Edgar Has Very Soft Poop

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J

Jazicat

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Dec 12, 2009
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909
Location
Northern California
Edgar has a vet appointment today at 5pm because I noticed last night he had soft stools and it doesn't seem to have changed by the look of his cage today. Weight, eating and drinking are all normal. I tried to rub his belly last night and can feel nothing but what is normal and did the same today.

I know that there probably isn't much you can tell me about the problem that I haven't read on the board some where. I guess I am just really worried that my little guy could be really sick.
 
How squishy; do they smear over things in the cage?
What brand of food do you feed?
Are poops otherwise normal? (smell, size, color)

There are many things that can cause it including Giardia. A fecal will tell if that is present. And if it is, Panacur does well with Giardia.
 
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Very squishy and they are smearing every where but no smell that I can detect. They seem to be of normal size. Color seems normal too.

Edgar eats Manna Pro show that I purchase every other month from his breeder. He gets unlimited timothy hay, an alfalfa block he mostly ignores and a few treats. Treats include horse cookies, oats and rose hips but I stopped giving all treats last night because of the soft poop. Edgar is eating his normal amount but seems to be drinking a little more. He drinks bottled water.
 
When did he last have a treat? I give activated charcoal to chins with diarrhea (I just open up a capsule and sprinkle the charcoal over a piece of moistened shredded wheat) as charcoal is an adsorbant and binds to any toxins or compounds which can cause irritation in the digestive tract. It clears it up right away. I know some people just use burnt toast instead of pure activated charcoal but IMO, it doesn't really work as well.

Kaolin-pectin is also helpful in cases of severe diarrhea.

Giving probiotics (not at the same time as the charcoal) will also help replenish the natural gut flora.

Hopefully the fecal will come back negative. Keep us updated on what happens at the vet.
 
I use the kaolin pectin, it binds the poo and sooths the digestive tract, usually a couple of doses clears up any issues.
 
His last treat was the night before last since I didn't think a treat would be a good idea with soft poop.

I appreciate all the suggestions. Also should I just sprinkle a little of the pectin onto a shreddie too?
 
The kaolin-pectin (brand name Pet-Pectillin) is a liquid. I suppose you could put it on a shreddie but it would be easier to just give it directly by syringe so you know for sure that he's ingested it.
 
We are back from the vet and Edgar has a bacterial infection called clostridium and was prescribed doxycycline. I also talked to Edgar's breeder for added advice so with all of it being roughly the same we have a clear plan of action.

Thank you everyone for your help and I will post how he's doing tomorrow unless you think there is something else I can do.
 
Just for reference, Clostridium is a naturally-occuring bacteria found in the gut in low numbers. Excess sugar, stress, or change in diet can cause Clostridium species to overgrow and outnumber all the beneficial bacteria in the G.I. tract that are supposed to aid in digesting the high fiber diet chins are meant to eat.
 
Thank you for that information! I really appreciate being able to post here and have the feedback. I am so lucky to have a vet and breeder as well as all of you to back me up!

ETA: after reading the possible causes I'm as confused as ever as to why. The vet thought it was a fluke thing from something he ate but we buy all our food from his breeder including treats.
 
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How often do you give the horse cookies and how large of a piece does he get? Those cookies often have a lot of molasses and I believe the Mrs. Pastures horse cookies also have apples. It may be too much sugar for him, plus, the grains in the cookies are converted to sugars in the body as well. That'd be my only guess if there has been nothing new in his diet.
 
I only give him a rosehip sized piece of horse cookie every other day at most. I think that he will probably only be getting shreddies and rosehips with the rare piece of cookie if any at all.

Thank you so much for your help as it is really appreciated!

Edgar's poops are looking a little better and he's still eating, drinking and pooping so I am praying that we caught this very early. I've also been giving gentle belly rubs when he will let me.
 
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Edgar's continuing to get well and his poops are much firmer today. We're going to finish his treatment and hopefully by this time next week totally well.
 
I just wanted to say that Edgar is all better. His poops are normal and actually gained 30 grams. We've slowly been reintroducing pellets so every thing is almost back to normal. We have switched to shreddies for treats and aren't going to give horse cookies because I think they have too much sugar. Soon we'll reintroduce rose hips but are doing things slowly.

I've learned through this that going to the vet quickly can make a world of difference. To ask advice from experts/ breeders to make sure that the vet was right. Lastly and most importantly that treats make me feel better than they are for Edgar. He's just as happy getting attention or a apple stick as a treat and will be much healthier for it.

Thank you to everyone who supported me and gave advice. It was all truly appreciated.
 
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