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Blood In Wee And I Am Sick To The Stomach!

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Sian25 said:
I always keep my boys cages clean and Hoover them out 4 times a day so that's making me think it's more likely to be stones :(
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UTI is not necessarily spread by picking up the bacteria from the ground, it can be triggered by other things, like a cold, damp ground, drafts, sudden swings in temperature or it can just happen when the immune system is for some reason not able to keep the bacteria that you find present in most bladders in check for some reason. ;)

I would strongly recommend not to panic yet!
 
PS: When you have your boy seen tomorrow, your vet is likely to feel the bladder. If it is still soft and relaxed, he is going to treat for UTI straight away.

However, if you are suffering from major anxiety problems and need absolute confirmation, please tell him so and ask him whether he would be willing to do a scan with no or or only very light sedation for your own peace of mind.
 
Sian25 said:
@Adelle do you have any tips on a urine sample? I'm guessing to put him on a hard surface until he wees but what would I collect his wee in?
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Critter said:
You can usually suck it up in a nice, clean fresh syringe. If this isn't possible vets can sometimes manipulate the bladder to force a wee. !
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Sorry, I am a bit behind with this thread.

I recently posted a thread when I needed a urine sample from my sow, Bess.

I draw the sample up in a syringe - and take the syringe to the vet .

I'm Taking A Urine Sample To The Vet This Morning
 
Thanks everyone. I will try my best to get a sample in the morning. I'm worried about how to keep him warm enough for the car journey though. He would be going from a nice warm house to a cold car for an hour car journey and I'm hoping blankets will be enough. I suppose I could drive round a bit first to warm the car up before he gets in.

All of his wees have been clear today (the ones I have seen) and I've not heard any squeaks of pain - I've kept a good eye on him all day. Does this still sound typical of an infection? Could he not have had something stuck in his willy maybe? Although I did check it and couldn't see anything
 
have you got some sort of fleece Cosy he can snuggle up in in his carrier ?

I have some material tunnels I use for vet trips.
 
It still sounds consistent with infection, as infections are inconsistent (hope that makes sense) - sometimes they feel bad, and sometimes they don't, from one day to the next, or one hour to the next.
It is also possible that he passed a stone and the problem is resolved.
But it IS consistent with infection still, even though he seems better at the moment.

Towels should keep him warm and snug. x
 
Sian25 said:
Thanks everyone. I will try my best to get a sample in the morning. I'm worried about how to keep him warm enough for the car journey though. He would be going from a nice warm house to a cold car for an hour car journey and I'm hoping blankets will be enough. I suppose I could drive round a bit first to warm the car up before he gets in.

All of his wees have been clear today (the ones I have seen) and I've not heard any squeaks of pain - I've kept a good eye on him all day. Does this still sound typical of an infection? Could he not have had something stuck in his willy maybe? Although I did check it and couldn't see anything
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Please don't bother about getting a urine sample! They only stay valid for about half an hour before your vet is getting increasingly misleading results. There is usually no problem for your vet to get fresh and perfectly useable urine sample during the examination. ;)
 
Unfortunately the earliest appointment they had with vet Molly varga was 2:50 so I've got a few long hours of worry to wait :(
 
It will soon come. I try to take my mind off things when I worry. I know this sounds like an inappropriate thing to do, but when the Police called to say that my husband was in a road accident and they were coming to pick me up to take me to him (he's OK - badly busted shoulder but still with us, happened year and a half ago) I actually sat there waiting for them to arrive and did Sudoku. I was worried sick and didn't know how bad it was or wasn't, was shaking, but all I did was Sudoku as I'd have gone spare if I'd paced the floor! It calmed the nerves just enough.....

What I'm saying is perhaps try to do something til it's time to go... something to take your mind away from your worries.

Bladder infections are generally treatable, as are stones, so please try to relax if you can.
 
Sian25 said:
Unfortunately the earliest appointment they had with vet Molly varga was 2:50 so I've got a few long hours of worry to wait :(
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It is good that you can have him seen today by somebody who is very experienced, even if the wait is killing you.
 
Yes I have a lot of faith in Molly. It's worrying how little some vets know about guinea pigs though. Years ago when I didn't realise this, I took my guinea pig to my local vet (which is fantastic for my dog by the way) and I took my pig to see an 'exotic specialist' who asked me has your guinea pig vomited? :eek:

Sorry guys quick question, I have just managed to slightly melt the guinea pigs water bottle- the water I was soaking them in must have been too hot! Are they still safe to be drank out of until I can get some new ones? Think I'll try the glass ones next time
 
Sian25 said:
Yes I have a lot of faith in Molly. It's worrying how little some vets know about guinea pigs though. Years ago when I didn't realise this, I took my guinea pig to my local vet (which is fantastic for my dog by the way) and I took my pig to see an 'exotic specialist' who asked me has your guinea pig vomited? :eek:

Sorry guys quick question, I have just managed to slightly melt the guinea pigs water bottle- the water I was soaking them in must have been too hot! Are they still safe to be drank out of until I can get some new ones? Think I'll try the glass ones next time
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Yes the bottles are safe to use if they are properly washed out.

Vet knowledge has come on a long way in the last few years. Thankfully with the new vet course, all students have to have at least one mandatory placement in any of branches of veterinary medicine (more in what they are going to specialise in) and they also have much more access to online information/specialist support.
 
Hiya all, good and bad news. I saw Molly varga and she did a conscious xray on Milan and did not find any stones. Now for the bad news.. On my way into the vets I noticed his eyes looked slightly strange in the natural light (he lives inside so I don't often look at him in sunlight) but I thought it was just the colour of his eyes. However, Molly noticed that he has cataracts in both eyes :(

Now he's only just turned 2 years old last week so she thinks it could be diabetes? I was in such shock and couldn't really take much information in but she mentioned that id need to make dietary changes. Does anyone have any info on this? Also if he he does have diabetes, is this likely to be life limiting?

She for some reason did not do a urine test and just give me septrin 0.6ml twice a day for possible UTI but if it doesn't clear up she said she would do a urine test.
 
Diabetes would need to be confirmed with a Urine test for glucose, then a blood test (pin prick) behind the ear.

Hope he gets better soon.
 
I have just read @Wiebke post on another thread saying that you only need to worry about diabetes if cataracts are alongside other symptoms such as drinking a lot and phases of sudden weight loss, he has had neither of the latter two symptoms so I'm feeling a bit more hopeful that he does not have diabetes.

Molly varga was recommended by a lot of people so I am a bit confused why she didn't do the urine test there and then and also why if she suspected diabetes why she didn't test for it?
 
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I've also just realised that I've nearly arrived home and I have forgotten to ask for probiotics :( I am a little bit disappointed though as I would have thought that in theory she should have given me probiotics without me asking for them
 
Sian25 said:
Hiya all, good and bad news. I saw Molly varga and she did a conscious xray on Milan and did not find any stones. Now for the bad news.. On my way into the vets I noticed his eyes looked slightly strange in the natural light (he lives inside so I don't often look at him in sunlight) but I thought it was just the colour of his eyes. However, Molly noticed that he has cataracts in both eyes :(

Now he's only just turned 2 years old last week so she thinks it could be diabetes? I was in such shock and couldn't really take much information in but she mentioned that id need to make dietary changes. Does anyone have any info on this? Also if he he does have diabetes, is this likely to be life limiting?

She for some reason did not do a urine test and just give me septrin 0.6ml twice a day for possible UTI but if it doesn't clear up she said she would do a urine test.
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I am glad that it looks rather like a straightforward UTI and there is no obvious indication of stones.

There are three varieties of cataracts:
- congenital cataracts: The guinea pig is born with the genetic disposition of developing cataracts early in life, typically starting during the second year of life (i.e. the age your boy is now), but it can happen even before birth. This is not uncommon.
- cataracts caused by diabetes - RARE.
To diagnose diabetes, your vet needs to test for it. There has been a fad of overdiagnosing diabetes some years ago; it is in fact a lot rarer than you might think. If there is not another indicator that points towards diabetes, like heavy drinking or sudden weight loss episodes, diabetes is rather unlikely and diabetes caused cataracts are even more unlikely.
- old age cataracts
The good news re. cataracts is that guinea pigs learn to compensate with their other senses and are able to lead a perfectly normal life. My cataract piggies could still manage ramps, roam the living room floor as well as the garden or even jump on platforms once they had adapted. ;)

If you do not know what kind of diet change Molly was talking about, please contact her her. She is more likely meaning a low calcium diet than a diabetes diet, but if you were unable to take it in, please ask for confirmation. By the way, mild diabetes is usually managed with diet changes and is only episodal, not chronic, i.e. a piggy is not diabetic for its whole life and can have a perfectly normal lifespan.
 
@Wiebke thanks a lot for that. I am hoping it is just a genetic thing then.

Before Molly noticed the cataracts I was talking about hoping it's not bladder stones and I did explain that I filter the water and low calcium veg but she said that that's more of a rabbit thing to do?

The diet change she was talking to in relation to diabetes was about carbahydrates
 
Sian25 said:
Okay thanks for the tip. I may leave the probiotics then
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I would recommend to always have probiotics at home, but if you are worried, you can get some from your nearest pet shop. Not all vets are convinced that probiotics are actually working.
 
Wiebke said:
I would recommend to always have probiotics at home, but if you are worried, you can get some from your nearest pet shop. Not all vets are convinced that probiotics are actually working.
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I do have fibreplex at home which is still in date until 2017 but it has been opened for quite a while (maybe even a year) so I'm unsure whether it's still okay to use
 
Also Molly wasn't telling me to make any dietary changes now. She was saying if he does turn out to have diabetes then dietary changes will be necessary. But reading through posts on diabetes I think it's very unlikely that this is the cause of his cataracts as he has no other symptoms
 
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