Post Surgery Poops?

[Chelseaspiggies]

A few days ago my guinea pig had minor surgery for malocclusion. She pulled through completely fine and seems to be recovering well (trying to eat, drinking, taking all her meds). She is on Metoclop, Loxicom and various recovery foods and probiotics. She has passed a few very dry and small poops (maybe three since her surgery 2 days ago) but she is also passing a very stringy mucous occasionally. Does anyone know why this may be?

 

[DM030819]

That's usually a sign that their digestive system isn't working as it should.

You need to start handfeeding her asap to try to get her gut moving again.

You can use products like Critical Care or water their pellet food into mush. Using 1ml syringe with the tip cut off, feed around 60ml at least per day over a number of sittings. I normally find that no more than 10ml will go down in one go if a pig isn't willing to eat.

 

[Chelseaspiggies]

That's usually a sign that their digestive system isn't working as it should.

You need to start handfeeding her asap to try to get her gut moving again.

You can use products like Critical Care or water their pellet food into mush. Using 1ml syringe with the tip cut off, feed around 60ml at least per day over a number of sittings. I normally find that no more than 10ml will go down in one go if a pig isn't willing to eat.

Just this second finished syringe feeding her pellets mushed. She accepted approx 12ml of the mush. She is also nibbling little bits of fresh veggies every now and then but her mouth still seems a little fragile after her surgery

 

[Wiebke]

A few days ago my guinea pig had minor surgery for malocclusion. She pulled through completely fine and seems to be recovering well (trying to eat, drinking, taking all her meds). She is on Metoclop, Loxicom and various recovery foods and probiotics. She has passed a few very dry and small poops (maybe three since her surgery 2 days ago) but she is also passing a very stringy mucous occasionally. Does anyone know why this may be?

It means that their guts are not working properly and, if the poos are very thin and small, that they are not eating properly. Please top up with Syringe feed and stay off veg until the poos have normalised. Contact your vet if the Poos are not firming up and starting to look normal after 24 hours of just fibrous food with added volume via the syringe to prop up the weight. Weigh daily at the same time to Keep an eye on the weoght and Food intake. Hay is making up to 80% of the Food intake, but it is the Food Group that is usually dropped first and that you cannot control, hence the importance of weighing and Syringe feeding, if necessary with mushed up pellets.
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