Reason For Slightly Pointy Poop?

[BaaaaL]

Hey there!

Our problem is as follows: We have two female guinea pigs, about 8 months of age. A while back, we had problems with some pointed poops, and took them to the doctor, who just suggested cutting back on snacks, and feeding them only hay and pellets. It went back to normal in a week or so. Last week, we again had some problems with abnormally shaped/less poop, and took them to a (savy) vet, who had X-ray and ultrasound done on one of them (whose tummy was a bit sensitive to the touch), but luckily, everything came up negative. She was prescribed meloxidyl for a week, to make sure her tummy doesn't hurt, and we were advised to give them probiotics for a while. We have been giving them the probiotics two times daily from a syringe, but today I noticed that her poop is a bit weird again. It is not extremely pointy, the color and the consistency is perfectly normal, as well as the size, but one end seems to be a tad thinner. Can this be caused by dehydration as well? She is currently in heat, and we have noticed that she usually drinks WAY less than normal when she is in heat. I'm not overtly worried, as she is otherwise fine, and all tests came back negative, but wondering what this could indicate.

Thanks!

 

[Wiebke]

Hey there!

Our problem is as follows: We have two female guinea pigs, about 8 months of age. A while back, we had problems with some pointed poops, and took them to the doctor, who just suggested cutting back on snacks, and feeding them only hay and pellets. It went back to normal in a week or so. Last week, we again had some problems with abnormally shaped/less poop, and took them to a (savy) vet, who had X-ray and ultrasound done on one of them (whose tummy was a bit sensitive to the touch), but luckily, everything came up negative. She was prescribed meloxidyl for a week, to make sure her tummy doesn't hurt, and we were advised to give them probiotics for a while. We have been giving them the probiotics two times daily from a syringe, but today I noticed that her poop is a bit weird again. It is not extremely pointy, the color and the consistency is perfectly normal, as well as the size, but one end seems to be a tad thinner. Can this be caused by dehydration as well? She is currently in heat, and we have noticed that she usually drinks WAY less than normal when she is in heat. I'm not overtly worried, as she is otherwise fine, and all tests came back negative, but wondering what this could indicate.

Thanks!

Hi! Don't be worried, it means that there is the tiniest hint of a tummy issue.
Take her off any fresh veg for a day; that should do the trick.
If you worry about dehydration, offer her water by syringe, but NOT more than she is willing to drink from the syringe; don't push it in.
You can also give poo soup, made by soaking fresh poos from a health piggy in water and then syringing the water. This inoculates the guts with exactly the right bacteria etc. It is mimics natural behaviour.