• Discussions taking place within this forum are intended for the purpose of assisting you in discussing options with your vet. Any other use of advice given here is done so at your risk, is solely your responsibility and not that of this forum or its owner. Before posting it is your responsibility you abide by this Statement

Mollie Has Cystitis

Status
Not open for further replies.
biscandmatt

biscandmatt

Senior Guinea Pig
Joined
Mar 6, 2009
Messages
6,919
Reaction score
3,018
Points
1,315
Location
manchester
my little mollie-pop has cystitis. luckily we seem to have caught it fairly early so she hasn't lost any weight and is still bright in herself except obviously when doing an uncomfortable wee. she has been squeaking on and off, sometimes with a little 'groan' on the end of the squeaking, and has darker urine with a small amount of blood.

she's now on treatment. a medium ish course due to the symptoms pointing towards a mild cystitis. anyway, she's on metacam (0.7ml 2x a day for 5days), and marbocyl (0.5ml once a day for 14days) - our usual exotics vet aidan wasn't in, so she's being treated by another exotics vet at ashleigh vets, called shiva.

she's good as gold with her meds. and fingers crossed it is 'just' a mild cystitis and she will feel alot more comfortable very soon. :luv:
 
Oh no poor Mollie :( Lots of vibes to her, having had bladder piggies in the past I know how difficult it is to keep them on an even keel and inflammation free. Hopefully she will be feeling better soon x x
 
sport_billy said:
Oh no poor Mollie :( Lots of vibes to her, having had bladder piggies in the past I know how difficult it is to keep them on an even keel and inflammation free. Hopefully she will be feeling better soon x x
Click to expand...

thank you. it certainly brings back memories of past bladder piggy issues! thankfully this seems the mildest case i've seen with any of mine and the only one not to lose weight so fingers crossed. she's certainly a tough little thing. just gets on with it. i know they hide illness well but inbetween the wee's that hurt her, you honestly wouldn't know she had anything! this is also her first ever illness apparently (she's just turned 3yrs 11months ish) so considering that aswell, she's being amazing. i don't want to get too ahead because as you say, these bladder things can be pesky... but i do feel hopeful so far that it is mild and that she will cope well with treatment. i did panic when they said aidan wasn't in at the moment, but i've seen shiva before (with maisie's bladder/cyst issues) and he did give her excellent care and treatment. but i think you all know how much i love aidan :))
 
i say apparently above because we have only had mollie since last september. her previous owner had her from molls being a baby and said she had no health issues in that time.
 
thank you. she is really good even though she doesn't like the marbocyl (don't think any piggies ever do!) but she loves her metacam (like most other metacam junkie piggies!) :))
 
Sending lots of healing hugs. Shiva has been dealing with the treatment of a huge abscess and long term aftercare of our gorgeous Dwynwen (over 2 months now) and has been very attentive and patient.
 
thank you. i'm a bit more worried than i was now. took her in today to see shiva because she was squeaking quite a bit more, with a painful groan (?) on the end of the squeaking. she's started to drop weight now - from 1005g yesterday to 980g today. no more blood or anything like that, and she doesn't show any major discomfort when having her bladder felt. it's a little tender and swollen but not massively so.

her treatment plan has been changed slightly. now it's:

metacam 0.7ml 2x day for 5days, then 0.5ml 2x day for 7days
marbocyl is staying at 0.5ml once a day for 14days
cerenia 0.16ml 2x a day for 14days

if there is anymore blood or she loses more weight over the next 2-3days, or shows any other signs of getting worse then we have to book her in for xrays at the end of the week to check for sludge and/or stones, and anything else that might be going on.

she is still eating well and has strong gut sounds according to the vet. so she's tolerating the meds well and is still fairly bright within herself. lets hope nothing else is going on and she responds to this course of treatment.
 
thank you.

she's done a little bit of squeaking today and a little grunt. no more blood that i can see (so no blood since friday) and she's generally bright and still eating and pooping well. her urine is still too dark though compared to her normal colour.

i weigh her at marbocyl time around 6pm so i hope she hasn't lost any. obviously there will be little ups and downs each day with weighing, but i'm looking out for a downward trend over the next few days in which case i will book her in for xrays end of the week ish. if on any one day there is a big drop in weight, i will book her in straight away instead.

she's had her cerenia and metacam this morning and took those really well again. then we had some cuddle time and she had a tasty reward of a rather big lettuce leaf which she loved :luv:

i hate this part of having pets :( i hate seeing them not right and i get so scared and worried. it's hard to stop your mind from racing thinking all sorts of things :(
 
My Crisiant is currently under treatment for UTI/cystitis. She has been squeaking with a grunt at the end for two weeks, but it has finally stopped now. She's on a combined septrin/metacam course of medication and in her third week. there has been no indication for a stone or sludge.
 
Wiebke said:
My Crisiant is currently under treatment for UTI/cystitis. She has been squeaking with a grunt at the end for two weeks, but it has finally stopped now. She's on a combined septrin/metacam course of medication and in her third week. there has been no indication for a stone or sludge.
Click to expand...

thank you. this makes me feel a bit better. all vets seem to do things differently and i think shiva is one who is more likely to go for xrays sooner. aidan usually does longer courses than two weeks and uses either septrin or marbocyl and gives it time before mentioning sludge and stones, unless it seems very obviously that anyway. but shiva said there is always the option to change things around meds wise, and extend if needed. but hopefully mollie 'just' has a straight forward case of cystitis with nothing else going on. :)
 
biscandmatt said:
thank you. this makes me feel a bit better. all vets seem to do things differently and i think shiva is one who is more likely to go for xrays sooner. aidan usually does longer courses than two weeks and uses either septrin or marbocyl and gives it time before mentioning sludge and stones, unless it seems very obviously that anyway. but shiva said there is always the option to change things around meds wise, and extend if needed. but hopefully mollie 'just' has a straight forward case of cystitis with nothing else going on. :)
Click to expand...

Both the vet and I had a good feel, but the bladder was very soft and the urine, although high in blood, was very clear. If a stone or sludge problem was a more likely possibility, I would have gone for an x-ray sooner rather than later.

UTIs (urine infection) is rather common especially at this time of the year with piggies going out on the lawn and day/night temperature spwings at their highest. However, not all respond equally well to antibiotics. In my experience, it takes at least a 3 weeks course of antibiotics.
 
Wiebke said:
Both the vet and I had a good feel, but the bladder was very soft and the urine, although high in blood, was very clear. If a stone or sludge problem was a more likely possibility, I would have gone for an x-ray sooner rather than later.

UTIs (urine infection) is rather common especially at this time of the year with piggies going out on the lawn and day/night temperature spwings at their highest. However, not all respond equally well to antibiotics. In my experience, it takes at least a 3 weeks course of antibiotics.
Click to expand...

ok, thanks. he said mollie's bladder didn't feel too bad - a tiny bit swollen perhaps but not massively so. i wouldn't describe her urine as clear though. it's darker than normal and some wee's are a different consistency to others. not alot but enough to notice. so sludge does seem a possibility although i can't feel any gritty bits at the moment. before she had the tiny bits of visible blood on friday, there was quite a few calcium stains around the cage and i don't normally see any.

i've had ches who had sludge and mollie who had chronic cystitis and this doesn't seem the same. i know they all react differently but this does seem very mild in comparison.

anyway, we'll see how we go. i might ask the vet why the course is two weeks. it might be because her case is mild, but it might also be because of the strength of medication being used. if she doesn't end up going back in, i'll ask before the two weeks is up to see if extending it would be better. i have always usually been given a three week course in the past from what i can remember.
 
biscandmatt said:
ok, thanks. he said mollie's bladder didn't feel too bad - a tiny bit swollen perhaps but not massively so. i wouldn't describe her urine as clear though. it's darker than normal and some wee's are a different consistency to others. not alot but enough to notice. so sludge does seem a possibility although i can't feel any gritty bits at the moment. before she had the tiny bits of visible blood on friday, there was quite a few calcium stains around the cage and i don't normally see any.

i've had ches who had sludge and mollie who had chronic cystitis and this doesn't seem the same. i know they all react differently but this does seem very mild in comparison.

anyway, we'll see how we go. i might ask the vet why the course is two weeks. it might be because her case is mild, but it might also be because of the strength of medication being used. if she doesn't end up going back in, i'll ask before the two weeks is up to see if extending it would be better. i have always usually been given a three week course in the past from what i can remember.
Click to expand...

Calcium stains are not uncommon with a UTI, especially the onset, in my own experience. An infection seems to upset the absorption process and more is excreted than normal. If in doubt, you can ask for an x-ray. I would review in two weeks' time when your course is coming to its end. Please be patient!

Please be aware that there is quite a range of issues that present with similar smyptoms lumped under "cystitis" or "UTI". A UTI is a bacterial urine infection whereas a cystitis is an inflammation of the bladder walls that usually doesn't react to antibiotics much and is very hard to treat; if it is a chronic or interstitial (recurring cystitis), you will see a thickening of the bladder walls. Intersititial cystitis is something that you manage rather than heal; often it disappears on its own after some years. A stone can cause a thickening of the bladder walls, too. It can take a while to figure out what is exactly going on.
You can try cystease, vegetarian glucosamine or pearl barley water to see whether that eases the discomfort when you are dealing with interstitial cystitis or bladder stone/sludge damage.
 
Wiebke said:
Calcium stains are not uncommon with a UTI, especially the onset, in my own experience. An infection seems to upset the absorption process and more is excreted than normal. If in doubt, you can ask for an x-ray. I would review in two weeks' time when your course is coming to its end. Please be patient!

Please be aware that there is quite a range of issues that present with similar smyptoms lumped under "cystitis" or "UTI". A UTI is a bacterial urine infection whereas a cystitis is an inflammation of the bladder walls that usually doesn't react to antibiotics much and is very hard to treat; if it is a chronic or interstitial (recurring cystitis), you will see a thickening of the bladder walls. Intersititial cystitis is something that you manage rather than heal; often it disappears on its own after some years. A stone can cause a thickening of the bladder walls, too. It can take a while to figure out what is exactly going on.
You can try cystease, vegetarian glucosamine or pearl barley water to see whether that eases the discomfort when you are dealing with interstitial cystitis or bladder stone/sludge damage.
Click to expand...

thank you again :) i will take things step at a time, day by day and see how we go.
 
I agree cystease is really good my boy junior was prone to bladder stones and uti after his 2nd bladder stone op we started using
cystease that same night he came home and continued giving him half a capsule every night
we never had any more stones or bladder problems for 2 and a half years until he passed away
due to dental problems and choking. x
 
thanks. i was wondering about cystease and whether it does the same job as the cerenia because i notice people are given one or the other usually by the vets. cerenia is a treatment for specifically the bladder walls. :) eta: but it works in a different way to metacam so giving both covers things really well.
 
biscandmatt said:
thanks. i was wondering about cystease and whether it does the same job as the cerenia because i notice people are given one or the other usually by the vets. cerenia is a treatment for specifically the bladder walls. :) eta: but it works in a different way to metacam so giving both covers things really well.
Click to expand...

I am unsure on cerenia, it appears to be a drug for motion sickness in dogs? Interesting it has an effect on bladder wall too..

We used to use Cystease capsules and our first Bladder Piggy Putt used to have 'Cartrophen' injections it's a supplement that's used for arthritis to lower inflammation in cats and dogs

Love to Mollie x
 
sport_billy said:
I am unsure on cerenia, it appears to be a drug for motion sickness in dogs? Interesting it has an effect on bladder wall too..

We used to use Cystease capsules and our first Bladder Piggy Putt used to have 'Cartrophen' injections it's a supplement that's used for arthritis to lower inflammation in cats and dogs

Love to Mollie x
Click to expand...

yes, cerenia is an anti-nausea medication used in dogs, and i think cats aswell although not 100%. apparently it has been shown to work really well in piggy bladder problems aswell, especially in relation to the bladder walls . but covering in a different way to metacam so provides two points of 'attack' (so to speak) :)
 
Thanks, I love finding out new things like that. I know you have a very good forward thinking vet... which often makes all the difference. Would imagine you could use Cystease also , just worth checking with the vet.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top