I'd like to ask a serious question about my guinea pig's arse.

[Boco]

Which is ironic because when Thready's GPig died I wrote a poem about fecal impaction - and now I think my guinea pig may have just that. He's not been pooing much and the area around his bum is bulging in a very alarming way.

Has anyone experienced this,(not personally of course, just in their guinea pigs) and do you know what to do about it? I don't want him to explode or anything. And I don't really want to be doign things to his bum either. Is there a solution?

Poo unforthcoming:
The summer sun's hot hutch glare
Clenches Wilf's anus.

Do guinea pigs have anal glands like dogs could be an anal gland abcess, if they do and it is, bathe several times a day with fairly hot/warm salt water to bring to a head keep bathing to make it draw to a head and when it bursts wipe all the yukky stuff away and keep bathing it with the hot/warm salt water, also get anti biotics/pain killer from vets?

A heat wave
Causes Boco unrest and
Stalls Wilf's stool

(not strictly haiku, but I can never remember the rules!)

poor wilfred!!!

the indignity's he has suffered!!!!

hope you have managed to get to see a vet today

I'm getting quite concerned for Wilf.

It prompted me to upend, without due care or warning, all of our guinea herd in order to inspect their nethers - all's well here, no vaseline required.

Go on, Wilf, PUSH.

and glad no insertion of cucumber!!!

wouldnt a gerkin be more their size

and yes dh and i love south park and that episode is very funny

I think we've had some success! This evening he was racing around the garden with his brother Morris - after a couple of days of lying down looking pained, and when I went to put him in his hutch his bum was a lot less bulgy and there was a pile of poos. So hooray, I think Wilfred has unplugged. I hope it wasn't the result of the perrineal massage because I really don't want to do that ever again. [haunted stare]

fab!!

Boco, surely your lifetime's worth of therapy is a small price to pay for Wilf's free passage, as it were?

Bravo.

Congratulations on the happy event.

I hope you have noted the words 'on a weekly basis' in Meglet's post.

Wilfred running free,
Pile of poo as evidence
Of anal rubbing!

(5 syllables, 7 syllables, 5 syllables!)

We had our two boys neutered today - it's supposed to make them much less prone to anal impaction, as well as the more obvious consequence.

It can be a hazardous op though - we used a vet recommended by a gp rescue centre and our boys have come home safely, but I'm still concerned about infection, shock, etc.