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Post by moletteuk on Jan 20, 2017 11:51:46 GMT
Has anyone got any thoughts or ideas about slightly smelly poos?
I've been finding the odd poo that looks pale on the outside, like it's maybe had a slightly wet outside coating on it that has then dried. These are what caused me to break them open and have a sniff, and they smell a bit stinky and bad. I'm not seeing many of these, but some of the normal looking ones smell a little bit too. This has been going on for a few weeks now, I've been overcome with hayfever the last couple of weeks so it's getting quite hard for me to judge the smell. I think Flossie and Alice are both affected. The size and texture of the poos looks fine.
Diet is as normal, forage, seeds, a few pellets. I've tried giving them Vetark Pro C every other day in the water for a couple of weeks. My vet swears by Critical Care so I've been feeding them small quantities of that for the past 10 days or so.
I had a scary day with Flossie yesterday, she was just a bit lethargic all day, wasn't interested much in breakfast, wanted to stay in bed. But I encouraged her up later and she ate fairly normally, was moving normally, breathing normally for her. She seems more or less OK today. She's getting old. Anyway, the scare prompted me to ask if you guys have any ideas?
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Post by Deleted on Jan 20, 2017 12:07:07 GMT
No clue. 🤔 I'm gonna keep an eye out now you've mentioned it, see if I have anything of value to report. I've never smelt an outwardly bad smelling poo. Haven't broken any open though, haven't noticed any pale ones but I could definitely have a rummage lol.
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Post by winic1 on Jan 20, 2017 12:22:09 GMT
I've noticed the occasional odd-colored poo, and if you see it when fresh, it's plump and soft and moist, so I always just assumed it was one of the ones they would re-ingest, but didn't.
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Post by deguconvert on Jan 20, 2017 14:58:03 GMT
Vit C can cause diarrhea if the amounts are too high, or the blood saturation is too high. Perhaps they are reacting to that? Is that a new thing, or have you used it on and off before?
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Post by moletteuk on Jan 20, 2017 17:40:38 GMT
@winic it could be that I am just looking and sniffing a bit closely at fresh poos.
@dc The Pro C is just a probiotic, not vitamin C.
@random was the essence of moor water stuff you mentioned a while ago good for sorting out gut disturbance?
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Post by yasmin on Jan 22, 2017 4:12:36 GMT
I have not had any experience with smelly poos but I would think it is most likely caused by something they are ingesting. What do they smell like? I have noticed that the poos of my goo Ichi, who gets Critical Care regularly, are often lighter in color and wetter than normal poos.
How is Flossie doing today?
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Post by moletteuk on Jan 22, 2017 15:26:35 GMT
They smell like nasty poo, just bad poo smell, usually quite mild but the discoloured ones smell quite strong. I can't think of anything different in the diet, which is why I have been pursuing a gut disturbance idea and going with the probiotics, but I'll give it some more thought.
Thanks for asking Yasmin, she has been more or less back to normal, it just seems to have been one off day, which I am very relieved about.
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Post by goolover on Jan 22, 2017 15:49:21 GMT
Have they had anything new to chew lately moletteuk, like wooden toys. I used to get those individual wooden sticks and have had to stop as it really effected their poos. Even those thick wooden ramps with the bark on caused massive diarrhea in the pack.
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Post by bouncy on Jan 22, 2017 18:07:41 GMT
Had a little troll through the German sites. Smelly poos are usually an indication of digestive tract issues, and should be treated similar to diarrhoea. Since you're doing most of this already, the only other thing that was recommended was some fennel and camomile tea! If Flossie doesn't fancy a cuppa, you could just try the actual herbs (dry or fresh)? Sorry I can't help more
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Post by moletteuk on Jan 23, 2017 14:10:06 GMT
Thanks people, it's always helpful to kick ideas around.
I've had a think and I've worked out that they have been getting quite a bit of rosemary for approx the same amount of time that the poo thing has been happening, so I'll take that out and not put any more in for a while.
I've been thinking it can't really be anything too serious because it's been going on for several weeks now and not got any worse, so it does make sense that it could be something different they are eating or chewing. Or possibly some sort of minor ongoing gut disturbance. My efforts with probiotics don't seem to have helped at all. I was just having a talk with my friend about her Schnauser how she has got him an enormous memory foam bed, and now that he sleeps laid out straight his spine issue has massively improved and even his dodgy gut with sporadically loose stools has also improved loads, so I guess all sorts of things, including pain, could slightly upset a degu tummy. If you think of IBS in humans it could be caused by anything.
I'll have to look out for some fennel and chamomile.
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Post by deguconvert on Jan 23, 2017 17:22:09 GMT
WOW! That is really interesting about the Schnauzer dog and how much difference the bed has made to him. Very intriguing!
I hope the removal of the rosemary will be just the thing to "sweeten" the poo, and normalize their digestive systems.
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Post by moletteuk on Jan 23, 2017 17:37:13 GMT
It's been a bit of a miracle with Bertie the schnauzer, he has a mildly slipped disc, which mostly shows itself as pain, discomfort, stiffness & weakness in his back end & loss of appetite in the mornings, he could hardly move some mornings, he was on gabapentin. Within days of trying the massive bed he drastically improved, there was a minor setback when she got him a pillow as this caused him to curl up again, but she figured it out, removed the pillow and a couple of months on she has now been able to stop his gabapentin, and like I say, even his digestion has improved. Makes you want to shout from the roof tops about large beds for dogs, which is sort of what I am doing lol!
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Post by deguconvert on Jan 23, 2017 17:39:20 GMT
WOW!! There must be lots that could extrapolated from that. Spinal health for so many more critters and even humans!! I'm going to be thinking on this!
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Post by moletteuk on Jan 23, 2017 17:48:22 GMT
I know - when you think that nearly all dog beds are quite small and aimed at the curling up position, but when you see a dog truly luxuriating comfortably and feeling warm they stretch out. Oh, that was the other thing she did, put a heat mat under the bed so he is plenty warm.
I can also recommend an interesting spinal book for humans '8 steps to a pain free back' by esther gokhale. Obviously, there are no 8 steps to a pain free back but basically it's saying that the back should have a curve to it, shoulders back and bum out (but not too much) and this is contrary to current physiotherapy advice which says to tuck your bum under. To me bum out stomach forward feels much more natural than bum under stomach flat to me, both for my spine and stomach/ internal organs, plus if you put your shoulders back I find the position that she is describing is what happens naturally.
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Post by deguconvert on Jan 23, 2017 18:20:58 GMT
I have seen some of that topic, though have not read the book. The J spine instead of the curvy thing. I was ALWAYS taught, tuck in your bum, suck in your belly, tuck in your chin, shoulders back . . . and doing it all at once is . . . EXHAUSTING! LOL! So, I have this battle in my head when I stick my bottom out a bit, instead of the tuck in/under habit of years and years. I will say, that when I am sitting at the computer, bum out, shoulders back, I feel better and have less pain.
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Post by ntg on Jan 23, 2017 20:27:24 GMT
WOW!! There must be lots that could extrapolated from that. Spinal health for so many more critters and even humans!! I'm going to be thinking on this! I'm imagining you marketing little memory foam beds - frame and all - for degus now deguconverts degu dreambeds - mattresses sold separately
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Post by bouncy on Jan 23, 2017 21:21:49 GMT
WOW!! There must be lots that could extrapolated from that. Spinal health for so many more critters and even humans!! I'm going to be thinking on this! I'm imagining you marketing little memory foam beds - frame and all - for degus now deguconverts degu dreambeds - mattresses sold separately ..........and frequently!
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Post by Emziedee on Jan 24, 2017 1:01:56 GMT
I thought this post title was a term of endearment 😬
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Post by deguconvert on Jan 24, 2017 6:08:09 GMT
R O F L !!!! Oh my darling, Smelly poo!!
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Post by deguconvert on Jan 24, 2017 6:09:54 GMT
Buy your degu mattress in the convenient multi bag of THREE!! Not water proof, soil proof, chew proof, or degu proof. Suitable only for degus.
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