Monty - Soft poo and pain.

[Guineapig900]

Hey y'all, this is my first time posting on this forum, but I wanted to see if anyone else has had this issue.

For the past couple months, Monty (2 years old) has had soft poo problems. Back in November, he stopped eating, and I immediately stepped in with Critical Care feedings and Cisapride to keep his gut moving. My exotic vet found that his molars were overgrown a little and poking his tongue, so we had those trimmed and he was back to eating solid food within the week. A week later (2 weeks post molar trim) he came down with diarrhea, and after being put on a course of Metronidazole, his poo firmed up, but never was completely normal. It has a sour rancid smell to it and sometimes it's fully formed and sometimes it's in smaller bits. He also whines sometimes when passing them.

After the Metronidazole dosage finished up in beginning of December, because his poos were still not quite right, the vet did more testing and she found a slight yeast overgrowth that we treated with Nystatin. Still not much improvement in poo quality, but the vet said there was much less yeast. My other guinea pig showed a couple coccidia in his poos, so we treated both of them with TMS (Bactrim), and the vet is open to trying Ponazuril if we find the TMS didn't knock it out. He's been on Benebac as well this whole time, given about an hour after any meds. He just finished up the TMS and no improvement, although I saw improvement in my other guinea pig.
Other testing we've done is several X-rays, urinalyses, fecal smears, and fecal floats, and still no conclusive evidence of what could be wrong. No bladder stones, no parasites, nothing. He was 800ish grams when his teeth were trimmed, when the initial diarrhea happened he was down to 720g, and now he's holding his weight in the 760-780 range. My exotic vets (he's seen multiple at the same practice) are all stumped and looking for answers too.

Last night I was holding him and doing a routine boar bits check and noticed that the small hole that his poo comes out of looks really red and irritated at the entrance; I don't know if this is the problem or just a symptom of the problem.

Monty's diet:

- Large piles of Timothy/Meadow hay, orchard grass, and sometimes a little botanical hay
- Oxbow Vitamin C tablets to keep his vitamin C up (I've reduced the veggies he gets in case those are the problem)
- A gram of Benebac
- Oxbow Digestive Support tablets ( I started him on those last week)
- Fresh water
- Sherwood pellets

Monty's environment:

- Guineadad fleece liners, spot cleaned daily and changed once a week
- C&C cage neighboring my other guinea pig so they can socialize through the bars (his 6-year-old cagemate passed from congestive heart failure oddly enough the day of Monty's tooth trim)

My vet has recommended switching his probiotic to Harrison's Fauna Flora and seeing if that helps. I haven't done it yet since the Fauna Flora came in a day or two ago and to be honest, I'm not sure how to give it to guinea pigs. The instructions say to sprinkle it on top of their food, but there's no guarantee Monty won't just eat around it, so if there's a way to syringe it into him, I would love some suggestions on that.

Thanks for reading! We're all a little desperate for answers, and even though Monty is seemingly doing fine, I want to do everything I can to help him thrive and be comfortable again.

[Lynx]

It sounds like you are being very proactive in trying to treat this. I am going to throw out some thoughts - you can decide if any are worthwhile. Keep in mind that I do not have a medical background.

Have you read over:
https://www.guinealynx.info/diarrhea.html

I did a search on Harrison's Fauna Flora. It appears to be a nutritional supplement and is " Rich in proteins, amino acids and vitamins." This doesn't sound like a probiotic. Also, when using any supplement with vitamins, one wants to make sure you are not giving excess vitamin A, for example, that can actually cause new problems.

We aren't keen on Sherwood products.

Instead of just cutting back on vegs, you might want to try giving only a single veg to see if it causes problems - then in a week or two, move on to another vegetable (process of elimination). Peppers do not agree with some guinea pigs (though they are very nutritious).

[Talishan]

Ditto Lynx.

Consider trying the probiotic linked to in this post:

https://guinealynx.info/forums/viewtopi ... c#p2331866

We've had a couple whose droppings never really completely normalized, but chronic pain and/or redness around the anal opening shouldn't have to be part of the equation. Is he on any pain medication (such as Metacam), at least temporarily?

I don't know if anything like human IBS happens in guinea pigs, but that's almost what it sounds like -- a hopefully temporary spasming or hypersensitivity. Pure speculation on my part, though.

You might also ask the vet about using a tinytiny bit of silver sulfadiazene cream around the anal opening. This won't hurt him if he ingests a tiny bit, and it should help soothe the irritation in the meantime.

Best to him and to you in getting to the bottom of it. You're doing a wonderful job caring for him, and it sounds like you have excellent vets.

[lorenntqof]

It sounds like you’ve really been through the wringer with Monty, and it’s clear you’re keeping on top of everything. With chronic soft stools like this, even after ruling out parasites, yeast, and dental issues, it can sometimes be related to gut flora imbalance, subtle dietary sensitivities, or even low-level inflammation in the gut. Switching to Harrison’s Fauna Flora is a solid next step—many guinea pigs do better with it than Benebac, especially for stubborn digestive issues.

For administering it: sprinkling on top of fresh greens is easiest, but if he’s picky, you can mix it into a small amount of Critical Care or water and syringe-feed a teaspoon at a time. Just make sure it’s fresh each time and avoid letting it sit too long.

Also, the redness around his anus could be irritation from the soft stools or a minor infection. Keeping the area clean and dry is important, and if it seems sore or spreads, mention it to the vet—they might suggest a mild topical or a short course of something to reduce inflammation.

Keep monitoring his weight, stool consistency, and behavior closely, and consider asking your vet about a short-term gut-healing diet—some owners have success with limited greens, high-quality hay, and minimal pellets while the gut flora stabilizes.

Monty seems otherwise alert and eating, which is a good sign, so small tweaks like this and the Fauna Flora might make a big difference over a few weeks.

[Lynx]

Harrison's Fauna Flora does not sound like a probiotic. It is a bird food/supplement.
I don't know why you think it might help.