• PLEASE NOTE - the TEAS facebook page has been hacked, take extreme care when visiting the page, for further information visit here
  • Discussions taking place within this forum are intended for the purpose of assisting you in discussing options with your vet. Any other use of advice given here is done so at your risk, is solely your responsibility and not that of this forum or its owner. Before posting it is your responsibility you abide by this Statement

White Stuff On The Poop?

Pampeliska

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
Oct 13, 2017
Messages
38
Reaction score
27
Points
125
Location
Czech Republic
Hello, for a few days I have been noticing that Medi occasionally wheeks a little when she poops. She doesn´t do it all the time but when she does, there is a white stuff on the poop. I wasn´t worried about it at first as I thought it might be excess calcium. However, she seems to have hard time pushing it and the wheeking worries me. Just moment ago she wheeked a little and only the white stuff came out. There is no change in weight, no blood, no lost appetite, the poop is normal and she is very active. What can be wrong?

Thank you for any advice.
 
What's the consistency of the white stuff? Is it sludgy or gritty? If she is wheeking when pooing then it could be a sign she's in pain while going to the toilet- is it every time she poos? I would advise a vet visit to be on the safe side. X I had a strange couple of episodes with Mo who would squeak while urinating. However it wasn't all the time and just happened on/off now it doesn't happen at all and I have no idea what was wrong.
 
What's the consistency of the white stuff? Is it sludgy or gritty? If she is wheeking when pooing then it could be a sign she's in pain while going to the toilet- is it every time she poos? I would advise a vet visit to be on the safe side. X I had a strange couple of episodes with Mo who would squeak while urinating. However it wasn't all the time and just happened on/off now it doesn't happen at all and I have no idea what was wrong.
I would say it´s sludgy but it´t pretty hard to say, since there is not much of it and I have to watch for it, otherwise, it just dries out and I can´t see much. I will try to give her some cucumber to see whether it comes with urine. I am definitely planning on visiting the vet.
 
I would say it´s sludgy but it´t pretty hard to say, since there is not much of it and I have to watch for it, otherwise, it just dries out and I can´t see much. I will try to give her some cucumber to see whether it comes with urine. I am definitely planning on visiting the vet.

It does sound like a calcium deposit that has stuck to her poo but yes I agree a quick vet check up wouldn't hurt. What veg do you feed her regularly? It could just be her diet needs adjusting a tad and the deposits will stop. I hope she gets better in time to meet her new friend. Give her an extra it of cucumber on me! Haha x
 
it could be calcium stuck to your poos. It may however be worth having her checked out for urinary tract problems.
Alternatively, it could be related to issues with the womb/ovarian cysts.
Only a vet can tell after a thorough examination. You may want to collect some of the affected poos to show.

Please also review your diet and see whether it is too high in calcium, which can promote the formation of bladder sludge and/or stones. Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diet
 
Thank you Wiebke and Jesse. Quick update: it seems to go with the pee not with the poo and its more yellowish, maybe even gritty now that I looked closer and there is just like one drop of it each time. This time of year i feed her mostly carrots, peppers, some cucumbers and sometimes celery. I really really hope is nothing bad, because I am crazily worried after Pampi.
 
Thank you Wiebke and Jesse. Quick update: it seems to go with the pee not with the poo and its more yellowish, maybe even gritty now that I looked closer and there is just like one drop of it each time. This time of year i feed her mostly carrots, peppers, some cucumbers and sometimes celery. I really really hope is nothing bad, because I am crazily worried after Pampi.

Milky/opaque pee means that excess calcium is normally excreted. Unless you see it on a near daily basis, there is nothing to worry about it. It dries to a powdery whiteish substance on any fabric. If your pee is dyed from veg, it is of course reflecting this when drying.

Hard gritty bits in the pee or in a dried puddle indicate crystals in the bladder and need to be vet checked. Most pain when pooing is related to the urinary tract.
 
More than likely calcium but always wise to get a vets opinion :tu:
 
So, I called the vet and we are going to see her on friday morning, she is operating tomorrow and so far it does not seems to be life threatening. Until then she advised us to give Medi plenty of water as we think it might be bladder sludge. I wanted to ask you - I have some natural cranberry juice from the bio shop without any added sugar or anything else. Do you think little bit of that put into the water would be alright? I read this advice somewhere but I am not sure what to think about it.
 
So, I called the vet and we are going to see her on friday morning, she is operating tomorrow and so far it does not seems to be life threatening. Until then she advised us to give Medi plenty of water as we think it might be bladder sludge. I wanted to ask you - I have some natural cranberry juice from the bio shop without any added sugar or anything else. Do you think little bit of that put into the water would be alright? I read this advice somewhere but I am not sure what to think about it.

Yes, you can give about half cranberry juice/half water provided your guinea pig likes it - by far not all piggies do! there is still a fair amount of sugar even in no added sugar cranberry juice. When syringing water, rather have a session once or twice daily where you offer your guinea pig as much water as it will accept in order to encourage it to make one larger pee. Please never force a guinea pig to drink when it doesn't wat to and be very careful never to syringe more water than it can hold in its mouth (ca. 0.3 - 0.5 ml, i.e. 1/3 - 1/2 of a small syringe) to prevent it from going into the lungs and nose. Wait until it has swallowed the previous lot before you give more. You may not get as far as 10 ml in one session with your piggy; a fair number won't take as much.
If bladder sludge has built up, syringing extra water will not cure the problem, nor will cranberry juice. In my own experience, cranberry juice has never made any difference in the several guinea pigs I have tried them with. We have dropped it from our recommendations several years ago as one of things that have made the rounds but have not stood the test of time.

What can help to protect the bladder is glucosamine (ideally vegetarian or vegan glucosamine) or a glucosamine based cat bladder food supplement. The bladder wall has a natural glucosamine coat. It is usually getting rather irritated inflamed from the constant sloshing around from stone or sludge, especially the painful pressure when peeing. The supplement (it is classed as a food supplement and not as a medication and is prescription-free) does help with supporting the bladder. It is being sold in the UK as cystease.
 
Yes, you can give about half cranberry juice/half water provided your guinea pig likes it - by far not all piggies do! there is still a fair amount of sugar even in no added sugar cranberry juice. When syringing water, rather have a session once or twice daily where you offer your guinea pig as much water as it will accept in order to encourage it to make one larger pee. Please never force a guinea pig to drink when it doesn't wat to and be very careful never to syringe more water than it can hold in its mouth (ca. 0.3 - 0.5 ml, i.e. 1/3 - 1/2 of a small syringe) to prevent it from going into the lungs and nose. Wait until it has swallowed the previous lot before you give more. You may not get as far as 10 ml in one session with your piggy; a fair number won't take as much.
If bladder sludge has built up, syringing extra water will not cure the problem, nor will cranberry juice. In my own experience, cranberry juice has never made any difference in the several guinea pigs I have tried them with. We have dropped it from our recommendations several years ago as one of things that have made the rounds but have not stood the test of time.

What can help to protect the bladder is glucosamine (ideally vegetarian or vegan glucosamine) or a glucosamine based cat bladder food supplement. The bladder wall has a natural glucosamine coat. It is usually getting rather irritated inflamed from the constant sloshing around from stone or sludge, especially the painful pressure when peeing. The supplement (it is classed as a food supplement and not as a medication and is prescription-free) does help with supporting the bladder. It is being sold in the UK as cystease.

Thank you Wiebke, last two weeks I feel like you are my guinea pig guardian angel!
 
Update: So, we have been fighting whatever it is for almost three weeks now. It seems that there is definitely sludge and some proteins in urine and Medi has been on antibiotics for the whole time. She also got some gel that is helping to prevent bladder stones (after few days she just hates it now). She is eating and not loosing weight (thankfully) but is seems the illness is getting on her mood. She is more passive and my big worry is that she doesn´t want to drink. We are doing with cucumber and today even some syringe drinking because her pee is really dark a her poo is very small and dry - light browniish even. My biggest worry is that is doesn´t seem to be getting much better, maybe antibiotics might have some side effects... Anyway, the new friend that we got her will have to go back to her previous home. The introduction was quite hard on Medi and did not went well at all, so after few days of struggle I decided to cancel friend searching until Medi will get better. Meanwhile, any experience with very small and very dry poo is greatly appreciated...
 
Back
Top