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Bladder Stones Bleeding Unexplained

G

geneva stidham

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
Feb 13, 2018
Messages
13
Reaction score
5
Points
75
Location
United States
My piggy has had spots of blood for several months not, was taking him to a vet that really hadn't worked with guinea pigs much, they did the best they could I think, he was on sulfatrim for over 6 weeks and didn't clear it up, they did ultrasound and said their was a stone, I asked if they had ever done surgery on a guinea pig they said no, they was suppose to get back to me the next day with estimate of cost of surgery and when they could do it, they did not contact me at all ( I wasn't gonna let them do it tho, I started looking for a vet who has experience) so I called them back a couple days later and to see why they didn't call me, said they forgot, I asked for copy of ultrasound, said they couldn't give me one, and asked for what size the stone was, never heard nothing back from them, so went to another vet who has done surgery before, and by this time he had stopped bleeding for several days I changed his diet and wasn't giving him pellets, just veggies and hay, she did 2 xrays, found no stone, and no blood in urine, now 4 days later he had some blood darker this time and I had given him the new pellets last night which is oxbow essentials cuisine adult guinea pig food, so I don't know what to do now? any advice on this would be great, I feel so sad and upset, I'm so attached to this little guy, he is 3 years old, I won't to panic should I get a 3rd vet opinion
 
hello, welcome to the forum. Sorry you are having these issues :(

2 x-rays and no stone? That is good news they should have caught it in that if there was a stone. Unfortunately you'll never know without getting copies of the scan of the first vet you'll not know although it really sounds odd they couldn't give you the information.

i would go back to your new vet and ask for some Antibiotics in case it is a bacterial infection straight away. Is there any crying when weeing? Is he passing urine okay? Where are you located please?

tagging in @Wiebke @Freela @helen105281 @furryfriends (TEAS)
 
sport_billy said:
hello, welcome to the forum. Sorry you are having these issues :(

2 x-rays and no stone? That is good news they should have caught it in that if there was a stone. Unfortunately you'll never know without getting copies of the scan of the first vet you'll not know although it really sounds odd they couldn't give you the information.

i would go back to your new vet and ask for some Antibiotics in case it is a bacterial infection straight away. Is there any crying when weeing? Is he passing urine okay? Where are you located please?

tagging in @Wiebke @Freela @helen105281 @furryfriends (TEAS)
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They said they couldn't give me a copy of the ultrasound which I think is strange and won't call me back now, the second one works with exotic animals, The new vet told me to start antibiotics again, I have Sulfatrim I'm just worried since it didn't work the first 6 weeks its not going to this time, can anything else be going on there not finding?
 
geneva stidham said:
My piggy has had spots of blood for several months not, was taking him to a vet that really hadn't worked with guinea pigs much, they did the best they could I think, he was on sulfatrim for over 6 weeks and didn't clear it up, they did ultrasound and said their was a stone, I asked if they had ever done surgery on a guinea pig they said no, they was suppose to get back to me the next day with estimate of cost of surgery and when they could do it, they did not contact me at all ( I wasn't gonna let them do it tho, I started looking for a vet who has experience) so I called them back a couple days later and to see why they didn't call me, said they forgot, I asked for copy of ultrasound, said they couldn't give me one, and asked for what size the stone was, never heard nothing back from them, so went to another vet who has done surgery before, and by this time he had stopped bleeding for several days I changed his diet and wasn't giving him pellets, just veggies and hay, she did 2 xrays, found no stone, and no blood in urine, now 4 days later he had some blood darker this time and I had given him the new pellets last night which is oxbow essentials cuisine adult guinea pig food, so I don't know what to do now? any advice on this would be great, I feel so sad and upset, I'm so attached to this little guy, he is 3 years old, I won't to panic should I get a 3rd vet opinion
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Hi and welcome!

Could you please add your country, state/province or UK county your details, so we can help you with finding a decent vet in your area. https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk...cation-and-creating-an-avatar-picture.107444/

Without any idea, our help can unfortunately only be very limited in telling you that yes, seeing a better vet would good as your boy obviously needs a bladder stone op. If you are looking for recommendations and experiences from other members in your area, then please add your location to your details. If you need access to a link of recommended vets in some other countries, then your adding your location will also help speed things up.
Guinea Pig Vet Locator

Here are our post-op care tips: Tips For Post-operative Care
You may also find our recommendations for a diet for guinea pigs with urinary tract problems helpful: Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diet


Here is our locator for recommended UK vets:
 
geneva stidham said:
They said they couldn't give me a copy of the ultrasound which I think is strange and won't call me back now, the second one works with exotic animals, The new vet told me to start antibiotics again, I have Sulfatrim I'm just worried since it didn't work the first 6 weeks its not going to this time, can anything else be going on there not finding?
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Oh and he isn't acting like he is in a lot of pain still acts fine, and he pee a few times after the blood I found and isn't complaining and I'm from the united states
 
geneva stidham said:
Oh and he isn't acting like he is in a lot of pain still acts fine, and he pee a few times after the blood I found and isn't complaining and I'm from the united states
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How long did you give the AB for?

@Wiebke is it possible for the stone not to show on two xrays from the new vet? the previous vet will not share ultrasound results
 
I gave it to him for 6 weeks, and no they said they cannot give me a copy of the ultrasound so now i'm so confused and its breaking my heart for my little one, she told me to give him the AB again for 10 days
 
geneva stidham said:
I gave it to him for 6 weeks, and no they said they cannot give me a copy of the ultrasound so now i'm so confused and its breaking my heart for my little one, she told me to give him the AB again for 10 days
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Bleeding can have other reasons like an IC (interstitial cystitis) or kidney stones, but that can only be diagnosed if any other potential urinary tract problems have been excluded. IC is not curable, only managable as things stand. it has become a lot more frequent in recent years. The good news is that it is not causing any stones and that it will eventually go away on its own, but rather months and years and not weeks.
 
When our girl had a stone it showed up on xray. Unless it is in a real awkward place which two xrays should have picked up. I would be inclined to try antibiotics for a few days and ask for metacam to help with inflammation and any pain - Then get another xray done. You should see some result after a week of AB, what dose is it? Does it smell like banana or aniseed?

It is hard to believe the first vet with their behaviour but it does then sow seeds of doubt in your mind. You new vet are experienced yes?

US vet list over at the excellent medical website guinea lynx Guinea Lynx :: GL's Vet List
 
sport_billy said:
When our girl had a stone it showed up on xray. Unless it is in a real awkward place which two xrays should have picked up. I would be inclined to try antibiotics for a few days and ask for metacam to help with inflammation and any pain - Then get another xray done. You should see some result after a week of AB, what dose is it? Does it smell like banana or aniseed?

It is hard to believe the first vet with their behaviour but it does then sow seeds of doubt in your mind. You new vet are experienced yes?

US vet list over at the excellent medical website guinea lynx Guinea Lynx :: GL's Vet List
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Its been so hard with the way the first vet acted, I've taken my piggies there for 3 years and never had any issues until this, I knew they could handle the easy stuff but this not so much, and would have never let them do surgery on him, the second one has experience in doing surgery on piggies and other animals and seemed like she knew her stuff a lot more, I called all the vets in my area, and finally took him to her which is over an hour away, if he doesn't clear up this time, I'll take him back or maybe take him to another one I contacted to get a 3rd opinion, I just want the real answer to what it really is, I've tried to do every thing I can to help him so far, can any foods make this worse, the only thing that changed was I gave him new pellets which are the really good ones
 
Foods aren't going to make an infection or an existing stone worse. There is a school of thought that says high calcium foods can cause stones so most piggy owners follow a diet lower in calcium for this reason.

Really feel your frustration, you trust the vet so when you get conflicting advice steming form 'weird' behaviour off the first vet it makes a stressful time even worse.

If he stops weeing then a vets visit is an emergency in the meantime as I am sure you know. But it is good news he is eating and lively.
 
sport_billy said:
Foods aren't going to make an infection or an existing stone worse. There is a school of thought that says high calcium foods can cause stones so most piggy owners follow a diet lower in calcium for this reason.

Really feel your frustration, you trust the vet so when you get conflicting advice steming form 'weird' behaviour off the first vet it makes a stressful time even worse.

If he stops weeing then a vets visit is an emergency in the meantime as I am sure you know. But it is good news he is eating and lively.
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sport_billy said:
Have a quick read of this thread sort of says the difference between ultrasound and xrays for guinea pigs for stones Suspected Bladder Stones - Xray Or Ultrasound Scan?

What is your piggies name also?
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I read that earlier today, I've been searching on here for answers to see what others have had done, I watch him close to make sure he is using the bathroom fine, and he bless his little heart acts normal, the only thing is when he is in my lap he doesn't like to use the bathroom and has always complained about it, but as soon as I put him in his cage, he goes to the corner uses the bathroom and doesn't make sounds, Thank you so much for answering me, its been so frustrating and sad
 
No sounds during weeing is a good sign, if it was painful then they make a cry as they wee :(

Sending him lots of love, he has a very caring owner so is in the best of hands. be nice to see a photo of him at somepoint and please keep us updated on how he is x
 
sport_billy said:
No sounds during weeing is a good sign, if it was painful then they make a cry as they wee :(

Sending him lots of love, he has a very caring owner so is in the best of hands. be nice to see a photo of him at somepoint and please keep us updated on how he is x
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His name is orange, my daughter named the boys,
 
Wiebke said:
Bleeding can have other reasons like an IC (interstitial cystitis) or kidney stones, but that can only be diagnosed if any other potential urinary tract problems have been excluded. IC is not curable, only managable as things stand. it has become a lot more frequent in recent years. The good news is that it is not causing any stones and that it will eventually go away on its own, but rather months and years and not weeks.
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I hope that is what it is, I don't want to see him have to go through surgery
 
sport_billy said:
Awwww that's a lovely name. Sending Orange lots of healing vibes
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What is your opinion about the first vet not being able to give me a copy of the ultrasound, is there a legit reason why she couldn't, do other vets give copies of them in case you need a second opinion?
 
geneva stidham said:
What is your opinion about the first vet not being able to give me a copy of the ultrasound, is there a legit reason why she couldn't, do other vets give copies of them in case you need a second opinion?
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When i have moved vets, or sought a second opinion my original vets have had no issue in passing across notes etc..... I am unsure if they take photos/videos of ultrasounds however perhaps it is just as they see it on the screen if that makes sense like in humans not sure if they record it digital. We'd need a vet nurse to answer that and two of the vet nurses on the forum are currently inactive here :( So maybe they just don't have it. It was the not getting back to you that sounded strange.....
 
sport_billy said:
When i have moved vets, or sought a second opinion my original vets have had no issue in passing across notes etc..... I am unsure if they take photos/videos of ultrasounds however perhaps it is just as they see it on the screen if that makes sense like in humans not sure if they record it digital. We'd need a vet nurse to answer that and two of the vet nurses on the forum are currently inactive here :( So maybe they just don't have it. It was the not getting back to you that sounded strange.....
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Thank you, she showed it to me on her phone, so I thought she would be able to send it to me, and yes its so odd they didn't call me back even after I called them back about it, I thought maybe she got mad because I asked if she had ever done surgery on a guinea pig and was afraid to, she acted a little strange after that I thought that day to
 
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