Cartrophen injections

[RosieLily]

Hey all,


Hope you’re alright. It’s quite warm here and the pigs are doing the superman on top of cooling packs.

Rosie (5+ years old) had a gnarly bladder stone removed earlier this year along a bladder flush, and although she recovered very well, the sludge returned very fast with full force.

We have done what we can - her diet is very specific, lots of home grown watery veg, she gets daily glucosamine, bottled water, lots of floor time, no stress. And yet the sludge returns very aggressively. Urine samples have always come back clean, no infection in sight. Our exotic vet has noted that piggies like Rosie (more on the teddy side) seem to be prone to bladder issues. Irresponsible breeding truly is the only thing we can consider here, and it doesn’t help us one bit.

Rosie must be one of the happiest pigs in the world. Everything brings her joy. Her recent flare up has been very aggressive and we are still recovering from it with pain meds and lots of fluids. She is doing much better now after passing a calcium mass that I believe was on the verge of turning into a stone.

I want to keep her quality of life, keep her happy and comfortable. She so wants to be here - she loves chatting, loves cuddles, and just loves company. Very much a mommy’s girl. But I refuse to have her endure constant pain and issues.

Our exotic vet has mentioned cartrophen injections, that we could start with and over time reduce treatment. Apparently they are meant for dogs and their joint issues, but she believes they could help Rosie and possibly offer a long-term solution so we don’t have to deal with these flare ups, always wondering if it’s time to stop fighting.

It’s a very specific question and honestly I’d never heard of this treatment option before. Perhaps someone has experience or thoughts to share?

(Mind you, I haven’t had the chance to consult with the exotic vet personally - she advised a different vet while on holiday, bless her heart. I am not aware of the potential side effects or treatment plan as of yet)

My darling Rosie.

 

[Guinea Slave]

Oh she’s lovely! Sorry to, hear of your issues. I have had a few with bladder issues. The one in my Avatar had Cartrophen and it was the best thing we could have done. I believe it coats the bladder and stops stones from forming, but all I can say is that her symptoms improved massively and I would definitely give it a positive recommendation and it was a turning point for her.

 

[Wiebke]

Hey all,


Hope you’re alright. It’s quite warm here and the pigs are doing the superman on top of cooling packs.

Rosie (5+ years old) had a gnarly bladder stone removed earlier this year along a bladder flush, and although she recovered very well, the sludge returned very fast with full force.

We have done what we can - her diet is very specific, lots of home grown watery veg, she gets daily glucosamine, bottled water, lots of floor time, no stress. And yet the sludge returns very aggressively. Urine samples have always come back clean, no infection in sight. Our exotic vet has noted that piggies like Rosie (more on the teddy side) seem to be prone to bladder issues. Irresponsible breeding truly is the only thing we can consider here, and it doesn’t help us one bit.

Rosie must be one of the happiest pigs in the world. Everything brings her joy. Her recent flare up has been very aggressive and we are still recovering from it with pain meds and lots of fluids. She is doing much better now after passing a calcium mass that I believe was on the verge of turning into a stone.

I want to keep her quality of life, keep her happy and comfortable. She so wants to be here - she loves chatting, loves cuddles, and just loves company. Very much a mommy’s girl. But I refuse to have her endure constant pain and issues.

Our exotic vet has mentioned cartrophen injections, that we could start with and over time reduce treatment. Apparently they are meant for dogs and their joint issues, but she believes they could help Rosie and possibly offer a long-term solution so we don’t have to deal with these flare ups, always wondering if it’s time to stop fighting.

It’s a very specific question and honestly I’d never heard of this treatment option before. Perhaps someone has experience or thoughts to share?

(Mind you, I haven’t had the chance to consult with the exotic vet personally - she advised a different vet while on holiday, bless her heart. I am not aware of the potential side effects or treatment plan as of yet)

My darling Rosie.

View attachment 273253

Hi

I am very sorry for your ongoing problems.

Cartrophen injections have been proven in fairly recent research to be safe for use in guinea pigs with more severe forms of sterile cystitis where glucosamine support is not enough.

We have a few forum members here whose piggies have had them and who have majorly profited from them unless their cystitis was sadly too severe to get it under control with oral glucosamine. One such member was able to push the boat out that bit further by their vet combining the cartrophen injections with oral glucosamine but that is about as far as we can go at this point in time. The most severe forms of IC are sadly still out of reach of treatment.

 

[RosieLily]

Wow, I dare feel hopeful! Thank you both so much for sharing your knowledge, maybe this will help us in the long run. Rosie’s so full of life, the discomfort of injections here and there definitely outweigh the joy she gets out of being here.

She is also feeling much better as of today. Her chatty normal self, I can start reducing the pain killers according to the vet

 

[Guinea Slave]

Actually @Wiebke as usual makes a very good point! I also give any guineas susceptible to cystitis and bladder issues, cystease. It’s been a long time since I’ve used it but I used to mix half a tablet with about 5 ml of water and syringe 1ml twice a day, this also helps in conjunction with the Cartrophen it pretty much solved the issue. She looks fabulous!