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Off veggies & possible mild gut stasis

andisafc

andisafc

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
Mar 1, 2024
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Location
Durham, England
Hello everyone, hope you’re all well? I know I only post when we’re having a problem, sorry, that’s down to my anxieties!

Hope people can maybe offer some advice? Bramble suddenly went off his veggies yesterday morning, fine the night before (other than him & his cage mate having a massive hump off). Then when I did the poop pick I noticed that there was next to no poops from him? Popped him in a carrier for a while & there was nothing. He seemed to be eating hay ok? Weight was exactly the same as the week before! So we ended up at the emergency vet’s & they said that he seemed physically ok, soft guts & noises heard. Then he didn’t seem to be eating much after that (he had a serving of critical care with Pro-c & fibreplex mixed in). Rang for advice & another vet was in so they wanted to see him & they couldn’t see anything that shouted at them too but advised seeing our exotic vet the next day & prescribed paracetamol (he has a kidney issue so no metacam) & emeprid.

This morning I found a few clumps of wet poops (as expected from the emeprid) but not much else. His weight was the same thankfully. Ate a tiny piece of little gem & butthead. So off to our vets we went. She did a very thorough check, teeth, neck, etc & found nothing glaring either other than the symptoms described including wanting to eat fabric, cardboard & willow branch.

So we are to carry on til Wednesday with the paracetamol & emeprid. He will eat coriander & parsley & I bought some different hay & he’s had a small handful of that.

Just wondered if anyone had any advice? Do you think poop soup would be a benefit?

Thanks in advance x
 
andisafc said:
Hello everyone, hope you’re all well? I know I only post when we’re having a problem, sorry, that’s down to my anxieties!

Hope people can maybe offer some advice? Bramble suddenly went off his veggies yesterday morning, fine the night before (other than him & his cage mate having a massive hump off). Then when I did the poop pick I noticed that there was next to no poops from him? Popped him in a carrier for a while & there was nothing. He seemed to be eating hay ok? Weight was exactly the same as the week before! So we ended up at the emergency vet’s & they said that he seemed physically ok, soft guts & noises heard. Then he didn’t seem to be eating much after that (he had a serving of critical care with Pro-c & fibreplex mixed in). Rang for advice & another vet was in so they wanted to see him & they couldn’t see anything that shouted at them too but advised seeing our exotic vet the next day & prescribed paracetamol (he has a kidney issue so no metacam) & emeprid.

This morning I found a few clumps of wet poops (as expected from the emeprid) but not much else. His weight was the same thankfully. Ate a tiny piece of little gem & butthead. So off to our vets we went. She did a very thorough check, teeth, neck, etc & found nothing glaring either other than the symptoms described including wanting to eat fabric, cardboard & willow branch.

So we are to carry on til Wednesday with the paracetamol & emeprid. He will eat coriander & parsley & I bought some different hay & he’s had a small handful of that.

Just wondered if anyone had any advice? Do you think poop soup would be a benefit?

Thanks in advance x
Click to expand...

Hi

Yes, poop soup up to 3 times daily (always made fresh).

Keep on weighing daily first thing in the morning and offer extra syringe feed if needed to compensate for a potentially diminished hay intake.

I am keeping my fingers crossed that it will right itself again quickly.

Please keep in mind that it may be a problem outside the gut that is impacting on it rather than a tummy upset. At this stage it is impossible to tell but you and your vet may want to keep it in mind if the problem drags on or comes back.

Wiebke's Guide to Tummy Trouble

Wiebke's Rules: Precise How-to Guidance and Quick Panic Breaker Health Checks
 
I’m sorry to hear this

There is no harm in giving poop soup.

Make sure to weigh him daily (each morning) so you can monitor his hay intake.
Keep offering him the critical care just to make sure his fibre intake definitely stays up.

I hope he is ok
 
Wiebke said:
Hi

Yes, poop soup up to 3 times daily (always made fresh).

Keep on weighing daily first thing in the morning and offer extra syringe feed if needed to compensate for a potentially diminished hay intake.

I am keeping my fingers crossed that it will right itself again quickly.

Please keep in mind that it may be a problem outside the gut that is impacting on it rather than a tummy upset. At this stage it is impossible to tell but you and your vet may want to keep it in mind if the problem drags on or comes back.

Wiebke's Guide to Tummy Trouble

Wiebke's Rules: Precise How-to Guidance and Quick Panic Breaker Health Checks
Click to expand...
Thank you as always Wiebke.

Well I was going to do poo soup but Fozzys aren’t the best typically when I’ve just got him to do some (think he’s eaten the left over veg yesterday).

I’m thinking it is something else causing it? He’s quite lethargic today, he’s definitely eating less hay today. Hiw long would you say that emeprid makes a difference? I can’t see any poops from Bramble since this morning?

Thanks for the links too!

Hope you are well?
 
Piggies&buns said:
I’m sorry to hear this

There is no harm in giving poop soup.

Make sure to weigh him daily (each morning) so you can monitor his hay intake.
Keep offering him the critical care just to make sure his fibre intake definitely stays up.

I hope he is ok
Click to expand...
Thanks very much piggies&buns, might have try later to see if Fozzys poops are better? Got plenty of Pro C & fibreplex.

Doesn’t seem to have popped lately, do you think he could be eating them & I'm missing it?
 
Just wondering if we should have seen an improvement by now? There’s some poo but not very often. He actually put on weight so I’m feeding a bit less today but he’s not interested in veggies that he was being tempted by - coriander. We’ve got another appointment tomorrow afternoon x
 
piggieminder said:
I'm sorry your post got missed yesterday. How did Bramble get on at the vet today?
Click to expand...
Aww thanks, don't apologise. He was prescribed cisapride too as he was a touch bloated as I had worried. He hasn't really improved so he is currently at the vets awaiting bloods, x-ray and ultrasound. I am so worried and cried my eyes out in the car park. They really take over your lives don't they? x
 
The x-rays show that he has bad arthritis in the back knees so the unwillingness to eat seems to be because of that? He is bloating up even though he is on cisapride and metaclop. Does anyone have any advice on dealing with arthritis and not being able to have metacam with his kidneys?
 
I know some members including myself use Johnsons4joints for piggies that are struggling with their joints as it contains glucosamine and chondroitin. It won’t cure it and won’t provide pain relief but it will help to support the joints so it may help in the long term? It would be worth checking with your vet if it suitable for a pig with kidney issues before starting.
I had a bunny with Spondylosis who had a combination of tramadol and gabapentin.
Obviously these aren’t anti inflammatories though…

Maybe ask your vet about Cartrophen injections?
 
Wheekallweek said:
I know some members including myself use Johnsons4joints for piggies that are struggling with their joints as it contains glucosamine and chondroitin. It won’t cure it and won’t provide pain relief but it will help to support the joints so it may help in the long term? It would be worth checking with your vet if it suitable for a pig with kidney issues before starting.
I had a bunny with Spondylosis who had a combination of tramadol and gabapentin.
Obviously these aren’t anti inflammatories though…

Maybe ask your vet about Cartrophen injections?
Click to expand...
Yeah was thinking anything that could help him would be good? Where do you buy it from? Is it the dog liquid?

We are waiting on the blood results before she will add in any other painkiller than liquid paracetamol, though I do have a dosage for metacam if we think he is really struggling? Will ask her about the injections too, thanks!

Thanks very much for your input, it is such a worry with the gut stasis / bloat added in. He was majorly humping his brother on Friday / Sat night and then this episode started on Sunday morning so wonder if he has aggravated his arthritis? x
 
Poor little guy 😕
Yes it’s the dog liquid, we give 0.4ml per kilo of pig. Our girl loves the stuff and laps it up, I know @CTWC has used it in the past with success. I just get it on Amazon!
It would be worth discussing with your vet whether a short course of the metacam may be beneficial on balance, only they would be able to advise whether it was safe though.
I had a bunny who had spondylosis (alongside lots of other issues) who only had one kidney after having her other one removed. Her vet decided on balance that the metacam would be beneficial and she was indeed on it for life.
That may not be safe for you boy though 🤔
It’s so worrying isn’t it? Hopefully his scans/bloods will give you some answers 🤞
 
Wheekallweek said:
Poor little guy 😕
Yes it’s the dog liquid, we give 0.4ml per kilo of pig. Our girl loves the stuff and laps it up, I know @CTWC has used it in the past with success. I just get it on Amazon!
It would be worth discussing with your vet whether a short course of the metacam may be beneficial on balance, only they would be able to advise whether it was safe though.
I had a bunny who had spondylosis (alongside lots of other issues) who only had one kidney after having her other one removed. Her vet decided on balance that the metacam would be beneficial and she was indeed on it for life.
That may not be safe for you boy though 🤔
It’s so worrying isn’t it? Hopefully his scans/bloods will give you some answers 🤞
Click to expand...
I know, he has been through so much (as have we with him, 4 hay pokes this year for instance!).

Thanks, will get some of that ordered as soon as the vet gets the bloods back & I get the ok?

Aww poor bunny, sounds like she had a hard run of things and its a good job she found you!

It really is a massive worry, hardly slept since Sunday plus we have other issues ongoing which doesn't help the stress levels.

Thank you again for your help x
 
I have had piggies in the past and one now with arthritis. If your boy already has kidney problems then Metacam may be considered not suitable but it doesn't seem to affect the kidneys in piggies the way it does in other species. Mine and my vets thoughts on this is that it's better to have a years pain free life with Metacam than 2 years life with pain. It's something worth discussing with your vet. Red and Brillo lived 3.5 years on Metacam, we lost both to other non kidney related conditions at 7 plus years old.
I also use the Johnson's 4 joints for my oldies. I buy it on various on line sites depending where ever is cheapest at the time. I often find offers on ebay.
I am sorry you are going through so much stress and very much hope you get some good news soon.
 
piggieminder said:
I have had piggies in the past and one now with arthritis. If your boy already has kidney problems then Metacam may be considered not suitable but it doesn't seem to affect the kidneys in piggies the way it does in other species. Mine and my vets thoughts on this is that it's better to have a years pain free life with Metacam than 2 years life with pain. It's something worth discussing with your vet. Red and Brillo lived 3.5 years on Metacam, we lost both to other non kidney related conditions at 7 plus years old.
I also use the Johnson's 4 joints for my oldies. I buy it on various on line sites depending where ever is cheapest at the time. I often find offers on ebay.
I am sorry you are going through so much stress and very much hope you get some good news soon.
Click to expand...
I am inclined to agree with you, I hate the idea that he is in pain even with paracetamol? The vet says she wants to wait until the bloods are back but that will be Monday. Aww bless them, that is a great age.
Thanks, I will get that as well for him. I guess it is the bloat that I am stressing about for the weekend.

Thanks for your best wishes x
 
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