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Bertie: weight loss, no other symptoms... infection?

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Sappho

Sappho

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It doesn't rain but it pours - my other piggy Bagginan is being treated for an abscess after neutering, and now there are problems with Bertie.

He's 5 years old, always been a small pig, and has had a rough few months with bladder stones and a few operations and infections. He had picked up completely, was eating and doing everything normally, but now I've noticed that he is losing weight (slowly) and his weight is now around 950g.

He feels a bit bony, and is starting to get a lot of scurf/crust on his ear. I'm also suspecting an infection in one of his toes, perhaps from being very inactive throughout all the ops and infections. It's been a bit swollen, it's been treated with antibiotics and nothing has changed, but it's not spreading to the rest of the foot at all. I've also bathed it in both hibiscrub diluted, and salt baths (as recommended by vet). I'm wondering - could this all be a fungal infection? He's not scratching at all, no loss of hair, just a bit more scurf and the ear crust and his weird toe.

If it was fungal, what would the vet prescribe him?

Thanks

Sappho x
 
Just wanted to add to this - I've been told to treat his little toe with canasten (I'm guessing the 1% stuff?) Should this be done once a day?
 
Hi i'm sorry to hear about Bertie :(
I used to treat our boy's fungal twice a day, but i'm not sure..... i'd call your vets for confirmation.
Is he eating all foods? could it be that he's lacking in vitamin C ? just a thought as you said he's been inactive....... as they get older they do slow down, well ours did, and that can bring on sore feet etc..

sending some HEALING WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEKS FOR BERTIE XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

hopefully somebody else can advise :)
 
I'm getting more and more worried about Bertie.

He is completely normal, eating LOADS and drinking normally (he's always drunk a lot of water) but his weight will not go up. I've got pictures of him from a year ago and he used to be this chunky little thing and now he is quite bony.

He had an op for bladder stones about 4 months ago and at first I thought his weight loss was due to that, but he's just not putting it back on. They had to leave one bladder stone because it was in his ureter and just wouldn't move.

He has one enlarged toe on his back foot which has been diagnosed as a fungal infection which is being treated. Apart from that, there seems to be nothing else wrong with him. I have noticed that over the last two weeks or so, his poops have begun to smell more. They are normal apart from that, not soft or anything. He was on probiotic for a while after his op, but not since.

I'm wondering - could this be because of the fungal toe, or could it be that the bladder stone is moving/has moved? He's not uncomfortable anywhere according to vet (a good guinea vet). I'm at a loss as to what to do with him. Does anyone have any ideas?
 
Have you tried Laura on the helpline? Perhaps she has got some more ideas?
http://www.guineapighelpline.com/

Diabetes or kidney problems are often connected with weight loss and noticeably increased drinking, perhaps that is an avenue to check on, even if it is only to exclude them?
 
Thanks Wiebke, I have emailed Laura. I think whatever she gets back to me with, I will get a full range of tests done at my old vets (very good with pigs). Hopefully I can save up some funds over the next few weeks!
 
Well, from all the info that Laura has sent me, it seems Bertie probably has some sort of internal fungal infection.

Only now it seems the bladder stone that the vet had to leave in is either shifting or has moved into his bladder. He is urinating a lot with quite a lot of blood. He is booked in for a check with provisional op on Friday morning.

Until then, what can I do? I've been advised by the vet to put him on metacam for a few days and make sure he is urinating properly. He is obviously in discomfort when he pees, but he is not lethargic and does not squeal in pain at all. He is eating like a horse and drinking well, and seems for the most part his usual bright self.

Should I get more water into him? Should he be on antibiotics as well with all the blood? I'm worried as to what to do. I'm going to a vet I trust on Friday, but it is a long way away (2.5 hours) and I'm worried that it's leaving it too late.
 
I am sorry that Bertie has additioanl problems now. At least if he is not in excruciating pain, that means that the stone is not stuck in the worst possible place and not blocking the ureter.

Metacam is in an anti-inflammatory as well as a painkiller.

Weigh Bertie daily to make sure that he is not losing any more weight. Remember that when he is eating his veg normally, he is getting fluid into his body. I would not give extra fluid; increased urinating may contribute to flushing the stone into a place. Unlike with a UTI, you are not dealing with a bacterial infection.

Have you got a vet closer by in case Bertie's suddenly taking a turn for the worse, due to the stone shifting again? You will also need to see a vet asap if he stops peeing for a whole day. The best thing would to keep Bertie on white/light towels for the moment, so you can keep an eye on his urination.
 
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Metacam will help with the pain and inflammation, although you are right to be worried. There is always a possibility the stone may move and block his urethra tube preventing from urinating - at this point immediate vet care must be sought.

I wouldn't syringe any additional fluids in case it encourages the stone to move.

Abs are only used to prevent secondary infection or treat a current infection, as your pig has a stone it's likely this is causing his problems, after his bladder op I would expect the vet to give antibiotics to stop secondary infection.

In the meantime - I would monitor his weight, that he is urinating and still eating it's likely he maybe feeling poorly anything changes I would consult a vet sooner.
 
Oh gosh poor little Bertie :(
I do hope you can get in to see a vet sooner love, is there another one you'd trust? or could someone help you with one nearer to you?

Please give Bertie lots of little kisses and snuggles from the girls and I XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

and lots of hugs for you, you're obviously worried and doing all you can XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
 
Thank you all, I really appreciate the quick response. I have just rung a closer vet that specialises in exotics (it's still an hour and a half away!) and I have registered my concerns about Bertie with them and they are happy to take him in at a moments notice should he go downhill before Friday. As my old vet knows Bertie and all the problems he's had with stones, I'm still going to keep the Friday appointment unless he takes a turn for the worse.

(Why are there not more vets that know how to treat guineas properly?!?! One told me the other day that they were just like cats).

I'll definitely do the weighing daily. I hate my scales and might buy some more this afternoon, but this morning he was just over 1kg. He is eating a huge amount at the moment, probably because of this other infection. Poor boy! He was so healthy before all this, had only once seen a vet in all his five years before the stones. I hate that he has all this, I always feel so guilty, even though I know I'm doing everything I can.

He's on a light fleece at the moment, with white towels underneath, and my husband and I are taking turns at watching him. He's even arranging with work to let him have the mornings off this week that I'm working so there's someone around all the time!

I'm feeding him mainly on cucumber, celery, cabbage, carrot and peppers at the moment - I know to avoid high calcium things like romaine lettuce etc. Has anyone had any experience with Uriflow? Laura suggested it to me and I wondered if it was something that is commonly used or quite new?
 
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Sorry, I have no experience with it, but have heard it mentioned a few times in connection with bladder stones. My own bladder stone piggy sadly died a couple of years before I found the forum.

It may be worth a try, especially if the stone is in an awkward place for an operation.
 
Update on Bertie:

He has been getting metacam for three days to help with inflammation, and this also seems to have stopped the bleeding. He is still booked in for an x-ray to look for stones, and we will be getting some antifungals from the vet *hopefully*. I'll be asking her about the Uriflow as well if the stone he had is still in an awkward place.

He hasn't lost any more weight and is still eating and drinking well, so fingers crossed we'll be on top of everything very soon :)
 
Fingers firmly crossed! Good to hear that his weight is stable now and that he is better in himself.
 
I didn't want to post this yesterday as I couldn't really get my head around it.

After Bertie showed negative signs in tests of diabetes, we ruled that out. We started treating him for an internal infection and he was also given antibiotics as the tests showed up signs of infection. It also showed some signs of possible kidney problems. However, the blood cleared up and he seemed fine again.

Bertie saw the exotics vet again yesterday, as he started producing a lot of blood in his urine, some very big clots, and he wasn't eating on his own. I syringe fed him, and got him to eat out of my hand (but he would only do so whilst cuddled up on my lap). He lost an incredible amount of weight very quickly (over 150g in a week).

The vet was great, and immediately did an ultrasound. It showed up the stone which we knew was already lodged in his ureter, and showed lots of smaller stones in his bladder which he has been passing the last few days. Unfortunately, it also showed extensive kidney damage. The kidney with the blocked ureter was covered in fluid filled cysts - waste material that wasn't being flushed but was instead backing up in the kidney. The vet said it might be possible to remove the entire thing so he could get along with one, but images of the second kidney showed damage and lots of stones.

The vet was very kind and said that in a younger pig with no kidney damage he would probably go in and flush the bladder and remove the kidney and stone blocking the ureter, but that with Bertie the damage was too extensive. He said the best thing was to try and give Bertie a great few weeks and make the decision to put him to sleep before his kidneys actually fail.

My poor little boy must be in such a lot of pain with the kidney stones. It is entirely likely that this has caused his progressive weight loss over the last four months or so, and must have been there a long time before there was any sign of a stone (we lost his dad Biscuit to stones and renal failure at two years old). We;ve been lucky he's got to five before this all started up.

I don't know what to do.
 
I'm so sorry.

I noticed with my Girl Bette when she stopped drinking water death was fast approaching. She appeared like she had a new lease of life the night before and I thought she'd turned a corner but sadly she hadn't. My heart goes out to you.

x
 
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