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Possible Uti, Please Help

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Hannah Boyd

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Hi, one of my piggies is bleeding from her bottom, it is bright red and a drip or so at a time, she's not losing lots but its quite alarming to see. She is eating and fine in herself, and obviously being a Sunday its an £80 call out fee for the vets. She is around 5 years old but of a healthy weight and active living in a group of 3. This has developed overnight/this morning as she was fine yesterday. She gets a small chuck of beetroot some days, one of which was yesterday, but this has never happened before. Currently feeding her some watery veg, any other suggestions of what it could be (definitely a UTI?) or something else?
 
update: have spoke to the vet and he thinks it may be a parasitic problem/tumour/problem with her gut, but as she is fine in herself and eating then we are waiting till tomorrow morning for a vet visit. Has anyone any experience of these problems? She is an older piggie at 5.
 
So sorry for your piggy and I haven't experienced anything like this with my pigs. Sending healing vibes to your piggy from me and my three cavy nightmares
 
Oh dear. Terribly sorry to hear this. I can imagine your distress.
I hope its nothing too serious. Are you sure its blood and not the beetroot? Sometimes what they have eaten can colour the urine, especially when it has strong colour like beetroot does. Good luck at the vets. Sending healing vibes.
 
Is the blood in her urine, or could it be coming from the uterus? From what you are describing it sounds like it could be uterine. How guinea pig savvy is your vet? I think you are going to need to see a vet who is experienced and knowledgeable with piggies.
 
Trust a crisis to happen in the middle of a weekend! I've been there many a time and feel for you! Good that you have been able to speak to a vet. As long as your girl is still eating and not in any major discomfort, it is safe to wait until tomorrow, as long as any sheer bleeding is just drops and not gushing.

If it is urine mixed with blood and not sheer blood, then it is likely to be a UTI. It can sometimes start as a drip of quite dark red colour, but should develop into more frequent and rather smelly peeing.
Bleeding can happen if a small stone is being passed; in this case, your vet is likely to not find much if a small stone has actually been passed, but the bleeding should stop fairly quickly in this case. If a larger stone is stuck somewhere in the urinary tract, it can lead to bleeding. If is stuck just before the exit you should be able to feel it. It is possible for a cystitis/infection to develop in the wake of it.
However, there is always the possibility that something has gone wrong with the womb in sows; that is a possibility that should never be discarded, especially with an older sow.
Bleeding from the gut, especially if your piggy is still eating, in no visible discomfort and the digestion is normal is likely not so much an issue in your case.

Unfortunately, it is up to your vet and a scan/x-ray to see what is really going on, ideally one with no as little of a whiff of gas as possible with an older piggy. Anything else is just guesswork! At least it is good that your vet is aware of various options and not just scooting for the for most obvious solution.

Make sure that your girl has plenty of fluid and is comfy and warm (but not hot); change her cosies regularly. Weigh her daily at the same time to monitor her actual food intake; it can be deceptive. if you are given any antibiotic, please also give a pinch of probiotic about 1-2 hours after the antibiotic to bolster the guts. You can ask your vet whether he has some. We recommend avipro plus if you are dealing with a bladder issue, but any will do in a pinch. Please ask for a painkiller if she is in any discomfort.

I wish you all the best. Please keep us updated!
 
Is the blood in her urine, or could it be coming from the uterus? From what you are describing it sounds like it could be uterine. How guinea pig savvy is your vet? I think you are going to need to see a vet who is experienced and knowledgeable with piggies.

Yes I think you could be right, the blood does not seem to be in her urine as it is appearing all the time instead of just when she wee's. Our vets have always been very good with the piggies but I will have a look through the vet locator on here anyway. Is there anything I can do for her in the meantime? And what are possible treatment options for a uterine problem?
 
@Wiebke It is always a weekend with animals! :no: The blood seems to be still appearing separate from urine however not as dark and a little more dilute. She is pooing and these look normal, possible a little short or pointed at the ends but that may just be me looking for clues! She is eating hay, pellets, veggies as usual and drinking water, and does need seem to be in any distress. How are stones dealt with, especially the bigger ones? Also she is 978g. And I am ordering some Avipro plus to arrive tomorrow. And what painkiller is advisable to ask for? Thank you so much for your help and @furryfriends Excellent Adventure Sanctuary
 
Yes I think you could be right, the blood does not seem to be in her urine as it is appearing all the time instead of just when she wee's. Our vets have always been very good with the piggies but I will have a look through the vet locator on here anyway. Is there anything I can do for her in the meantime? And what are possible treatment options for a uterine problem?

Any treatment depends very much on the findings. An emergency spay may be one if the problem is located in and confined to the uterus although it is not something that any vet will face happily with an older sow. My Cariad had a successful one despite being low weight and being on the frail side.

All you can do for the moment is to keep her as comfy and warm as you can. Try to change the bedding where she sits frequently so she is not sitting in the wet. See a vet asap as an emergency if the bleeding is getting worse.

The poos indicate that there is a small impact on the digestion; but that is not at all uncommon with problems in the lower body. if necessary, top her up with hand feed, especially if the poos are getting noticeably smaller and less.

I am very sorry; it is always a worrying time! the wait and the uncertainty are both hard to bear.
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/complete-hand-feeding-guide.115359/
 
Thanks @Wiebke it is so reassuring to have help on the forum at times like this. She is still behaving as normal, the bleeding has more or less stopped and she just did a wee which was clear. Fingers crossed for the vets tomorrow, I will keep updating on here.
 
Thanks! I am keeping my fingers firmly crossed! Good that the bleeding has stopped.
 
I would also wonder whether it was uterine, if it appears to be an ongoing drip versus blood in urine. It can be very hard to tell the difference with animals that share a common urogenital opening. Definitely see a piggy-savvy vet as soon as you can. Treatment will depend on the diagnosis. With uterine infection, you could by looking at uterine infection or some sort of tumor/mass in an older pig. Treatment could vary between antibiotic treatment and an emergency spay, depending on the underlying cause and severity. It's good that the bleeding has stopped. I would do some proactive research and see if you can find an overnight vet just in case bleeding picks up or becomes severe overnight. I had a hedgehog who developed a heavy bleed due to a probably uterine tumor overnight, and the blood loss in a small animal can get severe quickly and can limit the options available, so I would make sure you know where to take her in the event of an emergency when your vet is closed. Hopefully it won't come to that, though! Please keep us posted- thinking of you!
 
My Ellie had recurring UTI's & bleeding red blood, often when she pooped as opposed to wee'd. It turned out she had ovarian cysts on ultrasound scan & had HCG hormone injections which worked. She's around 7.5yrs old & hasnt bled since her injections last march.
The painkiller she was on was Metacam 2x daily to keep her pain free as long as possible.
She could also have bladder stones or grit/sludge as the others have said. Good luck at the vets & healing vibes for a speedy recovery & a hug being sent from the girls & I. xx
 
Thank you @Freela and @GPTV , hopefully we can get some answers at the vet this morning. She is fine this morning, still a little blood but not much compared to yesterday, although she hasn't eaten as much hay or pellets as I'd like and there aren't as many poops, but she is still eating veggies. Thank you for all the good wishes. :nod:
 
She is eating a hay cookie now! wish I'd tried one of those earlier!
 
Just back from the vet, he suspects a tear or abscess in her rectum as her gut feels normal and she is eating/drinking. He has given her Baytril 2.5% at 0.5mls daily. I am not sure how piggie savvy he was but I was happy with his diagnosis as it was almost definitely coming from her back passage and not vulva, so that rules out uterine/UTI. And as her gut seems to be functioning normally, I guess its unlikely to be a specific gut problem? But we will see how we go with antibiotics and if I'm not happy I may take her back for a 2nd opinion or to another clinic.
 
Best of luck!

Please do not wait if she is not getting better or deteriorating, especially if she is suddenly losing her appetite, which is usually indicative of pain and/or an infection. An abscess may need a stronger antibiotic and a higher dose.

As she is eating and drinking fairly normally, her digestive tract does not seem affected; that is the reason why we did generally rule out the gut. A guinea pig that struggles to process its food will automatically stop taking more on board; you are familiar with the same problem when you have a tummy bug or belly cramps. ;)

Has she stopped bleeding or is she still doing it?
 
@Wiebke She has had her first dose of antibiotic at 10am this morning, and I will keep a close eye on her and if she does not continue improving then I will take her back or to a different vet practice. She is only nibbling on hay cookies but readily eating veggies. I imagine she will be quite stressed from this mornings vet visit, she was not happy. I will go to PaH later and get her some foragy goodies to try and tempt her more. But I have more syringes on the way and Critical Care at home. She has almost stopped bleeding, there is a little bit here and there but nothing like yesterday.
 
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