Guinea pig constipation: what to do if the pig does not poop

Guinea pigs are quite healthy. With proper care at home, they please the owners for a long time with funny tricks and a friendly character. The main cause of gastrointestinal disorders is a banal violation of feeding. Constipation and bloating in the absence of timely treatment can lead to the death of a pet.

constipation in guinea pig

Against the background of intestinal pathology occurs:

• cancer of the rectum and colon;
• twisting of the intestines;
• rectal prolapse.

Also, constipation in a guinea pig is dangerous for the development of severe poisoning with fecal poisons, toxins enter the blood and are carried throughout the body, resulting in hepatic encephalopathy, cerebral edema, and sometimes pathology can lead to the death of a pet.

Why does a guinea pig get constipated

The main causes of intestinal pathology in guinea pigs are.

Violation of the norms of feeding pets:

• excess content of dry feed in the diet of the animal;
• overfeeding a furry animal;
• lack of vitamins and minerals;
• too long a period of time between rodent feedings;
• lack of permanent access or insufficient amount of clean drinking water;
• treating a pet with forbidden foods and food from the human table.

Hypodynamia occurs in the absence of guinea pig walking, non-compliance with cell parameters, crowded animals, and obesity.

There are pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract:

• intestinal atony;
• neoplasms in the intestines or abdominal cavity;
• enteritis and enterocolitis;
• adhesions and cysts in the intestines;
• weakening of intestinal motility;
• kink of the gallbladder.

Short-term constipation caused by improper feeding of the animal, with timely therapy, can be successfully treated at home and does not cause the development of serious complications in the body of a fluffy animal. If the guinea pig does not poop often enough, it is necessary to urgently contact a veterinary clinic, in such cases, constipation indicates that the pet has severe intestinal pathologies that require conservative or surgical treatment.

How to tell if a guinea pig is constipated

The main symptoms that signal the development of constipation in a guinea pig:

• the guinea pig does not eat or go to the toilet for more than 24 hours;
• the rodent has a severe stomach ache, the fluffy pet does not allow himself to be picked up;
• feces in the cage are completely absent or there is a small amount of very dense dry feces;
• restless animal;
• the stomach of the rodent, when palpated, is hard, swollen, very tense, dense lumps of feces are probed through the peritoneum;
• urge to vomit and vomiting;
• cracks and protrusion of the anus, sometimes with prolapse of the rectum.

What to do with constipation in a guinea pig? If painful symptoms are observed for no more than a day, you can feed the animal with boiled carrots or beets, give plenty of fresh hay to eat. In the absence of appetite, it is recommended to drink 3 ml of vaseline oil to a sick animal every 2 hours, followed by abdominal massage. If the stomach is very swollen during constipation, it is recommended to give the guinea pig 0,3 ml of Espumizan 4 times a day. You can feed the animal with a pasty mixture of ground hay and grain feed in fractional portions. To cleanse the intestines and normalize the microflora, it is recommended to treat the guinea pig with Vetom, Bifidumbacterin and Smecta after consultation with a veterinarian.

How to give an enema to a guinea pig

An effective first aid measure that quickly alleviates the condition of the animal is an enema. An enema to a guinea pig involves the introduction of 2 ml of the laxative preparation Microlax into the anus, followed by a massage of the abdomen; it is highly not recommended to inject large volumes of solutions with oil into the rectum of a sick animal.

If constipation lasts more than a day, self-treatment of a pet does not bring positive results, vomiting, lack of appetite and impaired coordination of movement are observed, it is urgent to contact a veterinary clinic to save a small animal. The cause of constipation may be adhesions, cysts or neoplasms, which can only be removed by surgery.

Prevention of constipation in guinea pigs is a balanced feeding of fluffy rodents, active physical activity and free access to an unlimited amount of clean water and quality hay.

Bloating in a guinea pig

Tympania (stomach bloating) and flatulence (intestinal bloating) develop in guinea pigs in violation of feeding conditions or infectious diseases. Most often, pathologies occur when pets eat wet fresh grass. Damage can be treated with herbicides or poor-quality rotten hay. It is harmful to give fresh cabbage, a large number of root crops, poisonous plants. Tympania is caused by a sudden change in food or the use of stale water.

Bloating is due to the occurrence of fermentation processes in the gastrointestinal tract of a sick animal. As a result, the accumulated gases greatly inflate the wall of the stomach or intestines. This is fraught with their rupture, the development of peritonitis and the rapid death of the pet. Pathology is accompanied by difficulty breathing, intestinal atony and severe abdominal pain.

How to tell if a guinea pig has bloating

Tympania and flatulence are accompanied by characteristic symptoms:

• the pet does not eat or drink, sits, ruffled, or lies motionless in the corner of the cage;
• the guinea pig becomes depressed, lethargic, sometimes completely indifferent to what is happening around;
• the eyes of the animal are strongly bulging, sometimes the fluffy animal grinds its teeth in severe pain;
• shallow breathing is observed.

If you take a pet in your arms, you can immediately notice that the animal has a very swollen stomach, which, when tapped, makes a drum sound.

What to do with bloating in a guinea pig

Treatment of bloating in a guinea pig at home is aimed at freeing the lumen of the stomach and intestines from accumulated gases. It is necessary to relieve spasms and restore the intestinal microflora. If a pet’s stomach swells, it is urgently necessary to drink carminative drugs based on simethicone to a small animal: Espumizan, Bobotic, Sab Simplex at a dose of 0,3-0,4 ml 3-4 times a day. For anesthesia, subcutaneous injection of 0,2 ml of Buscopan or Metacam solution is used. After that, you need to do a light massage of the abdomen and make the pet move to stimulate intestinal motility and expel gases as soon as possible.

To restore the intestinal microflora, it is necessary to use probiotics in the treatment of bloating: Linex, Bifidumbacterin and Vetom. For the entire period of treatment and recovery after an illness, green and juicy foods are excluded from the diet of the guinea pig, the animal is fed only hay and water for the first day, in the absence of appetite, it is necessary to force-feed milled hay and drink drinking water from an insulin syringe without a needle 6-7 times a day in small portions. After recovery, vegetables and herbs are introduced very carefully in minimal quantities.

Prevention of bloating in guinea pigs is the careful selection of products for feeding the animal.

If the owner notes a lack of appetite and abdominal pain in a guinea pig, it is recommended to urgently take emergency measures to save the little animal. Constipation and bloating can lead to the rapid death of a pet. Before starting furry pets, it is necessary to thoroughly study the issues of physiology, the rules for the care and maintenance of guinea pigs in order to exclude the death of animals due to the fault of an inattentive owner.