Specialist Recurrent Uti/ Bladder Sludge/ic In Male Neutered Guinea Pig

[Midge&Panda]

My first bladder piggy Maggie was given this when she had sludge. The vet I use used to prescribe cystease then changed over to the nutracys. The formula is very similar. When Rosie started to have problems I put her on it but unfortunatly Rosie has had stones which require surgery to remove them. The nutracys soothes the inflamed bladder wall. She is still having discomfort so I'm stopping the nutracys and giving a stronger dose of just glucosamine.

 

[Este22]

@Midge&Panda aw sorry to hear Rosie is in discomfort. I would highly recommend ibuprofen 10mg four hourly at times where there is obvious pain. Not to be given for too long though - I have been told max 10 days. Grind it up and put on wet leaf of choice. Not only does it help with pain, but also inflammation which I believe is the crucial bit. Has worked wonders with Sam.

 

[Midge&Panda]

@Este22 Thanks for that, she is currently on metacam but she is due a check up on Friday so will mention it then

 

[Este22]

@Midge&Panda no problem. I would be interested to hear opinion of your vet on neurofen. I got the idea from reading the pain relief page on the GuineaLynx website as metacam was unsavoury for my Sam! :-) I just use everyday 100mg neurofen for humans but divide it into 10ths. Note some neurofen comes as 200mg tabs, so would need to divide into 20ths. X

 

[Poppy'sMum]

@Poppy'sMum interesting you say about the Potassium citrate binding the calcium... I did not know this... Any brand in particular you would recommend? Thank you so much :-)

@Este22 the only one my vet will prescribe is the Care one, I get mine from Lloyds or Co-Op pharmacy http://www.lloydspharmacy.com/en/care-potassium-citrate-mixture-200ml-10064 I would only use this if your piggy has been x-rayed or had an ultrasound to check for stones first & on the agreement with your vet. Interestingly my vet does not believe Cystease helps at all, so unfortunately getting to the solution of what works best to prevent the build up of stones is never going to be easy x Oh & also my vet uses Tramodol we find this pain relief can be better for bladder pigs than Metacam when they have a severe episode x

 

[Este22]

@Este22 the only one my vet will prescribe is the Care one, I get mine from Lloyds or Co-Op pharmacy http://www.lloydspharmacy.com/en/care-potassium-citrate-mixture-200ml-10064 I would only use this if your piggy has been x-rayed or had an ultrasound to check for stones first & on the agreement with your vet. Interestingly my vet does not believe Cystease helps at all, so unfortunately getting to the solution of what works best to prevent the build up of stones is never going to be easy x Oh & also my vet uses Tramodol we find this pain relief can be better for bladder pigs than Metacam when they have a severe episode x

Thank you @Poppy'sMum Before I saw this post I went out and bought Cymaclear so giving this a go as well http://www.co-operativehealthcare.co.uk/Cymaclear-15g5ml-Oral-Solution-Cranberry-Flavour-60ml.aspx but also still using Cystease because I really think it's working for my Sam - he has been symptom free since 1st July I still can't believe it. He has been doing so many pop-corns and bucking like a pony recently I just know he is feeling so much better

 

[Poppy'sMum]

I'm not sure about that one, if you can list the ingredients that would be great. I can only vouch for the safety of the Care one so if you can I would try to get it as it's the one my vet uses. There may be something in the Cymaclear one that might be dangerous to guinea pigs

 

[rufcjoe87]

That is wonderful news! You must be so delighted! The dosage can vary individually; you sometimes have to up or lower it until you find the ideal one. I could lower it eventually with my Nerys, who was symptom-free on cystease for nearly three years before I could take her off for good. But right now, you are looking for comfort and long term quality of life.

That's the standard dose for Cystease so is fine.

hi glad to hear Sam is doing better!
- is this the cystease with the cat on the front of the box? Reading through this thread makes me think it may be worth a try with Henry who is in bladder related discomfort, but am a little wary of the huge cat on the front of the box!
Also how do you give it to your piggy if they are capsules - do you syringe the liqiud out of the capsule and into your piggy? thanks!

 

[Wiebke]

hi glad to hear Sam is doing better!
- is this the cystease with the cat on the front of the box? Reading through this thread makes me think it may be worth a try with Henry who is in bladder related discomfort, but am a little wary of the huge cat on the front of the box!
Also how do you give it to your piggy if they are capsules - do you syringe the liqiud out of the capsule and into your piggy? thanks!

Yes, it is the cat cystease - they are the other species that is prone to bladder problems.

I mix the contents of one capsule with either 1 or 2 ml of water in a small medications bottle; shake well before use and store in the fridge. For the first week, you give the contents of one capsule, then you switch to half a capsule.

I have found that powdering any tablets and mixing them with an easily divisible amount of water gives you the best chance at arriving a consistent dose. I usually aim for half or one syringe full of the solution.

 

[Este22]

Hi @rufcjoe87 and @Wiebke - yes it is the one with the cat on the front- this one - it's very good and has helped my Sam so much.
I started with a whole capsule, but now use half a capsule morning and evening (so a capsule per day).
This is how I prepare it and give to my Guinea Sam: take the capsule and pour half of it on a small dish (I use the lid of a jam jar). Add 2 drops of water from a 1ml syringe. Get a small knife or spoon and mix the powder carefully into the two drops of water - note that this takes a few minutes as the powder is initially quite water-phobic...
Mix to a smooth paste and add small amounts to the leaf of a dandelion or lettuce leaf, fold the leaf in half and hand-feed to guinea. My Sam doesn't even notice! It takes approx 3 or 4 small leaves before I have finished giving the dose. If I put it all at once on the leaf, he notices the taste and drops it.
You can also put the small amounts on very thin slices of cucumber and hand feed that.

Hope that helps.

 

[rufcjoe87]

Thank you! Think I'll try this on Henry