Dilly's Piggies
Teenage Guinea Pig
Just got back from the out of hours vet with my 1.5y old sow Tizzie, she has been squeaking whilst peeing and pooping for a few weeks, and has a pink tint to her urine for the past few days, yesterday she started to go off her food and obviously this is really serious for piggies, so I had to get her to the vet today, and unfortunately for us it's Sunday and only the out of hours emergency vet was available, paid a whopping £211 for her treatment today but at least we have a clear conscience and some answers!
Tizzie had her urine examined under a microscope, no crystals were found so it seems she does not have bladder stones, which was my first suspicion. Lots of blood was found in her urine. Her temperature was only slightly above normal and her heart rate, resps etc were all fine. No lumps or bumps were found in her abdomen, however stones can't be completely ruled out unless x-rayed, but if there are stones in there then they are small, hopefully she can pass them without a problem.
The vet has diagnosed bacterial cystitis, which is a nasty infection and no wonder Tizzie has been feeling so rubbish lately, I just feel guilty I didn't get her checked out sooner. She was given 3 injections today, baytril, metacam and ranitidine (zantac) and I have to say these drugs have helped her a huge deal already! The first thing she did when she got home was eat, eat and eat even more, she even scoffed down a red grape, something she doesn't normally like. She seems much brighter and alive already, even popcorning around the cage, she's very happy to be home!
She has to go back to my normal vet tomorrow to be re-examined and the treatment of baytril and metacam will continue orally, of course I will get some probiotics too as I know baytril can kill good bacteria as well as bad. My bank account is so hurt, but that's what we do for our babies...
I just wanted to come here and ask for some care advice, I've had many piggies but I've never dealt with BC or a UTI. I know that I should add more absorbent pads to her sleeping areas (she lives on fleece) and clean them more regularly, 2 or 3 times a day to keep the bacteria down as much as possible, and also cut her hair on her bottom as short as possible (she's a sheltie, so long haired), and I've added more watery veg to her diet to encourage more frequent urination, I've also bought some oxbow urinary support tablets that contain really good ingredients to promote bladder function, however I can't get her to eat them, I'll just keep trying with those, maybe one day she will give them a try. I'm not sure about bum baths, she tends to lay in one spot and pee, which is probably how she got this infection in the first place, and I had to bath her around once a week to remove the urine stains on her bottom, however I don't know if washing her bottom will make things worse rather than better? And obviously she will continue to get her medication.
Does anybody have any good tips for how I can make her more comfortable, and also prevent this happening again? Tizzie has two daughters, 7 months old, that live in the same cage as her, is it possible they could have it too? I haven't seen any issues with either of them but obviously that doesn't mean that nothing's wrong, what should I be looking out for in her daughters? I've noticed tear drop shaped poops from one of them, with a small tail, I read this is a sign of dehydration so I've been upping their water intake, I'm unsure if this is anything to be worried about so maybe someone here can tell me if they should see the vet also.
Illness always happens at the same time, it's so unfortunate, but I hope Tizzie will continue to do well and be back to her old happy self soon.
Tizzie had her urine examined under a microscope, no crystals were found so it seems she does not have bladder stones, which was my first suspicion. Lots of blood was found in her urine. Her temperature was only slightly above normal and her heart rate, resps etc were all fine. No lumps or bumps were found in her abdomen, however stones can't be completely ruled out unless x-rayed, but if there are stones in there then they are small, hopefully she can pass them without a problem.
The vet has diagnosed bacterial cystitis, which is a nasty infection and no wonder Tizzie has been feeling so rubbish lately, I just feel guilty I didn't get her checked out sooner. She was given 3 injections today, baytril, metacam and ranitidine (zantac) and I have to say these drugs have helped her a huge deal already! The first thing she did when she got home was eat, eat and eat even more, she even scoffed down a red grape, something she doesn't normally like. She seems much brighter and alive already, even popcorning around the cage, she's very happy to be home!
She has to go back to my normal vet tomorrow to be re-examined and the treatment of baytril and metacam will continue orally, of course I will get some probiotics too as I know baytril can kill good bacteria as well as bad. My bank account is so hurt, but that's what we do for our babies...
I just wanted to come here and ask for some care advice, I've had many piggies but I've never dealt with BC or a UTI. I know that I should add more absorbent pads to her sleeping areas (she lives on fleece) and clean them more regularly, 2 or 3 times a day to keep the bacteria down as much as possible, and also cut her hair on her bottom as short as possible (she's a sheltie, so long haired), and I've added more watery veg to her diet to encourage more frequent urination, I've also bought some oxbow urinary support tablets that contain really good ingredients to promote bladder function, however I can't get her to eat them, I'll just keep trying with those, maybe one day she will give them a try. I'm not sure about bum baths, she tends to lay in one spot and pee, which is probably how she got this infection in the first place, and I had to bath her around once a week to remove the urine stains on her bottom, however I don't know if washing her bottom will make things worse rather than better? And obviously she will continue to get her medication.
Does anybody have any good tips for how I can make her more comfortable, and also prevent this happening again? Tizzie has two daughters, 7 months old, that live in the same cage as her, is it possible they could have it too? I haven't seen any issues with either of them but obviously that doesn't mean that nothing's wrong, what should I be looking out for in her daughters? I've noticed tear drop shaped poops from one of them, with a small tail, I read this is a sign of dehydration so I've been upping their water intake, I'm unsure if this is anything to be worried about so maybe someone here can tell me if they should see the vet also.
Illness always happens at the same time, it's so unfortunate, but I hope Tizzie will continue to do well and be back to her old happy self soon.
