1yo sows: sterile cystitis, oestrus aggression. Disabled owner needs treatment or advocacy advice.

[PandaPie]

Hi everyone

I am a disabled owner at my absolute wits' end. Over the past six months, I have spent £1.5k at general vets who are minimizing my guinea pigs' symptoms because they mask their pain at the clinic. I feel like a captor torturing my pets rather than an owner, and my mental health is severely affected. I need help figuring out the next medical steps as my physical health makes traveling to the nearest exotics vet a massive strain that would result in a week-long flare.

The piggies:

• Names/Age: Goldie and Penny, 1-year-old long-haired sows (purchased Sept 2025 at 8 weeks old)
• Environment: 6x2 C&C cage, fleece bedding, cage liner changed daily, pee pads changed several times a day, hideys, toys on rotation. Separate room, stable routine, unlimited hay, water in a bowl and bottles, low-calcium diet, no other people or pets.

The timeline:

• Early signs: Skittish, unable to settle from the start. Goldie began biting to draw blood/pinch skin. Penny would completely freeze.
• January: Brownish urine in the cage but the vet found nothing wrong with either of them. I put them on a low calcium diet and started adding a capsule of Cystease to their wet food twice a day just in case. The calcium deposits decreased in severity, now it’s just whitish marks rather than a thick layer you can scratch off.
• February: Definitely blood in urine. Goldie's sample confirmed blood; she got antibiotics and anti-inflammatories. Penny was deemed healthy because she didn't flinch during a bladder squeeze.
• The vicious cycle: Goldie improved on treatment, but symptoms returned the moment it ended. So she was put back on the anti-inflammatories for a while, then off, then back on. After multiple rounds of vet visits, clear scans (no stones), and clear cultures (no bacteria), the vet thinks it might be sterile cystitis
• May: Penny showed signs of pain. I gave her a dose of Goldie’s Loxicom and she completely transformed overnight into a curious, happy pig - does that mean she's been in pain for months? Sadly, she has since regressed back to being fearful and withdrawn.
• June: The vet dropped me because I queried the rationale for lowering their Loxicom dose to .15ml once a day. Every time I tried to lower their dose, their symptoms returned. The new vet said it’s impossible for both young pigs to have such severe problems and it’s probably behavioural. He didn’t know how to treat it. He also wouldn’t agree to the higher loxicom dose because a booklet said 0.33mg once a day is the maximum.
• The Oestrus Link: Their symptoms are permanently present but get worse during oestrus. They display intense rumblestrutting, snapping, teeth chattering and grinding, and front-mounting (Penny probably gave Goldie an eye infection doing this). They lose ~45g during these 2-day cycles, and lose hair all over. They become entirely untouchable and frantic. Though, since both are constantly on Loxicom, they behaviour has improved.

Now:

• They are currently on Loxicom (1.5mg/ml), 0.25ml twice a day.
• The first vet was forcing me to reduce to .15ml once a day because they claim long-term use is unsafe. The new vet said up to 0.25ml but once a day as well.
• Every time I lowered the dose in the past, the symptoms returned with full force. I’m actually not sure if their pain is fully controlled at the current dose.
• None of the vets mentioned this but they are on the skinny side. They weigh about 930 grams but I think they should be much heavier considering their size. They cannot have many nuggets - they get 10-15 a day because they cannot even handle a tablespoon each and there’s no other high calorie food suitable for guinea pigs, nuts or avocados would have been perfect.

They are not happy with me - they don't want to be handled and definitely don't want their hair and nails cut or bums washed when they're soaked in urine. Obviously, they hate going to the vets. It took them over a week to get over the last visit. Penny sometimes does manage to relax on my lap. Goldie will lie down for literally two minutes, then she gets up, tries to get off my lap, bites the lap pad, my clothes, my hair or anything in range. If she gets scared of a noise outside, she tries to jump off my lap rather than cuddle in.

I actually went so far as to contact a rescue thinking they would be better off with someone else and closer to an exotics vet but they never got back to me and it's been three weeks already.

Has anybody been through something like that? What did you do? What should I do?

 

[Truffolo]

They sound pretty close to the norm for young pigs. Some pigs settled down better as they age. My piggies were very scared initially, but now they are adventurous and cheeky and charming in that special guinea pig way. I would recommend watching Saskia from Los Angeles Guinea Pig Rescue. I learned a lot from her videos on You Tube about taming piggies. It is good for them to be stroked gently and handled for short periods regularly and eventually they become more confident and enjoy affection. Don't take it personally if they try you with their teeth, I think most piggies do that. Mine used to but now I never get nipped. I think we have a good friendship now Good luck with your girls

 

[PandaPie]

They sound pretty close to the norm for young pigs. Some pigs settled down better as they age. My piggies were very scared initially, but now they are adventurous and cheeky and charming in that special guinea pig way. I would recommend watching Saskia from Los Angeles Guinea Pig Rescue. I learned a lot from her videos on You Tube about taming piggies. It is good for them to be stroked gently and handled for short periods regularly and eventually they become more confident and enjoy affection. Don't take it personally if they try you with their teeth, I think most piggies do that. Mine used to but now I never get nipped. I think we have a good friendship now Good luck with your girls

Thank you, Truffolo. I've had guinea pigs before and these ones are completely different. They do have their moments of being "normal" guinea pigs - zooming around or coming up to me but these are rare. That's why I think it's pain (plus the frequent vet visits) causing the issues. There's trying things with their teeth and there's painful bites that break the skin and the latter is not normal for a happy, healthy piggy.

We never got a chance to build a bond before all the issues started. Whenever Goldie was off loxicom, there was also intermittent discoloured urine and it's not food related so it must be their bladder or reproductive tract.

I think if I manage to fix their health issues, their true personalities will get a chance to shine. However, they probably need to be spayed and I can't get to an exotic vet. I've never needed one before. I was wondering if someone else went through something similar.

 

[Truffolo]

I would go with what your vet is saying, they seem to be knowledgeable and thorough. I think they won't spay for medical reasons without clear a diagnostic rationale. Your piggies may have become a bit hand shy after treatment. Biting or hard nipping isn't necessarily a sign of pain. Many piggies ensure pain without biting. It could be a lack of handling or indecisive handling. We can't give medical diagnoses and without having first hand experience of your piggies, can only give very general observations. Spaying is a big op and needs careful after care.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Welcome to the forum

It does sound like sterile cystitis is at play.
If piggies were born to stressed mothers, then that stress can carry through their lives meaning some piggies will never settle regardless of any health issues.
Sterile cystitis is linked to stress.

Glucosamine is the best way to reduce a flare. You find their daily maintenance dose but it can be increased temporarily during a flare. The painkillers of course will help and will be needed but it has been found by members that increasing glucosamine during a flare has a bigger effect on bringing the flare down than the painkillers do.
You may prefer to try Dissolving the capsule in water and then syringing the water to your piggies.

In terms of the painkillers, for chronic and long term issues, giving a dose of painkiller once a day is better. It builds up in the system over time.
Twice daily is fine for short term, acute issues.

It’s usually changes to the diet which set off a flare rather than the diet itself (calcium isn’t involved in sterile cystitis) but if they are also getting calcium deposits then changes could be needed.
Do also keep in mind that going too low in calcium causes just as many problems as being too high.

They don’t need pellets at all if they are causing issues for them. Pellets and unfiltered drinking water introduce more calcium into the diet than veg does.

It sounds like you may have checked their heft? Their weight ie the number on the scales only tells you about their food intake, it doesn’t tell you whether they are a good size for themselves.
Weight gain is done through sufficient hay fibre intake, not through high calorie foods. The issue with weight gain through high calorie is often that when those high calories are stopped the weight falls off again.

Constant extreme dominance behaviour can be is sign of ovarian cysts. A scan would be advisable - would it be possible to speak to a rescue and ask them if they can recommend a vet?

Their behaviour of trying to get down when on your lap or jumping off at a noise is very normal. A lot of piggies simply don’t want lap time and aren’t afraid to say so.
Full on bites are usually defensive from scared or cornered piggies.

Wiebke's Guide to Pees and Stones

 

[PandaPie]

I would go with what your vet is saying, they seem to be knowledgeable and thorough. I think they won't spay for medical reasons without clear a diagnostic rationale. Your piggies may have become a bit hand shy after treatment. Biting or hard nipping isn't necessarily a sign of pain. Many piggies ensure pain without biting. It could be a lack of handling or indecisive handling. We can't give medical diagnoses and without having first hand experience of your piggies, can only give very general observations. Spaying is a big op and needs careful after care.

I'm so sorry for the late reply but it's been a hectic day.

Apart from the settling in period at the start, they've been handled at least twice a day - a weigh-in plus a quick cuddle in the morning and brushing in the evening (plus however long they allow me to keep them out of the cage). If they seem up for it, I pet them in their cage after topping up their hay. I'm not indecisive, I do support them properly, I give them warning. Yeah, I wish all of you could just come and visit and tell me what you think!

In my view, they are the biggest source of each other's stress - first one is in oestrus and bullies the other, a few days later, the situation reverses. That's why I think spaying them would cut down on their stress. And also help them put on weight. Though ever since they've both been on Loxicom, oestrus is much less of an upheaval. Or maybe they're outgrowing their teenage years and things will settle. I really don't know. My thinking is that they have the highest chances of surviving the op when they're young and before they have any other health problems. The general vet I spoke to said he would "give it a go". If I do decide to go ahead with spaying, I will somehow get them to the exotics vet though.

 

[PandaPie]

Welcome to the forum

It does sound like sterile cystitis is at play.
If piggies were born to stressed mothers, then that stress can carry through their lives meaning some piggies will never settle regardless of any health issues.
Sterile cystitis is linked to stress.

Glucosamine is the best way to reduce a flare. You find their daily maintenance dose but it can be increased temporarily during a flare. The painkillers of course will help and will be needed but it has been found by members that increasing glucosamine during a flare has a bigger effect on bringing the flare down than the painkillers do.
You may prefer to try Dissolving the capsule in water and then syringing the water to your piggies.

In terms of the painkillers, for chronic and long term issues, giving a dose of painkiller once a day is better. It builds up in the system over time.
Twice daily is fine for short term, acute issues.

It’s usually changes to the diet which set off a flare rather than the diet itself (calcium isn’t involved in sterile cystitis) but if they are also getting calcium deposits then changes could be needed.
Do also keep in mind that going too low in calcium causes just as many problems as being too high.

They don’t need pellets at all if they are causing issues for them. Pellets and unfiltered drinking water introduce more calcium into the diet than veg does.

It sounds like you may have checked their heft? Their weight ie the number on the scales only tells you about their food intake, it doesn’t tell you whether they are a good size for themselves.
Weight gain is done through sufficient hay fibre intake, not through high calorie foods. The issue with weight gain through high calorie is often that when those high calories are stopped the weight falls off again.

Constant extreme dominance behaviour can be is sign of ovarian cysts. A scan would be advisable - would it be possible to speak to a rescue and ask them if they can recommend a vet?

Their behaviour of trying to get down when on your lap or jumping off at a noise is very normal. A lot of piggies simply don’t want lap time and aren’t afraid to say so.
Full on bites are usually defensive from scared or cornered piggies.

Wiebke's Guide to Pees and Stones

Thank you and I'm so sorry for the late reply but it's been a hectic day.

Ever since January, they've been getting a capsule of Cystease each, split into two doses and sprinkled on their food. They will not take it from a syringe. Their issues have not been under control so I never got to go down to the maintenance dose. Should I temporarily increase it instead? They're about 930g each.

As for calcium - the first vet said that the crystals alone can cause pain because they are sharp. The analysis done on Goldie's urine said there were calcium crystals there. For several months, I didn't give them pellets at all and they still had whitish pee. (Now I just give them as treats). I've no idea how to lower the calcium intake further. All their veg is low calcium: romaine lettuce, round lettuce, peppers, cucumbers, coriander, chicory, green beans, tomatoes, carrots (but not much because sugar). They are not keen on fruit but will eat a bit of strawberries or melons once in a while. I give them a sprig of dill maybe once a fortnight. No crucifers at all because of calcium but also because it gives them very stinky poos.

Tap water in Scotland is soft (they inadvertently get it on their veg). However, they prefer to drink bottled water and that's much higher in calcium (4mg in 100ml). I cannot get lower calcium bottled water where I live. I'll try serving tap water again alongside the bottled one (so that they still have access to water in case they don't want tap water) and see if they change their minds.

For future reference - how would I know if they're getting too little calcium?

Goldie had a scan and everything was fine with her ovaries. They've both been checked by a vet recently and he could feel no cysts. I remember reading that the ovaries themselves might be producing too much oestrogen leading to the dominance issues.

We have nine whole days till the nearest oestrus and they seem ok so I'm starting to lower Loxicom - they got 0.2 ml this morning and they will get the same at night and I will keep going at least until I get to the vet recommended dose. Is there any research showing it builds up in their body because all I've seen says that they metabolise it fast and need at least twice daily doses? I saw someone on a forum splitting the daily maintenance dose into three as this suited their piggy best. The vet's booklet said that 0.33mg per day is the max they can ever get.

I would agree that biting is a sign of fear/stress but Goldie stops biting to draw blood when on Loxicom and starts again whenever she is off it or the dose is lowered, which leads me to think that it's her reaction to pain. She's still a biter but they're just warning bites. (Also, despite getting the same food all the time, they haven't had discoloured pee since they were both put on Loxicom).

How do I work out how much hay they eat? At the moment, they have a huge pile that gets topped up several times a day and replaced once a week (or when they pee in it). A lot of it is going to waste and I don't know how much their actually getting so cannot begin to estimate their food's Ca/P ratio properly.

I read Wiebke's guide back in January (hence the Cystease and low calcium diet). I've read it again just now - it seem their IC is on the more severe end of spectrum.

That's interesting about jumping off being normal. I've never experienced it before - everybody loved lap time and saw me as their security blanket. The potential for them to jump off makes lap time very stressful for me because I just can't chill if I might have to react at any moment so it's probably rubbing off on Goldie as well. Penny tends to freeze when scared so I'm less worried about her suddenly dashing off.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Quick reply for tonight,

Hay intake is monitored by the routine weekly weight checks. Weigh them at the same time (morning is best) on the same day of the week. This is what gives the most accurate gauge.
If their weight is stable at each check then they are eating enough hay.
If they lose weight then they are not eating enough. Weight checks then need to be done every day (same time every morning so you can compare accurately) if you are concerned about their health, or if weight has been lost (beyond normal fluctuation) at one a weekly weight checks.
Hay intake cannot be gauged by eye at all.

Weight and Weight Loss Explained: BMI, Weighing, Poos and Feeding Support Levels

You will struggle to work out the ca:p ratio of the diet accurately anyway - hay content is going to change depending on the soil it has been grown in.
I don’t think there are any, or certainly not many, owners on here who do so.

If calcium is too low, you will see the same white calcium pees as when intake is too high

Personally I wouldn’t give tomatoes (acidity), carrot or fruit (sugars) at all

 

[PandaPie]

Quick reply for tonight,

Hay intake is monitored by the routine weekly weight checks. Weigh them at the same time (morning is best) on the same day of the week. This is what gives the most accurate gauge.
If their weight is stable at each check then they are eating enough hay.
If they lose weight then they are not eating enough. Weight checks then need to be done every day (same time every morning so you can compare accurately) if you are concerned about their health, or if weight has been lost (beyond normal fluctuation) at one a weekly weight checks.
Hay intake cannot be gauged by eye at all.

Weight and Weight Loss Explained: BMI, Weighing, Poos and Feeding Support Levels

You will struggle to work out the ca:p ratio of the diet accurately anyway - hay content is going to change depending on the soil it has been grown in.
I don’t think there are any, or certainly not many, owners on here who do so.

If calcium is too low, you will see the same white calcium pees as when intake is too high

Personally I wouldn’t give tomatoes (acidity), carrot or fruit (sugars) at all

I've been weighing them daily since they settled after I got them - at first because I was curious about the weight increases and then because of the issues. They basically only lose weight around their oestrus (20g at first, now even 45g) and then regain it quickly.

Noted about the hay and the other food. It's so frustrating there's so many things they can't eat.

Thank you very much for all your time and advice.