Sick piggie?!

[Minnieandstar]

Hey I'm new here so not sure if I'm posting in right place but I'm desperate for some help. My Guinea pigs are both girls and live outdoors. They were basically rescues but off gumtree so we don't really know any background but roughly 2-3 years old. I noticed today that one of them and I believe it is my long haired pig, had red urine. Although it is hard to tell as it was quite dark at the time it did look quite a deep bright kinda blood red. She's also quite a small build and recently for about 3 weeks has been feeling quite small but Ive been busy with exams and haven't been able to weigh her daily which I know is awful. She also yesterday has a kind of blocked nose breathing however it seemed fine this afternoon. I'm very worried but my mum won't take her to the vet unless we know there's something wrong and what it could be as it's too expensive otherwise to go and the vet just say she's fine.
Sorry it's so long and please ask and questions and stuff. Just want to know if she's going to be OK

 

[DMS260820]

Red pee can be bladder stones or cystitis, stuffy nose all the time can be an upper respiratory infection. You will def need a vet asap. Make sure they do knoe about guinea pigs. Alot of vets see them but dont know anything about common illnesses with them

 

[Cavy Kung-Fu]

Sorry to hear she’s so poorly, can you weigh her now? She will definitely need to be seen by a cavy savvy vet, it’s likely she has an infection or bladder stones but it’s impossible to say. She needs to be seen ASAP as she’s in pain and will need pain relief like metacam and what ever treatment is required.

I hope she gets better soon!

 

[Minnieandstar]

Sorry to hear she’s so poorly, can you weigh her now? She will definitely need to be seen by a cavy savvy vet, it’s likely she has an infection or bladder stones but it’s impossible to say. She needs to be seen ASAP as she’s in pain and will need pain relief like metacam and what ever treatment is required.

I hope she gets better soon!

Thank

Sorry to hear she’s so poorly, can you weigh her now? She will definitely need to be seen by a cavy savvy vet, it’s likely she has an infection or bladder stones but it’s impossible to say. She needs to be seen ASAP as she’s in pain and will need pain relief like metacam and what ever treatment is required.

I hope she gets better soon!

I will weigh her tomorrow, I'll get to a vet hopefully tomorrow if my mum can get an appointment then. Its difficult because we live on an island so not much options but . It's really weird because I hadn't really noticed much until I saw the wee and heard her breathing and even after that she was still running around and eating lots of grass and stuff.

 

[Minnieandstar]

Red pee can be bladder stones or cystitis, stuffy nose all the time can be an upper respiratory infection. You will def need a vet asap. Make sure they do knoe about guinea pigs. Alot of vets see them but dont know anything about common illnesses with them

Thanks. I'll try to get her to a vet tomorrow. Do you think she will be OK tonight as she was fine all day today and very happ

Thank

I will weigh her tomorrow, I'll get to a vet hopefully tomorrow if my mum can get an appointment then. Its difficult because we live on an island so not much options but . It's really weird because I hadn't really noticed much until I saw the wee and heard her breathing and even after that she was still running around and eating lots of grass and stuff.

Also do I need to separate them or is it not contagious?
Thanks
y xx

 

[Wiebke]

Hey I'm new here so not sure if I'm posting in right place but I'm desperate for some help. My Guinea pigs are both girls and live outdoors. They were basically rescues but off gumtree so we don't really know any background but roughly 2-3 years old. I noticed today that one of them and I believe it is my long haired pig, had red urine. Although it is hard to tell as it was quite dark at the time it did look quite a deep bright kinda blood red. She's also quite a small build and recently for about 3 weeks has been feeling quite small but Ive been busy with exams and haven't been able to weigh her daily which I know is awful. She also yesterday has a kind of blocked nose breathing however it seemed fine this afternoon. I'm very worried but my mum won't take her to the vet unless we know there's something wrong and what it could be as it's too expensive otherwise to go and the vet just say she's fine.
Sorry it's so long and please ask and questions and stuff. Just want to know if she's going to be OK

Hi!

Please have her vet checked for a urinary tract infection (UTI) or cystitis; red urine is typical for the onset. She will need an antibiotic for that.
Here is information to show you mother: Guinea Lynx :: UTI

The blocked nose can be from hay dust or pollen. If it doesn't go away within a few hours and the breathing is turning crackly or raspy, then it needs to be vey checked in case it develops into a respiratory infection (URI).
Guinea Lynx :: URI

 

[Wiebke]

Thanks. I'll try to get her to a vet tomorrow. Do you think she will be OK tonight as she was fine all day today and very happ


Also do I need to separate them or is it not contagious?
Thanks
y xx

Clean the cage every two days and the bedding area daily. Healthy piggies are usually able to fend off an infection. It is not highly contagious in well kept adults.

UTI and URI are pretty common in outdoors piggies at times when you go from very cold nights to warm days; guinea pigs struggle with these huge temperature swings; cold, damp lawns etc...

 

[Minnieandstar]

Clean the cage every two days and the bedding area daily. Healthy piggies are usually able to fend off an infection. It is not highly contagious in well kept adults.

UTI and URI are pretty common in outdoors piggies at times when you go from very cold nights to warm days; guinea pigs struggle with these huge temperature swings; cold, damp lawns etc...

t
Thank you will start cleaning them lots and lots! Although they spend most of their time in the run other than at night and horrible days.
It's probably due to the weather being so random here in the UK recently and going from cold last weekend to 23 degrees today

 

[Minnieandstar]

The earliest we can get to a vet is Monday as everyone is closed tomorrow. Do you think that is soon enough and any home remedies or anything we can do before then? Xx

 

[Cavy Kung-Fu]

I really would try and see an emergency vet as soon as you can, it sounds like it’s quite severe already. You can’t treat it at home either, that much blood as described is very concerning and she’s in pain.

No you won’t need to separate them, I’m sure they’ll need each other for support.

 

[Wiebke]

The earliest we can get to a vet is Monday as everyone is closed tomorrow. Do you think that is soon enough and any home remedies or anything we can do before then? Xx

If you are not in an urban area that has 24 hour vets open tomorrow, please book them in for Monday. The sooner you get an antibiotic and some metacam (painkiller and anti-inflammatory), the better as it will cap the UTI sooner and it won't get as bad.

Any deterioration in breathing needs to be seen as promptly as possible.

PS: Here are our hot weather tips. Please be aware that guinea pigs can die from heat stroke in hutches, so you need to read the link to know how you can keep your piggies safe if temperatures climb even further: Hot Weather Management and Heat Strokes

 

[Minnieandstar]

If you are not in an urban area that has 24 hour vets open tomorrow, please book them in for Monday. The sooner you get an antibiotic and some metacam (painkiller and anti-inflammatory), the better as it will cap the UTI sooner and it won't get as bad.

Any deterioration in breathing needs to be seen as promptly as possible.

PS: Here are our hot weather tips. Please be aware that guinea pigs can die from heat stroke in hutches, so you need to read the link to know how you can keep your piggies safe if temperatures climb even further: Hot Weather Management and Heat Strokes
[/QUOTE

Hey I'm new here so not sure if I'm posting in right place but I'm desperate for some help. My Guinea pigs are both girls and live outdoors. They were basically rescues but off gumtree so we don't really know any background but roughly 2-3 years old. I noticed today that one of them and I believe it is my long haired pig, had red urine. Although it is hard to tell as it was quite dark at the time it did look quite a deep bright kinda blood red. She's also quite a small build and recently for about 3 weeks has been feeling quite small but Ive been busy with exams and haven't been able to weigh her daily which I know is awful. She also yesterday has a kind of blocked nose breathing however it seemed fine this afternoon. I'm very worried but my mum won't take her to the vet unless we know there's something wrong and what it could be as it's too expensive otherwise to go and the vet just say she's fine.
Sorry it's so long and please ask and questions and stuff. Just want to know if she's going to be OK

I have just weighed both of them and they are actually good weights. Star the long haired was about 1000g and Minnie the short haired was 1100g. So I'm not particularly worried about either of their weight as this pretty normal. I have just separated them and one of them is on a white towel so I can see if their wee is red while they both eat some vegetables. Then I will swap them over and observe their wee colours and to check they are eating and pooing fine.

 

[Wiebke]

I have just weighed both of them and they are actually good weights. Star the long haired was about 1000g and Minnie the short haired was 1100g. So I'm not particularly worried about either of their weight as this pretty normal. I have just separated them and one of them is on a white towel so I can see if their wee is red while they both eat some vegetables. Then I will swap them over and observe their wee colours and to check they are eating and pooing fine.

With a UTI or cystitis in the very early stages it can take a few days until the symptoms solidify. Not all red phorphyrine pees actually contain blood, but clear pees can test surprisingly high on both blood and protein (the latter a symptom of infection). Believe me; I have been there with piggies of my own.
In most cases, the infection has not been spread. UTI is usually caused by faecal bacteria getting into the urinary tract and then another trigger factor like dampness, cold or weather swings coming into play. It is generally transmitted by another piggy scent-marking/wiping its genitalia in a UTI pee area. If you are conscientious with cleaning, especially in the bedding area, you can massively reduce the risk of transmission.

Weight loss with UTI or cystitis only happens in extreme/well developed cases; it is more common with painful bladder stones, bladder sludge or kidney stones, but you generally don't see it in the early stages of a UTI and won't have a problem if you treat promptly.

Please ask your vet for sulfatrim (new veterinarian brand name for UK septrin/US bactrim) instead of baytril if they have that. Both antibiotics are licensed for guinea pigs in the UK but sulfatrim is considered to be more effective; it is also a bit easier on the guts.