Diarrhea Diarrhea came back after antibiotic - Guinea Pig Cages, Care, Store, Photos of Guinea Pigs and More Forum!

**danav** · #1 10-12-09, 02:08 pm

Both of our piggies had diarrhea off and on since we got them in July. It was soft/mushy, not watery. I thought it was probably due to changes in diet, and Ginny's did clear up after a while. (Both girls were also pregnant, and gave birth Sept 26.)

Hermione continued to have messy poop, though, so I took her to the vet the week before last. She said her belly felt "doughy" and did a fecal culture, which she said did show a bacterial overgrowth. She prescribed bactrim twice a day for a week.

Immediately (within the first day) Hermione's poop was nice and solid, and none of the piggies had squished poop all over their feet anymore. The whole week was great. She finished her last dose Saturday. By yesterday afternoon (Sunday) her poop had gotten softer again. I've been sprinkling the veggies with acidophilus powder every day and have continued to feed the same diet/same amounts.

I think the vet's office is closed today (Columbus Day) so I'll call tomorrow to ask what she thinks...meanwhile I started the antibiotic again (she had given me extra in case any of their 3 babies or Ginny developed diarrhea as well, which none of them have).

Is this usual, for the diarrhea to clear up while on the antibiotic and return as soon as the pig is off the medicine? Does it mean the antibiotic was not strong enough or not the correct one for the problem? Is restarting the antibiotic the right thing to do? What else needs to be done at this point?

**danav** · #2 10-13-09, 10:59 am

I just talked to the vet, and she suggested I continue the antibiotic for another round and continue the acidophilus powder, and call her if the diarrhea returns again after this round.

She also suggested I give Hermione a little yogurt in addition to the acidophilus powder. I have read that dairy is not good for guinea pigs, though...is this correct? Is there anything else I should be doing?

**akstrohm** · #3 10-13-09, 11:51 am

No, don't give the yogurt. Guinea pigs are lactose intolerant.

It is possible that it will clear up after this round of antibiotics. Or you may need to try a new antibiotic.

Is there another vet you could go to? Since this one suggested yogurt, she is probably not very experienced with guinea pigs.

**clotho** · #4 10-13-09, 01:10 pm

Since your vet told you to give yogurt, which you should never do, you should familiarize yourself with the list of which meds are safe and which are dangerous to give your cavy - just in case you are unable to find another vet:

http://www.guinealynx.info/dangerous_medications.html

**danav** · #5 10-21-09, 04:44 pm

UGH! I had Hermione on the bactrim again for another full week, during which time her poop was totally fine, and this afternoon (two days after her last dose of antibiotic) I just discovered nasty squishy poop AGAIN. I'm so frustrated!

Does anyone have any experience or advice about this? What on earth am I supposed to do - keep her on antibiotics permanently? Is there a different antibiotic that she needs to be on since this one is not taking care of the problem enough to keep the diarrhea from returning once the medicine is out of her system?

**Peggysu** · #6 10-21-09, 04:49 pm

Yes there are other anti-biotics, my biggest suggestion is find a cavy savy vet that is very knowledgeable in guinea pigs. Yogurt is a big no-no. Also a fecal sample isn't always accurate.

**Ly&Pigs** · #7 10-21-09, 04:51 pm

Did you give a probiotic with the Bactrim? Antibiotics won't restore gut flora, usually it's the opposite, they destroy it.

Is it just soft when she goes and then firms up later or does it stay soft? What are you feeding and in what amounts?

**danav** · #8 10-21-09, 05:32 pm

I've been sprinkling about half of an acidophilus capsule over the veggies every day so she is getting that probiotic...although all three piggies are eating the veggies so maybe she's not getting enough acidophilus? I did not give her any yogurt like the vet suggested.

While the antibiotic was in her system, her poop was formed, firm, and easy to vacuum up just like the poop of my other two pigs. When not on the antibiotic, her poop is very soft, so much so that it clumps together in soft piles in the cage and ends up squished all over all the piggies' feet, which of course makes a mess. These soft poops don't really firm up, although once it's smeared on something (like the edge of the pellet bowl) it dries out a little.

I am feeding all three pigs together, so I'm not sure exactly how much Hermione is eating herself but she is definitely getting her share as she's the more dominant one - also one of the three is only 3 1/2 weeks old so she doesn't eat as much of the veggies as the other two. But this is what I feed them:
*unlimited bluegrass hay
*unlimited alfalfa pellets (still have a baby in the cage and Hermione is still nursing her once in a while)
*baby greens mix (various leaf lettuces, chard, arugula, radicchio) - about 1.5 to 2 cups a day
*grape tomatoes - one or two a day
*bell pepper - about 1/4 of a pepper daily
*cucumber - two 1/4-in wide slices several times a week
*celery - about 3-4 inches of a stalk sliced into small pieces, a couple times a week
*baby carrots - no more than one a day per pig, and not every single day
*cilantro - I throw about 6-8 sprigs into the cage most days
*fruit - the occasional small piece of apple, grape, or strawberry top, no more than once a week or so

Any suggestions about what to do next?

**Ly&Pigs** · #9 10-21-09, 07:01 pm

Diet looks pretty good, try cutting out cucumber for a week and see what happens. Cucumber is very watery. You can increase the amount of cilantro. I've been known to feed up to 20 sprigs per pig.

Here's what I suggest to try. Cut out the cucumber for her for a good week. Fix her veggies separately, sprinkle half capsule of acidophilus over each of her veggie meals (I hope you feed twice a day, if not then please do so) and feed her separately. You will most likely have to take her out of the cage and do it but she needs the probiotic where the other two do not. After a week, let me know what is going on please.

**danav** · #10 10-21-09, 09:38 pm

Thanks, Ly - I'll give that a try starting tomorrow. That would give her a lot more acidophilus than she's getting now, so maybe that will help.

I didn't realize they could have that much cilantro - they'll be happy to have more, as they all really love the stuff!

countrygoddess · #11 10-23-09, 11:17 am

Regarding the vet's suggestion of yogurt, out of curiosity I did some research. I found this on the Stonyfield Farm website:

"Bacterial lactase from live active cultures in yogurt survives transit through the stomach allowing digestion of lactose present in yogurt. This enables lactose-deficient individuals to tolerate the lactose present in yogurt in moderate amounts, (8 to 16 oz) with fewer or no symptoms. (New England Journal of Medicine: 310:1-3,1984)."

I know this refers to human beings, but it was just a thought...

**Ly&Pigs** · #12 10-23-09, 03:36 pm

countrygoddess, I'm not sure what the point is you are trying to make with your post?

The reason we don't give yogurt to guinea pigs is because they are lactose intolerant and yogurt has lactose as it's a milk based product.

**Pulsepoint129** · #13 10-23-09, 03:41 pm

My Felix had the runs from his antibiotics as well after we treated him for the start of a respiratory illness.

Our veterinarian didn't send us off with just the antibiotics, however; he sent us off with a large tube of Benebac, which is an EXCELLENT probiotic to feed when a guinea pig is on antibiotics. With the Benebac, his loose stools went away pretty quickly.

**danav** · #14 10-25-09, 03:29 pm

Ly - I just wanted you to know that Hermione has not had diarrhea all weekend! I've been feeding her separately, with an entire capsule of acidophilus sprinkled on her veggies, since Thursday (so this is the 4th day).

And it hadn't occurred to me that she could have had diarrhea after the antibiotics BECAUSE of the antibiotics...I totally forgot that antibiotics can cause diarrhea (at least I know they can in humans). So perhaps the medicine did clear up whatever bacterial overgrowth she had in her GI tract after all, and now with a few days of extra acidophilus plus some time to get things back in balance she's back to normal. I sure hope so!

How long should I keep up the daily acidophilus for her? Is it something all my piggies should get on a regular basis (weekly, for example) to keep them healthier?

**Ly&Pigs** · #15 10-25-09, 04:42 pm

Probiotics are generally only needed when there is a problem or if they are on AB's. Try her for the next few days without it and let me know what happens.

Personally, I find acidophilus better than benebac because benebac has extra ingredients. They are sunflower oil, sucrose, silicon dioxide, dextrose and artificial color. Sucrose and dextrose are forms of sugars.

**danav** · #16 10-31-09, 01:47 pm

Ly - THANK YOU for the advice! It's been 5 days since I stopped the acidophilus as you suggested, and Hermione remains diarrhea-free! I can't tell you enough how much I appreciate your help. :)

**Ly&Pigs** · #17 10-31-09, 03:07 pm

Great to hear. I'm glad I could help.

"Thank you, Ly&Pigs, for this useful post," says:
Grandmar Cavy (10-26-09)