Where People & Piggies Thrive

Newbie or Guinea Guru? Popcorn in!

Register for free to enjoy the full benefits.
Find out more about the NEW, drastically improved site and forum!

Register
  • ONE THREAD per pig please!
    We really want your pig's history all in one place to help you. Please don't start a new thread for a new issue. Just reply to your old one. We can edit the title for you if needed.

Conditions Sam is Squeaking while Pooping

Guinea Pig Papa

Moderator
Staff member
Cavy Slave
Joined
May 12, 2015
Posts
387
Joined
May 12, 2015
Messages
387
Hello all, sorry I have not posted in a while. Sam is still doing okay. He is slowly gaining weight and almost back to 900 grams. However he still has open sores on his balls. They will scab over then reopen and today he had blood on his stool from one reopening again. Not sure what to do as the diaper rash cream takes the scab off if I apply it so I have stopped. Since the sore is by where he pees, it can't dry. Not sure what to do...he squeaks more when he poops now because of the sore. I change his bedding often. Any advice? It is hard to take a picture of it.

View attachment 83646

It IS difficult to see, he almost looks impacted a little in that photo. Could this be the reason that he's been squeaking while pooping all along?
 

Guinea Pig Papa

Moderator
Staff member
Cavy Slave
Joined
May 12, 2015
Posts
387
Joined
May 12, 2015
Messages
387
Surely there must be a PetSmart nearby? I use their All Living Things brand shampoo for small animals. I find it quite satisfactory.

I share your distrust of Kaytee products, but I doubt that Squeaky Clean has changed much. I've used it since Kaytee bought the line and had no problem with it. I haven't gone so far as to compare ingredients in the shampoos. You can probably do that online.


Good to know. There is indeed a PetSmart very close, maybe a 10 minute drive. I still have some Squeaky Clean left, so I haven't looked in earnest yet, but I will be.

Sly could use a bath, but due to his age and frailty, I have to admit I'm afraid to.
 

pigmommy89

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Apr 1, 2014
Posts
984
Joined
Apr 1, 2014
Messages
984
Good to know. There is indeed a PetSmart very close, maybe a 10 minute drive. I still have some Squeaky Clean left, so I haven't looked in earnest yet, but I will be.

Sly could use a bath, but due to his age and frailty, I have to admit I'm afraid to.

From what I can tell, the All Living Things is the same product as "Squeaky Clean". I'm pretty sure they are made by the same manufacturer and just branded as ALT so Petsmart has its own store brand.
 

spy9doc

Well-known member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Oct 9, 2011
Posts
48
Joined
Oct 9, 2011
Messages
48
From what I can tell, the All Living Things is the same product as "Squeaky Clean". I'm pretty sure they are made by the same manufacturer and just branded as ALT so Petsmart has its own store brand.

That's exactly what I thought, but was reluctant to say so because I haven't really investigated it.
 

spy9doc

Well-known member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Oct 9, 2011
Posts
48
Joined
Oct 9, 2011
Messages
48
However he still has open sores on his balls. They will scab over then reopen and today he had blood on his stool from one reopening again. Not sure what to do as the diaper rash cream takes the scab off if I apply it so I have stopped. Since the sore is by where he pees, it can't dry. Not sure what to do...he squeaks more when he poops now because of the sore. I change his bedding often. Any advice? It is hard to take a picture of it.

This type of situation is precisely one of the reasons I had my boys neutered. Sparky had such huge cajones that he couldn't walk......and he wasn't even fully grown. His genitals always smelled even though I cleaned them twice a week. After consulting with the Vet, we decided that it was in the best interest of his health and hygiene to neuter him.

Diaper rash ointment probably won't work in this instance. You need something with a heavy petrolatum base so that it will repel water/urine. I would try Aquaphor or plain vaseline.
 
Last edited:

frotoandsam

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Sep 24, 2016
Posts
112
Joined
Sep 24, 2016
Messages
112
[MENTION=35161]Guinea Pig Papa[/MENTION] - I don't think this is why he has been squeaking all along. The sores are a recent development unless they are inside him where I can't see as well. He does get a little clogged/impacted regularly and I have to help him out. He occasionally poops out a large poop that has three stuck together. I don't know what to do. I've tried changing his diet a little bit by varying amount of pellets and amount and type of veggies but doesn't really result in many changes. What do you think?
[MENTION=19714]spy9doc[/MENTION] - I'm not sure I want to put Sam through surgery when he has already been through so much and is just now getting his weight stable. Frodo has even larger "cajones" but they are less spread out and his poops easily shoot out unlike Sam.

An update is that the sore seems to have gotten a little smaller but it reopened today. I've stopped feeding them green pepper in the evenings as maybe that is making him urinate more and changing the urine chemistry some how. They do miss their green pepper though and I can't stand to only give it to Frodo and not Sam.
 

Guinea Pig Papa

Moderator
Staff member
Cavy Slave
Joined
May 12, 2015
Posts
387
Joined
May 12, 2015
Messages
387
The only thing I could think of is to withhold veggies for a couple of days and see if that helps. Just make sure you give them a vitamin c supplement, to make up for what they won't get in their peppers.
Sly has chronic soft stool, the only way to get rid of them is to completely cut him off veggies. Not easy to do.
 

frotoandsam

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Sep 24, 2016
Posts
112
Joined
Sep 24, 2016
Messages
112
The only thing I could think of is to withhold veggies for a couple of days and see if that helps. Just make sure you give them a vitamin c supplement, to make up for what they won't get in their peppers.
Sly has chronic soft stool, the only way to get rid of them is to completely cut him off veggies. Not easy to do.

Yeah, Sam's stool is pretty soft too. He is in love with his veggies though. Every small crinkle of plastic or open of the fridge and even cabinets sets him off so I don't think I have the heart to cut him off completely. Maybe I will try for a few days though to heal the sore. Thank you.
 

bpatters

Moderator
Staff member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Sep 23, 2009
Posts
29,251
Joined
Sep 23, 2009
Messages
29,251
If you cut him off completely from veggies for at least 48 hours, you can then add them back one at a time, 48-72 hours between each new one, and see if you can isolate one that's causing the problem. He'll survive just fine on hay and pellets for a while.
 

spy9doc

Well-known member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Oct 9, 2011
Posts
48
Joined
Oct 9, 2011
Messages
48
Just some random thoughts here. Have you considered putting the boys on litter for a week and see if that resolves the lying on urine-wet fleece issue (if he is doing that) and permits the area to dry out and heal? The current issue sounds like urine scald that keeps occurring and reopening the sores.

Do you have access to a hydrocortisone ointment that is stronger than the 1% OTC brands? I would use the strongest that you can get your hands on and spread a film of it over his testicles while he is lying in your lap. That way you can monitor him to prevent his licking it off. Give it a chance to absorb, and I then would spread Aquaphor or vaseline over that in attempt to create a water-resistant barrier. Be sure to use ointment and not cream.

I might even use a little of the ointment to do the anal cleanings. If he has some irritation or lesions inside his anus, it should soothe it a bit to reduce his discomfort as well as promote healing. I'm sorry, but I don't remember Sam's age? Neutering is a very save procedure when performed by a competent Vet, but of course I would try conservative measures before surgery.
 

frotoandsam

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Sep 24, 2016
Posts
112
Joined
Sep 24, 2016
Messages
112
Thank you everyone for the advice. I ran out of lettuce today so I did cave and gave him a small amount of pepper...
[MENTION=19714]spy9doc[/MENTION] I don't have that ointment but can look into it. It finally seems to be getting smaller. I have not thought of putting them on litter but that may be a good idea. I was thinking of doing that when I go away for a work trip for two weeks in November. Other people will be watching them and may not be as good with changing the fleece as I am. Since he has been having his problems, he urinates a lot more which really soaks the fleece even though I flip and change out blankets twice a day and wash them all every 4 days.

Sam is probably 1 year and 8 months old... His back is pretty curved now. I'm not sure in the course of when he was sick and the antibiotics that he had scurvy that may have impacted his joints. Sometimes when he is squeaking when pooping, I see the poop tries to come out the skin and not the anal track. I'm not sure if this is because of his posture or he is trying to avoid the sores :/
 

spy9doc

Well-known member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Oct 9, 2011
Posts
48
Joined
Oct 9, 2011
Messages
48
Sometimes when he is squeaking when pooping, I see the poop tries to come out the skin and not the anal track. I'm not sure if this is because of his posture or he is trying to avoid the sores

This is VERY significant information! Have you shared this with the Vet?? This is why he perpetually squeaks......he's in pain. He likely has either an anal fissure or anal fistula. You can easily find information on the Web, but here is just a snippet, and I quote:

An anal fissure is a superficial linear tear in the anoderm that is distal to the dentate line. Anal fissures are often associated with local trauma such as the passage of hard stools, anal trauma, or chronic diarrhea.

An anal fistula is an inflammatory tract between the anal canal and the skin. Evidence suggests that blood flow to the anal canal and internal anal sphincter tone play a role in the development and healing of anal fissures. Decreased blood flow has been described in chronic, nonhealing fissures. Hypertonicity of the internal sphincter may also cause decreased blood flow in the area of a fissure.


(Hypertonicity in this case means that the internal sphincter (circular muscle) is too contracted to relax and permit the easy passage of feces)
 

frotoandsam

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Sep 24, 2016
Posts
112
Joined
Sep 24, 2016
Messages
112
Oh no, what is the treatment? I only recently saw this happening as I was trying to observe more closely.

I have not told the vet this. In Florida, the vet was not very cavvy savy. I am now in Washington D.C. and need to find a good vet. There is a large guinea pig rescue here so there should be some good vets. I'm just traumatized by how the last sequence of vet visits went which I think only made Sam worse and almost killed him.
 

spy9doc

Well-known member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Oct 9, 2011
Posts
48
Joined
Oct 9, 2011
Messages
48
Oh no, what is the treatment? I only recently saw this happening as I was trying to observe more closely.

It might be a surgical repair......but I am not experienced in internal medicine. And, while I know a bit about cavy medicine, my expertise comes with humans. If my theory is correct, Sam has probably been subjected to a lot of medicines that were unnecessary. While this condition may be rare in cavies, remember that there are few absolutes in medicine. If I'm wrong, we'll all learn from Sam's diagnosis.

Try to get a well-focused video of what you've observed. Seeing it in action is one of the keys to a proper diagnosis. I'm sure that a Vet would be interested........and of course I'm interested!
 

frotoandsam

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Sep 24, 2016
Posts
112
Joined
Sep 24, 2016
Messages
112
Okay, I will try. He actually hasn't been doing it as much during lap time. I know medicine isn't an exact or easy science but I felt helpless and taken advantage of during the process.
 

lisa325

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Apr 22, 2016
Posts
710
Joined
Apr 22, 2016
Messages
710
((((frotoandsam)))) I hope you find resolution to his problems real soon. I know that feeling of helplessness, it's heartbreaking and frustrating, and you really are at the mercy of vets, (not all), who can and will take advantage of your love for your pet, therby lightening your pocket book considerably.
 

Guinea Pig Papa

Moderator
Staff member
Cavy Slave
Joined
May 12, 2015
Posts
387
Joined
May 12, 2015
Messages
387
@frotoandsam, all of us here wish you the best. Hopefully you can find a new, amazing vet soon and get Sam's issues resolved. We're all pulling for him.
 

frotoandsam

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Sep 24, 2016
Posts
112
Joined
Sep 24, 2016
Messages
112
Thank you all so much. I don't know what I would do without this forum. I don't think Sam would still be alive without all your sage advice and support.
 

Guinea Pig Papa

Moderator
Staff member
Cavy Slave
Joined
May 12, 2015
Posts
387
Joined
May 12, 2015
Messages
387
Any news on how little Sam is doing?
 

frotoandsam

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Sep 24, 2016
Posts
112
Joined
Sep 24, 2016
Messages
112
He is still doing ok. Some of his sores healed and he maintains a steady weight. I am still looking for a good vet in the area and wary about it. I got a little closer video of him having trouble pooping. Not sure how useful it is. Thank you for checking in

[video=youtube_share;k6nj4Nk4hM4]https://youtu.be/k6nj4Nk4hM4[/video]
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.

Similar threads

C
Replies
26
Views
1K
bpatters
bpatters
GuineaPigParent36
Replies
5
Views
137
bpatters
bpatters
E
Replies
4
Views
350
E
Top