you did the best you could.and for routine poor apetites then it can work..AND.... you were lucky no gut problems ensued. If you had exacerbated a bloat situation then I'm sure you would have known about it. I too believed that baby food was fine in ALL circumstances....til I tried it!

It is entirely appropriate to post your experience e.g. "when my piggie had x, my vet said y and I did z" ...that is informative and expressing an opinion and the Op can make their own judgement and take this info to their vet....but it is another thing entirely to say with authority "you should do this"...when no dagnosis has been made by a qualified vet.

Hopefully you will now be aware why we have to think (and word) carefully posts made on Health and Illness to other posters that recommend treatments prior to a vets visit/diganosis being made.....as a treatement that is recommended for one condition could actually cause serious harm for another..Also, it is against the vet surgeons act to medicate a piggie without a vets diagnosis/say-so.

I'm pleased to hear your piggies treatment was successful.

x

 

[bekked]

Please don;t beat yourself up.......you did the best you could.and for routine poor apetites then it can work..AND.... you were lucky no gut problems ensued. If you had exacerbated a bloat situation then I'm sure you would have known about it. I too believed that baby food was fine in ALL circumstances....til I tried it!

It is entirely appropriate to post your experience e.g. "when my piggie had x, my vet said y and I did z" ...that is informative and expressing an opinion and the Op can make their own judgement and take this info to their vet....but it is another thing entirely to say with authority "you should do this"...when no dagnosis has been made by a qualified vet.

Hopefully you will now be aware why we have to think (and word) carefully posts made on Health and Illness to other posters that recommend treatments prior to a vets visit/diganosis being made.....as a treatement that is recommended for one condition could actually cause serious harm for another..Also, it is against the vet surgeons act to medicate a piggie without a vets diagnosis/say-so.

I'm pleased to hear your piggies treatment was successful.

x

Yeah, fair enough. I got so caught up in what helped for my piggies I didnt think that it might be wrong for others.
Last time I took a piggie to the vet because he'd just gone off his food, the vet reccomended 'ensure' and feeding him 'sugar water' !
(Perhaps, my vet, is not too good with small animals..?)



Thread starter, I hope your piggie is doing well now