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Blood/pain When Urinating

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@Wiebke Kerrie was wondering if it could actually be something to do with his bottom instead of a urine infection as it is sore and he has had issues with flaky skin around it. I explained about urine scald with a UTI but we wanted to see if you have any other ideas on what it could be.

Kerrie has your son read our syringe feeding guide? Some pigs do tug at the syringe, was he doing that or trying to sling it in the opposite direction?
 
I think he was trying to tug it out of his hand lol, he is a bit naughty though.

I now don't think it's just a sore bottom unless that would make him not eat/drink much? I don't know I'm finding it a tad confusing but I guess it's better to point everything out just in case.

Yeah he syringe fed Sheamus a several times, he was pretty good though.
 
Ok, it could be a UTI still then, something is making him miserable though, could you call your vet today and explain this? they may give you Metacam this time. I think an xray may be needed to rule out a stone too.
 
Will they actually do anything though with him only going there on Monday? Like I said, he's only had two doses of antibiotics.
 
Hi Kerrie,

Here are some of my thoughts:

1. He doesn't seem to be drinking, the water level on the bottle is fuller than usual and I've not spotted him drinking.
Drinking becomes even more important with bladder issues, so you may want to consider syringing him some extra water. Is he getting water from elsewhere (are you giving him more cucumber than usual, for example?) Not drying his washed veggies before you give them to him can help keep his water intake up if you suspect he's not drinking enough.

2. I've not seen him eat hay or pellets, but I have seen him down his veg, in fact he was standing on the side of the cage when I walked in with it.
Lack of appetite is often a pain response, and usually the pellets are the first thing they'll stop eating. As you know, it's essential that he keeps eating hay so that he has the strength to fight this. You could try him on different sorts of hay to tempt him, and if you've never done it before I would start reading up on syringing food should you need to top-up his food intake or feed him entirely. Be aware that some piggies can respond badly to Baytril, with some developing anorexia. Keep a close eye on him and weigh him daily.

3. He's not crying in pain (I've not heard him)
This is a good sign, but if it is a UTI, and if it is a mild one, he may not cry each time he has a wee. Metacam would have been useful as it acts as a painkiller and an anti-inflammatory for the bladder wall.

4. We took him out of the cage with Big E and let him run around on a mattress pad on the floor to see if he had blood in his urine, but we didn't see any, will check again later. His poo looks smaller?
Smaller poo would be due to his lack of appetite.

5. He does seem to fluff himself up atm, I know they do that anyway, but this is sort of different to what he usually does.
Piggies fluff themselves up when they're not feeling well. Again, this can often be a pain response or a sign that they're not quite right.

6. The vet noticed Jericho has/had a saw bottom so gave us some wash for it.

Do we need to start hand feeding him and if so how much water/food should he get per feed with him eating veg? Is there anything else we need to do with him apart from weigh him and give probiotics?

--
A word of warning with the veg, it's great that he's still eating it, but don't be tempted to give him vast quantities in place of his usual nuggets/hay as this can lead to stomach upsets and the last thing that you need right now is to deal with diarrhoea too!

Here's some info on hand-feeding. Sending lots of healing vibes.
 
The Baytril will need some time to work, but that's obviously dependent on it actually being an infection. As others have said, some vets will not consider it to be the best option for treating a UTI either. These symptoms alone are obviously very hard to diagnose as it could be any number of things. A close eye is needed, and if you are at all concerned I would ring the vet back or consider speaking to a different vet for a second opinion. I've been in your situation several times before with my own boys and I know how frustrating it can be. Hugs!
 
Thanks for your reply @Jerrybelly

Do you think it's worth me trying to call the PDSA and asking them if the can prescribe some metacam for Jericho? I'm sort of suprised that the vet didn't prescribe him any in the first place as she did give him a shot of metacam on Monday.

In regards to veg, all they get each per day is the recommended amount. He does have cumber every day.

Hay - We've just gotten some different hay so I will ask my son to try that

If he doesn't seem to pick up then I will be calling and asking if he can see another vet or I will try and get him into a normal veterinary surgery.
 
I called to ask for metacam, he had to go in.. son wasn't at all happy as this is the third time this week, I don't see why the receptionist couldn't have spoken to the vet and asked for some but hey oh.

So this time this vet said it sounds like he has cystitis, he gave him a shot of meloxicam but this time also prescribed him some, so obviously he won't need any of that until this shot runs out. *sigh*
 
helen105281 said:
@Wiebke Kerrie was wondering if it could actually be something to do with his bottom instead of a urine infection as it is sore and he has had issues with flaky skin around it. I explained about urine scald with a UTI but we wanted to see if you have any other ideas on what it could be.

Kerrie has your son read our syringe feeding guide? Some pigs do tug at the syringe, was he doing that or trying to sling it in the opposite direction?
Click to expand...

I would think urine scald; but if the skin becomes sore and starts cracking, bugs can get in. Best have it seen by a vet; he will likely give you an appropriate cream. Regular bum baths with hand-warm water can help with minimising urine scald.
http://www.guinealynx.info/urine_scald.html
 
That is on the low side, as that translates to just 0.25 ml of cat metacam twice daily. Guinea pigs have a much higher metabolism than cats and therefore generally need a higher dosage.

@Abi_nurse
 
The problem is, they've only given him about 1/4 of a bottle of it, not sure how big the bottles are for the cat metacam
 
Cat metacam bottles vary in size so I couldn't say exactly which one you have I'm afraid. Yes the dose you have is very low.

I think there may be more going on with him. But I would suggest for now to give him the full course of baytril. If he continues to have small poos and eating less then syringe feeding him once or twice a day just to supplement him a little. This way you'll also get some extra water into him. Give him a little cucumber if your worried about drinking. The metacam dose is low, but I would stick at this for the time being, but if he makes no improvements then I would suggest calling your vets and asking about increasing the dosage. Your 1.2kg boy could have up to 1.4ml twice a day of the cat metacam at a proper dosage. (This is why we usually use the dog metacam which is stronger in formula). If your vet is in doubt, get them to look the dosages up in an exotic formulary, it sounds like they're using cat dosages.

x
 
Ah ok, thanks @Abi_nurse if he does end up going back I'll copy and print what you have said.

We are keeping an eye on him and he did seem a bit more cheerful when he came back from the vets, he was running around after veg and doing a little wheek. I've asked my son to put some of the new hay I ordered in the cage to see if he likes that any better.

Thanks again :)
 
I reread what you said, funny thing is, when we've taken our other guinea to the vets he was given the dog metacam rather than the cat one. The vet even had to look up the dose but obviously he didn't check the correct thing, but it was an emergency appointment.

@Abi_nurse Do you happened to know how long it would take to see improvements in him if it was cystitis? he's on baytril 0.25 once a day and of course he's getting avipro plus 1 - 2 hours after.
 
It could be anything from a week to 10 days, maybe more, some pigs need more than one round of antibiotics.
 
Doh, ok thanks Helen and do you know what is effective for cystitis or will Baytril be ok? @helen105281

I'm just getting info just in case he does need to go back, because next time I'll probably go as well and make sure that the vets gets the note I type out :))
 
Septrin is more effective but I know your vet is willing to consider it if the Baytril doesn't work.
 
They had better be willing to consider it otherwise I'll be taking him somewhere else, I'm already unimpressed that they never sent him home with painkillers.

Thanks. I'm hoping he doesn't need to go back. He does have a 10 days course of Baytril.
 
My piggie is two days into her second course of marbocil for a UTI/cystitis. After a horrible couple of weeks, today is the first day I haven't heard any crying when weeing. So that's after 12 days of antibiotics. I'll definitely be giving her the remaining 8 days worth to give her the best chance of it not returning.
 
Ahh bless, poor piggies(mine and yours). I hope the first course helps Jericho otherwise I'll be taking notes from this thread to the vets.
 
@Wiebke & @helen105281

Jericho was taken to Alfreton Park vets on Friday as I was still a bit worried about him, the vet there said he might still have cystitis and gave him some metacam, should he have gotten antibiotics or wouldn't she have given him any due to him have Baytril previously?

Can cystitis clear on it's own?

I'm asking because I'm wondering if he needs to go back to the vets, can't get him back to Alfreton. His poo isn't as big as it used to be, when we last checked he had put weight back on, I don't see any blood in his cage (he had blood in his urine at first), but I have heard him whining a bit, but I don't know if he's whining because of pain or because Big's is annoying him. He's on dog metacam, 0.4 once a day (I think I have that right, my son gives it to him).

Should I take him back to the vets or give him a little longer?

If he goes back again I'll make sure that my son either asks about Septrin or I'll give him a note asking about it.
 
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