Guinea pig having trouble peeing

[kaylabebbo]

I’m at my last resort posting here as i’m not sure what to do with my guinea pig Wilson. It’s been just over a month now that he has started making little squeaking noises when he pees, and a few weeks ago started hunching and seeming like he was struggling to go, hiding in his corner and making a noise. It’s only when he goes to the toilet that he acts out of character, he eats the same, acts the same, he’s still running around and doing his little popcorns, plus there’s no blood in his urine apart from a little extra calcium and today it seemed a little orange. He’s been to the vets THREE times. The first was for an anti-inflammatory for a suspected UTI which didn’t work, the second for another dose of anti-inflam and antibiotics for a suspected bacterial infection which also didn’t work, and the third time yesterday the vet told me she thinks it’s just “behavioural”, and he is doing it because he is stressed. He lives in a C&C cage with my other guinea pig martin and they are split off as they do not get along together, but act perfectly and are best friends when they have their own space, they can socialise and smell each other through the bars. She said she thinks that martin is stressing him out so he is acting this way in retaliation. She could well be right and i’m not dismissing what she is saying, but they have been living like this for a year and he only just started acting this way a month ago, which just doesn’t make sense to me. She advised me to separate him in a cage in a different room which i have done to see if it goes away, and it has not. I put him back and he got so excited to see martin, started doing popcorns and running around so i am going to keep him there, surely it would stress him out more to be in a new area alone? I write this to ask for advice, I am going to bring him back on Monday and demand an ultrasound or x-ray to get to the root of the problem because I know my guinea pig and i just have a feeling that he is ill and that it is not behavioural. It’s beginning to drag and i’m annoyed that i’ve been wasting my money to no avail and just wish he would get better. Am i right to be annoyed and does it seem like it’s something underlying and not behavioural? Just want someone to agree with me to put my mind at ease thanks for the advice

 

[Wiebke]

I’m at my last resort posting here as i’m not sure what to do with my guinea pig Wilson. It’s been just over a month now that he has started making little squeaking noises when he pees, and a few weeks ago started hunching and seeming like he was struggling to go, hiding in his corner and making a noise. It’s only when he goes to the toilet that he acts out of character, he eats the same, acts the same, he’s still running around and doing his little popcorns, plus there’s no blood in his urine apart from a little extra calcium and today it seemed a little orange. He’s been to the vets THREE times. The first was for an anti-inflammatory for a suspected UTI which didn’t work, the second for another dose of anti-inflam and antibiotics for a suspected bacterial infection which also didn’t work, and the third time yesterday the vet told me she thinks it’s just “behavioural”, and he is doing it because he is stressed. He lives in a C&C cage with my other guinea pig martin and they are split off as they do not get along together, but act perfectly and are best friends when they have their own space, they can socialise and smell each other through the bars. She said she thinks that martin is stressing him out so he is acting this way in retaliation. She could well be right and i’m not dismissing what she is saying, but they have been living like this for a year and he only just started acting this way a month ago, which just doesn’t make sense to me. She advised me to separate him in a cage in a different room which i have done to see if it goes away, and it has not. I put him back and he got so excited to see martin, started doing popcorns and running around so i am going to keep him there, surely it would stress him out more to be in a new area alone? I write this to ask for advice, I am going to bring him back on Monday and demand an ultrasound or x-ray to get to the root of the problem because I know my guinea pig and i just have a feeling that he is ill and that it is not behavioural. It’s beginning to drag and i’m annoyed that i’ve been wasting my money to no avail and just wish he would get better. Am i right to be annoyed and does it seem like it’s something underlying and not behavioural? Just want someone to agree with me to put my mind at ease thanks for the advice

Hi

Has your vet:
- treated with antibiotics for a potential bacterial urinary tract infection (UTI)?
- done an x-ray to exclude stones or sludge in the bladder, urethra (boars have an awkward inglenook in their urethra where stones often fetch up) or kidney?
- and only after excluding all other potential problems, have they considered the possibility of a sterile (i.e. non-bacterial) interstitial (i.e. recurring) cystitis. Sterile IC has become a lot more common over the last decade but is not well known outside vet circles that see guinea pigs very regularly (which many general vets do not). How piggy savvy is your vet because these symptoms don't usually have anything to do with being stressed by another piggy although there seems to be a link between sterile IC and naturally highly strung animals; similar to feline sterile cystitis.
Treatment of sterile IC in guinea pigs follows that of FSC I'm cats with metacam (preferably dog than cats as guinea pigs resct very differently and tolerate high levels for long term treatment without kidney damage). Key to treatment is oral glucosamine like cystophan or cystease feline capsules for mild to medium cases and now newly cartrofen for medium to severe cases. Piggies with sterile IC have no or a comparatively low count of bacteria (unlike with a URI which is caused by faecal bacteria getting into the urinary tract); hence why antibiotics can at the best only temporarily suppress symptoms in sterile IC.
Please be aware that it will take several weeks for the glucosamine to build up; this is not a quick fix. But it is crucial since sterile IC seems to affect mainly the natural glucosamine layer of the walls of urinary tract that prevent highly corrosive urine from coming into direct contact with raw tissue.
Since sterile IC can only be managed but not healed until/if it goes away on its own, your vet should exclude all other possibilities first.
Here is some more information on sterile IC: Links - Interstitial Cystitis - Guinea Lynx Records

You will need a scan and/or x-ray next and then take it from there. Symptoms of problems in the urinary tract are very similar. Yours fit both with a potential stone/sludge somewhere as with sterile IC. The first is the more dangerous and needs to be excluded first before you move further down the list.
Please DO NOT separate; the stress added stress from the separation will not help.

All the best!

 

[kaylabebbo]

She did treat with antibiotics, i cannot remember what it was called but i remember the anti-inflammatory she gave us was metacam which we have had two doses of. I’ve been three times and no x-ray has been performed, as they are closed today i am going to ring back tomorrow and demand one. Thank you for your help, i certainly will do some research into the cystitis. I remember her saying it couldn’t be cystitis and we ruled it out, but i am going to do my research anyway. Thank you!

 

[kaylabebbo]

Hi

Has your vet:
- treated with antibiotics for a potential bacterial urinary tract infection (UTI)?
- done an x-ray to exclude stones or sludge in the bladder, urethra (boars have an awkward inglenook in their urethra where stones often fetch up) or kidney?
- and only after excluding all other potential problems, have they considered the possibility of a sterile (i.e. non-bacterial) interstitial (i.e. recurring) cystitis. Sterile IC has become a lot more common over the last decade but is not well known outside vet circles that see guinea pigs very regularly (which many general vets do not). How piggy savvy is your vet because these symptoms don't usually have anything to do with being stressed by another piggy although there seems to be a link between sterile IC and naturally highly strung animals; similar to feline sterile cystitis.
Treatment of sterile IC in guinea pigs follows that of FSC I'm cats with metacam (preferably dog than cats as guinea pigs resct very differently and tolerate high levels for long term treatment without kidney damage). Key to treatment is oral glucosamine like cystophan or cystease feline capsules for mild to medium cases and now newly cartrofen for medium to severe cases. Piggies with sterile IC have no or a comparatively low count of bacteria (unlike with a URI which is caused by faecal bacteria getting into the urinary tract); hence why antibiotics can at the best only temporarily suppress symptoms in sterile IC.
Please be aware that it will take several weeks for the glucosamine to build up; this is not a quick fix. But it is crucial since sterile IC seems to affect mainly the natural glucosamine layer of the walls of urinary tract that prevent highly corrosive urine from coming into direct contact with raw tissue.
Since sterile IC can only be managed but not healed until/if it goes away on its own, your vet should exclude all other possibilities first.
Here is some more information on sterile IC: Links - Interstitial Cystitis - Guinea Lynx Records

You will need a scan and/or x-ray next and then take it from there. Symptoms of problems in the urinary tract are very similar. Yours fit both with a potential stone/sludge somewhere as with sterile IC. The first is the more dangerous and needs to be excluded first before you move further down the list.
Please DO NOT separate; the stress added stress from the separation will not help.

All the best!

I remember her saying that she didn’t think it was cystitis or a stone as there is no blood in his urine and when she palpates his abdomen he seems to be comfortable and not bothered by it. We have not had any x rays performed yet, but been on metacam for a week at a time, one with antibiotics and one just by itself, which didn’t seem to help at all. He is currently at the vet i take my dogs too, as when i rang up they said they see guinea pigs, and my vet seems to know about them. However, i do have an exotic vet near me (Birch Heath vets in tarporley) which my tortoise goes to. They are much more expensive unfortunately, as one visit with my tortoise can cost £90, and having already spent over 100 on him i don’t have much to spend, as i am only on student loan. I will ask my parents to help, but wanted to ask if you think it’s best to take him to the exotic vets, if they will do a better job? or keep him at my vets where they know his situation and demand an x-ray be done? Bit in the middle on what to do but would love your advice. Thank you for your previous post, it was very helpful and does sound like, if everything else is ruled out, that it could be cystitis. he seems to be in more pain with each day so this is something i want sorted quite quickly. I have taken a video of him and how he acts when he goes to the toilet, but it will not let me upload it

 

[Piggies&buns]

I remember her saying that she didn’t think it was cystitis or a stone as there is no blood in his urine and when she palpates his abdomen he seems to be comfortable and not bothered by it. We have not had any x rays performed yet, but been on metacam for a week at a time, one with antibiotics and one just by itself, which didn’t seem to help at all. He is currently at the vet i take my dogs too, as when i rang up they said they see guinea pigs, and my vet seems to know about them. However, i do have an exotic vet near me (Birch Heath vets in tarporley) which my tortoise goes to. They are much more expensive unfortunately, as one visit with my tortoise can cost £90, and having already spent over 100 on him i don’t have much to spend, as i am only on student loan. I will ask my parents to help, but wanted to ask if you think it’s best to take him to the exotic vets, if they will do a better job? or keep him at my vets where they know his situation and demand an x-ray be done? Bit in the middle on what to do but would love your advice. Thank you for your previous post, it was very helpful and does sound like, if everything else is ruled out, that it could be cystitis. he seems to be in more pain with each day so this is something i want sorted quite quickly. I have taken a video of him and how he acts when he goes to the toilet, but it will not let me upload it

We cannot have video directly on the forum. You will need to upload it to YouTube first and then post a link to it here.

 

[Wiebke]

Unfortunately, you will have to upload a video elsewhere on a public setting; youtube would be best. Our forum is running on voluntary member donation and unpaid moderation in our free time. A video upload facility would require a lot more expensive bandwith on the forum server.

My advice still stands - the next step should be an x-ray to see what is actually going on. With either stones or sterile IC blood in the urine doesn't have to be necessarily present. Most vets have never heard of a sterile bladder infection in guinea pigs anyway. But you can have the x-ray done at the general vets as it will be cheaper.

 

[kaylabebbo]

thank you for your help!

 

[kaylabebbo]

Hi

Has your vet:
- treated with antibiotics for a potential bacterial urinary tract infection (UTI)?
- done an x-ray to exclude stones or sludge in the bladder, urethra (boars have an awkward inglenook in their urethra where stones often fetch up) or kidney?
- and only after excluding all other potential problems, have they considered the possibility of a sterile (i.e. non-bacterial) interstitial (i.e. recurring) cystitis. Sterile IC has become a lot more common over the last decade but is not well known outside vet circles that see guinea pigs very regularly (which many general vets do not). How piggy savvy is your vet because these symptoms don't usually have anything to do with being stressed by another piggy although there seems to be a link between sterile IC and naturally highly strung animals; similar to feline sterile cystitis.
Treatment of sterile IC in guinea pigs follows that of FSC I'm cats with metacam (preferably dog than cats as guinea pigs resct very differently and tolerate high levels for long term treatment without kidney damage). Key to treatment is oral glucosamine like cystophan or cystease feline capsules for mild to medium cases and now newly cartrofen for medium to severe cases. Piggies with sterile IC have no or a comparatively low count of bacteria (unlike with a URI which is caused by faecal bacteria getting into the urinary tract); hence why antibiotics can at the best only temporarily suppress symptoms in sterile IC.
Please be aware that it will take several weeks for the glucosamine to build up; this is not a quick fix. But it is crucial since sterile IC seems to affect mainly the natural glucosamine layer of the walls of urinary tract that prevent highly corrosive urine from coming into direct contact with raw tissue.
Since sterile IC can only be managed but not healed until/if it goes away on its own, your vet should exclude all other possibilities first.
Here is some more information on sterile IC: Links - Interstitial Cystitis - Guinea Lynx Records

You will need a scan and/or x-ray next and then take it from there. Symptoms of problems in the urinary tract are very similar. Yours fit both with a potential stone/sludge somewhere as with sterile IC. The first is the more dangerous and needs to be excluded first before you move further down the list.
Please DO NOT separate; the stress added stress from the separation will not help.

All the best!

in terms of the cystophan and cystease, which would you recommend or does it not matter too much? and because they are capsules, how would i go about feeding this to him? would it be like one per day with his food? i’m going to take him to the vets tomorrow to weigh him for an accurate dosage and the x-rays to rule out the stones, and if there aren’t any, i will go about buying the cystease and cystophan, as they sell them at pets at home. i honestly can’t thank you enough for your help, you probably saved my piggies life! really hoping this works now and am going to be patient with it!

 

[Wiebke]

in terms of the cystophan and cystease, which would you recommend or does it not matter too much? and because they are capsules, how would i go about feeding this to him? would it be like one per day with his food? i’m going to take him to the vets tomorrow to weigh him for an accurate dosage and the x-rays to rule out the stones, and if there aren’t any, i will go about buying the cystease and cystophan, as they sell them at pets at home. i honestly can’t thank you enough for your help, you probably saved my piggies life! really hoping this works now and am going to be patient with it!

Hi

It doesn't matter, which brand (there are more). You empty the contents of each capsule and mix them with 1 ml of water; wait until the powder is absorbed and then shake well for mixing. A small vet medicine bottle is best for that (ask the receptionist or a pharmacy). Give either 2 ml of the mix 1 daily or 1ml twice daily. Make up freshly every day.

Wait with ordering until you know what you are up against.

 

[kaylabebbo]

Hi

It doesn't matter, which brand (there are more). You empty the contents of each capsule and mix them with 1 ml of water; wait until the powder is absorbed and then shake well for mixing. A small vet medicine bottle is best for that (ask the receptionist or a pharmacy). Give either 2 ml of the mix 1 daily or 1ml twice daily. Make up freshly every day.

Wait with ordering until you know what you are up against.

Oh absolutely, i’m taking him for x-rays to rule out the stones tomorrow. just want to double check, is it one capsule per 1ml of water? and if the stones aren’t there, should i mention to my vet that i would like a bottle from there to try and mention the sterile interstitial cystitis? Thanks again!

 

[Wiebke]

Oh absolutely, i’m taking him for x-rays to rule out the stones tomorrow. just want to double check, is it one capsule per 1ml of water? and if the stones aren’t there, should i mention to my vet that i would like a bottle from there to try and mention the sterile interstitial cystitis? Thanks again!

1 capsule per 2 ml of water for a good consistency (only 1 ml makes it rather gloopy).

Yes, I would bring up the sterile cystitis in guinea pigs (copy the link) and also remember to mention that treatment is similar to that of cats, who is the other (and better known) pet species prone to problems with the urinary tract. Hence why you are looking at cat bladder supplements.

 

[kaylabebbo]

perfect! your advice has been absolutely brilliant, i cant thank you enough! i will post another message on here tomorrow when i get the results for a little update. thank you again!