Poop Analysis Please (poop Picture)

[Mali's Mum]

Hi all, as I posted yesterday my Aspen has been fussy about her food- (I gave her a bit off broccoli tonight she nibbled it for 10 seconds and went back to eating her cardboard tube, which I've now removed as eating cardboard can't be good for her can it?

I noticed her poop isn't quite right- could she have an upset tummy or something that's putting her off her food?

Sorry to post a pic of poop but you guys know more than me what's normal- got an appointment at the vets tomorrow morning but I'm guessing they will say just keep an eye on her as she is still eating!

Poop picture from today...



Bless her she wheeks for food but then doesn't seem to want it!

Thanks all xx

 

[gus+walter]

Hi all, as I posted yesterday my Aspen has been fussy about her food- (I gave her a bit off broccoli tonight she nibbled it for 10 seconds and went back to eating her cardboard tube, which I've now removed as eating cardboard can't be good for her can it?

I noticed her poop isn't quite right- could she have an upset tummy or something that's putting her off her food?

Sorry to post a pic of poop but you guys know more than me what's normal- got an appointment at the vets tomorrow morning but I'm guessing they will say just keep an eye on her as she is still eating!

Poop picture from today...

View attachment 14228

Bless her she wheeks for food but then doesn't seem to want it!

Thanks all xx

Have you checked her teeth? Usually when their poops get a little tail like that it means they're not eating enough or not getting enough nutrients and obviously she is hungry but won't entertain her veg. Try chopping it up really small and see if she eats a bit more of it.

 

[Mali's Mum]

Have you checked her teeth? Usually when their poops get a little tail like that it means they're not eating enough or not getting enough nutrients and obviously she is hungry but won't entertain her veg. Try chopping it up really small and see if she eats a bit more of it.

The kind people on here suggested it's probably her teeth

The vet will probably say the same thing tomorrow. Her top and bottom teeth look normal but obviously I can't really see her molar. Hopefully they can do something x

 

[gus+walter]

The kind people on here suggested it's probably her teeth

The vet will probably say the same thing tomorrow. Her top and bottom teeth look normal but obviously I can't really see her molar. Hopefully they can do something x

I'll keep my fingers crossed x

 

[Mali's Mum]

I'll keep my fingers crossed x

Thanks very much x

 

[helen105281]

The poos indicate that the gut transit is being affected by something. Hope you get some answers at the vets tomorrow.

 

[Mali's Mum]

The poos indicate that the gut transit is being affected by something. Hope you get some answers at the vets tomorrow.

I did wonder if something was bothering her. She loves chewing her cardboard tunnel but I see cardboard it in her poop (not sure if I even would).

Maybe I will take her off veggies for a few days? I have given her some of her Burgees nuggets as I know she prefers them to Bunny and she has eaten a good few of them.

She's also had a bit of cucumber, lettuce and a bit of green pepper, with lots of hay today so I'm not sure what it could be?

Hubby is taking her tomorrow so I have written him a list of questions... Men just don't ask the same questions as us mums!

 

[sport_billy]

Nice one on the questions, always paid to be prepared. Please let us know how she gets on

 

[Mali's Mum]

Nice one on the questions, always paid to be prepared. Please let us know how she gets on

I will - thank you for being so kind! X

 

[helen105281]

You could do but I would say that would be more necessary if her poos were runny. They just look pointy to me, are they quite wet?

You could also give her some probiotics.

 

[Mali's Mum]

You could do but I would say that would be more necessary if her poos were runny. They just look pointy to me, are they quite wet?

You could also give her some probiotics.

Some of them can be but is not diarrhoea. There vet bed has some funny brown marks on it though.



Her urine is also quite dark.
I've started on the probiotics in her water. Is there a better kind you recommend? X

 

[helen105281]

I always use Avipro Plus but I don't put it in their water, I syringe it instead.

The marks could be because they are slightly wet.

 

[Mali's Mum]

Will get some of that then. Is it just one syringe a day? X

 

[helen105281]

I tend to do at least 5ml. What brand are you using, it may be ok?

 

[Mali's Mum]

I tend to do at least 5ml. What brand are you using, it may be ok?

Just the ProC probiotic from pets at home- as that's what came with Mali- is it better to syringe them with some everyday?

Hubby arrived home with some fresh parsley and Mint for them. She scoffed her share and fought Mali for his- that's more like the piggie I know!

 

[helen105281]

That's a good sign.

Pro C is not bad, made by the same company as Avipro. Yes it is better to syringe it.

 

[Mali's Mum]

Great will try that in future! Thank you for being a star as always!

Much appreciated x

 

[Pebble]

The small dry poops show the gut is not moving properly and that her food intake is very low.

Bear in mind their food intake each day should have 80% hay so it looks like she is not eating the fibre. If she will eat veggies (try cutting up into little tiny strips and using softer veg such as cucumber and lettuce - also grass as it;s softer than hay) then keep feeding them to her as anything is better than nothing. If she wants the cardboard tube then let her eat it (which suggests this may NOT be a dental problem as primary cause)
Do, however, be on the look out for gas/bloat development as when the gut isn;t moving, veggies can provide a great food source to generate gas by the bugs in the gut

It is important tomorrow that the vet gives you some drug motility meds for her for the next few days (cisapride or metoclopromide or emeprid.....plus zantac). You will also need to syringe feed her (or get her to eat off a spoon) at least 120ml over a 24hour period to help keep her guts moving with fibre (ie mushed pellets). I'm guessing that pain relief will also be necessary. Obviously once the "supportive care" has been determined, the vet also needs to find out what has actually caused the gut problem/lack of fibre intake in the first place (usually associated with pain from an underlying condition which could be teeth or urinary or something else).

I hope you get a definitive diagnosis and she can get the neds she needs to make a full recovery.
HTH
x

 

[Mali's Mum]

The small dry poops show the gut is not moving properly and that her food intake is very low.

Bear in mind their food intake each day should have 80% hay so it looks like she is not eating the fibre. If she will eat veggies (try cutting up into little tiny strips and using softer veg such as cucumber and lettuce - also grass as it;s softer than hay) then keep feeding them to her as anything is better than nothing. If she wants the cardboard tube then let her eat it (which suggests this may NOT be a dental problem as primary cause)
Do, however, be on the look out for gas/bloat development as when the gut isn;t moving, veggies can provide a great food source to generate gas by the bugs in the gut

It is important tomorrow that the vet gives you some drug motility meds for her for the next few days (cisapride or metoclopromide or emeprid.....plus zantac). You will also need to syringe feed her (or get her to eat off a spoon) at least 120ml over a 24hour period to help keep her guts moving with fibre (ie mushed pellets). I'm guessing that pain relief will also be necessary. Obviously once the "supportive care" has been determined, the vet also needs to find out what has actually caused the gut problem/lack of fibre intake in the first place (usually associated with pain from an underlying condition which could be teeth or urinary or something else).

I hope you get a definitive diagnosis and she can get the neds she needs to make a full recovery.
HTH
x

Thank you very much!

She is scoffing away on mint and parsley just now- the best I've seen her eat in weeks! I'll put a lot of fresh hay beside her bed to encourage her to eat it. She's not lost any weight which I hope is a good sign.

I'll explain all this to our vet- I suspected she had a upperrespiratory infection a few weeks back but she has shown no more symptoms of it x

 

[Pebble]

I'm relieved to hear she hasn;t lost weight - that is a good sign - Although it also poses a quandary as to why she has lowered her food intake some 24hrs previous to the picture you took. At the tiem you took the photo, her gut was still moving, albeit slowly, However the very small size poos indicate it may slow down dramatically over the next 24hours and her output will be minimal or look like airgun pellets - (this is why I think she needs gut meds prescribed tomorrow rather than a "wait and see" approach) Please monitor her poo appearance and output tomorrow morning before going to the vet and take samples in.

When my pigs are poorly and have gut problems they "tell me" by going for the "weird fibrous stuff" such as cardboard or the newspaper that lines their cages,...or the cotton threads on my jumper! Some will even eat the carpet!

Any poorly pigs are put on incontinence pads/fleece to monitor poo/wee output and I provide them with torn up plain white kitchen roll to satisfy their cravings...plus any type of yummy hay and forage i can get my hands on!

The "Pebble buffet" for gut pigs consists of
Timothy hay
Dobby's fine meadow hay.
Dandelion Delight and Plantain & Clover mix dried forage (woodlands)
Readigrass
Fresh grass
Fresh dandelions
Grated carrot
Cucumber batons
I leave out fresh leafy greens/peppers etc as these can irritate a poorly moving gut.

Most importantly however - they get syringe feeding every 4-6hours of their favourite mushed/homogenised pellets with probiotics (and sometimes a bit of Ellas organic carrot parsnip and apple baby food added in)
x

 

[Mali's Mum]

I'm relieved to hear she hasn;t lost weight - that is a good sign - Although it also poses a quandary as to why she has lowered her food intake some 24hrs previous to the picture you took. At the tiem you took the photo, her gut was still moving, albeit slowly, However the very small size poos indicate it may slow down dramatically over the next 24hours and her output will be minimal or look like airgun pellets - (this is why I think she needs gut meds prescribed tomorrow rather than a "wait and see" approach) Please monitor her poo appearance and output tomorrow morning before going to the vet and take samples in.

When my pigs are poorly and have gut problems they "tell me" by going for the "weird fibrous stuff" such as cardboard or the newspaper that lines their cages,...or the cotton threads on my jumper! Some will even eat the carpet!

Any poorly pigs are put on incontinence pads/fleece to monitor poo/wee output and I provide them with torn up plain white kitchen roll to satisfy their cravings...plus any type of yummy hay and forage i can get my hands on!

The "Pebble buffet" for gut pigs consists of
Timothy hay
Dobby's fine meadow hay.
Dandelion Delight and Plantain & Clover mix dried forage (woodlands)
Readigrass
Fresh grass
Fresh dandelions
Grated carrot
Cucumber batons
I leave out fresh leafy greens/peppers etc as these can irritate a poorly moving gut.

Most importantly however - they get syringe feeding every 4-6hours of their favourite mushed/homogenised pellets with probiotics (and sometimes a bit of Ellas organic carrot parsnip and apple baby food added in)
x

Wow that's great- hopefully this will get her on the mend. I'm hoping it is just a gut problem that we can fix instead of teeth issues. I'll do a quick dash to the pet shop tomorrow and get your buffet supplies! She's eating her pellets willingly for now.

She has been eating a lot of cardboard, her puppy pads and towels- which suggests her teeth can't be bad. Sounding more like an upset tummy to me.

She is poong lots- some normal and some strange ones.

Thank you for being so helpful x

 

[Mali's Mum]

Interestingly I have her some kitchen roll and some grated carrot and she is eating the kitchen roll!

 

[Mali's Mum]

Nice one on the questions, always paid to be prepared. Please let us know how she gets on

I'm relieved to hear she hasn;t lost weight - that is a good sign - Although it also poses a quandary as to why she has lowered her food intake some 24hrs previous to the picture you took. At the tiem you took the photo, her gut was still moving, albeit slowly, However the very small size poos indicate it may slow down dramatically over the next 24hours and her output will be minimal or look like airgun pellets - (this is why I think she needs gut meds prescribed tomorrow rather than a "wait and see" approach) Please monitor her poo appearance and output tomorrow morning before going to the vet and take samples in.

When my pigs are poorly and have gut problems they "tell me" by going for the "weird fibrous stuff" such as cardboard or the newspaper that lines their cages,...or the cotton threads on my jumper! Some will even eat the carpet!

Any poorly pigs are put on incontinence pads/fleece to monitor poo/wee output and I provide them with torn up plain white kitchen roll to satisfy their cravings...plus any type of yummy hay and forage i can get my hands on!

The "Pebble buffet" for gut pigs consists of
Timothy hay
Dobby's fine meadow hay.
Dandelion Delight and Plantain & Clover mix dried forage (woodlands)
Readigrass
Fresh grass
Fresh dandelions
Grated carrot
Cucumber batons
I leave out fresh leafy greens/peppers etc as these can irritate a poorly moving gut.

Most importantly however - they get syringe feeding every 4-6hours of their favourite mushed/homogenised pellets with probiotics (and sometimes a bit of Ellas organic carrot parsnip and apple baby food added in)
x

Hi both,

Hubby back from the vets with her.

She ate everything we have given her today plus her nuggets so I thought all might be well.

Our Guinea Pig vet Glenn, had a small look at her mouth (she hated it and didn't let him see much) but he is sure he saw some uneven molars
He said if it is we have aught it quickly as she is still eating but he wants to knock her out on Monday morning to have a closer look - poor soul!

We've been sent away with soluble food to syringe feed her and probiotic etc etc to keep her gut moving.

She has put on weight since the last time Glenn saw her which is good.

He said best case scenario is oral thrush -but who knows.

Glad she is getting the help she needs though!

 

[sport_billy]

Is that Glenn at Apex? He is a very good vet I have heard, I know @flintstones uses him.

Lots of healing vibes and fingers crossed for Monday. He is in the best of hands x

 

[Mali's Mum]

Is that Glenn at Apex? He is a very good vet I have heard, I know @flintstones uses him.

Lots of healing vibes and fingers crossed for Monday. He is in the best of hands x

Yeah, Glenn at Apex is great. He's not too sure what's wrong but I'm sure he will get to the bottom of it.

Event though she is eating- he gave her food type stuff to give her the best possible change under GA.

X X X X

 

[Pebble]

Oh good - not so concerned now I know you see Glenn as he is great with toofie piggies! Also good to hear she is still tucking into food.
Keep an eye on poo output over the weekend just in case..and try and get as much syringe food as you can to build up her strength - aim for 20-30ml 4x a day (you could also try putting mushed pellets in a bowl and if she isn;t using the water bottle put a bowl of water in as well.)
x

 

[Mali's Mum]

Oh good - not so concerned now I know you see Glenn as he is great with toofie piggies! Also good to hear she is still tucking into food.
Keep an eye on poo output over the weekend just in case..and try and get as much syringe food as you can to build up her strength - aim for 20-30ml 4x a day (you could also try putting mushed pellets in a bowl and if she isn;t using the water bottle put a bowl of water in as well.)
x

Aww thank you!

Would I only put the mushed pellets in if she stops eating her normal ones?

She's crunching away on them just now lol

xx

 

[Pebble]

It;s always a difficult call - just because a guinea pig ia eating doesn't mean they are eating ENOUGH each day. My concern is that the poos in your photo indicate she is (was) not eating enough at some point. As Glenn suspects toofie problems (or oral thrush) - eating is clearly uncomfortable for her so it won;t hurt to put in a "Buffet" of everything so she can eat what she prefers and what she finds easiest.
x

 

[flintstones]

@sport_billy yes we still use Glenn. He's did quite a few dentals for my lot.

Hopefully your little one picks up soon! :-)

 

[Mali's Mum]

@sport_billy yes we still use Glenn. He's did quite a few dentals for my lot.

Hopefully your little one picks up soon! :-)

Thanks - she's acting as normal today. Poop is better and she's nibbling more. Only thing concerning me that her urine looks normal when it's fresh but it's drying bright orange . Quite alarming when you first see it. I've read up that it could be a few things, so will have to tell Glenn on Monday x x x