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Please help! Starting to feel hopeless.

avafaghani

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Hey! I don’t know if anyone remembers me but I posted a thread a few weeks ago about my guineas having a possible URI, I got them treated and the vet told me to also cut down on their veggie intake. My poor piggies have been having these stinky, mushy, small poops and I feel so hopeless. I’ve had to go to the vet constantly since June and I just want them to be better, I can’t afford another vet trip and I’m going out of town next week so please help. DEDC3638-9D4A-43EA-A1E1-91E3F9AACD79.webp
 
This kind of poop suggests a gut problem.
Are you feeding them any veg and grass at all now? If so, please cut it all out entirely so allow their guts to resettle. Feed only hay - if I remember rightly, your piggies are on a pellet free diet. You should also give a probiotic to help settle their guts. This could take a few days for poops to normalise. If things don’t normalise after a few days off veg, then they need to see a vet.
However, and it’s a bit hard to tell from the picture, but if that is more diarrhoea like than just soft poop, then they do need to see a vet straight away.

I assume they aren’t taking any medication now and are fully recovered from the uri?

Digestive Disorders: Diarrhea - Bloat - GI Stasis (No Gut Movement) And Not Eating
 
This kind of poop suggests a gut problem.
Are you feeding them any veg and grass at all now? If so, please cut it all out entirely so allow their guts to resettle. Feed only hay - if I remember rightly, your piggies are on a pellet free diet. You should also give a probiotic to help settle their guts. This could take a few days for poops to normalise. If things don’t normalise after a few days off veg, then they need to see a vet.
However, and it’s a bit hard to tell from the picture, but if that is more diarrhoea like than just soft poop, then they do need to see a vet straight away.

I assume they aren’t taking any medication now and are fully recovered from the uri?
Thanks so much for the quick response!

Yes, I’m not giving any pellets and I give lettuce around twice a day but can stop that for sure. Their last dose of medication was last night!
 
This kind of poop suggests a gut problem.
Are you feeding them any veg and grass at all now? If so, please cut it all out entirely so allow their guts to resettle. Feed only hay - if I remember rightly, your piggies are on a pellet free diet. You should also give a probiotic to help settle their guts. This could take a few days for poops to normalise. If things don’t normalise after a few days off veg, then they need to see a vet.
However, and it’s a bit hard to tell from the picture, but if that is more diarrhoea like than just soft poop, then they do need to see a vet straight away.

I assume they aren’t taking any medication now and are fully recovered from the uri?

Digestive Disorders: Diarrhea - Bloat - GI Stasis (No Gut Movement) And Not Eating
How long should I cut out veggies and where do I get the probiotic? Thanks again!
 
Definitely stop all veg and allow their systems to rebalance. they could be off veg for a few days. Don’t give them veg again until 24 hours after poops normalise, and when you do reintroduce, do it very slowly and preferably starting with herbs as they are gentler on the system. If poops don’t normalise/show any improvement after 24-48 hours of being off veg or if the poops get softer, diarrhoea etc, then they need a vet straight away.
There is a guide to probiotics below.
Also, weigh them daily while there are health concerns. This is the only way to be sure they are definitely eating enough hay.
I do need to urge you so speak to a vet though if being off veg doesn’t help within a couple of days. Too much watery poops will mean there is a risk of dehydration etc. We can only advise that the standard advice for soft poop is stop veg and that full diarrhoea is a medical emergency requiring immediate vet care, but ultimately only a vet is going to be able to tell you what is going on and whether they require some other treatment

Probiotics, Recovery Foods And Vitamin C: Overview With Product Links
 
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Definitely stop all veg and allow their systems to rebalance. they could be off veg for a few days. Don’t give them veg again until 24 hours after poops normalise, and when you do reintroduce, do it very slowly and preferably starting with herbs as they are gentler on the system. If poops don’t normalise/show any improvement after 24-48 hours of being off veg or if the poops get softer, diarrhoea etc, then they need a vet straight away.
There is a guide to probiotics below.
Also, weigh them daily while there are health concerns. This is the only way to be sure they are definitely eating enough hay.
I do need to urge you so speak to a vet though if being off veg doesn’t help within a couple of days. Too much watery poops will mean there is a risk of dehydration etc. We can only advise that the standard advice for soft poop is stop veg and that full diarrhoea is a medical emergency requiring immediate vet care, but ultimately only a vet is going to be able to tell you what is going on and whether they require some other treatment

Probiotics, Recovery Foods And Vitamin C: Overview With Product Links
Thank you! I’ll start weighing them, currently on the phone with the vet and they offered VizBiome and Benevac for probiotics. Do these sound like good options?
 
I’ve not heard of vizbiome but Bene-Bac is a commonly used probiotic
Hey! I just gave the first dose of bene-bac so thank you for your help and I’ll keep updating :) I was wondering is it possible for guineas to be over hydrated? I’m giving the Bene-bac through diluted water.
 
one of my pigs is also eating the others poops now.

That’s normal. They eat healthy poops as a way of rebalancing their guts - it’s the natural version of probiotic. If you have a healthy piggy then you can take some of their freshly produced poops, soak them in water and then syringe the water to your poorly piggy. This can work better than a commercial probiotic.
 
That’s normal. They eat healthy poops as a way of rebalancing their guts - it’s the natural version of probiotic. If you have a healthy piggy then you can take some of their freshly produced poops, soak them in water and then syringe the water to your poorly piggy. This can work better than a commercial probiotic.
Hey! So it’s been around two days without food and one dose of a probiotic and this is what the poops are looking like now. What’s the next step?
 

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If they are looking better and its been 24 hours worth of better poops, then you can slowly reintroduce veg (starting with a mild herb such as coriander is advisable)l. If you haven’t had 24 clear hours of good poops, then keep off veg for a bit longer.
hey! Back again, so the poops are definitely looking better, but not 100% like pellets as they're still a little small but this may just be from not having any veggies. I've been giving the probiotic, hay, and vit c, should I start the veggies not with the pretty mediocre poops?
 
hey! Back again, so the poops are definitely looking better, but not 100% like pellets as they're still a little small but this may just be from not having any veggies. I've been giving the probiotic, hay, and vit c, should I start the veggies not with the pretty mediocre poops?

If you feel they are more of a normal consistency, then slowly reintroduce veg - a small amount at a time (literally a sprig or two of coriander for the first day of so, then build it up if all stays well. If poops go soft again, then stop all veg again and see a vet). If you are concerned they are still too soft, the leave off the veg for another 24 hours

In itself, not having veggies should not have made much of a difference to the size of poops - veggies are nothing but a snack and piggies shouldn’t be filling up on them enough for it affect poop size. Hay is the main part of their diet and is the only thing they should eat a lot of - lack of poops is a sign of not enough hay intake (not a sign of lack of veg).
 
Hey! it’s been another day and i’m currently out of town so this is a photo from my brother taking care of them. Still on probiotic, no veg, and vit c. I cant go to the vet for at least five days, the poops look a bit better than they were initially but not great and not as good as the third day. So sorry to drag this thread on but I just want to be extra safe! Thank you so much for everything
 

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We obviously can’t tell the consistency from a picture, but they do still look a little off.
If poops haven’t resolved after a few days off veg, then they do need to be taken to a vet to check there isn’t something else going on. Is there somebody who can take them for you?

Have you been weighing them? Has their weight been ok?
 
We obviously can’t tell the consistency from a picture, but they do still look a little off.
If poops haven’t resolved after a few days off veg, then they do need to be taken to a vet to check there isn’t something else going on. Is there somebody who can take them for you?

Have you been weighing them? Has their weight been ok?
Unfortunately i’ve gone to the vet three times already and my Dad and brother who are currently taking care of them aren’t exactly pro-animals. I could definitely take them when I get home myself but is there anything they could do until then to stabilize them a little more? I’m kinda pissed at this vet because I asked if a probiotic was needed and she said no and it seems that nor the bloat issue was fixed, and their poops and energy are worse. As for weight the last time I weighed them was around two weeks ago.
 
Unfortunately i’ve gone to the vet three times already and my Dad and brother who are currently taking care of them aren’t exactly pro-animals. I could definitely take them when I get home myself but is there anything they could do until then to stabilize them a little more? I’m kinda pissed at this vet because I asked if a probiotic was needed and she said no and it seems that nor the bloat issue was fixed, and their poops and energy are worse. As for weight the last time I weighed them was around two weeks ago.

The only thing that can be done as a ‘step in’ measure is to ensure they are eating enough, and syringe feeding if they aren’t but they need to be weighed every single day where there is a health issue - two weeks ago is too long ago to know what is going on with their food intake. If they aren’t eating enough hay and their weight is dropping then stepping in is essential. You then have to adjust syringe feed amounts and frequencies so that each day their weight maintained. It is a step in measure though and getting the vet to diagnose and treat is the only thing that can be done to cure any problem .
 
The only thing that can be done as a ‘step in’ measure is to ensure they are eating enough, and syringe feeding if they aren’t but they need to be weighed every single day where there is a health issue - two weeks ago is too long ago to know what is going on with their food intake. If they aren’t eating enough hay and their weight is dropping then stepping in is essential. You then have to adjust syringe feed amounts and frequencies so that each day their weight maintained. It is a step in measure though and getting the vet to diagnose and treat is the only thing that can be done to cure any problem .
Okay sounds good. Again i’m not home for another few days but I could have my brother syringe feed them critical care? I’ll make sure to keep an eye on their weight from now on. As soon as I get home I’ll definitely take them to the vet and if their poops get worse I can try to drive home sooner. Does the critical care sound good for now?
 
Okay sounds good. Again i’m not home for another few days but I could have my brother syringe feed them critical care? I’ll make sure to keep an eye on their weight from now on. As soon as I get home I’ll definitely take them to the vet and if their poops get worse I can try to drive home sooner. Does the critical care sound good for now?

It depends on what their weight has been doing - if they are losing weight then they haven’t been eating enough and they do need to be fed critical care but how CC much depends on how much weight is being lost etc. If theyve been gaining weight (and continue to do so), then they are eating enough hay and don’t need support feeding.
 
It depends on what their weight has been doing - if they are losing weight then they haven’t been eating enough and they do need to be fed critical care but how CC much depends on how much weight is being lost etc. If theyve been gaining weight (and continue to do so), then they are eating enough hay and don’t need support feeding.
hey it's me again! I just got home a few ago and Maple has been eating but Ginny definitely is skinnier... I just gave her critical care and will go to the vet asap but what could this be? Should I give more probiotic? I'm so upset at these vets.
 
hey it's me again! I just got home a few ago and Maple has been eating but Ginny definitely is skinnier... I just gave her critical care and will go to the vet asap but what could this be? Should I give more probiotic? I'm so upset at these vets.

it’s impossible for me to be able to guess what it could be - any illness can result in a change in appetite
But yes, weigh them both straight away and continue to weigh them daily until they are better, and step in and syringe feed. As I have mentioned previously, the only way to know how much and how often to syringe feed depends entirely on what their weight is doing. It won’t hurt to give a probiotic.
 
it’s impossible for me to be able to guess what it could be - any illness can result in a change in appetite
But yes, weigh them both straight away and continue to weigh them daily until they are better, and step in and syringe feed. As I have mentioned previously, the only way to know how much and how often to syringe feed depends entirely on what their weight is doing. It won’t hurt to give a probiotic.
Thank you so much for everything. Should I start to reintroduce veggies? Their poops are bigger but still a little greenish and not entirely hard
 
Thank you so much for everything. Should I start to reintroduce veggies? Their poops are bigger but still a little greenish and not entirely hard

Don’t reintroduce veggies yet - things don’t sound stable enough. You need to have 24-48 clear hours of entirely normal poops before you add veg back in. Give veg too soon, or too much too soon and it’ll put you right back to square 1.
Do get them to the vet as soon as you can
 
Don’t reintroduce veggies yet - things don’t sound stable enough. You need to have 24-48 clear hours of entirely normal poops before you add veg back in. Give veg too soon, or too much too soon and it’ll put you right back to square 1.
Do get them to the vet as soon as you can
Will do. Quite honestly pissed because I've been to the vet four times in the last three months and this forum has helped me more than they have. If I do go to the vet are there any medications I should avoid? I know before I got simethicone which ended up being bad.
 
Will do. Quite honestly pissed because I've been to the vet four times in the last three months and this forum has helped me more than they have. If I do go to the vet are there any medications I should avoid? I know before I got simethicone which ended up being bad.

Do you have a different vet you can go to?
Avoiding medications - it’s not possible for me to answer that.
 
Do you have a different vet you can go to?
Avoiding medications - it’s not possible for me to answer that.
There's two in my area and I've gone to both for the same thing :( I feel like a lot of exotic vets unfortunately since the exotic range is so big don't specialize in how sensitive guineas are...
 
Do you have a different vet you can go to?
Avoiding medications - it’s not possible for me to answer that.
Update: I spent the day focusing on the babies and here’s what I’ve gathered:

Maple is pretty stable, she’s eating, pooping large but not really ideal poops, and is pretty active.

Ginny on the other hand has lost over 100 grams compared to a few weeks ago and is not eating without my assistance, acting a bit tired.

I’ve had her out for about two hours and see no poops.. What does this indicate?

I also called the vet and she’s aware of the medications I have at home and said until I can go in to give simethicone and meloxicam to ginny, and cisapride, meloxicam, and simethicone to maple. I also give them vit C daily and a probiotic every other day but today was the last dose. I don’t give any veg or pellets currently, just hay. Please let me know if I’m caught up as much as I can be!
 
Maple - has she lost any weight? If she has, then even though she seems to be eating, monitor her weight, and syringe feed as necessary to stabilise her weight. Either way, weigh her daily to monitor what is happening

Ginny - Losing weight, not eating and no poops is of concern. She needs a hands on vet check. As she is not eating anything for herself then you must syringe feed her around the clock - you will need to aim for 60-90ml of of mushed up pellets or recovery feed in a 24 hour period. Weigh her daily and if she is still loses weight then she needs to be fed more recovery feed. I personally would not give the simethicone because if she does have gas, then simethicone gathers it into one big bubble which causes a lot of pain when it is trying to pass - she needs to be see by a vet if she does have bloat as it is a very serious issue. Probiotics can be given every day

Not Eating, Weight Loss And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
 
Maple - has she lost any weight? If she has, then even though she seems to be eating, monitor her weight, and syringe feed as necessary to stabilise her weight. Either way, weigh her daily to monitor what is happening

Ginny - Losing weight, not eating and no poops is of concern. She needs a hands on vet check. As she is not eating anything for herself then you must syringe feed her around the clock - you will need to aim for 60-90ml of of mushed up pellets or recovery feed in a 24 hour period. Weigh her daily and if she is still loses weight then she needs to be fed more recovery feed. I personally would not give the simethicone because if she does have gas, then simethicone gathers it into one big bubble which causes a lot of pain when it is trying to pass - she needs to be see by a vet if she does have bloat as it is a very serious issue. Probiotics can be given every day

Not Eating, Weight Loss And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
Thank you so much, and no Maple has not lost any weight. I’m gonna try to take Ginny to the vet in the morning! I gave her critical care super often throughout the day although she was being fussy. Is there any substitution for simethicone and what would be the best option for bloat medicine or what to look out for?
 
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