Fiona - noise when pooping

rpaws

Post   » Tue Apr 24, 2018 3:12 am


A little history here.

Took Fiona and Luna to be seen by the vet took weeks ago. Luna died when the vet started the exam.

Fiona was examined. She got a dose of ivermectin. She was also put on antibiotics for 2 weeks. The vet saw her this Saturday. She got her second does of ivermectin and seemed to be 'clear' for now. She had gained an ounce (after losing 3).

Yesterday she started making some noises. Don't know how to describe it but also sounded like a groan/squeak.

She's still eating.

However tonight (or last night) she started making more noises. Woke me up. (She is in my bedroom with me.) I thought at first maybe she is mourning her friend.

Took her out and put her on a disposable pad. She sees to be doing this noise - along raising her bottom when she is making a poop. The poop is mushy and the she is eating it. She got poop on her paws and nose.
/
I did a search and came up with UTI, urinary crystals. Am on the right track

I plan on taking her to a 'NEW vet this morning. A couple of reasons - new opinion, the new vet is open earlier and is closer to my home. I had previously called and they said they seek guinea pigs.

Any ideas?

My guinea pigs don't seem to be able to catch a break. (See Nessy post for further information.)

rpaws

Post   » Tue Apr 24, 2018 6:56 am


Her poops smell bad too, even for being poops, but that could be due to them being mushy.

User avatar
Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Tue Apr 24, 2018 8:29 am


If they were at all greenish, they could have been the special poops (which are also the most smelly). You might want to read over the info on diarrhea in case they change severely. Really smelly poops that aren't the green ones can indicate an overgrowth of bad bacteria.
diarrhea.html

Read up on stones too.
stones.html

rpaws

Post   » Sat Apr 28, 2018 11:17 pm


Took Fiona to the vet today.

She has been on the medication and only have vegetables (spring mix, some pepper and carrot) and hay for the past couple of days. Primary vet said to avoid pellets (Kleenmama) due to the fiber. She has been making noises of distress less BUT still noises. I've had her on disposable pads for the past 4 days - changed twice/day to get an idea of her output - diarrhea, messy poops.

Fiona is a PEW (pink eyed white) so it is very evident when she gets poop in her. She greeted the vet with the fashion decision of wearing poop shoes. Frankly she was poopy. I've been wanting to give her a butt bath and a feetsie soak but didn't want to stress her.

The vet tried to get a urine sample. Fiona screamed bloody murder, her eyes popping when the vet wasn't even touching her. ("Stop it. I'm not even touching you.")

The vet tried to get a temperature - and I am squeamish so turned away from this - she couldn't do it as 'yep, definitely diarrhea' was flowing. Let me say for such a small creature, she can make stinky poops.

So along with the anti-diarrhea (Flag?) medication she is taking, the vet gave me pain medication for her. Fiona didn't like the pain medication.

The vet said the next step would be an x-ray and possibly blood work.

The office cleaned Fiona up, gave her a sub-cu - I could her her screaming again for that - and put fresh newspaper in her carrier to replace the disposable pad. On the way home Fiona chewed on the newspaper.

When I got home Fiona already had put on a poop shoe.

Sigh, I can hear Fiona making noises of distress in the background.

As the cage is in the bedroom, I may leave her there - hopefully in some sort of peace - and sleep in the living room.

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Sat Apr 28, 2018 11:24 pm


Is she eating any hay? If not, and all she's eating is veggies, no wonder she's got diarrhea. I'm not at all sure that I'd have stopped pellets.

Is this new vet an exotic vet?

rpaws

Post   » Sun Apr 29, 2018 12:00 am


Yes, Fiona is eating hay along with the veggies.

The "new" vet is actually a vet I've probably been seeing for a total of 10 years. I'll call her vet #1. She is an exotic vet. Her practice is limited to cats, guinea pigs, rabbits, birds, lizards, etc. She does NOT see dogs. . When another exotic vet shut down her practice, vet #1 took to asking clients to find another vet as she was being overwhelmed. I stuck with vet #1.

Here it is hard to find a good exotic vet. They seem to disappear. I will only use the 'acclaimed' Vet School for PTS an animal. I - and other people - have had too many bad experiences while paying triple the amount of a regular vet to be practiced on by students. My guinea pig is NOT a 'guinea pig.' I also was 'turned' away as the school (where vets travel from other countries to visit) because they had lost their 'small animal exotic vet' and wouldn't be seeing any guinea pigs until they got a new one. (Whoa, sorry for that vent.)

The next vet, vet#2, is when I took Fiona to another vet on Tuesday - vet is 'around the corner' from me and I was worried and didn't want to make the longer drive in hopes of being able to see vet #1. (Vet #1 wasn't open until 9 a.m. and at vet #2's office I could take in Fiona at 8 a.m and speak with the receptionist and make a later appointment and keep Fiona there until the appointment). There are a couple of vets at vet #2's place, the practice is basically dogs and cats but there is a vet that also sees rabbits and guinea pigs. Vet #2 examined Fiona, gave her anti-diarrhea (chicken flavored - did I mention vet #2's place usually saw cats/dogs?) This vet#2 said pellets and hay but NO vegetables. I did the pellets for 1 day before new information from vet #1 - veggies and hay and NO pellets.


So the pattern has been:

3 weeks ago - vet #1 (where her cage mate died when the exam started)
1 week ago - vet #1
This past Tuesday - vet #2
Today - vet #1

Okay, Fiona started making wheeking noises in the background. I figured she wanted her baby carrot. I went in, saw that she now had 2 poop shoes, and put the carrot in front of her. She grabbed the carrot and ran with it. Now she is again making distressed noises.

Hope the above makes sense.
(Dealing with another guinea pig's issues - see Nessy thread. Please note Fiona and Nessy are both in my bedroom but are in SEPARATE C&C cages.)

User avatar
Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Sun Apr 29, 2018 11:34 am


You read the diarrhea link I posted above, right? How about trying some Equine Bio-Sponge (listed near the bottom). It sounds like you need to slow things down or nutrients might not be absorbed.

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lisam

Post   » Sun Apr 29, 2018 8:34 pm


I'm confused, but I'm with the vet that said no veggies. Pellets and hay should be fine for a pig with diarrhea.

I think an X-ray should be done soon. Making noise while pooping is a classic sign of a stone.

What anti-diarrhea medicine was she given?

And you and the vets are certain that this is diarrhea (poop) and not discharge from her reproductive system?

rpaws

Post   » Mon Apr 30, 2018 12:00 am


Well I read the diarrhea link but not all the way to the bottom. Went and read about the Equine Bio-Sponge. Thinking about getting it - realize it'll take a while to get shipped to me so decision has to be made quickly.

lisam,
Okay you are with the #vet #2 that said no veggies. It seems that way with me - pellets and hay for a guinea pig with diarrhea. I worry about the veggies contributing to the diarrhea. Fiona did get a sub cu on Saturday. (Her weight was down 30 grams from last week.)

Anti-diarrhea medicine Vet#2 gave me has a long name. Vet #1 informed me the chicken flavored medicine is Flagyl - 2 times/day for 10 days. Vet #1 gave me some pain medication. She doesn't like taking either medication, unlike the antibiotic she was one for 2 weeks. With that she grabbed the syringe and I had to retrieve it from her mouth.

Oh yes, this is poop and NOT a discharge. First there is the SMELL - that's poop. I've seen it coming from her backside - she was facing the corner and lifting her backside when she pooped and making the noise. Poop came from her when the vet was trying to take her temperature. There is poop/diarrhea in the corner and all over her feet and backside. When I (well tried) to give her a butt bath, she was pooping in the water and all over me. Frankly I don''t know how such a little creature (now 824 grams) can POOP so much. She does that and still looks for food, will wheek for food and maybe attention and takes the baby carrot and runs with it.

I like the idea of giving her an x-ray to see if there is a stone. She IS making noise when pooping but it IS diarrhea. Definitely do NOT think this is discharge from her reproductive system.

I had her on disposable pads for a couple of days. This afternoon the poop (getting tired of typing that word) was clearly all over the pads. I had wanted to see what she was doing and boy did I see it. Returned to giving her paper bedding (Carefresh). Unfortunately mommie is cheap so the paper bedding is the gray kind, NOT the white which will show everything.

Fiona made alot of that pain sound today. She was also wheeking at me for food - and maybe attention. I'll go get her carrot now.

rpaws

Post   » Mon Apr 30, 2018 8:00 am


I'm going to call the vet today and see about getting an x-ray. The noise woke me up last night two times and I cannot take it anymore. I dreamed about doing the same thing. I can just imagine how Fiona feels. She didn't want the medicine this morning but still wanted her chow.

I had a guinea pig that had a bladder stone surgery and she was fine. (Well ended up having 2 more surgeries in her lifetime.) But she was a young guinea pig.

Fiona is probably around 5 years old, best guess as she was adopted. Would she be a viable candidate for surgery? Realize there are more factors than age, but it's a first consideration.

Maybe I am thinking too far ahead and it's the anxiety that is getting me. I just want to be prepare for the possibility that she is not a good candidate for surgery. I will go with the surgery if she has a chance but I don't want to see her suffer needlessly. (I hate hate hate to PTS an animal but will do it if is the best course.)

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Mon Apr 30, 2018 9:58 am


The squeaking while pooping is possibly indicative of stones, but the diarrhea is not. The flagyl hasn't helped at all, or was she still getting veggies while she's on it? IMO, taking flagyl with no veggies would be the way to go to see if it works.

rpaws

Post   » Mon Apr 30, 2018 9:58 pm


No the flagyl doesn't seem to have helped at all. She was still getting veggies when still on it.

Called the vet office today and will be taking in Fiona tomorrow Tuesday evening. The office is open later on Tuesday. Surgery day is Wednesday. They can see her during Wednesday I'll discuss with the vet about doing an x-ray and/or blood work. Not well versed with blood work but hopefully it will show something.

I'll miss Fiona for the day (overnight) she is at the vet, but I want the vet office to hear what she is doing.

When I came home Fiona went through a session of making distress noises. I gave her the medications. She then started wheeking at me for food. She is still interested in her chow but there is something wrong - still noises and diarrhea.

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