Blood?

[Eliz20]

Hello,

When cleaning my guinea pigs out recently I have noticed a couple of spots of what looks like blood on their fleece and pads. I am not 100% sure if this definitely is blood or I know sometimes their urine can look an orange ish colour after oxidising. Does anyone know whether this may be blood and should I be worried?
Thanks

 

[Wiebke]

Hi!

Unfortunately, your bet is as good ours.

Keep an eye out over the coming days and see if there are more spots picking up in frequency and whether you get to see other symptoms of urinary tract problems - infections usually take several days to get their act together.

If you are lucky, it is just some intense oxidisation. I hope for you that that is the case!

 

[Eliz20]

Thank you for the response, I have just watched my guinea pig go to the toilet and on checking the fleece afterwards it looks like this (looks a tinge of blood to me)? He also seems to make a bit of noise when toileting compared to my other two pigs, and he drinks more them then too. From reading on the Internet this sounds like a UTI so I think I will call the vets tomorrow

 

[artcasper]

Best way to check is to pop him in a plastic bowl kind of thing with a white towel and watch and wait... you can see and hear then. All the best

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you for the response, I have just watched my guinea pig go to the toilet and on checking the fleece afterwards it looks like this (looks a tinge of blood to me)? He also seems to make a bit of noise when toileting compared to my other two pigs, and he drinks more them then too. From reading on the Internet this sounds like a UTI so I think I will call the vets tomorrow

A UTI, a bacterial or a sterile cystitis (they are three different things with very similar symptons) takes on average about 5 days to get really going. Until then, red stained pees (porphyrine, not blood) can interchange with clear ones that test high with blood - symptoms will not yet be consistent. See a vet once you are sure which direction things are going. Regular hours will do; an infection is not an emergency.

You only need to see a vet as life or death emergency if a stone gets into the urethra and gets stuck, blocking the urine. But in this care, your piggy will be very ill very quickly, so you cannot miss that!

 

[Eliz20]

Thank you for the response. Is squeaking when peeing and pooing a sign of UTI as he does this everytime he goes to the toilet, he also seems to urinate much more frequently than my other pigs. Hoping not a bladder stone

 

[Piggies&buns]

Thank you for the response. Is squeaking when peeing and pooing a sign of UTI as he does this everytime he goes to the toilet, he also seems to urinate much more frequently than my other pigs. Hoping not a bladder stone

yes squeaking when going to the toilet indicates pain/discomfort and is a warning sign of a urinary issue

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you for the response. Is squeaking when peeing and pooing a sign of UTI as he does this everytime he goes to the toilet, he also seems to urinate much more frequently than my other pigs. Hoping not a bladder stone

The increased drinking/urinating is usually a sign of infection and only a sign of a bladder stone if it is causing a secondary bacterial cystitis in the scratched and irritated bladder walls. More likely not.

All the best!