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Soft Poos

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Anita

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I am sure this question has been asked 100's of times but so far most of the posts I am trawling through are for diarrhea.

One of my pigs seems to have a very sensitive tummy and anytime there is a change in diet he gets big soft poos, not runny but soft and what look like cow pats! His poos are never hard like all the other pigs and are always on the softer side which I find odd. I am currently weaning them all over to a different pellet as its cheaper and I am splitting the cost with sister-in-law as it comes in 30kg orders. Today I have noticed these big soft mushy poos again and earlier he did one that was half formed and half soft with a little bit of mucous on it. I had to clean both piggies feet as they had been stepping in it and there was a smell to it.

Shall I give Immodium or Buscopan to help settle his tum. I have started the probiotic in the water but don't want this to get any worse and turn to full blown diarrhea. I had to stop giving him Timothy Orchard Grass which he loves as he was forever leaving cow pats all over the place, I think it was just too rich for him which is such a shame as they all love it.

Any help appreciated.

Forgot to ask .... I have immodium in the house but its capsules, do you just break the capsule and put the powder in water when giving that to pigs. I also have Buscopan in the guinea medi kit but its says its for IBS .. is that the right stuff?
 
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He is eating and drinking fine and is still trying to chase the girls so seems o.k. in himself.
 
Hi Anita, it does sound like he could 'just' have a very sensitive tum, but there are other things to rule out as well. Has he ever been wormed (treated for intestinal parasites, a common cause of the cow patty poops you describe) with Ivomec and Panacur/Valbazen?

Does he eat a good amount of any hay? A fibre-rich diet would be good for him, fine to be almost entirely hay and grass based with a dry good and a select few, nutritious veggies. Herbs may be worth a try - coriander, parsley, dill etc. High sugar foods may be more likely to upset his tummy so things like fruits and peppers would be ones to either give in very small amounts or not at all.

If you can get hold of them, corn husks and silks would be good ones to try, I *think* they're nice fibre rich foods.
 
Forgot to add, if you wish to give something to help then Imodium would probably be the better choice, although I've not given anything for dietary-related soft poops and it has improved drastically within a couple of days on a fibre-rich diet.

The right Buscopan is the one for IBS, yes.
Unfortunately I can't remember the correct dose for the Imodium (I only remember the dosage for Instant Melts, not the capsules) and have to run now but will check back on that later for you.
 
Thanks Laura, I do keep him on a mainly hay and pellet diet with select veg as I don't want to upset him. I also give him a daily tablet of vitamin C made for small animals which he sees as a treat! I give Western Timothy Hay which I get from the Hay Experts but had to stop the Orchard Grass.

I am also trying to source some Flax bedding as he currently lives on Profleece but these constant soft poos make for a very dirty fleece and a nightmare to wash! Not to mention that when they step in them they mush into their feet which I have to wash regularly.

Not sure where I will find the corn husks and silks.
 
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