www.unusualpetvets.com.au

FAECALIMPACTIONINGUINEAPIGSFaecalimpactionisaconditionseenmostcommonlyinentiremaleguineapigsafter2-3yearsofage.Theexactreasonforitsoccurrenceisunknown,butitisthoughtthattheincreasedsizeofthetesticlesandfatdepositinthescrotalsacpreventsfaecesfromfallingoutoftherectum.Thiscollectionoffaecesthen‘dilates’thisareacausingmorefaecestoaccumulateinthisarea.

Theimpactedfaecesbeginstobreakdownandtheodourcanbesignificant.Normalfaecescanalsobeseenfromguineapigswiththiscondition.

Affectedguineapigscanshownosignsatallinsomecaseshowevermostshowsymptomsofstrainingtodefecateoranunusualodour.

Whatcanwedoaboutthiscondition?

Theoldsayingofpreventionisbetterthanacureholdstrueforthiscondition.Castration,ideallyatayoungage,helpstopreventthisconditionfromoccurring.Castrationaftertheconditionhasoccurredmaypreventitfromgettingworsebutgenerallywillnotalterthedilatedpocket.

Regularmanualcleaningofthispocketisoftenthebesttreatmentinolderboars(maleguineapigs).Cleaningtwicedailytoonceaweekisrequireddependingontheseverityofthecondition.