Zoe's Medical Thread

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Delaine
Supporter in '14

Post   » Sat Apr 26, 2014 2:12 pm


Here is a picture of the stones Zoe passed in January.

Image

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Delaine
Supporter in '14

Post   » Sat Apr 26, 2014 2:20 pm


zazzified

How many pellets are you feeding? I am giving the girls such a small amount now but I still see some sludge every once in awhile. I find the KMS deposits more like a flour and water mix, like a thick paste where the Oxbow deposits were very gritty.

I still don't like to see any deposits.

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zazzified

Post   » Sat Apr 26, 2014 5:42 pm


Ouch!

I don't see sludge these days so I don't measure precisely, but when I did measure I was sticking to about 1.5 tablespoons a day per pig. They don't ever really finish them, though, and his lady friend is a fatty and eats more than he ever has. It could be that I'd be seeing sludge if I didn't have him on the polycitra, though.

Another thing to check is that you have a good calcium:phosphorus ratio. There's the veggie chart here https://www.guinealynx.info/chart_CaP.html and if you scroll down a bit here https://www.guinealynx.info/stones.html#treatment you can see how the ratio works. You may have checked that out already. I don't religiously calculate it out, instead just generally being aware of where each veggie falls, but you may want to do that for a while. I did for a bit when Jeeves got his stones. The spreadsheet that can do it for you is on there.

You could also experiment with upping her fluid intake with unflavored pedialyte. I've done that after surgeries in the past but that could also help. Despite being unflavored they seem to think it's delicious so it's usually an easy sell.

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Delaine
Supporter in '14

Post   » Sat Apr 26, 2014 7:24 pm


Thanks for the suggestions zazzified. I have looked at Becky's Stone Diet and I have printed off all of Guinea Lynx Vegetable charts.

My girls are into anything leafy. I finally got them eating yellow pepper. Zoe, my girls with the stones, had a bowel issue a couple of years back which I was able to resolve through careful documenting.

Since then I have kept their diet pretty consistent. They are not fond of carrots, zucchini, or any type of squash. Many of the leafy veggies are high in calcium so I have eliminated those. They get green and red leaf lettuce, escarole (good Ca:P ratio) and yellow pepper. I buy my 2nd cut Timothy by the bale so I end up composting more soiled hay than they eat every day.

Putting two water bottles beside their pellets and hay rack and two more in their hay pile has really helped.

It sounds like you have done a very good job on balancing Jeeves diet. I am glad he has done so well since his surgeries.

I have learned so much from members such as you who are willing to share their experiences and successes. Thank you.

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zazzified

Post   » Sat Apr 26, 2014 8:33 pm


You're welcome, I've learned everything I know here so I try to be helpful when I can be. Especially with stones, because unfortunately Jeeves is experienced with them!

Red and green leaf are the staples here too for the leafy greens. Jeeves has done very well on those as the main dish for a few years, so I hope you find success with them as well.

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Delaine
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Post   » Sun Apr 27, 2014 12:15 am


What other veggies besides red and green leaf lettuce and peppers would you suggest?

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zazzified

Post   » Sun Apr 27, 2014 12:35 am


Chard is one that goes over well and has a similar Ca:P ratio as red and green leaf lettuce. Baby spinach goes over well, but that's higher in calcium so I give them considerably less than I do with red/green leaf to balance that out. They get cucumber sometimes, which isn't very useful nutritionally but I figure the water content is nice for them. Corn husks and silk are a big hit as well. For other treats that are low on the Ca:P range to balance out other higher options (like some kale, for example, which I give sometimes but they aren't huge fans of) I'll do a small piece of apple or banana. And then carrots are another good treat, which hits around the red/green leaf ratio also.

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Delaine
Supporter in '14

Post   » Sun Apr 27, 2014 1:08 pm


I forgot about corn husks. My girls really like them but in Canada we can only get them certain times of the year. I noticed they are just starting to come into the stores. They are pretty nasty looking so far so I think I will wait until they look a little fresher.

I stopped giving them chard and I can't remember why now. I thought it had something to do with the oxalic acid content but I can't see it on the Guinea Lynx chart. I grow it in my garden so maybe I will introduce a small amount this year. I know they will like it.

Do you feed any grass?

You have given me some new ideas. Thanks.

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zazzified

Post   » Sun Apr 27, 2014 1:14 pm


Hmm, interesting re: the chard.

I don't feed grass, but I'd like to. I don't have access to anything untreated and I don't get any direct sunlight on my balcony to try to grow a little box of it. I wonder if there's anything that would work there, though!

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Delaine
Supporter in '14

Post   » Sat Aug 23, 2014 4:29 pm


I have been away for a week so my girls were staying with my friend who is very knowledgeable about guinea pigs. She said she noticed my girls stools were a little small but plentiful. When I took them to her house I noticed Zoe's stools were a little larger with some points. It could of been the packing up and moving but I suggested not feeding too many extra green over their daily amount.

I had Zoe and Abbey moved back home yesterday about 1:00 pm. The weather is cooler so I moved them to the upstairs cage in the kitchen. They have been in the recreation room for the summer.

This morning I noticed very few poops from Zoe and what she produced are small. I can usually tell her stool from Abbey's because they are larger.

It is now 1:25 pm and I am still not seeing many. It is hard to tell because she poops in the hay pile when eating. She is eating and drinking but I have to remove her house to get her started. Her tummy doesn't seem hard but I massaged it anyway.

I phoned her vet but her exotic vet isn't in and the other vets won't prescribe medication without the exotic vets's approval. In an emergency they will phone her.

I know cisapride is used for bloat but is it good just as a motility drug? I guess I am not sure how long to wait if she is eating and pooping a few small ones. I have seen her reach down to eat the fresh ones. In an emergency I could take her the 45 minutes to my friends. She has cisapride.

I talked to my friend and she said they didn't get very many extra greens because I had noticed the larger pointed stool so maybe they are a little dehydrated. They are not big water drinkers. Abbey's poops were also drier and smaller when I got them home. I have been giving them a few extra greens soaked in water hoping this will help but I don't want to upset Zoe's digestion. She has a sensitive system but has never bloated on me so far.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Sat Aug 23, 2014 9:10 pm


Do you weigh them regularly (not rereading)? This is your best tool for determining if you need to hand feed. You can always syringe water if the poops seem dry. Generally smaller poops indicate a guinea pig is not eating as much so monitoring weigh is helpful to know if your guinea pig is eating enough.

Are you seeing any signs of pain?

www.guinealynx.info/.html

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Delaine
Supporter in '14

Post   » Sat Aug 23, 2014 11:39 pm


Thanks Lynx. I do weigh her regularly but I have been away for a week so will weigh her tomorrow. She started pooping some odd shaped ones after lunch but by 5:40pm she was back to normal with lots of normal shaped poops so I think we are back on track for now. She has a very sensitive system and it doesn't take much of a change in diet to throw her off.

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