small poops

piggypatrol

Post   » Wed Apr 10, 2019 7:55 pm


Both my piggies have had smaller than usual poops for a few days. One piggy stopped eating on his own and I took him into the vet today and the vet said he had an infflamed throat and sent me home with some antibiotics and Oxbow critical care since he wont eat on his own. My other piggy Hamlet is eating hay just fine but I noticed he wont go upstairs to eat his pellets or drink water. Ive tried hand feeding him pellets but he wont have it but he will gobble down hay and veggies and i havent seen him go grab water unless i put it in his face. I also give him oxford vitamin c tablets to make sure he gets that. At first i thought maybe its the pellets but my 3rd piggy i have seperated eats them no problem. My regular vet is on vacation until next week so i had to call off work and make a trip for the sick piggy today so im hoping i dont have to make another trip

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Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Wed Apr 10, 2019 8:09 pm


Their feces are likely small because they're not eating enough. What kind of antibiotic was given to one diagnosed with an inflamed throat? Is this vet experienced with guinea pigs? I'm not sure what 'inflamed throat' means, exactly. Did the vet do x-rays to rule out dental or other oral issues? Are there any additional symptoms that might point to an upper respiratory infection? Most cat/dog vets know little to nothing about small animal like rabbits or guinea pigs, and are notorious for making inaccurate diagnoses.

It is absolutely critical to handfeed a guinea pig that isn't eating well on his or her own. Be sure to read:
https://www.guinealynx.info/handfeeding.html

Also:
https://www.guinealynx.info/uri.html

https://www.guinealynx.info/teeth.html

It is also important to weigh an ill guinea pig daily to make sure his or her weight is being maintained by handfeeding:
https://www.guinealynx.info/weigh.html

piggypatrol

Post   » Wed Apr 10, 2019 8:44 pm


The name of the antibiotic is albon. I literally called all the vets around me and in neighbouring cities and they either didnt treat guinea pigs or the doctor wasnt in or the place had bad reviews. This place was recommended to me by my usual guinea pig vet place. He didnt do any x rays but he examined inside his mouth and said it looked like he had some inflamation and he listened said he had some congestion. no other symptoms other than him staying in one spot feeling depressed but i gave him floor time with his cage mate and he played like normal.

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Renonvsparky

Post   » Wed Apr 10, 2019 9:05 pm


Don't forget probiotics to offset the antibiotic. It's necessary to replace the good bacterial in their digestive system.

piggypatrol

Post   » Wed Apr 10, 2019 9:30 pm


i dont have any probiotics on hand but i read that fresh poops from a healthy guinea pig can work better, should i try that?

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Wed Apr 10, 2019 10:20 pm


Albon is not frequently prescribed. I think it is mostly used for intestinal disorders.
www.guinealynx.info/antibiotics.html

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Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Wed Apr 10, 2019 10:29 pm


Agree. I would have expected either Baytril or Bactrim. Have you read the link on upper respiratory infections? Considering that he is not eating, seems depressed or lethargic, and has chest congestion, I would suspect a URI.

piggypatrol

Post   » Wed Apr 10, 2019 11:27 pm


gosh now im a little worried.he did give him a vitamin and antiboitic shot,Ill try out what the vet gave me but ill most likely take him in to his regular vet when she returns. On a side note im having a little trouble with the oxford critical care, i followed the mixing instructions but its still way too thick for a 1ml syringe to suck up, i added more water but it still had trouble and i dont want it to be too watery as i read its better for it to be thick. the vet gave me a huge syringe that can be opened and the food insterted but i read its bad to use anything bigger than a 1ml.

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Thu Apr 11, 2019 12:16 am


Make it watery. It's much easier to handle. The only reason to make it thicker is if your pig will eat a glob of it off a plate. If it's thick, it doesn't run all over the place. Otherwise, it makes no difference. It helps to mix it up and let it set a little while. You'll need to add more water, as it will thicken up, but it does get to the point where it doesn't take up any more water, and you'll have a more consistent mixture.

Where are you reading all this "it's bad to ..." stuff? You can use any kind of syringe you want to feed your pigs. If they're uncooperative, the 1 ml syringes may be easier to use. If you've got cooperative pigs, use a bigger syringe. I always used 20 ml syringes with mine.

If you're going to use the 1 ml syringes, don't try to suck the stuff up through the syringe. Load a large syringe with the CC slurry, remove the plunger from the 1 ml syringe, and fill the 1 ml barrel from the large syringe.

piggypatrol

Post   » Thu Apr 11, 2019 12:21 am


ok thank you very much! i was mostly reading off of this link https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/thr ... de.115359/

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Renonvsparky

Post   » Thu Apr 11, 2019 4:52 am




Here's a helpful video. Note how she cuts the tip off of the 1ml syringe. That makes it easier to suck up the critical care and to get it into the pig.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Thu Apr 11, 2019 7:40 am


If you read the hand feeding link sef posted (handfeeding.html), you will see how the tip of a 1ml syringe gets cut off to make it easier to get the food into the guinea pig without getting stuck in the syringe, requiring too much force to push out.

Guinea Lynx has been around for 20 years. We've advised this technique for a really long time.

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