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Possible Uti, Nervous About Baytril

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Amy1788

Amy1788

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I noticed some blood stained urine in my Guinea pigs run tonight not long after I'd put them in. I've never noticed this before and can't see anymore in their cage. I checked both pigs and one of them had pinky red urine on her bottom. I've take her to the vets, felt her abdomen and said he couldn't feel anything to worry about. He also gave a general check all over to see if the blood was coming from elsewhere but couldn't see anything. She passed urine whilst we were there and that was clear. She seems fine otherwise, eating and drinking normally just a bit quiet but only since coming back from the vets. The vet said its possibly a UTI and its normal to have intermittent bleeding in this case. He's prescribed 0.22ml Baytril twice a day. I'm really worried about this as I've read before that it can really affect piggies guts and with her only having the blood stained urine once I don't want to give it to her unnecessarily and cause her anymore problems. I've been watching both pigs carefully over the last hour and they've both been peeing with no signs of blood. I don't know whether to start the Baytril or not. What are the chances of it causing her problems? Any advice about would be greatly appreciated.
 
Baytril is one of the only licensed antibiotics for piggies. It is a good general antibiotic and has been prescribed by your vet after an examination so I would administer it as directed by the vet. As in humans, it can upset the gut. But not in all piggies and not badly. All you need to do is to give some probiotic an hour after the Baytril dose to help with the guts.
 
We have had no issues with baytril in the past, a lot of our piggies have been on it for uri and uti. If the UTI doesn't clear up, it may be worth speaking to the vet about trying septrin. But we have had goo results with baytril in the past. Sending lots of healing vibes
 
I know what u mean- baytril wasnt well tolerated by 2 of my sows, put me right off it. Then one of my other sows was prescribed it a while later, and i wasnt keen but my vet convinced me septrin wasnt suitable for the job in this case and that its best to try her on it first before considering alternatives.. She tolerated it without any problems whatsoever, and with probiotics, her poos where completely normal.

I'd give it a go - blood in urine can occur without being visible, and its unlikely its gone on its own with no treatment- if it affects your girl just take her back to the vet and discus your concerns. All the best x
 
Thank you all for your replies, I feel much happier about it now, I'm just always so conscious of making the right decisions for them. Will I get probiotic at most pet shops?
 
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Pro-c is from pets at home, fibreplex can sometimes be given by the vet and avipro plus you can get online x
 
That's great, I'll pick some up first thing tomorrow, how much should I give at a time?
 
Amy1788 said:
That's great, I'll pick some up first thing tomorrow, how much should I give at a time?
Click to expand...

You give about a pinch of probiotics about 1-2 hours after the antibiotic, either on a piece of veg or mixed and syringed with 1 ml of water. I would recommend to always have probiotics and recovery food handy at home, as illness never arrives announced...
First Aid Kit For Guinea Pigs

Alternatively, you can soak some fresh, still wet poos from a healthy guinea pig in a little water and then syringe the water; piggies usually like that. It is a bit gross, but it mimics natural behaviour. Even the not redigested poos contain enough of the "right stuff" to help restock the guts.

The majority of piggies tolerate baytril and may just suffer a day or two of softer poos in my own experience from having guinea pigs before all the alternatives to baytril became available in recent years. We see of course more of the bad stories on here by dint of people seeking help when things go wrong. That is an aspect you need to remember when doing your research online - the horror stories you are presented with do not necessarily reflect the true picture.

Please contact your vet promptly in case your piggy is suffering total loss of appetite or proper diarrhea, as well as if any illness symptoms persist or get worse during treatment or come back soon after the end of the course.

Baytril is still a decent alround antibiotic despite its somewhat harsher effect on the guts and it is still one of the best for certain issues. Any antibiotic is an appetite dampener to some degree, and a guinea pig can react negatively to any antibiotic. The same as not all people take equally well to medication.
 
Thank you for all the advice Wiebke, I definitely feel more reassured about the Baytril.

She's had her first 2 doses and so far seems fine, I've also given her some probiotic today too and she seems to really like the taste so that helps get it down her.

I'll be sure to keep a close eye on her for any appetite changes or diarrhea and I'll definitely be getting some recovery food etc in just in case.
 
:D My Beano has had a bloody urine problem twice in the last two years. I found that although Septrin cleared it up quicker, the effects wore off within a month. With Baytril, the effects lasted for more than a year. None of my pigs has ever had any nasty side effects from Baytril.
 
Hi. My 9 month old guinea pig has been diagnosed by the vet with a urinary tract infection. He is a male and he is not neutered. He has been given a 10 day course of baytril, 0.2 ml twice a day. He has not been given any probiotic or any other medications. Should i request a probiotic as well? While he is on the antibiotic, what else should i be doing/giving to him to help maintain his health. I have been reading a lot of horror stories about baytril with guinea pigs so I am now one very concerned owner.. Any help or advice will be much appreciated. Thank you.
 
Kaila said:
Hi. My 9 month old guinea pig has been diagnosed by the vet with a urinary tract infection. He is a male and he is not neutered. He has been given a 10 day course of baytril, 0.2 ml twice a day. He has not been given any probiotic or any other medications. Should i request a probiotic as well? While he is on the antibiotic, what else should i be doing/giving to him to help maintain his health. I have been reading a lot of horror stories about baytril with guinea pigs so I am now one very concerned owner.. Any help or advice will be much appreciated. Thank you.
Click to expand...
If you want to go back to the main thread on health and illness and post a new thread you will get more views and answers that way :-)

Baytril is harsh on the guts and can dampen the appetite but this isn't a set rule for every pig. If you get him on some probiotics he should fine. Examples include pro-c from pets at home , avipro plus from the Internet or fibreplex from the vet (most stock it.) you give the probiotic 1-2 hours after you give the antibiotic. This will keep the guts ticking over nicely.

I wouldn't worry about the baytril unless he shows signs that is it affecting him badly I.e goes off his food or gets bad diarrohea. If this happens, take him back to the vet and request they change the antibiotic to Septrin/sulfatrim which is good for uti's and is more gentle on the tummy that baytril.

All the best x
 
Hi! Please be aware that what you read online about health issues and medications is often not exactly a proper reflection of reality - we naturally don't get to hear of the vast majority of cases where baytril is no problem. Any antibiotic can cause a problem with the eating if a guinea pig is sensitive to it; that is not confined to just baytril. Baytril is simply still by far the most prescribed antibiotic and it is a bit harsher on the guts than some others.
That said, I have personally never had any trouble with baytril past a day or two of slightly softer poos.

How well probiotics work is still rather debated amongst vet. They are NOT a medication. You can get them online or in a pet shop and always have some at home and give them 1-2 hours after the antibiotic.
If your piggy has really got a full loss of appetite, I have found syringe feeding and poo soup much more effective in dealing with the problem.
First Aid Kit For Guinea Pigs
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
 
Kaila said:
Hi. My 9 month old guinea pig has been diagnosed by the vet with a urinary tract infection. He is a male and he is not neutered. He has been given a 10 day course of baytril, 0.2 ml twice a day. He has not been given any probiotic or any other medications. Should i request a probiotic as well? While he is on the antibiotic, what else should i be doing/giving to him to help maintain his health. I have been reading a lot of horror stories about baytril with guinea pigs so I am now one very concerned owner.. Any help or advice will be much appreciated. Thank you.
Click to expand...

Please don't panic. Baytril is a safe antibiotic and licensed in the use of Guinea pigs. I currently have one of my own piggies on baytril for a UTI with no side effects whatsoever. You've been given great advice by @Wiebke abd @Adelle
 
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