Soft long poops

[HillH]

Good evening piggie lovers. My 8 year old Pepsi has a lot of soft long poops and some of them are all piling up and clumping together. She seems mostly herself apart from eating less than normal. Is this something that will pass or do I need to seek vet advice for her

 

[Claire W]

I am sorry that Pepsi is eating less than normal and has stringy poos what a great age she is.

Firstly, please remove all fresh veg and grass from her diet and weigh her daily. If she is losing, she isn’t eating enough hay and you will need to step in and syringe feed her

If her poos do not return to normal within 24-48 hours, you should definitely have her seen by your vet

If her poos become liquid diarrhoea or she becomes bloated or she begins to look off ie puffed up, squinty eyes etc, this is a medical emergency and she will need to see a vet immediately x

 

[HillH]

I am sorry that Pepsi is eating less than normal and has stringy poos what a great age she is.

Firstly, please remove all fresh veg and grass from her diet and weigh her daily. If she is losing, she isn’t eating enough hay and you will need to step in and syringe feed her

If her poos do not return to normal within 24-48 hours, you should definitely have her seen by your vet

If her poos become liquid diarrhoea or she becomes bloated or she begins to look off ie puffed up, squinty eyes etc, this is a medical emergency and she will need to see a vet immediately x

Thank you so much for replying. Her poops only started like this this morning so I’ll add hay and no more veggies and monitor her. She is still loving her cuddles and still chatty

 

[HillH]

My lovely Pepsi. The last of my long living 4 piggies

 

[Claire W]

My lovely Pepsi. The last of my long living 4 piggies

She’s beautiful I love her black face x

 

[Claire W]

Thank you so much for replying. Her poops only started like this this morning so I’ll add hay and no more veggies and monitor her. She is still loving her cuddles and still chatty

Sorry yes, I forgot to mention just to feed her hay and pellets and of course, fresh drinking water x

 

[HillH]

She’s beautiful I love her black face x

Thank you. She’s an absolute sweetheart

 

[Piggies&buns]

I agree with Claire.

Please do step in and syringe feed her a recovery feed or mushed pellets now though. It’s so important you switch from the routine weekly weight checks and instead weigh her daily. This enables you to monitor that you are syringe feeding her enough to stop weight loss. You could be looking at a minimum Of 60ml of syringe feed per day but could be as much as 100ml needed.
Please do remove all fresh food from her diet.

Please do also see a vet. We would say that being off veg can help to settle a mild digestive upset within a few days but given her grand age, and the fact she is noticeably eating less (even though we don’t have any weight loss information) means that I would see a vet asap.

Not Eating, Weight Loss And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre
All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures

 

[HillH]

Sorry yes, I forgot to mention just to feed her hay and pellets and of course, fresh drinking water x

I’ve been cutting her some grass as it’s too cold to go out recently. I wonder if something has upset her as she seems otherwise ok

 

[HillH]

I agree with Claire.

Please do step in and syringe feed her a recovery feed or mushed pellets now though. It’s so important you switch from the routine weekly weight checks and instead weigh her daily. This enables you to monitor that you are syringe feeding her enough to stop weight loss. You could be looking at a minimum Of 60ml of syringe feed per day but could be as much as 100ml needed.
Please do remove all fresh food from her diet.

Please do also see a vet. We would say that being off veg can help to settle a mild digestive upset within a few days but given her grand age, and the fact she is noticeably eating less (even though we don’t have any weight loss information) means that I would see a vet asap.

Not Eating, Weight Loss And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre
All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures

Thank you. I’ll definitely do all of the above as I’ve noticed she hasn’t touched her pellets the last 24 hours. She usually likes to get into her bowl and fling them all over the place, and they haven’t shifted. I’ll take her for a health check tomorrow

 

[Piggies&buns]

Thank you. I’ll definitely do all of the above as I’ve noticed she hasn’t touched her pellets the last 24 hours. She usually likes to get into her bowl and fling them all over the place, and they haven’t shifted. I’ll take her for a health check tomorrow

Pellets are the least important part of the diet and usually one of the last things they stop eating (because they’re easy to eat they continue to eat them long after hay intake has dropped), hay usually being the first thing they stop eating. Given hay is the most important part of the diet, even the smallest reduction in intake has a huge effect very quickly. The fact she isn’t eating pellets could well mean her hay intake has already dropped and could be why her poops have gone soft (lack of fibre).

Do you weigh her as routine normally?

 

[HillH]

Pellets are the least important part of the diet and usually one of the last things they stop eating (because they’re easy to eat they continue to eat them long after hay intake has dropped), hay being the first thing they stop eating. Given hay is the most important part of the diet, even the smallest reduction in intake has a huge effect very quickly. The fact she isn’t eating pellets could well mean her hay intake has already dropped and could be why her poops have gone soft (lack of fibre).

Do you weigh her as routine normally?

Pellets are the least important part of the diet and usually one of the last things they stop eating (because they’re easy to eat they continue to eat them long after hay intake has dropped), hay usually being the first thing they stop eating. Given hay is the most important part of the diet, even the smallest reduction in intake has a huge effect very quickly. The fact she isn’t eating pellets could well mean her hay intake has already dropped and could be why her poops have gone soft (lack of fibre).

Do you weigh her as routine normally?

yes she is usually around 650. She’s always been a teeny piggie. She hasn’t lost yet

 

[Piggies&buns]

yes she is usually around 650. She’s always been a teeny piggie. She hasn’t lost yet

Weigh her again tomorrow morning, and then weigh each morning until she is better. You need to be sure she is eating enough and being syringe fed enough.
Please do see the vet though as if she is visibly not eating as normal, then it is a clear indication she is feeling unwell

 

[HillH]

Weigh her again tomorrow morning, and then weigh each morning until she is better. You need to be sure she is eating enough and being syringe fed enough.
Please do see the vet though as if she is visibly not eating as normal, then it is a clear indication she is feeling unwell

Thank you. I absolutely will. They’re so good at hiding their illness and ours love their cuddles and still purr and chat to us. I noticed last night and tonight thst she curled up on my lap and slept for much longer than usual so she’s clearly not feeling right

 

[Claire W]

All the best at the vet. I hope she is a little brighter today x

 

[weepweeps]

Good luck at the vets. I hope she is soon on the mend

 

[HillH]

All the best at the vet. I hope she is a little brighter today x

Thank you. She is much happier this morning. Chatting away and munching her hay… poops are looking like they’re going back to normal thanks for all the advice last night

 

[HillH]

Good luck at the vets. I hope she is soon on the mend

Thank you. She is masses better this morning

 

[Claire W]

Thank you. She is much happier this morning. Chatting away and munching her hay… poops are looking like they’re going back to normal thanks for all the advice last night

You’re welcome I’m glad she’s feeling better this morning

 

[Posyrose]

Great to hear that she's much better today