Piggie diarrhea advice

[tyrrel_katz]

We are rookie piggie parents, and it’s our first time encountering wet and runny poo.
We took Bob off fresh food yesterday morning and his tummy seemed to settle by evening, so being inexperienced and soft we gave into his begging and gave him a few sprigs of parsley and a lettuce leaf. But today his poo is even more soft, mushy and even runny at times (it’s hard to say if it’s super runny or just left over muck from his bottom...). Of course today there will be NO fresh veg and greens, but I would like to ask: at what point is it critical to take him to the vet? I regret giving him the parsley so much yesterday. Is it safe to watch him for another day? Or should we rush to the vet? He is otherwise active and eating hay and drinking plenty of fresh water...hope someone can advise, all the info I’m reading varies a lot.

 

[Lady Kelly]

Please keep him off any fresh veg until 24 hours after his poo has returned to normal. When it does please then introduce veggies back one at a time and in small amounts which you can gradually build up. If you have any probiotics it might be worth adding some to a small amount of water which you can offer with a syringe.

How is he behaving otherwise? Are his eyes bright and clear? Is he active and eating/drinking normally?

My only experience of diarrhoea I went to the vet when it continued for several days but as Daisy was bright eyed and otherwise fine we just had to persevere until she was better.

 

[tyrrel_katz]

Thank you, that’s reassured me a little, I’ll stay put for the day and watch him.
Bob is bright eyed and begging for treats and being sassy, so his usual self. Eating and drinking plenty of hay and water.
I’m just worried that I lost out on a whole day yesterday by feeding him greens again too early, and was scared that 2 days of runny poo is dangerous for piggies since I have no experience with this...

 

[Wiebke]

We are rookie piggie parents, and it’s our first time encountering wet and runny poo.
We took Bob off fresh food yesterday morning and his tummy seemed to settle by evening, so being inexperienced and soft we gave into his begging and gave him a few sprigs of parsley and a lettuce leaf. But today his poo is even more soft, mushy and even runny at times (it’s hard to say if it’s super runny or just left over muck from his bottom...). Of course today there will be NO fresh veg and greens, but I would like to ask: at what point is it critical to take him to the vet? I regret giving him the parsley so much yesterday. Is it safe to watch him for another day? Or should we rush to the vet? He is otherwise active and eating hay and drinking plenty of fresh water...hope someone can advise, all the info I’m reading varies a lot.

With any runny poo you should see a vet promptly (i.e. ideally within 24 hours, the sooner the better) because of the dehydration risk the longer you are dealing with runny poos; especially if you are dealing with sheer water coming out of the back end and your piggy is really poorly. If your vet is worried about that they can give a subcutaneous fluid injection.
Please NEVER force any water down a piggy willy nilly in your panic as the water can end up in the lungs and nose if not done carefully.

If your piggy is otherwise still fine in themselves, it is most likely just a minor tummy upset that should settle itself within a few days.
Please take your piggy off any fresh food in order to help rebalance the guts. In a minor tummy upset you should see a noticeable firming up of the poos within 24 hours. If that doesn't happen or if things continue to get worse or problems persist, then please see a vet.
If your piggy is losing over 50g in 24 hours, step in with top up feed by offering extra recovery formula or mushed up pellets.

Here is our emergency, crisis and bridging care information link (worth bookmarking in any case): Emergency, Crisis and Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment

Here are our detailed tips for diarrhea care, including links to support products: Digestive Disorders: Diarrhea - Bloat - GI Stasis (No Gut Movement) And Not Eating

All the best!

 

[Lady Kelly]

Thank you, that’s reassured me a little, I’ll stay put for the day and watch him.
Bob is bright eyed and begging for treats and being sassy, so his usual self. Eating and drinking plenty of hay and water.
I’m just worried that I lost out on a whole day yesterday by feeding him greens again too early, and was scared that 2 days of runny poo is dangerous for piggies since I have no experience with this...

It is scary but likely just a mild tummy upset especially if he's otherwise acting normal. I would start weighing him daily as well to make sure he's not losing a lot of weight and also make sure he has access to plenty of water. I felt mean as I had 3 piggies at the time as Daisy had to be taken out everyday for about a week at veggie time so the others could still eat

 

[Guineapiglover145565767787]

Hi i have a male guinea pig called Jerry he is around 4 years old and I need some advice on his poos he has been doing green soft or mushy poos every now and then he gets them every day but they slowly get more solid he’s acting all fine I just need some advice on what to do.

 

[Claire W]

Hi i have a male guinea pig called Jerry he is around 4 years old and I need some advice on his poos he has been doing green soft or mushy poos every now and then he gets them every day but they slowly get more solid he’s acting all fine I just need some advice on what to do.

Take him off all fresh veg for 24-48 hours just feeding hay, pellets and fresh water and see if that helps firm his poo up

 

[Wiebke]

Hi i have a male guinea pig called Jerry he is around 4 years old and I need some advice on his poos he has been doing green soft or mushy poos every now and then he gets them every day but they slowly get more solid he’s acting all fine I just need some advice on what to do.

Hi and welcome

Please start your own dedicated ongoing support thread in order to avoid confusion and misleading advice by dealing with two different cases at once.

Click on this link, which takes you to the section and then on the big 'post thread' button on the right: Health & Illness

thank you!

 

[tyrrel_katz]

Hey again everyone!

Bob’s poos were finally back to normal yesterday after 48 hours of just hay and pellets, but this morning I noticed a slimy sticky brown clear discharge supposedly from his bum. It’s just a tiny amount, saw it on some hay that he scattered around and on the kitchen floor when he was having his morning run around.
I’ve been googling and can’t get a definitive answer to what this is, some say take him off veg (but he hasn’t been back on veg yet!) and some say it’s blood in the system which terrified me!
I’ve never noticed it before. Could it be something due to him not having fiber via his greens and veg and lack of sugar even?
Other than that, his poos are back to normal yay (maybe slightly more shiny than usual but still hard) and he’s eating, drinking and playing just like before. Any ideas on what this is? I’m so so anxious

 

[Wiebke]

Hey again everyone!

Bob’s poos were finally back to normal yesterday after 48 hours of just hay and pellets, but this morning I noticed a slimy sticky brown clear discharge supposedly from his bum. It’s just a tiny amount, saw it on some hay that he scattered around and on the kitchen floor when he was having his morning run around.
I’ve been googling and can’t get a definitive answer to what this is, some say take him off veg (but he hasn’t been back on veg yet!) and some say it’s blood in the system which terrified me!
I’ve never noticed it before. Could it be something due to him not having fiber via his greens and veg and lack of sugar even?
Other than that, his poos are back to normal yay (maybe slightly more shiny than usual but still hard) and he’s eating, drinking and playing just like before. Any ideas on what this is? I’m so so anxious

Hi!

If things are not OK again after taking him off veg, then it is time to contact your vet clinic for a check.

Since hay is the ideal fibrous food, there is definitely not a lack of the exact fibre that a guinea pig should live on for long term gut and dental health (it is the abrasive silica in the hay and grass that is actually what keeps the vital chewing teeth at the back ground down evenly while the self-sharpening incisors at the front are for picking up and cutting), and a longer life span.
Sugar and starch in any form should feature as little as possible in a guinea pig diet. Too much starchy, sugary veg like carrots, sweet corn and fruit are the biggest contributors to dysbiosis - when the bad bacteria overgrow in the gut because of too much sugar and cause diarrhea or bloat.

The more fresh food, especially the more sugary and fattening veg and fruit your piggies eat, the more you actually cut their life span; overtreating with naughty foods can make as much as 1-2 years difference between the lower and the upper end of the average life span for healthy guinea pigs.

 

[tyrrel_katz]

Hi!

If things are not OK again after taking him off veg, then it is time to contact your vet clinic for a check.

Since hay is the ideal fibrous food, there is definitely not a lack of the exact fibre that a guinea pig should live on for long term gut and dental health (it is the abrasive silica in the hay and grass that is actually what keeps the vital chewing teeth at the back ground down evenly while the self-sharpening incisors at the front are for picking up and cutting), and a longer life span.
Sugar and starch in any form should feature as little as possible in a guinea pig diet. Too much starchy, sugary veg like carrots, sweet corn and fruit are the biggest contributors to dysbiosis - when the bad bacteria overgrow in the gut because of too much sugar and cause diarrhea or bloat.

The more fresh food, especially the more sugary and fattening veg and fruit your piggies eat, the more you actually cut their life span; overtreating with naughty foods can make as much as 1-2 years difference between the lower and the upper end of the average life span for healthy guinea pigs.

Getting a vet appointment is tricky where we are right now due covid19 - they only book in if there is an absolute emergency, and our local vet said that since Bob doesn’t have diarrhea, is pooping, eating, drinking well, and is active and alert, he can’t book us in. It’s just this mysterious slime that I saw this morning (none since so far...) that’s troubling me.
Keeping him on hay and pellets today.