Pink/red pee?

[Vanesg4]

Hello,

My guinea pig has been peeing a bit light pink. It seems a little darker today than yesterday, but I’m not sure if it’s just that I got a better look today. Not sure what could be causing this. He is acting normal and active, though he does have a cyst that he’s getting treated for at the vets tomorrow.

 

[Siikibam]

What have you given him food wise recently? And where is the cyst/how are they going to treat it?

 

[PigglePuggle]

If you are off to the vets anyway you should mention the pee, the vet can very easily gently press on piggy's tummy a bit to see if there is any bladder discomfort and to make him pee, then use a dipstick test to check if the pink colour is blood and if there is any protein in the pee that might be a sign of infection.

 

[Vanesg4]

So sorry but thank you for the replies @PigglePuggle @Siikibam. I took him to the vet and she did exactly what you mentioned and pressed on his belly. He had a uti and has been on antibiotics for the past two weeks. But could that explain why his pee is now suddenly orange? I only noticed this yesterday. He literally just came back from the vets recheck and she seemed to think he was fine and maybe it was something he was eating. The veggies I pretty much stick to are green and yellow pepper, red leaf lettuce, endive, dill, strawberry (as a treat), a baby carrot, cilantro, a cherry tomato, and more rarely I’ll do things like parsley, dandelion leaves, arugula, cucumber, squash, and even more rarely kale.

 

[Siikibam]

I’m afraid I don’t have a clue. But far as I know the veg you mentioned wouldn’t lead to orange wee. Did she say to take him back if the pee didn’t improve? What antibiotic was he given, and how long will he be on it?

What I would say is to swap cucumber with the cherry tomato and carrot. Tomatoes are acidic and can cause sores on the mouth, while carrots are high in sugar and shouldn’t be fed regularly. Cucumber can be fed daily though.

 

[Vanesg4]

She didn’t actually say. He’s been back so many times I feel like they’re almost tired of seeing me... he was on metronizadole for two weeks and at his recheck she said he was fine and didn’t prescribe anything further. I bought him some urinary support oxbow treats but he’s also been having diarrhea today. I just don’t know what’s wrong with my Pacha and I feel like going to the vet so many times has only stressed him out and made it worse. He’s alert and lively and eating well/drinking water. I haven’t fed him veg this morning because I want the diarrhea to stabilize.

I’m afraid I don’t have a clue. But far as I know the veg you mentioned wouldn’t lead to orange wee. Did she say to take him back if the pee didn’t improve? What antibiotic was he given, and how long will he be on it?

What I would say is to swap cucumber with the cherry tomato and carrot. Tomatoes are acidic and can cause sores on the mouth, while carrots are high in sugar and shouldn’t be fed regularly. Cucumber can be fed daily though.

 

[Vanesg4]

I also tend to steer a bit away from cucumber since it tends to bloat him (he’s had stasis twice) and the single baby carrot I read was okay but I’ll reduce that, and the cherry tomato seems to do him some good whenever he’s had URIs but I don’t necessarily feed it daily and he’s not prone to sores unlike his brother thank goodness.

I’m afraid I don’t have a clue. But far as I know the veg you mentioned wouldn’t lead to orange wee. Did she say to take him back if the pee didn’t improve? What antibiotic was he given, and how long will he be on it?

What I would say is to swap cucumber with the cherry tomato and carrot. Tomatoes are acidic and can cause sores on the mouth, while carrots are high in sugar and shouldn’t be fed regularly. Cucumber can be fed daily though.

 

[Siikibam]

Not being prone to sores doesn’t mean he can’t get it unfortunately. So I would cut tomatoes down to once a month. Carrots as said are high in sugar so shouldn’t be fed more than one small slice once a week.

If it’s diarrhoea then that’s an emergency and he needs to be seen as soon as possible. How has his weight been?

I’ll tag @Wiebke @PigglePuggle @Piggies&buns

 

[Piggies&buns]

Yes If diarrhoea is severe then it is an emergency.
the guide below explains
Digestive Disorders: Diarrhea - Bloat - GI Stasis (No Gut Movement) And Not Eating

 

[Wiebke]

So sorry but thank you for the replies @PigglePuggle @Siikibam. I took him to the vet and she did exactly what you mentioned and pressed on his belly. He had a uti and has been on antibiotics for the past two weeks. But could that explain why his pee is now suddenly orange? I only noticed this yesterday. He literally just came back from the vets recheck and she seemed to think he was fine and maybe it was something he was eating. The veggies I pretty much stick to are green and yellow pepper, red leaf lettuce, endive, dill, strawberry (as a treat), a baby carrot, cilantro, a cherry tomato, and more rarely I’ll do things like parsley, dandelion leaves, arugula, cucumber, squash, and even more rarely kale.

Hi!

Occasionally it can happen in the wake of a stronger UTI that there is an overgrowth of bacteria that are normally kept in check by a fully working immune system. However this needs a vet check and test.

As to diet recommendations, please keep the diet as green and leafy as possible and ideally as close as you can to the grass/hay diet (rich in vitamin C by the way which is why piggies have never had the need to make their own), supplemented with someother foraged plants for trace elements etc. A little fruit is a rare and special find.
Please stay off fruit, root veg and grains (including sweetcorn) any more than a very occasional special treat - carrots are like feeding chocolate for a guinea pigs. You mean well, but unfortunately meaning too well can in effect shorten a healthy life span and prolong it. Guinea pigs are not humans, so don't try to be influenced by human preferences and human 'rainbow veg' diet recommendations.
In my own experience, echoed by other long term forum members, restricting the diet has meant that more of my piggies (even adoptees from bad backgrounds) are living to the upper end or beyond the average life span instead to the lower end.

You will find that your digestive issue will hopefully gradually disappear as in a diet less high in sugar, you have less of an issue with dysbiosis, i.e. overgrowth of the wrong kind of bacteria, which can promote and contribute to diarrhea and bloating problems. it also strengthens the immune system, so your piggies are better at fending off/controlling opportunistic bugs like UTI, UTI, parasites etc.

If you want to treat your piggies, opt for speciality hays, dry forage as a special treat (not too much to often); but above all, turn feeding time into enrichment time and make it fun but letting your piggies work for their food and employ their brain and their senses.

It is however not a quick fix and will take several weeks to come through.

Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets
Enrichment Ideas for Guinea Pigs

PS: If you are dealing with severe or persistent/regularly recurring mild diarrhea, please see vet. With severe fluid diarrhea and your piggy poorly, do so as soon as possible.

 

[Vanesg4]

Hi! Thank you so much that’s good to know and I appreciate the dietary link! He is still having diarrhea for which I’ll be taking him in tomorrow as his hospital does not open until 8. I’m staying up with him through the night though because I am quite anxious. I took him out for some floor time and he is incredibly lively, even pushing his way past me And coming up to me to beg and darting to get away when I was trying to put him back. He’s been eating hay constantly and drinking lots of water, so he’s odd for a pig with GI issues since he doesn’t seem to lose his appetite ever. His veg do by large part consist of leafy greens I apologize if I gave the wrong impression, however I’ll look more into the stricter uidelines for pigs with GI issues. I’ve done days worth of research for but different sources always seem to say different things, I thought I was following the guinealynx chart well but I guess it’s just that my pig has special GI needs so the standard list won’t cut it. Thank you for your help!

Hi!

Occasionally it can happen in the wake of a stronger UTI that there is an overgrowth of bacteria that are normally kept in check by a fully working immune system. However this needs a vet check and test.

As to diet recommendations, please keep the diet as green and leafy as possible and ideally as close as you can to the grass/hay diet (rich in vitamin C by the way which is why piggies have never had the need to make their own), supplemented with someother foraged plants for trace elements etc. A little fruit is a rare and special find.
Please stay off fruit, root veg and grains (including sweetcorn) any more than a very occasional special treat - carrots are like feeding chocolate for a guinea pigs. You mean well, but unfortunately meaning too well can in effect shorten a healthy life span and prolong it. Guinea pigs are not humans, so don't try to be influenced by human preferences and human 'rainbow veg' diet recommendations.
In my own experience, echoed by other long term forum members, restricting the diet has meant that more of my piggies (even adoptees from bad backgrounds) are living to the upper end or beyond the average life span instead to the lower end.

You will find that your digestive issue will hopefully gradually disappear as in a diet less high in sugar, you have less of an issue with dysbiosis, i.e. overgrowth of the wrong kind of bacteria, which can promote and contribute to diarrhea and bloating problems. it also strengthens the immune system, so your piggies are better at fending off/controlling opportunistic bugs like UTI, UTI, parasites etc.

If you want to treat your piggies, opt for speciality hays, dry forage as a special treat (not too much to often); but above all, turn feeding time into enrichment time and make it fun but letting your piggies work for their food and employ their brain and their senses.

It is however not a quick fix and will take several weeks to come through.

Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets
Enrichment Ideas for Guinea Pigs

PS: If you are dealing with severe or persistent/regularly recurring mild diarrhea, please see vet. With severe fluid diarrhea and your piggy poorly, do so as soon as possible.

 

[Tara95]

Strange I have recently noticed that my guinea Winston's wee is slightly pinker (He always pees on a puppy pad luckily so I'm able to monitor) I was presuming this was from the antibiotics he's on twice a day as well as pain killers and extra vitamin C whilst he fights a small (I'm hoping) infection off. I know when I had antibiotics recently I also saw a change in urine.
Hopefully it is nothing to worry about and is just associated with the medication but mention it to your vet I will be on my next check up!

 

[Siikibam]

I would weigh daily at the same time for now, while you’re concerned. Is the diarrhoea soft or runny? If the latter it’s a long time to wait. I know you don’t necessarily have out-of-hours veg care in US.

 

[Vanesg4]

It was very soft, like little globs of misshapen poo though not smelly at all. I called his vet and she seemed to think he didn’t need to come in though I mentioned the diarrhea. She said to just treat him like normal but remove any new types of foods I might have been feeding. I’m hesitant to put him back on veg since I think it was my feeding him this while he had the slight diarrhea that made the diarrhea worse to begin with. He’s been constantly eating hay and drinking water of his own initiative but I’ve decided to give him some critical care to ensure he doesn’t get dehydrated and has some source of vitamin c. His poops are already unrecognizable, they’re formed and almost entirely normal. Yes I do like to weigh him daily even normally given the issues he’s had, he’s pretty close to his normal at the moment.

I would weigh daily at the same time for now, while you’re concerned. Is the diarrhoea soft or runny? If the latter it’s a long time to wait. I know you don’t necessarily have out-of-hours veg care in US.

 

[Siikibam]

Is he losing or maintaining? You can’t give him any veg until his poo has been normal for at least 24 hours. Hay also contains vitamin c hence it being their main staple diet. What time will you be going to the vet?

 

[Vanesg4]

Yes you should check with your vet about the pink pee as my vet said that is possibly a sign of a uri. I’m so sorry to hear that but I truly relate, these little pigs are fighters though, with your good care hopefully he’ll be back to normal soon!

Strange I have recently noticed that my guinea Winston's wee is slightly pinker (He always pees on a puppy pad luckily so I'm able to monitor) I was presuming this was from the antibiotics he's on twice a day as well as pain killers and extra vitamin C whilst he fights a small (I'm hoping) infection off. I know when I had antibiotics recently I also saw a change in urine.
Hopefully it is nothing to worry about and is just associated with the medication but mention it to your vet I will be on my next check up!

 

[Vanesg4]

He seems to be maintaining his weight (always within the same .07 lb difference. She told me not to come in and to treat him like normal, though like you said and contrary to her advice I don’t think I’ll be giving him veg for the next 24 hours. She only said to bring him in if he stops pooping.

Is he losing or maintaining? You can’t give him any veg until his poo has been normal for at least 24 hours. Hay also contains vitamin c hence it being their main staple diet. What time will you be going to the vet?

 

[Siikibam]

When re-introducing veg, only do a sprig of coriander and see how his stomach holds up. Then try maybe two the next day. Herbs are gentler on the stomach so are best to start with when bringing veg back into the diet.

When you say 0.07lb (roughly 30g) is he losing it then gaining it? I think if the soft poos (diarrhoea is more watery rather than solid) continue when you try veg then he needs looking at again. How long has it been going on now?

 

[Vanesg4]

Perfect thank you that is good to note! He loves coriander so that’ll be a good start. Thanks for talking me through this emergency!

When re-introducing veg, only do a sprig of coriander and see how his stomach holds up. Then try maybe two the next day. Herbs are gentler on the stomach so are best to start with when bringing veg back into the diet.