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Please help! Really need advice!

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GuineaRanger

GuineaRanger

Junior Guinea Pig
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Hello guys!


I've juat noticed my gp is squeeking when he is weeing. Like he is in pain. He links arches his back ax bit like he is pushing, he poos but only a tiny bit of wee comes out each time. I've just read up about it n it could be a UTI or bladder stone? I really hope its not the latter :( He's hiding away a lot too. I cant see any blood in his wee, and it looks like the normal wee colour, maybe a little tiny bit darker.

What would happen if it is bladder stone? Wouldn't he have to have surgery? He is about 3 years old now I'm scared surgery may not v a good idea if its the only way?

I've just had my dog put down last week, aswell as my nana passing away the week before I just hope he isn't next :(

Is there anything i can do to alleviate his pain maybe? I will take him to the vets tomorrow. I'm really worried :(

Please give me some advice asap if * can. * can't bear to loose another member of my family this week :(

Emma x
 
its more then likely a uti so i would get him checked over, in the mean time put some diluted cranberry juice in his water...
 
I don't have any cranberry juice, its a bit late now to go out and get some. Is there anything else?
 
Barley water......... boil up a tablespoon of barley (the recipe i was given was 1 - 10 so 10 tablespoons of water, sometimes you need to add more water tho) then let it cool down and syringe the barley water :)

I'm so sorry with everything you've been going thru....... HUGE HUGS XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Healing wheeeeeeeeeks for your piggie XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
 
'Maybe' take him to the vets, he needs to go to the vets ASAP. The fact he's having trouble urinating indicates it maybe the latter.

Please do not syringe fluids until you know if or not it is a bladder stone by syringing additional fluids you are running the risk of moving the 'potential' stone into his ureathra which can be fatal if emergency treatment is not sought.

My P, had to have extremely invasive surgery on his uretre (tube between bladder and kidney) to have a stone removed. He was under GA for 90 minutes and it was the first time the vet had ever performed such invasive surgery on a guinea pig even the vet wasn't hopeful. My P has recovered wonderfully which goes to show first hand a bladder stone's doe not need to be the death of your pig even if they aren't in the bladder. A good Cavy Savy vet will be more than confident removing a bladder stone it's a procedure that happens often.

Sometimes the vet maybe able to see the stones on Xray and may decide to see if the stones are able to pass themselves but this option is very dangerous as the stone's may increase in size. Reguarlar monitoring is necessary by Xray preferrably without GA if at all possible.

First course of action would be a vet visit to have him Xrayed to ensure he does not have any stones, then a urine analysis to check for crystal's. If no stone's show and only crystal's appear then a pain killer (commonly used is metacam or loxicom) would be helpful along with a course of antibiotic's the squeaking should subside after roughly 3 days but it is important to finish the course. My vet has given me both Septrin and Baytril in the past, and pearl Barley is great for linning the bladder and flushing the bladder out. It is available from the supermarket, you will find it in the lentil aisle normally it's called 'pearl Barley', line a small pan with the parley and add 3 times water, boil for 30 - 45 mins drain the mixture and leave to cool then syringe the water to your guinea pig. I would use a 1ml syringe and syringe slowly to your guinea pig to ensure not to aspirate him.

Do let us know how he gets on.
 
Cheers for your help guys.

I didn't say "ill take him to the vet maybe" I said Is there any way to alleviate the pain maybe? I'll take him to the vet tomorrow"

I separated him from the other pig in the cage and put a white fleece there to check whether he had pees today. Theres just little blobs of wee all over it. Poor liccle shmoo!

I'm taking him when it it opens at 3.

Cheers, them
 
poor little piggy. usually a short course of antibiotics will clear it up. a urine sample can be taken aswell. then if treatment doesn't work then more tests can be done. but hopefully a short course of antibiotics will be enough.
 
Hope everything goes ok at the vets, let us know how you get on. Healing vibes your piggies way..
 
Definately best to get to the vets, you cant be too sure.

Really hope he is ok, it sounds like you have had a tough old time lately.

Fingers and paws crossed here xx
 
Hello everyone!

I've been to the vets, he just had a good feel and and look an his back end. He couldnt feel anything. He asked me if he's bigger then usual, he isnt, whether he's been drinking more regularly, he hasn't.

He gave him 2 injections (which he didnt like! Lol) one was an anti inflammatory and I can't remember what the other one was. He's given me some antibiotics to give him once a day aswell. He suspected cystitus

Last night I put him on a white fleece for the night in his cage, and there was just blobs of wee all over it this morn. He didnt even wee in the box I took him vets in, nd it took me about 20 mins to get there and back!? Weird though, when I got him back home i put him in his cage and he weed, like a normal wee! I havent seen him wee since though amd that was over an hour ago. I did show the vet the fleece with the wee on. I had a good look and it looks like theres little bits in it.

I'm still worried!

Yeh it has been a really hard 2 weeks Xx
 
I have a boar who was primarily diagnosed with Cystitis last year and the vet gave us Baytril and Metacam. It didn't shift so another visit, this time prescribed Septrin which eased it but then he starting peeing blood again. An x-ray without GA showed he had a huge stone needing surgery asap :(
He had an intense weekend of Critical Care to build him up before his op as he had sadly lost so much weight through not eating properly and happily, sailed through and has been in great health ever since.
We give him unsweetened Ocean Wave cranberry daily and a quarter of Cystease capsule (125mg) and have had no further reoccurence of any bladder issues xx>>>
Keep an eye on his appetite - did you get probiotics along with his antibiotic as they can get upset tummies and go off food ? So important to keep their gut moving so monitor his poos as well, always a good indication of anything going on with their digestive system.
 
Hey, sorry to hear you had a hard time with yours!

He's eating nd drinking normally and being his usual self. There has been no bloodv in his wee either.

He's prescribed him "marbocyl inj 1 sa" it says on the pot n thats it.

He has had a wee since.

What should I do? Should I put some cranberry juice in his water aswell?

Thanks, them
 
No harm in putting some in although it won't cure the problem, Cranberries contain a substance that aids bacteria from attaching to the bladder walls so can be used as a precaution.
I only pop about 3-4 tsps in Harley's bottle, it barely colours the water but he likes it and we could only get Princes brand the one evening rather than Ocean Spray and the little devil wouldn't touch it :(|)
OH had to traipse around until he found his usual brand :x
Good that he is eating well too :))
 
Ah right I might put some in. Is it the cordial type juice or pure juice?

Did the same happen with yours? Just checked him again, he pooed normally nd weed just a little bit, again looking like he was in a bit of pain again. Just hope it clears it, I'm way too much of a worrier!

Xx
 
It's the pure juice - go for the unsweetened variety.
Maybe contact your vet again if he is in discomfort, pain relief may be needed (nothing worse than seeing your baby in pain 8...)
Tbh, I thought we would lose Harley - he was really poorly and we nursed him 24/7, was scared to leave him at night for bed so my daughter did the piggy night shift bless her...
If he is eating/drinking/weeing/pooing as normal, he sounds as though it may not be a serious bout - keep him as clean and dry as possible too, vet bed is excellent for protecting them from bugs etc. as it wicks any wee away from the surface, is bacteria resistant and maintains their body temperature. A small piece for him to lie on only costs a few pounds and is worth it (I swear by it, all our piggy pens are fully vet bedded)
Dandelion leaves are a good diuretic too if he'll eat them ;)
 
when ches was weeing blood, he also had marbocyl and also metacam aswell. :) sounds like you see a good vet then if they're using marbocyl :)

i'm a worrier aswell - ches lost alot of blood, became anaemic and it turned out he had bladder sludge. he had his bladder flushed and then was on meds for a while and made a full recovery, even though he had lost alot of weight.

so they're tougher than we think sometimes. fingers crossed for you that it clears up with the meds. it's good news he's still eating and drinking ok, and hasn't lost any weight.

all the best x
 
Cheers! What's the best way to keep an eye on him? I can't watch him 24/7 non stop or at night. Is it ok if I check him every hour or so? I just don't want to disturb him all the time!

And how often do guinea pigs wee anyway? I haven't seen any for a while now, but like I said I haven't been watching him 24/7. Nd when I just watched him then he pooed, looked a little strained and then when he moved I checked but couldn't feel a wet patch. Mind you this was on the megazorb part of the cage, nd if it was still only a little bit I wouldn't have felt any damp right?

I'm just obsessing over this now going overcoat the cage with a fine tooth comb nearly looking for wet patches!

He's eating normally and drinking normally. Not bloated and acting his usual self. Can they deteriorate quickly?

Thanks for your help! Xx
 
It may also be worth syringing him some pearl barley water, which you make by boiling some pearl barley (from supermarkets near the cereals or baking aisle) with water per instructions on the packet. The water acts like a coating to soothe the bladder wall :

http://www.oginet.com/pgurney/cystitis.htm

You can also let him eat the strained pearl barley after if he likes it. Hope he feels better soon. Pain relief is very important as anyone who has suffered cystitis will know, it is horribly painful :...
 
Thanks for your advice.

I'm quite sad now after readiing that link *** it doesnt sound like he has cystitis, it sounds like he has stones? (as he is hardly peeing and squeeking and straining when he tries) :(
 
emmyk89 said:
And what do you mean by strained pearl barley?

them
Click to expand...

After you've boiled it up according to the instructions, strain the liquid off the mushed up pearl barley & you can syringe the liquid carefully to him :

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

They are great instructions if you are unfamiliar with syringe feeding or just want some handy tips to make it easier :)

However if he is not weeing, do not syringe him any extra fluids, it is a medical emergency & requires prompt vet attention, so you need to get him to a vet asap.
 
Thanks for that.

I have been out all day. And have been watching him since I got in and gave him his medication. Gave him some hay on a white fleece to make sire I cpupd see. He's just pooed one pellet, and weed which i happy about. Although, again he arched his back again and strained.

I'm just about to pop to the shop for some more white towels, cranberry juice and pearl barley. I will check my replies before I do anything else.

Thanks so much for your help :)
 
Aw, sorry to hear he's still in discomfort.
Did your vet suggest an ultra sound or X-ray if the meds. don't have effect ?
Know it's really hard but the meds. need to kick in :(
Harley was still in so much pain after three weeks of meds. that we took him back to the vet for X-ray which showed the horrible pea sized stone sitting in his bladder 8...I felt so terrible for him and swore any other of my piggies would be X-rayed immediately if they showed any symptoms that he'd had.
He is your pet and you obviously care deeply for him so would consider speaking to your vet again.
Just for the record, may I ask if you have analgesia for him and how much he is having ?
 
Hiya. Yeh my vet has given me enough medication (plus a bit for spillage) till wednesday. He said bring him back in that day n he will check him again.

Analgesia? I'm not sure what you mean by that. He is on Marbocyl at 0.4 ml a day.

Thanks for your help :)
 
emmyk89 said:
Hiya. Yeh my vet has given me enough medication (plus a bit for spillage) till wednesday. He said bring him back in that day n he will check him again.

Analgesia? I'm not sure what you mean by that. He is on Marbocyl at 0.4 ml a day.

Thanks for your help :)
Click to expand...

Sorry, I meant painkillers ;)
Metacam is the best one for them and is effective. Harley was only prescribed one drop but I rang the vet and she ok'd it to be increased to 0.2ml per day which helped.
 
He's on none, I've only got that one medication.

Just checked him now, on his white towel and theres blood on it :(

Should I giver him some barley water or leave it for now...?
 
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Sorry to hear your piggie is still poorly, i agree with GPS and would definitely speak to vet regarding some pain relief, metacam is the normal one given and will help ease his discomfort...
 
It's a light peachy pink colour. And there a bit that's quite red in colour which was there before the peachy coloured wee patches.

He is weeing more though (but it is this colour) I gave him his medication for the first time about an hour and a half ago, and put a bit of cranberry juice in his water about 20 mins ago and hes had a bit of that.

I'm scared now its that colour :(
 
Oh poor boy :(
It's early days and the antibiotics usually take 3-4 days to help - my concern would be if he's in pain i.e. hunching his back and wheeking when peeing/pooing.
Could you ring the out of hours vet and ask for some Metacam ?
At least if he's not in pain, the Marbocyl will do the job in hand for the cystitis or infection.
 
Why don't they prescribe it in the first place aswell? He hasn't squeaked while weeing for a ** day now .

My vet isnt open weekends?
 
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