Diarrhea Essy's Medical Thread

[PiggieLove13]

Hi everyone, I recently got a female 5-7 year old piggy named Essy. I got a 2x4(56 in by 28 in) c&c cage. It also has a hay loft. The two are separated and spend an hour a day together. I noticed today that essy's poo is sort of 'mushed' together and is waterier. I was horrified to see her bottom with pee and some poo stuck to her. I wiped her clean. I am planning on using just towels for her and no fleece so she doesn't stain it. I also doubled the vitamin C dosage to her pellets. Does anyone know what it could be? She is slightly fat. She is drinking & eating fine. She also has been chewing on her 'log' lately, so she seems ok for now.

 

[mdodge]

Re: Older Guinea Pig with Diarrhea

It could be from a change in diet what was her diet before you got her?

 

[bpatters]

Re: Older Guinea Pig with Diarrhea

You don't have to worry about the fleece being stained. I'd worry far more about her ingesting the towel threads.

What kind of log? Some of those things are glued together with sugar and/or molasses, either of which can cause a GI upset.

The standard procedure when a pig has soft/runny poop is to immediately take them off all fruits and vegetables and feed only hay and pellets for 24-48 hours. If it doesn't clear up by then, or if it gets worse, you need a vet visit.

If it does clear up, then add vegetables back one at a time, 24-48 hours between each new one. That way, if one particular food is causing it, you can tell which one it is and remove it from her diet.

 

[PiggieLove13]

Re: Older Guinea Pig with Diarrhea

Her diet was timothy hay and oxbow pellets. It cleared up two days after I noticed it. I use Snak Shak logs. I stopped giving her treats for a few days and that did the trick. I'll try added a few at a time again. It was probably a change in her diet. Maybe I fed her a new fruit or veggie? I've given her carrots, some apple, lettuce and a grape slice. She absolutely LOVES carrots. Thanks for the help and sorry I couldn't write back sooner. I've also noticed that her voice is hoarse when she tried to squeak. She gets plenty of water. I heard her sort of 'grunting' when she was breathing. I haven't heard the odd breathing today though. Any thoughts?

 

[bpatters]

Re: Older Guinea Pig with Diarrhea

Snak Shak logs are extremely sweet, and should be thrown out. Maybe the birds will like them.

Don't overdo carrots or fruit. Her diet, as you've listed it, is too high in sugar. Guinea pigs are not engineered to process sugar, as it does not occur at all in their natural diets. See https://www.guineapigcages.com/foru...vy-Nutrition-Charts-amp-Poisonous-Plants-List for what she can eat and how often.

Is the grunting noise only when she's eating, or at other times? If at other times, she may have an enlarged heart, which an x-ray should show. The symptoms can be managed, although you may have trouble finding a vet who knows how to do it, even among exotic vets.

 

[miniver]

Re: Older Guinea Pig with Diarrhea

The two are separated and spend an hour a day together.

What is separated? The hayloft and cage or do you have two guinea pigs that are separated?

 

[bpatters]

Re: Older Guinea Pig with Diarrhea

I missed that. Why are they separated?

 

[PiggieLove13]

Re: Older Guinea Pig with Diarrhea

They were separated because I was still introducing them and Coco was preventing Essy from getting food. Now they are together and both have places to get away from each other. Coco still likes to mount Essy, and she rumblestrutts too. But I've seen them eat right next to each other and nap together too. I haven't seen any nipping either. They could still sniff and see each other because they were in the same cage, just split up.

 

[PiggieLove13]

Re: Older Guinea Pig with Diarrhea

Snak Shak logs are extremely sweet, and should be thrown out. Maybe the birds will like them.

Don't overdo carrots or fruit. Her diet, as you've listed it, is too high in sugar. Guinea pigs are not engineered to process sugar, as it does not occur at all in their natural diets. See https://www.guineapigcages.com/foru...vy-Nutrition-Charts-amp-Poisonous-Plants-List for what she can eat and how often.

Is the grunting noise only when she's eating, or at other times? If at other times, she may have an enlarged heart, which an x-ray should show. The symptoms can be managed, although you may have trouble finding a vet who knows how to do it, even among exotic vets.

Ok, I'll throw them out. Is there another chew house or log I could use instead? They really love chewing on it and tunneling through them too.
Thanks for the link, I'll check it out.
The breathing is at other times. I can ask her former owner where she takes her pigs to the vet and see if they can check her out. She only does it when she's resting sometimes or when I pick her up.

 

[bpatters]

Re: Older Guinea Pig with Diarrhea

I put cardboard boxes in for mine to chew.

Make sure the vet is experienced in exotics care. You'll just waste time and money on a small animal vet.

 

[PiggieLove13]

Re: Older Guinea Pig with Diarrhea

Ok thanks!

 

[PiggieLove13]

Re: Older Guinea Pig with Diarrhea

Hi again, I found a new problem with my new piggy. I noticed small white oval shaped larva on her hair and larger brown ones moving in her hair. I think it is lice, but I'm not certain. (Admins, could you please edit the title to 'Guinea Pig with Lice/Mites!' ? Thanks) I have some Beaphar Anti-Parasite Spot On I used on my other piggy when she had mange mites. I've never encountered this sort of thing, so any advice or help would be greatly appreciated. Right now the cage is split into two sections, so Coco(my other piggy) doesn't get lice/mites too. Essy keeps trying to groom and I am trying to stop her from ingesting the invermectin in case it hurts her.

 

[bpatters]

The other pig has already been thoroughly exposed, and you'll have to treat both of them anyway. You might as well put them back together.

Beophar Spot-On is not strong enough to reliably treat either mites of lice. The top thread in the Medical forum will tell you exactly what to do.

 

[PiggieLove13]

Ok, thank you

 

[PiggieLove13]

The Durvet Ivermectin Pour-On for Cattle is out of stock at my Walmart. Could I use a different treatment for dogs, cats, or horses? Is there anything else I can do for her to help her feel more comfortable? I feel bad that she has to deal with so many lice around her ears and eyes. I managed to brush a few out with a special small comb I use for my pigs to remove dirt/dandruff when they go outside. I put one under a microscope and it looked just like a louse. I also put one of the oval white ones under the microscope too. It didn't move and was attached at one end to the hair. Man those things won't let go of any piece of hair they can grab onto!

 

[bpatters]

Can you try another Walmart? Or a local feed store?

Other types of ivermectin will work, but small tubes/vials of it will treat a 1250 pound animal, so it's very hard not to overdose a three pound guinea pig with it. That liquid stuff is the easiest to use, and the hardest to overdose with. Well, injectable (which isn't injected into pigs) is easy also, but it's way more expensive than the stuff that's normally put on the skin.

 

[PiggieLove13]

I'll try and do more research. My local Tractor Supply has lots of Ivermectin for pigs, cattle, and horses. I'll see what I can find. Most of the stuff is 50 bucks or more though..

 

[bpatters]

The stuff from Amazon is about $20.

You can order things from Walmart online and have them delivered to your local store with no shipping charges. It shouldn't take long to get there.

 

[PiggieLove13]

Hey all, it's been awhile since I've been on this thread, and at least that's a good thing. I think Essy has UTI. It could be bladder stones, but I'll find out when I go to the vet tomorrow. I was doing research, and apparently it's cheaper to do a urinalysis before doing an x-ray. The first symptoms I saw was Essy squeaking while peeing. Then I noticed some blood in her urine. That's when I knew it was bad. Marilyn also has UTI and is on medication. Marilyn doesn't have blood in her urine, but she does squeak when urinating. I have pure and unsweetened cranberry juice I put in their water bottles. I also have Timothy based pellets I feed them, and they eat western timothy by the bale. Unfortunately, they have to stay in the basement. There's no windows, so I am getting them a UV sunlight lamp so they can get Vitamin D. Essy is 5-6 years ild(not sure because I got two of my pigs from a former owner, but I can ask). Just wanted to let you guys know in case you all have any suggestions. She seemed like she was in a lot of pain, so I'm trying to make her comfortable.

 

[bpatters]

Actually, that's a sign of a bladder stone more so than a UTI, although it could possibly be either. The vet needs to do an x-ray to check for stones.

What exactly does she eat? What brand of pellets, and how many? What veggies, and how many of each?

The cranberry juice may, or may not (the jury is out) help prevent an infection, but will do nothing to treat one that's already there.