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Squealing whilst peeing

Little Ones

Little Ones

Adult Guinea Pig
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One of my boys has started making a slight squeal/uncomfortable noise when he pees. Am I right in thinking this is something like UTI? It’s happened twice this morning, not sure if perhaps it’s nothing or if it should indicate a vet trip.
Thanks!
 
Yes if a piggy is in pain and squealing while urinating this definitely needs a fairly urgent vet check, ideally today. It may be a UTI but could also be stones in the bladder causing a blockage. Only a vet can say for sure, he definitely needs a prompt diagnosis and some prescription pain relief x
 
PigglePuggle said:
Yes if a piggy is in pain and squealing while urinating this definitely needs a fairly urgent vet check, ideally today. It may be a UTI but could also be stones in the bladder causing a blockage. Only a vet can say for sure, he definitely needs a prompt diagnosis and some prescription pain relief x
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Okay, thanks!
 
Do you know of he's actually able to pass urine? I'm sure the vet will be able to get to the bottom of what's going on. I once had a piggy who had a UTI and she was so loud squealing with it I thought she must be in an unusually high level of distress but I think she was just a very vocal piggy generally. If it's a UTI then the squealing should stop once the antibiotics kick in and he's on pain relief
 
Lady Kelly said:
Do you know of he's actually able to pass urine? I'm sure the vet will be able to get to the bottom of what's going on. I once had a piggy who had a UTI and she was so loud squealing with it I thought she must be in an unusually high level of distress but I think she was just a very vocal piggy generally. If it's a UTI then the squealing should stop once the antibiotics kick in and he's on pain relief
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Not sure, the reason I think it’s whilst he’s peeing is because the second time he began squealing, I picked him up and saw a drop of urine covering his penis opening (hope that’s that right term?). He’s squealed a third time but there was no pee. Right now he’s sat on my lap so that I can judge what’s going on if he squeals again. I don’t think he’s squealing when he’s pooping as his poos seem to be coming out quite easily.
I’m anxious at the prospect of it being bladder stones as I know that would require an X-ray which then requires anaesthetic (my exotic vet wont even attempt a conscious X-ray or ultrasound or anything like that) and that’s something he struggles to cope with - he stops pooing for a long time, and stops moving and eating for himself for a good few days, he will literally just sit in his own urine. So that’s not something I want to put him through at all :(
 
So he asked to go back in his cage which generally means he has to pee. I put him in, he got sat in the pee position and then after a few seconds, he took off running from one hidey to another, like he was scared. He didn’t end up peeing at all
 
Got him out again, but the thing is he absolutely won’t pee outside of his cage, so he was begging to go back in again, to which he tried to pee. It was a little damp after he’d moved but it’s difficult to tell how much he peed since we have fleece liners. He tried to go again a few minutes later but he didn’t. Trying to arrange a lift and get a vet appointment
 
Little Ones said:
Got him out again, but the thing is he absolutely won’t pee outside of his cage, so he was begging to go back in again, to which he tried to pee. It was a little damp after he’d moved but it’s difficult to tell how much he peed since we have fleece liners. He tried to go again a few minutes later but he didn’t. Trying to arrange a lift and get a vet appointment
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It’s normal for them not to want to pee outside their cage . I agree a vet visit is a good idea
 
Veggies Galore said:
It’s normal for them not to want to pee outside their cage . I agree a vet visit is a good idea
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I know, it just makes it so much harder to see if he’s actually able to pee! I know the vets will have an appointment, I’m just struggling on a lift there. I know I can get one tomorrow, but that seems a little late
 
Fingers crossed it is something that can be sorted easily.
If he isn't peeing at all then he really needs to be seen as a matter of urgency, but it can be hard to tell sometimes when they only like to go in their cage.
I find that putting them in a washing basket with a disposable puppy pad or pale coloured towels on the bottom and then covering the basket with a blanket often makes then feel safe enough to pee outside of their cage.
 
Swissgreys said:
Fingers crossed it is something that can be sorted easily.
If he isn't peeing at all then he really needs to be seen as a matter of urgency, but it can be hard to tell sometimes when they only like to go in their cage.
I find that putting them in a washing basket with a disposable puppy pad or pale coloured towels on the bottom and then covering the basket with a blanket often makes then feel safe enough to pee outside of their cage.
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I’ll give it a go, thanks!
 
Swissgreys said:
And to give him a little help maybe pop in a couple of wet lettuce leaves and some hay too.
I know only too well how frustrating it can be waiting for them to pee.
Good luck.
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I second this. I've had to get a urine sample for the vets before and it was a nightmare. They never wee on command :)) yet the second they are in the vets table, regardless of why they are there, they will do an epic wee
 
Lady Kelly said:
I second this. I've had to get a urine sample for the vets before and it was a nightmare. They never wee on command :)) yet the second they are in the vets table, regardless of why they are there, they will do an epic wee
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Lol, I definitely agree with that one!
 
Haven’t been to the vets today, but have an appointment booked for tomorrow. I think I may be cancelling it, as he’s been doing a lot better since I last updated that he had tried to pee and didn’t. It took him a while to finally pee as he curled round and went to sleep for a while, but when he woke up he did quite a big wee which wasn’t accompanied by any squealing, which was great. Not sure if he’s peed any other times, but he hasn’t been squealing at all (I’ve been studying in my room all day aside from an hour), so it seems like whatever it was has passed. I’ll see how he’s doing tomorrow and if it starts back up again then he’ll be going to his appointment
 
So, the squealing started again yesterday. Been to the vet and they prescribed 0.3ml Baytril, he mentioned doing an X-ray but my pig can’t handle anaesthetic at all and they wouldn’t even entertain the idea of a conscious X-ray so ideally I want that to be my last resort. Vet hopes it’s a uti hence why baytril has been prescribed but wasn’t sure as there’s no blood at all, it just seems painful when he’s peeing
 
furryfriends (TEAS) said:
Was anti-inflammatory pain relief (Metacam/Loxicom) prescribed too? A lot of cystitis is inflammatory based and responds well to either Metacam or Loxicom.
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It wasn’t for some reason, I can call up tomorrow and try to order some in, hopefully they’ll let me. The vets I go to have been a bit stingey with loxicom recently 🤔
 
Your
Little Ones said:
It wasn’t for some reason, I can call up tomorrow and try to order some in, hopefully they’ll let me. The vets I go to have been a bit stingey with loxicom recently 🤔
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I would definitely try and get the metacam / locicom. A stronger antibiotic other than baytril may also help if this course of baytril doesn’t work
 
Peanut went back to the vet again yesterday evening, they still aren’t sure what’s going on. I didn’t really see an experienced vet again (frustrating as I travel an hour to the exotic vet because I expect to get an exotic vet for my appointment, but unfortunately this doesn’t always appear to be the case) but she wanted to switch antibiotics to sulfatrim instead of baytril. Is this the right call or should I just carry on with baytril instead? I want to do the best thing for Peanut, we were planning on going today to see a different vet and take a pee sample with us but with the storm, this won’t be possible. I have some cystease being delivered this evening for him, too.
 
Just to update.
Peanut is currently on 0.4 sulfatrim, 0.3 twice a day of loxicom, and then we’re mixing one cystease cat tablet with 2.5ml of water but giving 1ml. Spoke to my favourite vet on the phone and explained the situation - that there’s no blood or anything, just that some of his pees make him squeal, because of this I’ve noticed that it seems like if he starts peeing and it hurts, he’ll squeal and then stop and try again about twenty seconds later only to squeal again so because of this she thinks it seems like it is cystitis, and so she said that the medication sounds good and to give it for two weeks, see if he stops squealing, then stop the medication and see if the squealing starts again. If it doesn’t then we’re in the clear for now, if he does then to take him to see her so she can feel for any stones but in that case it seems more likely that he has IC and will need lengthy treatment. In that case, I think she said he’d just be on pain relief and cystease and not sulfatrim but I could be wrong there. Overall, I’m happy with how the conversation went. I’m just hoping he’ll be okay
 
Small update: from what I’ve seen today, it seems like he squeals when his pee has calcium in it. I could be wrong but that’s what it seems like.
We’ve taken a fair bit of veg out of his diet so that he’s only eating coriander, pepper and cucumber as we’re worried that things like romaine lettuce may aggravate the cystitis if that what he has. So I don’t think he’s getting an excess of calcium from what we’re feeding him but I could be wrong.
 
He’s booked in with our experienced vet for tomorrow evening, I haven’t seen any improvement whatsoever so I’m thinking he’s going to be having X-ray and a blood test. I’m going to take a wee sample with me, too. With noticing the calcium in his painful pees I’m thinking it’s more likely to be a bladder calcium deposit rather than IC which we had thought before. For anyone who can help: if there is a stone, will it be removed upon discovery or will he then have to have it removed on a separate occasion with more GA? I’m so worried about him having GA just because last time he reacted really badly, it was quite scary because he seemed dead, just with a heartbeat. This is also why it’s taken us so long to decide to go ahead with the course of an X-ray if that’s what our vet thinks tomorrow. I just don’t want him to be in that state again.
 
Poor Peanut.

It is impossible to say what will happen if they find a stone.
The size and location will determine what they decide to do and when, and unfortunately only an x-ray or scan will show what is going on.

Fingers crossed he rallies well and you can get the problem sorted for him.
 
Swissgreys said:
Poor Peanut.

It is impossible to say what will happen if they find a stone.
The size and location will determine what they decide to do and when, and unfortunately only an x-ray or scan will show what is going on.

Fingers crossed he rallies well and you can get the problem sorted for him.
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Right, thank you! I’m hoping it’s something with an easy fix. I lost my last boy to liver disease not even a year ago, so I’m really hoping there’s not a kidney issue going on :( but then I’m just jumping to the worst conclusion
 
Little Ones said:
He’s booked in with our experienced vet for tomorrow evening, I haven’t seen any improvement whatsoever so I’m thinking he’s going to be having X-ray and a blood test. I’m going to take a wee sample with me, too. With noticing the calcium in his painful pees I’m thinking it’s more likely to be a bladder calcium deposit rather than IC which we had thought before. For anyone who can help: if there is a stone, will it be removed upon discovery or will he then have to have it removed on a separate occasion with more GA? I’m so worried about him having GA just because last time he reacted really badly, it was quite scary because he seemed dead, just with a heartbeat. This is also why it’s taken us so long to decide to go ahead with the course of an X-ray if that’s what our vet thinks tomorrow. I just don’t want him to be in that state again.
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Hope you can get some definite answers from the vet tomorrow for Peanut!

When I took one of my pigs to the vet for x-ray re possible bladder stones, they did the xray, under GA, and called me immediately to confirm a stone and ask if I wanted to go ahead with surgery while he was still under.
He had a stone the size of a pea, filling just about all his bladder, but recovered well from the ga and op. Healing vibes for little Peanut, whatever you do xx
 
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