Diarrhea Squeaking while pooing and diarrhea

[Cosmic Breyers]

Hi! My Guinea pig has been dealing with diarrhea issues for awhile. His stool is very mushy and messy. We took him to the vet and they recommended probiotics and to take him off veggies. . That definitely helped for a little while but his stool was still soft. The vet also said that if he doesn’t get better to get a stool sample for him
It got a lot better but these past few couple of days he’s been squeaking like something hurts when he poos and his stools are back to being very soft. Any help or advice would be appreciated to help my little boy feel more comfortable! Money is a little tight right now but I am absolutely willing to get him to the vet.

 

[bpatters]

Squeaking while pooping is a classic sign of stones. I'd want the vet to x-ray him for bladder stones.

 

[Cosmic Breyers]

Squeaking while pooping is a classic sign of stones. I'd want the vet to x-ray him for bladder stones.

We’ll schedule an appointment. Thank you. Do you have any idea how they actually remove them? Is it via surgery?

 

[bpatters]

Yes, almost always. Sometimes, if the stone is small enough, a medicine that relaxes the muscles can let the urethra dilate enough for the stone to pass. Or if the stone is close enough to the outside opening of the urethra, a vet can manipulate the stone out. Either of those is much harder in a male than a female, though, because the urethra is so much longer.

 

[4boipigs]

I would do xrays before spending money on a poop sample. If he's crying when he goes potty, there is something internal going on. Checking stool for worms, giardia, etc would be a good idea if he was a cat or dog.

 

[Cosmic Breyers]

Yes, almost always. Sometimes, if the stone is small enough, a medicine that relaxes the muscles can let the urethra dilate enough for the stone to pass. Or if the stone is close enough to the outside opening of the urethra, a vet can manipulate the stone out. Either of those is much harder in a male than a female, though, because the urethra is so much longer.

Ok. Is there a reason why this happens? Something I can avoid from the future maybe.

 

[4boipigs]

Feeding too many high-calcium foods, or genetics. Reducing the amount of calcium-rich veggies, and using filtered water is a good start.

 

[omgitspiggies]

Hi! My Guinea pig has been dealing with diarrhea issues for awhile. His stool is very mushy and messy. We took him to the vet and they recommended probiotics and to take him off veggies. . That definitely helped for a little while but his stool was still soft. The vet also said that if he doesn’t get better to get a stool sample for him
It got a lot better but these past few couple of days he’s been squeaking like something hurts when he poos and his stools are back to being very soft. Any help or advice would be appreciated to help my little boy feel more comfortable! Money is a little tight right now but I am absolutely willing to get him to the vet.

I think if you take him outside and sit him in grass, the fiber will help regulate!

 

[omgitspiggies]

Hi! My Guinea pig has been dealing with diarrhea issues for awhile. His stool is very mushy and messy. We took him to the vet and they recommended probiotics and to take him off veggies. . That definitely helped for a little while but his stool was still soft. The vet also said that if he doesn’t get better to get a stool sample for him
It got a lot better but these past few couple of days he’s been squeaking like something hurts when he poos and his stools are back to being very soft. Any help or advice would be appreciated to help my little boy feel more comfortable! Money is a little tight right now but I am absolutely willing to get him to the vet.

There’s also a fiber squeeze tube you can buy but since you said money is tight grass is free!

 

[Cosmic Breyers]

We went to the vet- the vet gave him meds for an inflamed colon. We also did an X-ray to check if it was stones. The x-ray just showed he had a lot of gas. I'm cutting out veggies in his diet right now.
Now everything seems to be going wrong again and the medications don't look like they're helping. However, he not squeaking so much when he poo/pees.
He's lost a lot of weight- he went from 1040 grams to 850 grams. His stools are soft and small little bits. I was feeling him and it FEELS like his abdomen is harder than usual, which I heard is a sign of bloat, but it also could be me working myself up. I also noticed what looks like to be blood in his urine. He's been hunched over and looking like he's in pain. He's also been farting a little. I feel so bad for my little guy.
Thoughts on what I should do or what could be going on? Every time I go to the vet it seems that I don't get a certain answer on anything. I've been giving him tummy massages, syringe feeding him water and a little critical care which seemed to perk him up for a little bit.

 

[Cosmic Breyers]

Where can I find quality hay?

 

[4boipigs]

With that many problems, I would get a second opinion. My next question is if he is eating on his own. There are meds that can be given to help with gas/bloat (simethicone?). But if he is not improving, painful, and not eating/eating less still, I would get a second opinion.

As for hay, what are you feeding now? Oxbow is generally the best you can get in a petstore. I buy Small Pet Select online.

 

[bpatters]

Are you seeing an exotic vet? If not, you're probably just wasting money and time. Small animal vets see dogs and cats. No vets get much more than an introduction to exotics in vet school, and it covers everything from gerbils to giraffes. You need to either find a certified exotic vet, or one that has extensive experience with exotics. The life of your pet depends on it.

 

[Cosmic Breyers]

Are you seeing an exotic vet? If not, you're probably just wasting money and time. Small animal vets see dogs and cats. No vets get much more than an introduction to exotics in vet school, and it covers everything from gerbils to giraffes. You need to either find a certified exotic vet, or one that has extensive experience with exotics. The life of your pet depends on it.

The vet I go to sees cats and dogs, but also exotics. It looks like he's worked with lots of guinea pigs before. When I talk to him he and the vet techs there they sound like they know a good deal on piggies.

 

[Cosmic Breyers]

With that many problems, I would get a second opinion. My next question is if he is eating on his own. There are meds that can be given to help with gas/bloat (simethicone?). But if he is not improving, painful, and not eating/eating less still, I would get a second opinion.

As for hay, what are you feeding now? Oxbow is generally the best you can get in a petstore. I buy Small Pet Select online.

He is eating on his own. Right now he's on hay only until his issues clear up and his poos are back to normal. I'm just supplementing with critical care and syringe fed water, which, like I said really seemed to help him yesterday. As I'm writing this he's wheeking at the front of his cage for veggies most likely. He's doing better than yesterday it looks like and he's up to 970 grams. It's been a roller coaster though, so we'll see if he continues to get better. Do you think it would still be worth it to look into those meds?
I'm feeding Oxbow at the moment. Although the vet told me that Oxbow is pretty old hay. I will look into Small Pet Select though! Is it fresher than Oxbow?

 

[4boipigs]

I'm feeding Oxbow at the moment. Although the vet told me that Oxbow is pretty old hay. I will look into Small Pet Select though! Is it fresher than Oxbow?

Oh do not even get me started on your vet telling you that. It almost sounds just like what a vet told us. I had taken a past pig to a vet we don't normally use due to a UTI. I was assaulted with how "bad" Oxbow is. He picked up the hay in their carrier and talked about how old it is, and that my boys didn't like it. Funny, because my kiddos were eating it just fine. He said I should feed whatever hay he was selling (Bermuda maybe?). I bought a trash bag of hay just to try it, and the boys barely even liked it. I really didn't like that vet or their lack of knowledge on pigs, so I have to rant about it. If you are in Texas and this sounds familiar, maybe we're in the same area!

The other vets I have been to are perfectly fine with Oxbow.

Just check the bags before you buy them and make sure the hay doesn't look old or brown. Buy the freshest package you can find. Yes it is true you don't know how long the hay has been in the store, but it's pretty easy to tell old, brown hay from fresher hay.

I switched my boys to SPS partly because it's more cost effective. With 4 boars, buying the 90oz (or whatever) bag of Oxbow every week to 2 weeks was just too much money. Now, I buy 20 to 25 lbs of hay for around $50 and it lasts me a month usually. You also get points which you can redeem for coupons on their site, if you don't use autoship. It does appear fresher than Oxbow and I've never had a bad batch. Sometimes there is a lot of dust tho.

Anyway, it is nice to hear he is doing better. I would still search for other exotics vets just in case he doesn't improve. I can't make any recommendations on simethicone as I've only used it once, in conjunction with another med for GI stasis, but I don't remember what it was.

 

[Cosmic Breyers]

Oh do not even get me started on your vet telling you that. It almost sounds just like what a vet told us. I had taken a past pig to a vet we don't normally use due to a UTI. I was assaulted with how "bad" Oxbow is. He picked up the hay in their carrier and talked about how old it is, and that my boys didn't like it. Funny, because my kiddos were eating it just fine. He said I should feed whatever hay he was selling (Bermuda maybe?). I bought a trash bag of hay just to try it, and the boys barely even liked it. I really didn't like that vet or their lack of knowledge on pigs, so I have to rant about it. If you are in Texas and this sounds familiar, maybe we're in the same area!

The other vets I have been to are perfectly fine with Oxbow.

Just check the bags before you buy them and make sure the hay doesn't look old or brown. Buy the freshest package you can find. Yes it is true you don't know how long the hay has been in the store, but it's pretty easy to tell old, brown hay from fresher hay.

I switched my boys to SPS partly because it's more cost effective. With 4 boars, buying the 90oz (or whatever) bag of Oxbow every week to 2 weeks was just too much money. Now, I buy 20 to 25 lbs of hay for around $50 and it lasts me a month usually. You also get points which you can redeem for coupons on their site, if you don't use autoship. It does appear fresher than Oxbow and I've never had a bad batch. Sometimes there is a lot of dust tho.

Anyway, it is nice to hear he is doing better. I would still search for other exotics vets just in case he doesn't improve. I can't make any recommendations on simethicone as I've only used it once, in conjunction with another med for GI stasis, but I don't remember what it was.

That's interesting you bring that up because he eats the Oxbow hay just fine. I might look into SPS because it sounds like it could be a bit more cost effective. We'll see! Thanks for all your advice it is much appreciated!

 

[CuddlyPiggies!!]

That's interesting you bring that up because he eats the Oxbow hay just fine. I might look into SPS because it sounds like it could be a bit more cost effective. We'll see! Thanks for all your advice it is much appreciated!

Oxbow and small pet select are both great brands. I’ve personally always fed oxbow as I get a good amount of hay (I buy the 90 oz) every month (scheduled shipping) and I’ve never had any issue whatsoever.

It all depends on your choice, but I’d recommend buying a small amount of SPS hay, if you decide to, to make sure your piggies will actually eat it.

 

[Cosmic Breyers]

I went to my local co-op to pick up some bedding for my piggy, but I think they misunderstood me and put 'American Stockman- Solar medium salt kiln dried' shavings into my trunk. It's advertised towards pigs, horses, cows and farm animals. Any idea on if this is safe for guinea pigs?

 

[bpatters]

I'd be afraid to try it. I looked it up, and it's dried with salt. Guinea pigs are so prone to bladder stones anyway that I'd worry about the salt concentrating the urine even more, and thus causing stones.

I'd take it back and switch it for just plain kiln-dried shavings.