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Hard area on older female

PipandOreo

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
Oct 19, 2020
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Location
North Yorkshire, England
Hi, I was health checking my 6 year old female Pip about an hour ago and noticed that her bits were a bit swollen and noticed that the top of her bits was quite hard and looks like it had lost some hair (not sure if it just looks like she’s lost hair because her bits are a bit swollen). She‘s never liked being stroked at all (especially her tummy and can rumble if you do touch it) but when I feel around her tummy she rumbles a lot more so that makes me thinks she’s in some pain. She’s otherwise acting completely normal, up at the bars wanting snacks all the time! She’s eating and drinking normal and she doesn’t squeal or rumble when I pick her up. Her bits also look a little dirty which could just be because she’s older and doesn’t clean herself as well.

I wasn’t sure if what she has is a bladder stone or a stone in her urethra as she has a hard area about her genitals but she hasn’t passed any calcium or squealed when she’s been weeing. She isn’t hunched over when weeing either and she’s pooing normal. She has filtered water and no veg that is high in calcium but I know that there still is a chance she can get stones.

I’m quite worried about going to the vets because the last time we went we had to out Oreo to sleep and it was a bit of a shock, but I will probably phone the vets on Monday if any symptoms persist and can book an emergency appointment anytime.

Thanks you in advance for any advice and knowledge on this, worried piggie owner here! x

(I’ll post some pictures but please excuse her dirty fur, she’s 6 years old and a Peruvian and due a bit of a clean!)
 

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It is a good idea to get her checked out. Are the pictures you posted showing the hard part? Or is it the grease gland that’s hairless and hard? All the best and let us know how you get on. You can also give her a bum bath if she’s grubby.
 
It is a good idea to get her checked out. Are the pictures you posted showing the hard part? Or is it the grease gland that’s hairless and hard? All the best and let us know how you get on. You can also give her a bum bath if she’s grubby.
The pictures were to show where the hairless part was which is where its quite hard. She also looks a bit swollen compared to how she normally looks.
Yes, shes due her bum bath as she bit dirty!
 

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I would definitely get her seen by a vet. If she’s missing hair then she has probably been nibbling at the area indicating that it’s causing her some irritation/discomfort.
 
Poor girl.
I agree that a vet check is in order.
Let us know how you get on.
Hopefully it will turn out to be nothing to worry about.
 
Just wanted to add that she is a beautiful girl, and she looks in great condition for her age.
A vet check would be a good idea, but hopefully it won't turn out to be anything serious.
 
I would definitely get her seen by a vet. If she’s missing hair then she has probably been nibbling at the area indicating that it’s causing her some irritation/discomfort.
Poor girl.
I agree that a vet check is in order.
Let us know how you get on.
Hopefully it will turn out to be nothing to worry about.
I’m going to phone up tomorrow to get an appointment, fingers crossed we can get an appointment for early next week🤞🏻
 
Just wanted to add that she is a beautiful girl, and she looks in great condition for her age.
A vet check would be a good idea, but hopefully it won't turn out to be anything serious.
Thank you, she’s a very spoilt and loved piggie! I’m going to phone the vets tomorrow to hopefully get an appointment for next week.
 
The pictures were to show where the hairless part was which is where its quite hard. She also looks a bit swollen compared to how she normally looks.
Yes, shes due her bum bath as she bit dirty!

Hi!

If in any doubt, please have her vet checked on Monday for a potential urethral stone. this is the area where they typically fetch up in sows; just before the exit.
 
Just got back from Pips appointment which ended up being an emergency appointment. The vet had a feel around and found a lump in her tummy, she thinks it is either an ovarian cyst or a stone. They prescribed Loxicom and Co-trimoxazole, I forgot to ask about whether I should give her a probiotic or not. We’re going to go back for another appointment in about 10 days to speak to a higher up exotic vet. They mentioned an x-ray to determine what it is but I’m unsure as she’s almost 6 years old and don’t really want to put her under general anaesthetic. At the moment she’s on pain medication so hopefully that‘ll be enough for her for now. She seems well in herself and is currently munching on her hay!
Should I give her some probiotics as well? Thanks in advance x
 
You can give probiotic 1-2 hours before or after the antibiotic. Can you get the X-ray done any sooner than 10 days?
 
You can give probiotic 1-2 hours before or after the antibiotic. Can you get the X-ray done any sooner than 10 days?
Okay, thank you. The earliest I can get one would be in a week because we want to see how she does on the medication before doing an X-ray. I’m trying my best to do what’s best for her but it’s all a bit stressful!
 
Caring for a sick piggy can be very stressful and you sound a very caring owner.
I tend to agree with @Siikibam than an earlier x-ray could be helpful, but I perfectly understand your concern about her age.
Whatever decision you make will be the right one for you.
Holding you in my thoughts.
 
I’m not sure that antibiotic can help with ovarian cysts or stones. Book the X-ray in and maybe get them to put you on a waiting list for cancellations. I hope you get to the bottom of it soon.
 
Caring for a sick piggy can be very stressful and you sound a very caring owner.
I tend to agree with @Siikibam than an earlier x-ray could be helpful, but I perfectly understand your concern about her age.
Whatever decision you make will be the right one for you.
Holding you in my thoughts.
Thank you x
 
I’m not sure that antibiotic can help with ovarian cysts or stones. Book the X-ray in and maybe get them to put you on a waiting list for cancellations. I hope you get to the bottom of it soon.
We had asked to see an guinea pig savvy exotic vet but I’m not sure if the vet we saw was actually an exotic vet. She wasn’t overly confident on what was happening to Pip and just said to book another appointment with the guinea pig savvy vet. She said to do that after about a week once the course of medication had ended. Maybe she thought Pip had a UTI however she didn’t mention that to me?

I‘m a bit stuck on what to do as I don’t have the money for multiple emergency appointments (which are double a normal consultation) when she needs the medication and a potential x-ray. I’m concerned that if I ask to see them sooner they’ll charge me for an emergency appointment rather than a normal consultation, but when I ring up I’ll ask them about that.
Thanks, I’m hoping it’s sorted soon too!
 
Its a normal appointment rather than an merging so they shouldn’t be charging you double. Is your vet on the recommended list?
 
Its a normal appointment rather than an merging so they shouldn’t be charging you double. Is your vet on the recommended list?
They tried to charge us £195 for a consultation yesterday. We never normally have problems with them and they’ve been great with the pigs since we got them 6 years ago but I wasn’t overly happy yesterday. Yes they are, it’s called Holly House vets in Leeds
 
I would personally have the xray sooner. If she has a stone, it could get stuck in the urethra which would be a medical emergency. Sadly, if she has a stone, it needs to be surgically removed
 
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