Impaction signs of aging piggy?

Skippie · Dec 5, 2010

I have a sweet, male pig who turned 4 in June. Right before his 3rd birthday, his brother (they were inseparable) passed away from double kidney failure. This year, right around his 4th birthday,I discovered a lump on his back which turned out to be cancerous and was promptly removed. I believe these events have really taken a toll on him in some ways but am not sure if some things are just from him getting older?

My first question is when is a pig considered a senior pig? Also, what are some of the signs you noticed when your pig started aging? I am a little concerned because he still gets excited about some things but I do not see him popcorning and showing the amount of excitement that he used to. Also, my bigger concern has been with his bathroom habits. He does not have diarrhea but his poops are not like they used to be--always firm, perfect shaped. He now is having a mix of good poops with some irregular-shaped or sort of clumpy poops. I have cleaned out his anal sac with mineral oil and he sometimes gets a very slight impaction but the problem is more with the actual poop instead.
Is this common? No one else seems to be too concerned?

Toadies · Dec 6, 2010

The slowing down and lack of popcorning could be arthritis. As for the poop, the only time my boys had irregular shaped poops was during a course of antibiotics. With that situation, probiotics straightened things out in short order. Is he drinking enough water? Does he still ravish his hay? Not being as active (perhaps because of arthriris), you may need to encourage him to move about more. That will help stiff joints and may help his intestines as well. Check with your cavy savy vet for advice on a possible dose of probiotics.

foggycreekcavy · Dec 6, 2010

The clumpy poops mixed in with the regular ones are most likely cecal poops. This happens sometimes with pigs who are showing minimal signs of impaction.

I've noticed it sometimes happens with older pigs or pigs who aren't as active as they used to be. The fact that he's alone now means he probably doesn't exercise as much as he used to.

Four years isn't really that old. That said, some pigs, because of genetics or whatnot, start to age earlier than others.

Skippie · Dec 7, 2010

He still has his appetite and drinks well also. He isn't alone either..I did adopt another adult male and they get along great. I didn't even think of arthritis as being a possibility. That being said, Ive heard of cecal poops but didnt really know what they were. He still gets out every day and likes to explore..he just doesn't do all the running and popcorning that he used to.
Thank you for the posts..it gives me something more to look into. I just want to make sure everything is ok!

pinky · Dec 7, 2010

If you're really concerned, I'd take him in for a vet visit. Food can cause loose droppings but it can also be a sign of illness. Parasites can also cause a change in droppings. I have a guinea pig that had giarda which is a type of protozoa. She had loose droppings. All my guinea pigs were put on medication as a precaution and all are fine now. Four years old isn't necessarily old. Guinea pigs can and do often live very long lives. I have one I adopted as a five year old. I've had her three years already. She moves slower than she used to and sleeps more. Her fur is thinner than it used to be but she still has a good appetite and gets around fine.

Skippie · Dec 9, 2010

Thank you again. My vet said he is very healthy and complimented his strong teeth! Im still a bit worried and may take him for another check. I just feel that he's a bit "off." I am so glad to hear of your 8 year old pig! I didn't think that my boy was old until I started looking around on here and seeing all the posts for 5 year boys passing away! It scared a bit especially after him having cancer.

You have all been very helpful as I try and figure out whats going on here!

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Impaction signs of aging piggy?

Skippie

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Toadies

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foggycreekcavy

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Skippie

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pinky

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Skippie

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