Mollie Has Cystitis

[biscandmatt]

since i last posted mollie has pretty much groaned everyday except one. she also had strong smelling droppings yesterday aswell. same as a while back. and i think i got a whiff of a stale urine smell earlier. not sure if things are slipping with her or whether this is part of her on-going condition and 'just' a more rough patch.

i did a thread regarding the noise she does and whether something else might be going on. probably should have posted it here but anyway, here it is if anyone has any thoughts https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/toileting-quickly-after-veg-time.129482/

she's generally ok in herself though. maybe a little more tired but she's still eating and drinking normally, moving about aswell and talking to herself... the usual pop pop pop so not sure what is going on really, or whether nothing is and it's just a reaction to her body shifting some more excess calcium salts. she did do a wee earlier which had excess thicker bits in the centre. i assume the salts/crystals? so i wonder if her body has been dealing with that, which has then caused her some stress and caused her poops to go a bit off track? that seems to make the most sense anyway.

i'm starting to work out when she's going to do the noise just by how she looks and how she reacts to things. i can't see a pattern with it in terms of anything else but am focusing particularly on the times she is in season, due to the vet stating that we may need to look into that at some stage. sometimes i think she is being a little hormonal but it is during seasons so probably normal? maybe rumbling at benjie a little more than she used to though. it's hard to know what's going on and whether her behaviour might be normal but new to us because she is feeling more well within herself and therefore she should always have been this way, or because she is experiencing some changes hormonally and it's not normal. does that even make sense?!

one change she has had recently which could have caused an issue even though i think it's unlikely, is that she has been having some timothy hay pellets from galens garden. they are nothing else, just timothy hay steam pressed into large pellets. i thought these would be fine because they're just hay and thought she might appreciate them for variety now she's limited in what she can have food wise. she has nibbles of them, not lots but it is something new we have started.

food wise currently, she's still on mainly lettuces with smaller amounts of cucumber and green pepper. these all seem to suit her well. she still has lots of hay, fresh grass when it's dry, and bits of the pure timothy hay pellets aswell. i hope to add in more low calcium veggies off the IC diet list soon but have been taking it slowly. hoping to beable to add in the piece of celery next. the vet said try to find lower calcium leafy things but this is proving tricky. the only one i think i've found is cauliflower leaves but with them potentially being gassy, i'm not sure this is the best thing for her system at the moment.

i need to clarify with the vet whether she actually has IC and excess calcium salts, or whether he meant she only has inflammation because of the calcium salts.

sorry for the long post. if anyone has got this far then i'd appreciate any thoughts and/or advice you might have

 

[JackJack1]

since i last posted mollie has pretty much groaned everyday except one. she also had strong smelling droppings yesterday aswell. same as a while back. and i think i got a whiff of a stale urine smell earlier. not sure if things are slipping with her or whether this is part of her on-going condition and 'just' a more rough patch.

i did a thread regarding the noise she does and whether something else might be going on. probably should have posted it here but anyway, here it is if anyone has any thoughts https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/toileting-quickly-after-veg-time.129482/

she's generally ok in herself though. maybe a little more tired but she's still eating and drinking normally, moving about aswell and talking to herself... the usual pop pop pop so not sure what is going on really, or whether nothing is and it's just a reaction to her body shifting some more excess calcium salts. she did do a wee earlier which had excess thicker bits in the centre. i assume the salts/crystals? so i wonder if her body has been dealing with that, which has then caused her some stress and caused her poops to go a bit off track? that seems to make the most sense anyway.

i'm starting to work out when she's going to do the noise just by how she looks and how she reacts to things. i can't see a pattern with it in terms of anything else but am focusing particularly on the times she is in season, due to the vet stating that we may need to look into that at some stage. sometimes i think she is being a little hormonal but it is during seasons so probably normal? maybe rumbling at benjie a little more than she used to though. it's hard to know what's going on and whether her behaviour might be normal but new to us because she is feeling more well within herself and therefore she should always have been this way, or because she is experiencing some changes hormonally and it's not normal. does that even make sense?!

one change she has had recently which could have caused an issue even though i think it's unlikely, is that she has been having some timothy hay pellets from galens garden. they are nothing else, just timothy hay steam pressed into large pellets. i thought these would be fine because they're just hay and thought she might appreciate them for variety now she's limited in what she can have food wise. she has nibbles of them, not lots but it is something new we have started.

food wise currently, she's still on mainly lettuces with smaller amounts of cucumber and green pepper. these all seem to suit her well. she still has lots of hay, fresh grass when it's dry, and bits of the pure timothy hay pellets aswell. i hope to add in more low calcium veggies off the IC diet list soon but have been taking it slowly. hoping to beable to add in the piece of celery next. the vet said try to find lower calcium leafy things but this is proving tricky. the only one i think i've found is cauliflower leaves but with them potentially being gassy, i'm not sure this is the best thing for her system at the moment.

i need to clarify with the vet whether she actually has IC and excess calcium salts, or whether he meant she only has inflammation because of the calcium salts.

sorry for the long post. if anyone has got this far then i'd appreciate any thoughts and/or advice you might have

Hi there. This type of condition seems to be quite common and very baffling in some guinea pigs. I know that another forum member which I had several weeks discussing their guinea pig and their cystitis, it was all up and down. One minute doing well and then the next, back to groaning. Has Molly been X rayed, just in case there is a stone lurking? However, if it is gravel or sludge she is shifting, is there any grit or white cloudiness to Mollie's urine, to give you a clue about if her diet is causing her to excrete an overload of calcium, although you seem to be doing well trying to restrict this part of her diet to help her. I know you can go round and round in circles for an answer to this one, but you seem to be doing all you can at the moment. For my Joe, the vet recommended Timothy hay, so do not think this has anything to do with Mollie groaning more. I know my Joe has had 2 ultrasounds that picked up nothing and it was only when he was X rayed that it picked up the stone, which you know he has just had removed. It is difficult to know what to do from here. Is Mollie on Cystease still and is she having an anti-inflammatory such as Metacam to try to help her with the pain and inflammation? Is Mollie's weight stable?

I have come to the conclusion, we can only do our best with this condition and sometimes, just like humans, then they have a long term condition, which just needs to be managed. I know this does not help when you see them hunched and groaning, as the first thing you want to do is sort it out. However, I guess, if they are on the right medication and they are eating and acting normally apart from when they wee, then there is not much more we can do. Having said that, it never stops me from thinking is there more that can be done and tying myself in knots.

 

[biscandmatt]

Hi there. This type of condition seems to be quite common and very baffling in some guinea pigs. I know that another forum member which I had several weeks discussing their guinea pig and their cystitis, it was all up and down. One minute doing well and then the next, back to groaning. Has Molly been X rayed, just in case there is a stone lurking? However, if it is gravel or sludge she is shifting, is there any grit or white cloudiness to Mollie's urine, to give you a clue about if her diet is causing her to excrete an overload of calcium, although you seem to be doing well trying to restrict this part of her diet to help her. I know you can go round and round in circles for an answer to this one, but you seem to be doing all you can at the moment. For my Joe, the vet recommended Timothy hay, so do not think this has anything to do with Mollie groaning more. I know my Joe has had 2 ultrasounds that picked up nothing and it was only when he was X rayed that it picked up the stone, which you know he has just had removed. It is difficult to know what to do from here. Is Mollie on Cystease still and is she having an anti-inflammatory such as Metacam to try to help her with the pain and inflammation? Is Mollie's weight stable?

I have come to the conclusion, we can only do our best with this condition and sometimes, just like humans, then they have a long term condition, which just needs to be managed. I know this does not help when you see them hunched and groaning, as the first thing you want to do is sort it out. However, I guess, if they are on the right medication and they are eating and acting normally apart from when they wee, then there is not much more we can do. Having said that, it never stops me from thinking is there more that can be done and tying myself in knots.

thank you for your reply. it's certainly very up and down. i think more than i expected it to be. typically (and thankfully) today she so far hasn't done any groaning but she does seem a little tender underneath. but within herself, she's been fairly bright.

yes, she's been xrayed and nothing showed on there - no stones or sludge. the sterile urine sample showed alot of excess calcium salts but nothing else, and the bloods were all clear aswell, everything with the normal ranges as they should be. she was leaving excess calcium stains around the cage before treatment, and her urine was too dark with some thicker bits of urine (salts/crystals) in the centre. this cleared up fairly quickly but then yesterday there was the thicker bits in with some urine again, although no stains that i could see. the thicker bits don't seem gritty like sludge would be. they're more thick but still smooth.

i didn't think the timothy hay would cause any issues because she eats alot and these pellets are basically the same thing. glad they're fine for her because she does like them and appreciates the variety i think.

she's still on cerenia and metacam which won't be reduced until she has 7-10days of being completely symptom free. the diuretic will be long term aswell but the vet did say that mollie's issue will be long term, if not lifelong, so for her, he thinks she may need to stay on all three meds indefinitely, but if we could get the doses of cerenia and metacam reduced then he would class that as a good result in her case. it probably feels alot longer than it has actually been. we're still just starting out with the correct course of treatment really, only 5-6 weeks in now. i guess that's not long with this type of issue. i just have those moment of panic i think!

weight wise - she's fairly stable since starting this treatment i'd say. a very slight drop last weigh in but still ok-ish. the vet did say she may drop slightly from having no pellets but so far she hasn't really. but if she does then i will let him know and see what he suggests. he did say she may beable to have some pellets at some stage, but one of the lower calcium ones. i did let her have a few vitakraft ones a few weeks back but think she'd be better only having them if needed. she did love them though.

thanks again x

 

[biscandmatt]

quick update - mollie has had a really great week and today, on day 8 again, she did one groan! but the times she is symptom free are gradually getting further and further apart overall

she has also had a strip of spring greens on a few days this week and been fine so that's really good

 

[Flutterby]

Brill news!

 

[Chief Guinea Pig]

quick update - mollie has had a really great week and today, on day 8 again, she did one groan! but the times she is symptom free are gradually getting further and further apart overall

she has also had a strip of spring greens on a few days this week and been fine so that's really good

x

 

[JackJack1]

quick update - mollie has had a really great week and today, on day 8 again, she did one groan! but the times she is symptom free are gradually getting further and further apart overall

she has also had a strip of spring greens on a few days this week and been fine so that's really good

Great news. Hope Mollie continues on the road to recovery. Keep up the good work!

 

[Poppy'sMum]

It may be worth while looking into Cartrophen injections monthly as well. Our piggy Petal has one a month & it does seem to help her bladder quite a bit, this is given instead of Cystease as my vet is of the opinion that Cartrophen seems to work better in her experience x

 

[biscandmatt]

It may be worth while looking into Cartrophen injections monthly as well. Our piggy Petal has one a month & it does seem to help her bladder quite a bit, this is given instead of Cystease as my vet is of the opinion that Cartrophen seems to work better in her experience x

thanks, will make a note of this

 

[biscandmatt]

how quickly things change. so i posted that mollie had dropped slightly in weight recently and i was a bit surprised by it as she had been doing well. she dropped again taking her to her lowest weight and i noticed that she had slightly crusty nipples.

she's been to the vets for a check-up and she's lost even more. she's 880g now. the vet can also feel more cysts whereas before there was only one small one on the left ovary. and she's obviously still groaning occasionally. so our suspicions that this may be hormonal/cyst related seem to be correct. and he thinks her problem is her reproductive area and that is most likely causing the bladder issues. so he's given us some options:

- have her spayed. this is what he recommends as the best thing for her and when i asked if she was his pet, he said he would go for this option.
- try the hcg injections which typically last about 5-6 months. then repeat them later on if it's an option, or have her spayed at this point.

he said there are three types of ovarian cysts and he can rule one type out with mollie, which is the one that is fast growing. the other two, there is no way of knowing what type they are until they're removed. so no other tests are necessary before the we go ahead with the injections or spay.

he said if we're going for the spay then we may aswell go for it soon rather than make her wait. because she's dropped weight and is groaning sometimes, but she's still fairly bright overall and this may be the best time to do it.

he said they spay quite alot of guinea pigs and usually when they're older than mollie. the success rate is very high, and aftercare generally straight forward, provided adequate pain relief is provided. of course, you can never say how an individual will react so it's still an invasive op and not without it's risks.

he said we can go through all the details more thoroughly when we take her in next. benjie will stay at the vets with her. they actively encourage this because he said they really do seem to respond much better with a friend there. if they need to monitor mollie more closely then benjie can be next door but they will still beable to interact through a partition.

i think that is all the info so far. my heads a bit of a mess. i wasn't expecting it so i'm a bit all over the place. i have complete trust in our vet. but of course i am still worried about mollie. it's still an op, a GA and recovery afterwards. but it feels like the right thing.

does anyone have any opinions or advice? thanks.

 

[Flutterby]

Oh no, poor lady! Sending vibes and hugs to you!

 

[Wiebke]

how quickly things change. so i posted that mollie had dropped slightly in weight recently and i was a bit surprised by it as she had been doing well. she dropped again taking her to her lowest weight and i noticed that she had slightly crusty nipples.

she's been to the vets for a check-up and she's lost even more. she's 880g now. the vet can also feel more cysts whereas before there was only one small one on the left ovary. and she's obviously still groaning occasionally. so our suspicions that this may be hormonal/cyst related seem to be correct. and he thinks her problem is her reproductive area and that is most likely causing the bladder issues. so he's given us some options:

- have her spayed. this is what he recommends as the best thing for her and when i asked if she was his pet, he said he would go for this option.
- try the hcg injections which typically last about 5-6 months. then repeat them later on if it's an option, or have her spayed at this point.

he said there are three types of ovarian cysts and he can rule one type out with mollie, which is the one that is fast growing. the other two, there is no way of knowing what type they are until they're removed. so no other tests are necessary before the we go ahead with the injections or spay.

he said if we're going for the spay then we may aswell go for it soon rather than make her wait. because she's dropped weight and is groaning sometimes, but she's still fairly bright overall and this may be the best time to do it.

he said they spay quite alot of guinea pigs and usually when they're older than mollie. the success rate is very high, and aftercare generally straight forward, provided adequate pain relief is provided. of course, you can never say how an individual will react so it's still an invasive op and not without it's risks.

he said we can go through all the details more thoroughly when we take her in next. benjie will stay at the vets with her. they actively encourage this because he said they really do seem to respond much better with a friend there. if they need to monitor mollie more closely then benjie can be next door but they will still beable to interact through a partition.

i think that is all the info so far. my heads a bit of a mess. i wasn't expecting it so i'm a bit all over the place. i have complete trust in our vet. but of course i am still worried about mollie. it's still an op, a GA and recovery afterwards. but it feels like the right thing.

does anyone have any opinions or advice? thanks.

I had my Cariad spayed due to a womb that went wrong, but she also had a very nasty looking ovarian cyst. Despite being older and only 700g, she sailed through her own spay. As it is a major operation, you have to count in 2-3 days post op until the body settles down and really starts healing, but ideally she should keep her appetite as much as possible and be a bit better in herself with each passing day.

Your vet sounds like he knows what he is doing. Having an experienced vet you trust is key. I would also think that in your case operating is an option that you may want to consider seriously, especially if it is very likely that the cysts are impinging on other organs. Give yourself time to think things through before you make any decisions.

 

[biscandmatt]

thank you both. both o/h and i are leaning towards the spay being the right thing to do. but we don't know when to have it done. this week seems so soon but next week seems ages away. just want to make the right decision for mollie.

 

[Chief Guinea Pig]

Awh what a predicament, I've been following this thread from the start, always made me smile when she picked up again. I don't have any advice, but again you and little Mollie Moo are in my thoughts x

 

[biscandmatt]

Awh what a predicament, I've been following this thread from the start, always made me smile when she picked up again. I don't have any advice, but again you and little Mollie Moo are in my thoughts x

aw thank you x

 

[JackJack1]

how quickly things change. so i posted that mollie had dropped slightly in weight recently and i was a bit surprised by it as she had been doing well. she dropped again taking her to her lowest weight and i noticed that she had slightly crusty nipples.

she's been to the vets for a check-up and she's lost even more. she's 880g now. the vet can also feel more cysts whereas before there was only one small one on the left ovary. and she's obviously still groaning occasionally. so our suspicions that this may be hormonal/cyst related seem to be correct. and he thinks her problem is her reproductive area and that is most likely causing the bladder issues. so he's given us some options:

- have her spayed. this is what he recommends as the best thing for her and when i asked if she was his pet, he said he would go for this option.
- try the hcg injections which typically last about 5-6 months. then repeat them later on if it's an option, or have her spayed at this point.

he said there are three types of ovarian cysts and he can rule one type out with mollie, which is the one that is fast growing. the other two, there is no way of knowing what type they are until they're removed. so no other tests are necessary before the we go ahead with the injections or spay.

he said if we're going for the spay then we may aswell go for it soon rather than make her wait. because she's dropped weight and is groaning sometimes, but she's still fairly bright overall and this may be the best time to do it.

he said they spay quite alot of guinea pigs and usually when they're older than mollie. the success rate is very high, and aftercare generally straight forward, provided adequate pain relief is provided. of course, you can never say how an individual will react so it's still an invasive op and not without it's risks.

he said we can go through all the details more thoroughly when we take her in next. benjie will stay at the vets with her. they actively encourage this because he said they really do seem to respond much better with a friend there. if they need to monitor mollie more closely then benjie can be next door but they will still beable to interact through a partition.

i think that is all the info so far. my heads a bit of a mess. i wasn't expecting it so i'm a bit all over the place. i have complete trust in our vet. but of course i am still worried about mollie. it's still an op, a GA and recovery afterwards. but it feels like the right thing.

does anyone have any opinions or advice? thanks.

Did the vet say if the injections have a good chance of working, as an alternative to the operation? I think I would be inclined to try these first, particularly as Mollie is at a low weight, so an operation may be more trauma for her. Knowing how my Joe is following his operation, Mollie will lose even more weight post operation, which may mean that she struggles post operatively to maintain a good weight, so this may be a consideration. However, you have to weigh up the pros and cons for each treatment plan and then make a decision. Sending my bes wishes to you both and hope Mollie gets better soon.

 

[Poppy'sMum]

I agree with JackJack, I would try the hormone injections first & also if your vet is experienced in draining the cyst by needle aspiration you could try that as well. One of mine has had both the draining & the injections & she is doing very well, with no problems since, but she hasn't had any UTIs. My other piggy Petal had the same problems & had a full spay last October at just over 4 years old. She's just turned 5 & is doing well, but it didn't cure her bladder problems, she still has treatment for that. Post op care is the key to success, my vet said this is usually where things can go wrong & the op upset Petal's digestive system so badly (After all it involves moving intestines aside etc during the op) that we were syringe feeding her for 8 weeks & we almost lost her as she had loose poops all that time How old is Mollie Moo? xx

 

[biscandmatt]

Did the vet say if the injections have a good chance of working, as an alternative to the operation? I think I would be inclined to try these first, particularly as Mollie is at a low weight, so an operation may be more trauma for her. Knowing how my Joe is following his operation, Mollie will lose even more weight post operation, which may mean that she struggles post operatively to maintain a good weight, so this may be a consideration. However, you have to weigh up the pros and cons for each treatment plan and then make a decision. Sending my bes wishes to you both and hope Mollie gets better soon.

he said we won't know if they'll work until we try them. if they do then they typically work for 5-6 months. sometimes a second lot can be given but not always. then it would be a case of she would need a spay. so really, it's spay now or spay in 5-6 months, or 10-12 months at best. the injections will wear off and she will end up like this again before we move forward again. so in discomfort with bladder issues and reproductive issues.

she's a slim piggy anyway so although the vet isn't too concerned about her weight in terms of the op, he said that she may end up having the same op later on when she will likely have slipped in weight again and then she will be older aswell. he thinks the best time to do it is now whilst she is still fairly well.

thank you for the good wished for us, it's a worrying time. x

 

[biscandmatt]

I agree with JackJack, I would try the hormone injections first & also if your vet is experienced in draining the cyst by needle aspiration you could try that as well. One of mine has had both the draining & the injections & she is doing very well, with no problems since, but she hasn't had any UTIs. My other piggy Petal had the same problems & had a full spay last October at just over 4 years old. She's just turned 5 & is doing well, but it didn't cure her bladder problems, she still has treatment for that. Post op care is the key to success, my vet said this is usually where things can go wrong & the op upset Petal's digestive system so badly (After all it involves moving intestines aside etc during the op) that we were syringe feeding her for 8 weeks & we almost lost her as she had loose poops all that time How old is Mollie Moo? xx

mollie is just over four aswell. about 4yrs 2months ish.

the vet is hoping that the cysts are acting as an immunosuppressant and her body isn't able to deal with the bladder issues because of them so after the spay, he hopes the bladder issues will beable to be managed better after or treated completely and go. there are no guarantees of course.

when we went through a similar thing with maisie, she had the injections first and her chronic cystitis finally cleared and she got six months clear before symptoms returned. at this point they recommended a spay for her. with mollie, they already think she's at that point where the spay is the best thing. with maisie, they recommended the injections first. so i feel like he must really think it's the right thing. maisie didn't get to her spay as she passed away. before it she was on metacam and tramadol for the pain and i really don't want mollie to get to that point and have to then go through a spay then. maisie by that point was on pain relief and had dropped alot of weight. much more than the first time. mollie is alot slimmer than maisie was, and therefore if she reacted the same way later on, she would be a very low weight.

it's really hard

 

[Flutterby]

*hugs*

 

[JackJack1]

mollie is just over four aswell. about 4yrs 2months ish.

the vet is hoping that the cysts are acting as an immunosuppressant and her body isn't able to deal with the bladder issues because of them so after the spay, he hopes the bladder issues will beable to be managed better after or treated completely and go. there are no guarantees of course.

when we went through a similar thing with maisie, she had the injections first and her chronic cystitis finally cleared and she got six months clear before symptoms returned. at this point they recommended a spay for her. with mollie, they already think she's at that point where the spay is the best thing. with maisie, they recommended the injections first. so i feel like he must really think it's the right thing. maisie didn't get to her spay as she passed away. before it she was on metacam and tramadol for the pain and i really don't want mollie to get to that point and have to then go through a spay then. maisie by that point was on pain relief and had dropped alot of weight. much more than the first time. mollie is alot slimmer than maisie was, and therefore if she reacted the same way later on, she would be a very low weight.

it's really hard

It is always very hard to know what to do for the best. I am sure there is no right or wrong option. You have to be guided by your vet and your knowledge of Mollie. Whatever decision is made you will always have Mollie's well being in mind and she is lucky to have such a loving carer to look after her.

 

[Poppy'sMum]

I know, it's a horrible decision to have to make If your vet recommends a spay, you need to know what their success rate is, that's crucial. A competent vet will be able to do one without any problem, but I found Petal took a lot longer to recover from this op, whether it was her age or what, we don't know, but she had soft poops for 8 weeks & I had to syringe feed her for 6 weeks at least as her weight dropped like a stone Eventually she had to have a course of Flagyl & then reacted badly to the pain relief (Bupremorphine) a different vet gave her, so she almost died after everything we'd been through I was determined to throw all I had at keeping her going, I was exhausted Her recovery was very slow & it's cost us thousands of pounds in vet bills & still she has bladder issues As long as you are prepared though, she can make it x

 

[biscandmatt]

o/h and i have discussed and discussed it. and then we look at mollie and although she's doing 'ok', she's definitely not completely comfortable and when we go through her symptoms, it just seems to be the spay that makes the most sense to us, even though there will be the recovery and obviously there is always some element of risk. the vet is confident in doing the op though. i briefly discussed the spay with him during the consult and he said the success rate is very high. but no actual numbers. he said i should take some time, think of any questions i might have and then we can discuss it and get her booked in as soon as he is available to do the op - could be as early as this week.

thanks everyone for the support x

 

[Abi_nurse]

Spays can go very well with a good vet team and a well piggie. However as Mollie is unwell still already I would potentially hold off until this bladder type issue gets sorted, But if she's bright and happy otherwise then going ahead is not the wrong thing to do if your vet things she is well enough. I hope you don't mind me asking a couple of questions. (Very sorry if you've already explained - it's a long thread)
- why is she on cerenia?
- why is she on a diuretic?
- have you tried increasing her water intake? (ie syringing her water)
- had the vet sent the poo of or looked for parasites at any point?

sorry for the questions. Might just help me a bit in understanding her case.

x

 

[biscandmatt]

Spays can go very well with a good vet team and a well piggie. However as Mollie is unwell still already I would potentially hold off until this bladder type issue gets sorted, But if she's bright and happy otherwise then going ahead is not the wrong thing to do if your vet things she is well enough. I hope you don't mind me asking a couple of questions. (Very sorry if you've already explained - it's a long thread)
- why is she on cerenia?
- why is she on a diuretic?
- have you tried increasing her water intake? (ie syringing her water)
- had the vet sent the poo of or looked for parasites at any point?

sorry for the questions. Might just help me a bit in understanding her case.

x

thanks for taking the time to post. i wouldn't say mollie is unwell as such but she's not quite right (if that makes sense) - she originally started with symptoms of uti/cystitis and was put on treatment. stones and sludge were ruled out, as was any infection (sterile urine sample) - bloods all clear. but her symptoms weren't fully clearing. however her sample contained alot of excess calcium salts. then separately (i think) she has inflammation. initially believed to be urinary based, but now looking more like reproductive based because a long course of treatment has not been enough to shift it so the vet thinks that the inflammation is most likely cyst related now. mollie had a small cyst on her left ovary initially and only slight things that made us think hormonal. these symptoms have now suddenly increased.

so the cerenia was given for her bladder inflammation and the diuretic to compete with the calcium salts and flush them out. she's also on metacam for any other inflammation. so far she's been on it about 6/7 weeks and whilst she has improved in alot of ways, the vet thinks if it was just bladder that she would be further forward by now. and now she has some added symptoms - weight loss taking her to her lowest ever, crusty nipples. being a bit more hormonal during season and rumbling at benjie. she has on occasion pulled at her sides like she is agitated, however this was put down to bladder pain initially with a view to keep a potential hormonal/cyst issue in mind. she has on one occasion recently had a small amount of 'discharge/mucus' on her vagina however i couldn't say for sure if it might have been some thicker urine stuck there because she still on occasion leaves some in her urine, i assume when her body is clearing some excess salts. she also has this slight smell - kind of stale urine but what i remember maisie having when she was going through a similar thing.

water wise - her diet is now low calcium and mainly lettuces for fluid. loads of hay, fresh grass and no pellets at the moment, with low calcium ones being a possibility at some stage. we also leave her veggies wet to up her fluid, and syringe her water during and after meds. she also drinks an ok amount from her bottles.

nothing has been suggested about her poop or parasites. once or twice it has been soft and a bit smelly when she has been in discomfort and groaning, however the majority of the time it is normal.

on this course of diuretic, cerenia and metacam, she has improved overall and the times between symptoms have been getting further apart. then recently the drop in weight and the vet checked her over and she still has some swelling and discomfort, although she's still fairly bright within herself generally.

hope this all makes some sense! vet thinks now is probably the right time to do this. he thinks it will most likely end up having to be done anyway, so whilst she's still well and before she potentially drops more weight, it may be best to do it now. i think he sees the injections as a delay for mollie so when they wear off, we will be most likely back here again and that potentially means she will be in discomfort and may begin to drop weight again.

usually he gives options and asks me what i would like to do, and he never normally answers the question about what he would do. so for him to have said it, i think he must really think it's the right thing. he spent ages checking her and she's had all the more in-depth tests and he went over all her notes. he seems very sure and confident, however he said of course there can never be any guarantees but that the succsess rate it very high. i am very confident in the vet and the vet nurse team though so that is one weight off my mind.

he did start to mention that we could try repeating the urine type tests but then when we went into detail about the more hormonal based symptoms he then said all of the info together was pointing towards the problem being the reproductive area, either combined with bladder issues, or bladder issues because of hormonal cyst issues. he doesn't think we can clear the bladder issues without the spay.

i just want to do the best for mollie. and when my face dropped when the spay was mentioned, he said if i wasn't comfortable with that then we could try the injections. but i don't want it to be about what i am comfortable with. i want whatever is best for mollie. then i think what's the point in having a specialist vet if you don't take their advice. especially when it all makes sense. i guess it's just scary because it's still my little girl having to go through it.

sorry, i'm rambling but i hope i explained ok.

 

[Abi_nurse]

It's ok, your not rambling.

It's a scary thing if you haven't seen it or been through it. I've had two ladies spayed this year already (Dill was 5y and Little Miss last week is 4y10m) they both have done fine. It is a big op to put them through, however, it might just solve the issues as the cysts may (or may not) be a contributing factor to all these things.

I wouldn't shy away from it if your vet is confident in the procedure as a good exotics vet will have done these enough times and feel happy about them. I can only give you a few pointers on the op and recovery, but if you want more in depth then let me know.

The op itself will be about an hour/hr and a half ish. It's quite invasive, but no more than spaying a dog is. They will often stay in at the vets for a day or two to recover as it can take them a few days to get back on their feet. I usually take my girls straight home that night and I have them on injectable (stronger) pain relief for the next 24hours or so (depending on how they are doing). My Dill ate within 5minutes of waking up, but Little Miss was a bit more of a sulk and took her time about it but was eating by the time I took her home the evening of the op. They usually get syringe fed for 2/3 days after but I taper off the feeds as they eat more and more. All the piggies I've seen spayed have never bothered with their wounds, but it's something to keep an eye on. None have got post op infections but I would advise popping them on fleece or vet bed for a week to reduce that risk. All in all really, providing they are as well as possible going into the op, have an experienced vet team and have good pain relief after then they generally seem to do very well.

Good luck in your decision. Let me know how she goes if you do pick surgery or if you want any more info, pictures etc.

x

 

[biscandmatt]

It's ok, your not rambling.

It's a scary thing if you haven't seen it or been through it. I've had two ladies spayed this year already (Dill was 5y and Little Miss last week is 4y10m) they both have done fine. It is a big op to put them through, however, it might just solve the issues as the cysts may (or may not) be a contributing factor to all these things.

I wouldn't shy away from it if your vet is confident in the procedure as a good exotics vet will have done these enough times and feel happy about them. I can only give you a few pointers on the op and recovery, but if you want more in depth then let me know.

The op itself will be about an hour/hr and a half ish. It's quite invasive, but no more than spaying a dog is. They will often stay in at the vets for a day or two to recover as it can take them a few days to get back on their feet. I usually take my girls straight home that night and I have them on injectable (stronger) pain relief for the next 24hours or so (depending on how they are doing). My Dill ate within 5minutes of waking up, but Little Miss was a bit more of a sulk and took her time about it but was eating by the time I took her home the evening of the op. They usually get syringe fed for 2/3 days after but I taper off the feeds as they eat more and more. All the piggies I've seen spayed have never bothered with their wounds, but it's something to keep an eye on. None have got post op infections but I would advise popping them on fleece or vet bed for a week to reduce that risk. All in all really, providing they are as well as possible going into the op, have an experienced vet team and have good pain relief after then they generally seem to do very well.

Good luck in your decision. Let me know how she goes if you do pick surgery or if you want any more info, pictures etc.

x

this is all really helpful, thanks so much.

i'll post again and tag you if i think of anymore questions or need anymore info x

 

[JackJack1]

Hi biscandmatt. It would be really nice to see a picture of Mollie if you have one, so that we can see who to send the healing vibes to.
I hope you can work it all out and make the best decision for Mollie.

 

[biscandmatt]

Hi biscandmatt. It would be really nice to see a picture of Mollie if you have one, so that we can see who to send the healing vibes to.
I hope you can work it all out and make the best decision for Mollie.

here's a typical mollie one. her little face

she's so special to us

 

[JackJack1]

here's a typical mollie one. her little face

she's so special to us

here's a typical mollie one. her little face

she's so special to us