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It's not great news for Yorkie...

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Amy1218

Amy1218

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Well rushed him to the vet straight after work due to the colour of his wee and his painful squeaking.
They took some urine and said it had a lot of blood in it. The vet said it could be urinary tract infection, bladder stones or a tumour in the bladder. She thinks it is most likely a tumour. And she said she doesn't think he's going to recover.

It's so upsetting... i thought he was getting better, hes gaining weight (I'm still syringe feeding) hes drinking and now hes eating veg and dry food on his own.
I just dont understand mallethead 8... She has given me 2 weeks of Baytril incase it's an infection, but she doesn't think it is. 8... 8... 8... 8...

Poor little Yorkie. I don't think i could get him put down, i wouldnt be able to let him go.
And poor Dave will be so upset on his own.
Oh I'm so upset, i was happy on tuesday i thought he was getting better :(

Amy xx
 
PTS is always a hard thing to call - most often it is down to your piggy telling you when it is time to let go; you will know when and if that time is there.

Has the vet proposed any x-ray (does not necessarily need general anaestethic!)or other investigative treatment to see whether it is a stone or a tumor? Or has she just sent you home? Have you got painkiller as Yorkie is clearly in pain?
 
I'm no expert but I would have thought it was more likely to be a bladder stone than a tumour. Is he going to have an xray?
 
Ok if it's bladder stones you might benefit reading through my thread as I have a piggie with the same problem. She's had her problem since December and is still happy enough.

Your vet seems very reluctant to do anything to help the situation to be frank and I still think you would benefit from going to see a different vet.
 
I agree too, ask for a xray.

I too had problems a month ago with Gizmo and he had a xray as he was squeaking whilst weeing and luckily he didnt have any stones, but he had alot of arthritis in his back legs which the vet said could be the cause and maybe it was a infection. So he now takes metacam every day and i have given him a few courses of septrin and i have some in the cupboard just in case that the vet gave me. He is much better now so dont give up on Yorkie just yet and maybe go to a cavy savy vet if the one you went to wasnt and ask for septrin as i know that is the preferred antibiotic for water infections.

Also i know that Claire W pigs also had blood in their urine but no stones and they were on septrin for a month before the infection cleared up, maybe that could be the same with Yorkie?

Also have a look at this website if you haven't already done so and have a look on their forum they have a bladder stone thread.

http://www.guinealynx.info/stones.html

:)
 
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Cystitis is treatable:
http://www.guinealynx.info/uti.html

Bladder stones are operable (I have had a piggy that went through two bladder stone ops): http://www.guinealynx.info/stones.html

You will need an x-ray to exclude a bladder stone. Please insist for yorkie's sake that he gets one. Most guinea pigs do not need a full blown GA.

If you are not confident with your vet, look around for an exotics vet in region (guinea pigs are classed as exotics). Sorry to say that, but I do not have the impression that your vet is exerting herself here!
 
sarahp said:
I'm no expert but I would have thought it was more likely to be a bladder stone than a tumour. Is he going to have an xray?
Click to expand...

No... they said to me, there's no point as it won't change his outcome and things will get expensive. That's them saying that as well. What makes you think its more likely a bladder stone than a tumour?


Also they have given me more baytril... 0.16ml once a day. Which seems like a pretty low dose to me? This was a different vet as well! I don't know what else to do. I was recommended one in Harrogate but that is too far to travel, and I work full time.

They also said he can only have 2 weeks of Baytril as that is the maximum length hes allowed. I wanted septrin, and asked her for it but she said that they only stock baytril and if i wanted a different antibiotic then they had to take a urine sample and send it off for testing to see which one will be best for him, she said it would be very expensive for all this and a long waiting time. Well I'm not going to wait for them to sort something i said to her, so i took the baytril. Poor Yorkie. I hope he's not in pain. (They wouldnt even give me some oral painkillers - said they only do an injection).

Grr!
 
You can give him calpol or childrens ibuprofen at 0.2ml once a day (I think) and that will help with the pain.

Poor lad.

I just had an xray for one of mine and it cost £50
 
Poor Yorkie :( I am no expert either but I have heard that tumours are quite rare in guinea pigs. Yorkie really does need an x ray to rule out bladder stones.

My vets didn't stock Septrin either. That was until I mentioned everything that I had learned from the forum. My vet then did his research to make sure it was safe to give and ordered some in from boots for me. My vets now keep Septrin in stock.

If your vet refuses to do an x ray, I would advise you get a second opinion. Good luck xx
 
To be honest I'd look for another vet asap. Yorkie is clearly in pain and your current vet seems to be implying that it's not 'worth' spending the money on him. They seem to be focussing on cost an awful lot.

I'm sure you'd be willing to pay whatever it cost to make sure he's free of pain and to get a definitive diagnosis. IMO - cost doesn't come into it and I'd be quite offended that your vet thinks it does.

Have a ring round and get a second opinion. The outlook might not be as bleak as you think it is. Your vet can't tell for sure without an X-ray I wouldn't have thought

Good luck
 
His symptoms indicate it's bladder stones, and other people on here have had piggies with bladder stones so it'll just be a case of what your saying he's going through is the same that there piggies went through.

I suppose it probably will get more expensive but surely thats down to you whether you are willing to pay the price to get him sorted? It shouldn't be the vets decision. I paid £48 for an ultrasound, teeth filing and hormone injection for one of my piggies recently and as someone else said they paid £50 for an xray so I would guess you should expect to pay around the £50 mark for an xray.

How they can refuse painkillers when he's in obvious pain is just inhumane to me! If I were in your situation I would just try ANY local vet other than the one you've been to as it's sounding as though you've been unlucky and found a vet that's just not interested in guinea pigs. I think some do have the opinion of them not being a "proper" pet like a cat or dog so not worth spending the money on which is really sad. They should care about the welfare of the animal, no matter how small it is.
 
How is Yorkie today?

The dosis of baytril is way too low for a grown guinea pig and looks more like a "fig leaf" excuse of not doing anything to me!

Until you have that x-ray and CAN exclude a stone, you will never know; all I can say is that without a proper diagnosis and treatment, Yorkie is sure to suffer and die, but if you can get one, he is in with a change of life. As he is very obviously NOT getting ANY kind of adequate treatment from your current vets, I'd look for another one!

However, it is your choice!
 
Amy please consider taking him to my vets, they are used by quite a few rescues because they have experience with "exotics" & have 2 piggy vets. Septrin is the better antibiotic for UTI's if it is an infection & they do stock it because i've had it prescribed for one of my pigs who did not tolerate baytril. They also prescribe metacam for pain relief.

They aren't too far away; approx 5-10 mins from Rounday Park/Tropical Gardens.
 
How is Yorkie today and have you decided on what your going to do yet?

I too paid £50 for an xray about a month ago.

:)
 
Niki, what is the name of your vets?
I am definitely going to go see another vets after what everyone has said.
Yorkie has lost a slight bit of weight, he was staying around the 1012 mark and he was 993 tonight before feeding. He looks like hes started with diarrhea now 8... i think it would be best for him to have an xray to determine what is actually wrong with him, and i believe his dosage of baytril is low also. I actually felt like i knew more than the vet when i went, and believe me, i know very little about anatomy and guinea health.

If he does have bladder stones, what will happen, or what will need to happen?

Cost is obviously a contributing factor as I have already spent £90 just on consultations in like 1 week, so it's quite a hit, but i am willing to spend the money if it's hopeful for him and he can be out of pain and live more happy years with his soul mate and best friend, Dave the piggy.

He is drinking an awful lot at the minute. Quite worrying. Why might he be doing this? He was nibbling on some hay today and some grass, but wouldnt eat any veg. He also had a sniff through the dry food. I dont want him to be in pain and i want to sort this ASAP. I am starting to become more and more doubtful about whether he will live.
Any more advice you guys could offer me? He's having his science recovery food syringed everyday with vit c in and probiotic. hes having 0.16ml of baytril once a day, and 0.5 of metatone once a day. syringing some water into him, but he is drinking a lot (with added vit c in also)

Thanks everyone x
 
I'm glad that you have decided to take him to another vet. :)

If he does have a bladder stones he will need a GA and then he will be operated on. They will make a small incision in his tummy and remove the stones. They normally use glue rather then sutures to close the wound. Someone told me that the wound was very small and that the operation only took about 20 mins. I too was worried about Gizmo a few months back and SarahP very kindly explained to me what her pig Charlie had done as he has had 2 operation now to remove bladder stones.

You may want to read her thread? http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=47614&highlight=bladder+stones

But you never know that he may not have a bladder stone! I was convinced that Gizmo had one and he didnt!

Good luck and I'm sure that others can pass information onto you about the procedure as i know that many members have had pigs that have needed stones to be removed.

:)

x x x
 
Amy1218 said:
Niki, what is the name of your vets?
I am definitely going to go see another vets after what everyone has said.
Yorkie has lost a slight bit of weight, he was staying around the 1012 mark and he was 993 tonight before feeding. He looks like hes started with diarrhea now 8... i think it would be best for him to have an xray to determine what is actually wrong with him, and i believe his dosage of baytril is low also. I actually felt like i knew more than the vet when i went, and believe me, i know very little about anatomy and guinea health.

If he does have bladder stones, what will happen, or what will need to happen?

Cost is obviously a contributing factor as I have already spent £90 just on consultations in like 1 week, so it's quite a hit, but i am willing to spend the money if it's hopeful for him and he can be out of pain and live more happy years with his soul mate and best friend, Dave the piggy.

He is drinking an awful lot at the minute. Quite worrying. Why might he be doing this? He was nibbling on some hay today and some grass, but wouldnt eat any veg. He also had a sniff through the dry food. I dont want him to be in pain and i want to sort this ASAP. I am starting to become more and more doubtful about whether he will live.
Any more advice you guys could offer me? He's having his science recovery food syringed everyday with vit c in and probiotic. hes having 0.16ml of baytril once a day, and 0.5 of metatone once a day. syringing some water into him, but he is drinking a lot (with added vit c in also)

Thanks everyone x
Click to expand...

Hi Amy
It's Holly House Tel: 2369030. I see Adam or Sarah Brown & have seen Stuart (tell them you must see a guinea pig vet) :)
 
Thank you.

I am going to book in ASAP with Holly house... i should've gone there in the first place. But i work 25mile away from leeds in the opposite direction, it's been hard for me to get back in time before they shut. But i am definitely taking him next week and will be asking for an xray.
I hope he can pull through, his weight is stable at the minute, hes weighing between 993 and 1012 everyday so I'm guessing that's ok?
I will keep you all updated.
I hope he has a few more years left in him xx
 
Hello Amy,

Whatever the outcome for Yorkie, at least if he gets to Holly House you will know that you've done everything you can for him. He sounds pretty stable to me and it's great news that he's responded to all of the tlc you've given him so far.

Good luck and keep us posted!
 
Amy1218 said:
Thank you.

I am going to book in ASAP with Holly house... i should've gone there in the first place. But i work 25mile away from leeds in the opposite direction, it's been hard for me to get back in time before they shut. But i am definitely taking him next week and will be asking for an xray.
I hope he can pull through, his weight is stable at the minute, hes weighing between 993 and 1012 everyday so I'm guessing that's ok?
I will keep you all updated.
I hope he has a few more years left in him xx
Click to expand...

They close at 8pm Mon-Fri & are open 9am-5pm Saturday's, Sunday's 10am-4pm (emergencies only) :)

I do hope they can help him :)
 
Thanks everyone.
I have tuesday off of work (I'm assuming they may be closed on monday, or emergencies only for the bank holiday) so i will take him up on tuesday i think.

Although he's lost his interest in veg he decided he would nibble away at my zip yesterday when being fed! And then decided he didnt like the towel he was sitting on so thought he would nibble that as well! I just let him carry on, he was obviously happy doing it, and it makes me happy seeing him have interest in things, and sniffing things etc instead of just being sat there, lifeless.

He makes his pain noise and arches his back frequently now, i dont want him to be in pain, poor thing. Holly house, here i come.
I hope they can do something for my lovely piggy. (He is so sweet is Yorkie)
Amy xx
 
Well... Yorkie looks a lot happier today. I went to the hutch and they were both climbing up the mesh fencing waiting for food. I picked them some grass and they both couldn't get enough of it. I brought Yorkie in for his feed and along the way picked quite a lot of grass for him to nibble. Well, he was going crazy for it, climbing up me, practically falling off my lap, everything! It was really nice to see him like that. He ate all the grass, and then had some of his syringe food which he hates me for!
I was really pleased to see him happy and interested in other things and just moving and looking around. He didn't want any veg though, but nevertheless, he ate some grass!
How much grass are they allowed? They always have access to unlimited hay, but just wondered what the rules for grass were?
He didn't make his pain noise either this morning, and usually he does about 6/7 of them alone whilst hes being fed.
Amy xx
 
Fingers FIRMLY crossed that this is a turning point! :))

However, I would still recommed having him seen by Niki's vet.
 
Just when I thought things might be improving for the little one, and i weighed him tonight... he was 955 and he was 988 this morning and 1012 yesterday morning. Very worrying with the sudden weight loss, considering he has been really happy today and ate sooo much grass. Well i'm booking in at Holly House in the morning so hopefully hopefully hopefully they can do SOMETHING to help him.
Amy x
 
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