Dental Squishy poo in recovering piggo

[JesseThePug]

This pig has is recovering from a series of ailments. Teeth were deformed and an abcess grew after the surgery, which resulted in loss of appetite and probably because of that, ended with scurvy and weakened leg-muscles. Took me about two months of constant syringe feeding and since a week he's drinking on his own, walking around and looking for snacks. No more pathetic corner-sitting, at last! What a last-resort challenge that was. Still underfed and skinny, though.

Some points I'd like to discuss...
- He's eating mixed guinea pig feed and vegetables/fruits, but no pellets. It seems he suddenly doesn't like the pellets anymore. Might it be that these are still too solid for him, or can these expire by any change?
- His poo is squishy. No solid drops, but more like mud coming out of his ass. "Normal" color (brown/dark/greenish) and quite regular. Weird description, but it just looks like that. Definitely not how it should be. Lack of fibres? Or because I syringe feed him watery (mushy) pellets? Or maybe not enough pellet feeding?

Don't feel like going to the vet just again, as I've been going countless of times already for this case. The pig is doing 10x better than a month ago, only his poo changed for the worse.

 

[Wiebke]

This pig has is recovering from a series of ailments. Teeth were deformed and an abcess grew after the surgery, which resulted in loss of appetite and probably because of that, ended with scurvy and weakened leg-muscles. Took me about two months of constant syringe feeding and since a week he's drinking on his own, walking around and looking for snacks. No more pathetic corner-sitting, at last! What a last-resort challenge that was. Still underfed and skinny, though.

Some points I'd like to discuss...
- He's eating mixed guinea pig feed and vegetables/fruits, but no pellets. It seems he suddenly doesn't like the pellets anymore. Might it be that these are still too solid for him, or can these expire by any change?
- His poo is squishy. No solid drops, but more like mud coming out of his ass. "Normal" color (brown/dark/greenish) and quite regular. Weird description, but it just looks like that. Definitely not how it should be. Lack of fibres? Or because I syringe feed him watery (mushy) pellets? Or maybe not enough pellet feeding?

Don't feel like going to the vet just again, as I've been going countless of times already for this case. The pig is doing 10x better than a month ago, only his poo changed for the worse.

Hi!

Please have your piggy vet checked. It sounds like the teeth could have started to overgrow again or the abscess is returning and your piggy is finding chewing hard food painful, so it has stopped eating evenly. It usually takes several rounds of dentals, ideally as soon as things start growing down to get them gradually normalised. Please cut your soft veg into strips for easier eating and see your vet as soon as possible before Christmas.
Unfortunately, dental issues are often quite a saga. I am currently in the same boat with a boar of mine who has got a jaw abscess brewing, which is not developed enough for lancing.

The soft poos are likely reflecting the lack of dry food. Keep in mind that unlimited hay should make over 80% of the daily food intake but you can control this only by weighing any struggling piggy once daily at the same time instead of the normal weekly weight check.
How
Emergency, Crisis and Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide (includes a chapter on dental guinea pigs and gut support products and information about the amounts/frequency of support feeding in a range of situations)
Weight - Monitoring and Management

Unfortunately our most dental savvy forum savvy member is currently not available for tagging in.

 

[JesseThePug]

Hi!

Please have your piggy vet checked. It sounds like the teeth could have started to overgrow again or the abscess is returning and your piggy is finding chewing hard food painful, so it has stopped eating evenly. It usually takes several rounds of dentals, ideally as soon as things start growing down to get them gradually normalised. Please cut your soft veg into strips for easier eating and see your vet as soon as possible before Christmas.
Unfortunately, dental issues are often quite a saga. I am currently in the same boat with a boar of mine who has got a jaw abscess brewing, which is not developed enough for lancing.

The soft poos are likely reflecting the lack of dry food. Keep in mind that unlimited hay should make over 80% of the daily food intake but you can control this only by weighing any struggling piggy once daily at the same time instead of the normal weekly weight check.
How
Emergency, Crisis and Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide (includes a chapter on dental guinea pigs and gut support products and information about the amounts/frequency of support feeding in a range of situations)
Weight - Monitoring and Management

Unfortunately our most dental savvy forum savvy member is currently not available for tagging in.

Thanks for the reply. I certainly need to keep checking it regularly.

His food intake has been increasing and he keeps eating more and more different types every week. Since the surgery he doesn't eat the Science Selective Pellets, although he does eat the regular mixed guinea pig feed.

I guess it must be the hay. Weird, because he eats fresh grass without problem and even "hard" vegetables like carrots and brocolli.

Overall he behaves fine and "happy" now, only his poo doesn't.

 

[Bill & Ted]

Thanks for the reply. I certainly need to keep checking it regularly.

His food intake has been increasing and he keeps eating more and more different types every week. Since the surgery he doesn't eat the Science Selective Pellets, although he does eat the regular mixed guinea pig feed.

I guess it must be the hay. Weird, because he eats fresh grass without problem and even "hard" vegetables like carrots and brocolli.

Overall he behaves fine and "happy" now, only his poo doesn't.

I think dental piggies often have clumpy poo. Ted has been suffering that up until three of weeks ago, as he had a large ulcer on his cheek caused by a dental spur in November. No wonder he had gone off his hay. He’s eating loads of hay atm and his poo is back to normal. Hay must be quite difficult to eat when your mouths sore, I always give fresh grass

 

[Wiebke]

Thanks for the reply. I certainly need to keep checking it regularly.

His food intake has been increasing and he keeps eating more and more different types every week. Since the surgery he doesn't eat the Science Selective Pellets, although he does eat the regular mixed guinea pig feed.

I guess it must be the hay. Weird, because he eats fresh grass without problem and even "hard" vegetables like carrots and brocolli.

Overall he behaves fine and "happy" now, only his poo doesn't.

Have you tried soft hay or top up feed with a hay based recovery formula? If there is a pain issue in the mouth, this means that a piggy won't want to bite down on hard food, whether that is for picking up and cutting (incisors) or chewing/.grinding down (molars and premolars).
Hay should make over 80% of the daily food intake but it is often the fist food group that is dropped - and the wrong balance between fresh and dry food is reflected in the poos.

 

[JesseThePug]

Have you tried soft hay or top up feed with a hay based recovery formula? If there is a pain issue in the mouth, this means that a piggy won't want to bite down on hard food, whether that is for picking up and cutting (incisors) or chewing/.grinding down (molars and premolars).
Hay should make over 80% of the daily food intake but it is often the fist food group that is dropped - and the wrong balance between fresh and dry food is reflected in the poos.

Would've been a good thing. Just found out the abcess has returned on his jaw, about the same spot.

Not sure if anything else is left, but will go back to the vet on Monday. Probably a dead end if this thing just simply returns (only two weeks after the former abcess wound totally closed up)...

We can cure practically everything in 2019. How can a "simple" inflammation be so devastating?