Please Help!

[Stella]

My female guinea pig is bleeding from her underparts again! I took her to the vet 3 times and they were not much of a help. She eats just fine and drinks lots of water. She also wheeks and gives me lots of kisses and runs around popcorn jumping a lot. I've had my fair share in taking care of guinea pigs as I grew up. But this is the first time I've seen so many problems.

It all started when she started to cough when she ate. I also noticed that she was bleeding with her stool. So I took her to the exotic animal vet and he gave us some antibiotics because he said she seems to have some respiratory problems and said that there was no problem with the bleeding and she was perfectly healthy.

I started to do the antiobiotics but it just made her worse. She completely stopped eating and she only went to drink a little bit of water a day. I knew it would kill her if she didn't eat so I force fed her with a syringe and stopped giving her the antibiotics because it seemed to be giving her the opposite effect of getting better. After doing that for a few weeks she got significantly better but she still would sometimes cough when she ate. The bleeding slowly started to stop the more she got better.

I went back again to the vet when she started coughing really hard. He said to stop the antibiotics and she should be fine. It makes me so enraged because I went to see a different exotic vet since the previous one was no help and he said the same exact thing! It makes me so angry because I know there is something wrong with my piggy and I've wasted lots of money for them just to have them say she is fine. SHE IS NOT FINE. I don't know what to do because now she bled on my hands today and I don't want to go to the vet and have them tell me she is fine and waste my money. She seems perfectly fine because she is eating and drinking lots and is her usual happy self but I know there is something wrong. Please help me.

 

[Stella]

She is also about a year old. And I have 1 other piggy. Sorry forgot to mention that.

 

[Guinea_Lover]

Hi!

Sorry to hear about your poorly piggy. From what I have read, I can see your piggy stopped eating and drinking due to the antibiotics. Now this can be the case, antibiotics, especially baytril have a tendency to make piggies stop eating, and therefore going into gut stasis. This is because the antibiotics tend to strip away good bacteria in the stomach, causing the piggy to not function properly. My guinea pig had surgery a few days ago and she is on baytril herself, so what I do is I usually give her some probiotics, which is in powdered form to ensure there is still healthy bacteria in the gut. I usually either sprinkle the powder on her favourite veg or put it in water, this usually helps. If your guinea pig is still not right and therefore still bleeding, please see another vet. Does it seem to be when she is urinating?

 

[Lady Kelly]

I didn't want to read and run but I really don't know what to say as I've never heard of anything like this. Did the vets do any scans to look for abnormalities or offer to test a urine sample for any clues?

Unfortunately not all exotics vets are piggy savvy

 

[Wiebke]

My female guinea pig is bleeding from her underparts again! I took her to the vet 3 times and they were not much of a help. She eats just fine and drinks lots of water. She also wheeks and gives me lots of kisses and runs around popcorn jumping a lot. I've had my fair share in taking care of guinea pigs as I grew up. But this is the first time I've seen so many problems.

It all started when she started to cough when she ate. I also noticed that she was bleeding with her stool. So I took her to the exotic animal vet and he gave us some antibiotics because he said she seems to have some respiratory problems and said that there was no problem with the bleeding and she was perfectly healthy.

I started to do the antiobiotics but it just made her worse. She completely stopped eating and she only went to drink a little bit of water a day. I knew it would kill her if she didn't eat so I force fed her with a syringe and stopped giving her the antibiotics because it seemed to be giving her the opposite effect of getting better. After doing that for a few weeks she got significantly better but she still would sometimes cough when she ate. The bleeding slowly started to stop the more she got better.

I went back again to the vet when she started coughing really hard. He said to stop the antibiotics and she should be fine. It makes me so enraged because I went to see a different exotic vet since the previous one was no help and he said the same exact thing! It makes me so angry because I know there is something wrong with my piggy and I've wasted lots of money for them just to have them say she is fine. SHE IS NOT FINE. I don't know what to do because now she bled on my hands today and I don't want to go to the vet and have them tell me she is fine and waste my money. She seems perfectly fine because she is eating and drinking lots and is her usual happy self but I know there is something wrong. Please help me.

Hi and welcome

Can you please add your country, state/province or UK county to your details, so we can help you most efficiently. We have members and enquiries from all over the world. Please click on your username on the top, then go to personal details and scroll down to location. That make it appear under your username in every post you make.

How piggy savvy are the vets you are seeing?

Can you please tell me whether the coughing typically happens when or shortly after your piggy is eating or did your vet specifically notice other signs of a respiratory infection?
Have your vets checked the heart?

Is the bleeding bloody stool, blood drips or bloody urine, i.e more likely from the intestinal (guts), the reproductive (womb, ovarian cysts) or the urinary tract (UTI, cystitis, stones or kidney issues).

After how many days did you stop with the baytril (I assume that you have been prescribed baytril, as it is still the only officially licensed antibiotic for guinea pigs even though it can be an appetite killer in some guinea pigs)?
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

@helen105281 @Adelle

 

[helen105281]

I don't have anything to add at this point, until we have a bit more information.

 

[Stella]

Hi!

Sorry to hear about your poorly piggy. From what I have read, I can see your piggy stopped eating and drinking due to the antibiotics. Now this can be the case, antibiotics, especially baytril have a tendency to make piggies stop eating, and therefore going into gut stasis. This is because the antibiotics tend to strip away good bacteria in the stomach, causing the piggy to not function properly. My guinea pig had surgery a few days ago and she is on baytril herself, so what I do is I usually give her some probiotics, which is in powdered form to ensure there is still healthy bacteria in the gut. I usually either sprinkle the powder on her favourite veg or put it in water, this usually helps. If your guinea pig is still not right and therefore still bleeding, please see another vet. Does it seem to be when she is urinating?

My female guinea pig is bleeding from her underparts again! I took her to the vet 3 times and they were not much of a help. She eats just fine and drinks lots of water. She also wheeks and gives me lots of kisses and runs around popcorn jumping a lot. I've had my fair share in taking care of guinea pigs as I grew up. But this is the first time I've seen so many problems.

It all started when she started to cough when she ate. I also noticed that she was bleeding with her stool. So I took her to the exotic animal vet and he gave us some antibiotics because he said she seems to have some respiratory problems and said that there was no problem with the bleeding and she was perfectly healthy.

I started to do the antiobiotics but it just made her worse. She completely stopped eating and she only went to drink a little bit of water a day. I knew it would kill her if she didn't eat so I force fed her with a syringe and stopped giving her the antibiotics because it seemed to be giving her the opposite effect of getting better. After doing that for a few weeks she got significantly better but she still would sometimes cough when she ate. The bleeding slowly started to stop the more she got better.

I went back again to the vet when she started coughing really hard. He said to stop the antibiotics and she should be fine. It makes me so enraged because I went to see a different exotic vet since the previous one was no help and he said the same exact thing! It makes me so angry because I know there is something wrong with my piggy and I've wasted lots of money for them just to have them say she is fine. SHE IS NOT FINE. I don't know what to do because now she bled on my hands today and I don't want to go to the vet and have them tell me she is fine and waste my money. She seems perfectly fine because she is eating and drinking lots and is her usual happy self but I know there is something wrong. Please help me.

My female guinea pig is bleeding from her underparts again! I took her to the vet 3 times and they were not much of a help. She eats just fine and drinks lots of water. She also wheeks and gives me lots of kisses and runs around popcorn jumping a lot. I've had my fair share in taking care of guinea pigs as I grew up. But this is the first time I've seen so many problems.

It all started when she started to cough when she ate. I also noticed that she was bleeding with her stool. So I took her to the exotic animal vet and he gave us some antibiotics because he said she seems to have some respiratory problems and said that there was no problem with the bleeding and she was perfectly healthy.

I started to do the antiobiotics but it just made her worse. She completely stopped eating and she only went to drink a little bit of water a day. I knew it would kill her if she didn't eat so I force fed her with a syringe and stopped giving her the antibiotics because it seemed to be giving her the opposite effect of getting better. After doing that for a few weeks she got significantly better but she still would sometimes cough when she ate. The bleeding slowly started to stop the more she got better.

I went back again to the vet when she started coughing really hard. He said to stop the antibiotics and she should be fine. It makes me so enraged because I went to see a different exotic vet since the previous one was no help and he said the same exact thing! It makes me so angry because I know there is something wrong with my piggy and I've wasted lots of money for them just to have them say she is fine. SHE IS NOT FINE. I don't know what to do because now she bled on my hands today and I don't want to go to the vet and have them tell me she is fine and waste my money. She seems perfectly fine because she is eating and drinking lots and is her usual happy self but I know there is something wrong. Please help me.

I don't have anything to add at this point, until we have a bit more information.

I live in Logan, Utah in the USA. I went to 2 different vets and both were in my area and were considered to be the only vets that do appointments with exotic pets. I'm not sure if they were piggy savvy but it sure seemed they weren't based on how they helped me. I was recommended by some friends to go to Salt Lake City but that is about 2 hours away from where I live and the weather here is not the best considering it has been snowing a lot and the canyon between Salt Lake City and my city has been closed a few times. So it has been difficult because of the distance and my budget has been super tight since I went the the vet 3 times. She stopped bleeding now but I first noticed the bleeding when I picked her up because the blood stained my hands and my lap when I laid her on my lap. It seems it was more of a bloody drop type than bloody stool or urine and I stopped the antibiotics after a week. Both vets said that she just seemed to have resipiratory issues and that she was completely healthy other than that. She coughs only when she eats and it occurs at least once a day or once every other day. She was prescribed doxycycline.

The first time she bled was when I took her to the vet to address the issues of the coughing and her bleeding. During that first time she was bleeding through her stool. I brought samples in a container to see if the vet can test it. But he said that she only has some respiratory issues and that there is nothing wrong with the bleeding. I asked if he would test the blood but he said there was nothing wrong with the blood and he asked me if he could throw away the samples I brought him. Which made me very angry because it was like he wanted to avoid having to test it. All he did was check all her vitals and then weighed her. The antibiotics did not help because she still coughed after a week of taking it. I am considering risking the drive to Salt Lake City to take care of my piggy. She is eating and drinking normally though. And she starts wheeking whenever i come home or walk into my bedroom. She is always excited and starts to popcorn jump when it is time for me to feed her. And licks/gives me kisses all the time. It seems she is okay but I still can't help but think there is something wrong with her.

 

[Stella]

I live in Logan, Utah in the USA. I went to 2 different vets and both were in my area and were considered to be the only vets that do appointments with exotic pets. I'm not sure if they were piggy savvy but it sure seemed they weren't based on how they helped me. I was recommended by some friends to go to Salt Lake City but that is about 2 hours away from where I live and the weather here is not the best considering it has been snowing a lot and the canyon between Salt Lake City and my city has been closed a few times. So it has been difficult because of the distance and my budget has been super tight since I went the the vet 3 times. She stopped bleeding now but I first noticed the bleeding when I picked her up because the blood stained my hands and my lap when I laid her on my lap. It seems it was more of a bloody drop type than bloody stool or urine and I stopped the antibiotics after a week. Both vets said that she just seemed to have resipiratory issues and that she was completely healthy other than that. She coughs only when she eats and it occurs at least once a day or once every other day. She was prescribed doxycycline.

The first time she bled was when I took her to the vet to address the issues of the coughing and her bleeding. During that first time she was bleeding through her stool. I brought samples in a container to see if the vet can test it. But he said that she only has some respiratory issues and that there is nothing wrong with the bleeding. I asked if he would test the blood but he said there was nothing wrong with the blood and he asked me if he could throw away the samples I brought him. Which made me very angry because it was like he wanted to avoid having to test it. All he did was check all her vitals and then weighed her. The antibiotics did not help because she still coughed after a week of taking it. I am considering risking the drive to Salt Lake City to take care of my piggy. She is eating and drinking normally though. And she starts wheeking whenever i come home or walk into my bedroom. She is always excited and starts to popcorn jump when it is time for me to feed her. And licks/gives me kisses all the time. It seems she is okay but I still can't help but think there is something wrong with her.

I've also seen the first vet twice and the second vet I've only seen once. So 3 appointments total. I've been using critter care paper bedding and her cage is a 4 by 2 grid cage with a second floor that is a 2 by 2 grid. Each grid is 14 by 14 inches

 

[Wiebke]

The dripping is pointing towards a problem with either the urinary tract or the reproductive tract. If the urinating is becoming more frequent and turns into reddish pees, then you are looking at a urinary tract infection/cystitis (for which she needs an antibiotic again - ideally bactrim) or perhaps a bladder stone.
If she keeps just dripping, then you are looking at a more serious issue more likely in the reproductive tract that requires investigation.

Thank you for adding your location and explaining your situation. This allows us to give you much more pointed and detailed questions to ask your vet than we would do with a member seeing an a specialist vet to make sure that you get the best out of it.

I have been able to find only one recommended piggy savvy vet for your state: Guinea Lynx Records :: Topic - Veterinarians: Utah
Here is a link to a list of safe and unsafe antibiotics for guinea pigs, given her strong negative response to baytril:
Guinea Lynx :: Antibiotics
Dangerous medications for guinea pigs, in case you have to see a vet without much experience with guinea pigs: Guinea Lynx :: Dangerous Medications

 

[GPTV]

Hi there,

My 5yr old girl Ellie kept getting persistent reoccurring UTI's,she would have blood in her urine & have very heavy bleeding sometimes. she would be given baytril & the UTI would clear up, then shortly afterwards it would all come back again.
the bleeding was usually undiluted type blood (deep red - like when you cut your finger) often when she pooped as opposed to just weeing, the vet investigated further as she didn't want to keep giving antibiotics & it turned out upon a conscious ultrasound scan that she had a walnut sized ovarian cyst.

Ellie had hormone injections (HCG chorulon) & she had about one bleed afterwards, the injections worked well for her.
I also had another guinea that had a prolapse & the whole lot was on my hand when i picked her up, she had blood all over the place on her rear end - the vet pushed it all back in & secured it with a stitch, she had a complications for months afterwards & unfortunately i lost her.

I would certainly ask your vet to do a conscious ultrasound scan to see if they can find anything obvious with her reproductive system. if she has reproductive issues/infections/etc she is still quite young & a spay is highly likely to work as long as you can find an experienced & competent vet to do the surgery.
the scan should also show up any calcium deposits/stones/sludge that may be scratching her waterworks on their way through causing some bleeding.

there is a possibility that the two things are not connected, maybe she has the start of a URI due to the fact she is feeling low & stressed due to the UTI's or vice versa.

let us know how she gets on & healing vibes being sent by the bucket load for a speedy recovery. xx

 

[Stella]

Alright thank you so much you guys! You guys were very helpful. I sure hope my piggy can get better. She has as strong spirit so I'm sure she will make it! I will let you guys know what happens.