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Bladder stone/uti...

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MillyMaisy

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Hi, just hoping someone might be able to help me here.
I noticed My female piggy, milly, was a bit under the weather. Upon closer inspection I realised she was raising her hind quarters and squeaking a lot when urinating and passing stools. I also found blood in her urine. I took her to the vets and they diagnosed either a uti or bladder stone. They decided to see if It was an infection first of all. I have been administering painkiller(metacam) to her once a day and antibiotic(baytril) twice daily on the vet's instruction. She is due to go back to the vets this monday. The swelling around her hind quarters has reduced greatly but she still squeaks a lot when going to the toilet. Do you think it is a bladder stone being as she is still in pain? Thanks x
 
Baytril doesn't seem as effective as Septrin too beat UTI's, is she also getting a probiotic?

Baytril can be quite harsh on the gut, so a probiotic is normally recommended to be given along with the antibiotic.

Here is more info, I would insist on an Xray, too rule out bladder stones completely.

http://www.guinealynx.info/uti.html
 
Yeah if the vet thinks it is a stone still on monday I will definitely be looking to have an x ray done. Do you know anything about bladder stone treatments? ( eg survival rate/ price etc) thank you so much for the help anyways! X
 
No I've never had a bladderstone thank goodness, Although plenty of UTI's and one pig X-rayed too be sure there wasn't a stone.

I'd be more concerned with how many bladder stones ops your vet has done and if they are Cavy Savy a Cavy Savy vet is worth there weight in gold. I know of many pigs who have survived a bladder stone op. Although I'm sure on price.

A Cavy Savy vet should be able to X-ray without GA. I've had 2 pigs X-rayed and both without GA which saves on the price too and is better for the pig but ofcourse if stones are found and they have to operate then GA is needed.
 
Thankyou for the help. I will certainly bear all this info in mind on Monday x>>>
 
bladder stones in sows is a lot better than in males, with sows the stones can be sometimes flushed out due to them having a bigger urethra where in a male their urethra is a lot smaller and cant not be flushed out very easy...

if the stones are big then they cut an inch incision into the bladder and remove the stones via this way and flush them out a few times until clear...

survival is good BUT a low calcium diet is a must after for life which would be things like avoid kale, spinach, cabbage, to often and look into other veg ie peppers which are high in vit c but low in calcium...

she would also need to go onto cystease which can be brought via vet uk website for 100 tablets £20 which will last 200 days as the dose is half a capsule dissolved into 1ml water and given via syringe every day for life, this buts a lining onto the bladder and also helps to stop crystals forming into stones...

a boar i had in rescue had stones and recovered well but did need syringe feeding for 5 days with mush pellets every 3 hours and water mixed with probiotics every 3 hours. until he started eating and drinking on his own...

there is always a risk of stones coming back more so in the first 2-3 wks after the op so its important you can get them to drink as much as poss to flush their own bladder out the glass water bottles are great as they tend to drink more than with the plastic ones..

sadly i lost my boar 3 mths later as the stones came back, he was 4yrs old so quite old and it really affected him after the op and i just knew it wasnt fair on him...

but the chance of success is good with a diet change too.

make sure they have a pellet dry food not a muesli as muesli contains high calcium x

my female rabbit also suffered with bladder stones 1 week after i had her and passed it on her own, how she did i will never know, as there is a massive risk of the stone blocking the urethra and they cant wee and will die a horrid painful death..

here is the picture of the stone my rabbit passed
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=56827

you need to ask for an x-ray if nothing is showing up ask for a contrast, as some stones dont always show up on x ray...

in the long run doing this will save you money as you wont have to faff around paying for antibiotics when in fact its a stones.

at least you will know where you stand with the contrast .

antibiotic wise you really need septrin its less harsh on the gut and is aimed at water infections.

while on Baytril its important your guinea has probiotics as baytril is very harsh on the gut and can cause antibiotic toxemia, the probiotics helps to repair the damage baytril does to the gut x

let us know how you go on?
 
until Monday syringe your guinea pig unsweetened cranberry juice around 40 mls in 24 hours not all at once, this will flush the bladder out (for water infections) and will also help to take out the acidity in the wee, will also be worth sitting your guinea in a clean dish wait for her to wee and draw it up in a syringe and keep it in the fridge, take it the vets with you and ask them to test her wee x
 
a contrast x ray is where they flush a dye into the bladder and see on x ray if there is any blockages if an x ray does not show stones where stones are suspected then a contrast should be done.

i dont think its much more x
 
also when any guinea pig wees if their wee is very sandy (feel sandy/gritty) in the texture (not to be confused with white chalky texture) then its possibly they have crystals or slush or even have a high chance of getting this or stones x
 
Hi,

My boar had the same symptoms and the vet perscribed baytril and since then he seems to be okay:))

I would definately recommend getting a glass water bottle, I had a plastic one at first and my boar hardly drank a thing:( but he loves the glass one and between two of them easily drink about a bottle full daily
 
in reality i think it would do, but vets go for the easiest and do x ray then contrast, i think though x ray is preferred as some stones do show up on x ray but normally only bigger ones where as smaller ones don't where in a contrast they show blockages and thinning of the bladder and tubes i know Buff had an x-ray and nothing showed up on it but when a contrast x-ray was done it showed a blockage and stones...

it would make more sense to do a contrast:{ but I'm not sure if they flush from the bladder rather than the urethra this would mean a small op.

for the whole op x-ray, contrast stone removal op antibiotics, pain meds and check up app, it cost £180

if a guinea post op is not eating its always worth asking for metoclopramide, i do think it should be given anyway after any op on guineas but this is some thing you could ask your vet for, this stimulates the gut as some ops can knock gut function x
 
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i hope your piggy is ok, i went through the bladder stone with one of my boys in the summer, it was very traumatic for me as the squeaking was relentless and my boy was always very vocal even prior to his stone pain , so its good that you have got onto it straight away and are seeking help, sadly i lost my fella, but fingers crossed you have a better outcome.

Loads and loads of pigs have had bladder stones on here recently, so I'm sure you will find lots of help and advice, my only advice is do as much as you can, it cant hurt to try everything and if you notice any change anything new etc get onto the vet straight away.

Good Luck, will be watching for updates x x>>
 
Wow thankyou for all this help! The vet took a wee sample from where milly weed on the examining table but couldn't really tell what was wrong as she used a human testing stick! Don't have any cran juice but will look into using it in future. I'm also really heartened that the surgery has a high success rate- I didn't want to put her through something she may not survive. She has not been on baytril for long so I don't think there will be any damage- I don't think she will be taking it anymore from Monday onwards. One last q- how much would surgery cost roughly? I probably need to know so I can plan how to pay for it if it was a stone. Thankyou again! x
 
i would say £200 all in, i think mine was a couple of vet visits at consultation price, then about £140 for the op.

Also, it really wouldnt hurt to use probiotics you know, i defo would even if i used baytril for a day.

Good luck x
 
We give Bio-lapis and other probiotics all the time if giving Baytril. Our boar goes off food if we don't.
 
You really need to get her Xrayed, did the vet not say about doing an Xray in the long run it will save money, as if it is a stone, the vet really needs to get it out.

Especially if it moves (assuming it isa stone) and she stops urinating, she will need emergency surgery and thats not cheap. Especially if you have to call the E-vets.

I really think you need to find out what your dealing with sooner rather than later, there is no point speculating you need to find out what the cause is.

I have read more stories about pigs dying because the stone has got stuck in the ureter or the urethra rather than dying from surgery it's self.
 
I had to take 'Putt' in today for a X-ray.

She had a suspected UTI the other month and was treated with Baytril for 5 days. It was diagnosed by testing the Urine which showed up for blood. 5 days later the urine showed no blood but a few crystals. However she seemed fine and we cut out feeding her Parsley (her favourite) everyday to a treat, to hopefully reduce crystals.

However unfortunately over the weekend she began making a noise when pooing not weeing which apparently can be a sign of Bladderstones. Apart from this she is an extemely happy pig and shows no sign of distress.

One urine sample showed a little blood, but no crystals present, the x-ray shows no stones or blockages. The vet has said she needs a longer course of Baytril (my vet won't give septrin) and a painkiller as he suspects it's a stubborn UTI, I am hoping this clears it up.

I would certainly urge you to get an x-ray done to rull out stones..

A quick question to others on this thread I have some Avipro Plus probiotic - any recomendations on how much or how to administer this? Do I just sprinkle some on food?
 
i gave it in a syringe and my baby took it by the bucket load he loved it, but it said on the side of the bottle what mix to make up x

I also put it in his water bottle
 
If it is a UTI your piggy has maybe ask your vet about Septrin as in my opinion it would be a much better choice, it has positive results against UTI 's but be warned it can take sometime.

Pebbles and Wilma both had UTI's and were on Septrin for 28 days, we had originally stopped the Septrin after 10 days and the infection came back, which is why they were both given such a long course. (This is based on my Experience).

Septrin is better on the guts too (as far as I have been made aware) when I had to give my pig probitics I put it in her water as she loved the taste of it and was drinking in excess anyway.

I also have put it in Critical care, although Pebbles makes such a big deal about probiotics that I need to syringe her directly.

I give my pigs Barley Gloup too which soothes the bladder, and then I put some Cranberry juice(unsweetened/no added perservatives) and probiotics in it too and my piggies LOVE IT.

I will have a look for Pebbles recipe.
 
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Thanks for looking for the receipe

Carnberry Juice is a good idea! I'm sitting at work counting down the minutes till I can pick her up! I will ask the vet again regarding septrin....
Had a awful week with Piggies, Pitch has unfortunately had Dental again and is not recovering as well as the last time so we are still syringe feeding to keep her weigth up, so the last thing we wanted is Putt to be ill, so pleased it isn't Bladderstones....
 
sport_billy said:
Thanks for looking for the receipe

Carnberry Juice is a good idea! I'm sitting at work counting down the minutes till I can pick her up! I will ask the vet again regarding septrin....
Had a awful week with Piggies, Pitch has unfortunately had Dental again and is not recovering as well as the last time so we are still syringe feeding to keep her weigth up, so the last thing we wanted is Putt to be ill, so pleased it isn't Bladderstones....
Click to expand...

My experience with UTI's is limited although 3 of my pigs did become infected at the one time, I had my boy Patrick X-rayed too for stones. The girls cleared up after the Septrin.

Unfortunately I cannot find the Barley Gloup Recipe. As for Cranberry juice I get the pure juice extract from Holland and Barrets it is pricey but lasts ages, there are mixed view on if or not it does help.
 
Sorry to hear you are going through this, unfortunately we are only too well aware of the awfulness of bladder stones in our household!:(

One of my current sows, Smudge, has had constant bladder issues throughout her life, she is now 5. Luckily she has never had to have surgery, but on 3 occasions she has had stones "flushed" out/extracted by my vet under light sedation. The last episode was just before Xmas, she had been on a course of Septrin for a few days but was not making any progress (unusual for her) so I had a concious x-ray done because I didn't want to have to take her to see the emergency vet (a different surgery to mine) over Xmas.

Nicola found 2 stones which were trying to make a bid for freedom and she was able to ease them out with a tiny pair of forceps.

I would definitely push for an x-ray and I have found Septrin to be the antibiotic of choice over the last few years for bladder problems - Baytril, in my experience, has not helped and the pigs do not tolerate it as well as Septrin. In my piggies cases we have given a dose of between 0.6ml and 1.0ml twice daily (depending on their weight) and as has already been mentioned we also found that the pigs needed to be on the Septrin for up to a month.

It is well worth making sure that your vet is piggy savvy if surgery is necessary. Make sure that you do not starve your piggy before surgery and take a "packed lunch" of favourite foods to offer post op. If you can get some critical care or science recovery in just in case you need to syringe feed post operatively. Bio Lapis or a similar pro-biotic given a couple of hours after the antibiotic is also good, and keep fluids up as much as you can, offer water via syringe and wet veggies.

Good luck and keep us posted.
 
I have an update! Sent her in todAy, vet did an ultrasound. She has cysts on her ovaries and womb. She was spayed, I'm going to pick her up in a few hours! Must dash, x
 
MillyMaisy said:
I have an update! Sent her in todAy, vet did an ultrasound. She has cysts on her ovaries and womb. She was spayed, I'm going to pick her up in a few hours! Must dash, x
Click to expand...

Oh goodness, let us know how she is! Sending healing vibes. xx
 
How is your little girlie today? Glad the vet found the problem, hope she makes a speedy recovery.
 
She as a post op at 7.30, still in slight pain when urinating though, and blood in urine? Will find out what to do in a matter of hours though. Xxxxx
 
Fanastic news! Vet says bleeding is all normal, she should be fine! Going back on weds, looks like she is on the mend however! x
 
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