www.unusualpetvets.com.au
FAECALIMPACTIONINGUINEAPIGSFaecalimpactionisaconditionseenmostcommonlyinentiremaleguineapigsafter2-3yearsofage.Theexactreasonforitsoccurrenceisunknown,butitisthoughtthattheincreasedsizeofthetesticlesandfatdepositinthescrotalsacpreventsfaecesfromfallingoutoftherectum.Thiscollectionoffaecesthen‘dilates’thisareacausingmorefaecestoaccumulateinthisarea.
Theimpactedfaecesbeginstobreakdownandtheodourcanbesignificant.Normalfaecescanalsobeseenfromguineapigswiththiscondition.
Affectedguineapigscanshownosignsatallinsomecaseshowevermostshowsymptomsofstrainingtodefecateoranunusualodour.
Whatcanwedoaboutthiscondition?
Theoldsayingofpreventionisbetterthanacureholdstrueforthiscondition.Castration,ideallyatayoungage,helpstopreventthisconditionfromoccurring.Castrationaftertheconditionhasoccurredmaypreventitfromgettingworsebutgenerallywillnotalterthedilatedpocket.
Regularmanualcleaningofthispocketisoftenthebesttreatmentinolderboars(maleguineapigs).Cleaningtwicedailytoonceaweekisrequireddependingontheseverityofthecondition.