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Sticky red discharge from female piggy? HELP

Z

Zhiapapaya

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
Nov 25, 2018
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Hi! I was just holding my female piggy and I noticed that some red goopy stuff rubbed off onto my hand, so I took a look and she had a short string of red sticky goop coming from her private area. She’s never been pregnant as far as I’m aware. I also noticed some white stuff around her privates as well. I’m very concerned but I’m unable to go to a vet as it’s 2 am on a Sunday and vets won’t be open today. I looked around her bedding and I didn’t see any red discharge on the wood chips. Is this normal? Please help! 01A8189A-A0C9-4B94-B4F5-21E78F4A8D5E.webp
 
Do you not have an out of hours/emergency vet you can take her to? In the uk, all vets provided 24 hour cover, is it not like that where you are? (adding your location to your profile is helpful so advice can be tailored to your area).
 
If there is an emergency vet near you this very much warrants a visit. It is not normal to see this and I would be worried this could indicate an advanced infection
 
Hi! I live in a remote area in Canada and I don’t think there is a 24 hour guinea pig vet I can see, and if there were I don’t think I would be able to afford it. I don’t know if it’s contagious, but I’ve seperated her from my other piggy and put her in a little box with lots of woodchips and hay. She’s still very alert, she’s not lethargic or acting strange in any way. She hasn’t had any more reddish discharge since last night. I believe she’s still drinking water and I don’t think she’s lost any weight. If there’s anything I can do personally to help without having to go to a vet I would love to know as I’m still very very worried about her.
 
Zhiapapaya said:
Hi! I live in a remote area in Canada and I don’t think there is a 24 hour guinea pig vet I can see, and if there were I don’t think I would be able to afford it. I don’t know if it’s contagious, but I’ve seperated her from my other piggy and put her in a little box with lots of woodchips and hay. She’s still very alert, she’s not lethargic or acting strange in any way. She hasn’t had any more reddish discharge since last night. I believe she’s still drinking water and I don’t think she’s lost any weight. If there’s anything I can do personally to help without having to go to a vet I would love to know as I’m still very very worried about her.
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Unfortunately, until you know what the problem is there is nothing you can do. A vet needs to diagnose and we cannot replace a vet. With the best will in the world we could not even start to try and diagnose the problem without qualifications and a hands on examination.

Personally I wouldn't separate the pigs because it can cause either or both of them to become depressed and potentially stop them from eating. My view is that if there is something contagious the other piggy has already been exposed in the same environment so is likely already infected so I very rarely separate my pigs from each other. However, I am then prepared to treat all pigs (I have 4 living together). Other members on here might have differing opinions though.
 
I agree with lady Kelly. She may already be feeling bothered by whatever this medical issue is and separating her will cause both of them distress.
She absolutely needs to see a vet though.
 
Thank you for your advice. I’ve put her back with my other piggy. I will continue to keep you updated if anything new happens.
 
Aww she needs a vet even if you can’t get her to a cavvy savvy one, Amy is better than none.
 
Thank you all for your support. Do you think it could be dangerous to wait until tomorrow to see a vet? Any vets willing to open on a Sunday would charge like triple, and I’m afraid I can’t afford that. I’ve tried doing my own research but I can’t figure out what the issue is, so if any of you have any ideas it would be appreciated. I haven’t seen any more red goop since last night, and she’s still drinking water which i think is a good thing. She’s still wheeking and bouncing around like a happy healthy piggy. But I know piggies like to hide their illnesses which makes me worry.
 
Unfortunately I cannot think of anyone who would lend me money for this. I don’t think she’s peeing blood though, and there hasn’t been any more red goop.
 
No changes, she’s still eating and drinking and acting normal and has had no more red discharge. I’ve cleaned their cage and given them a thick layer of bedding and lots of hay and they both seem happy. I’m making sure to be very observant of her and I’ll let you know if I notice and behavioural changes. I really wish I could take her to the vet to put my mind as ease and ensure that she’s healthy but I live on an island and I don’t have a liscence so my ability to go to the vet is dependent on my parents who refuse to take me to the vet for a guinea pig.
 
Zhiapapaya said:
Thank you all for your support. Do you think it could be dangerous to wait until tomorrow to see a vet? Any vets willing to open on a Sunday would charge like triple, and I’m afraid I can’t afford that. I’ve tried doing my own research but I can’t figure out what the issue is, so if any of you have any ideas it would be appreciated. I haven’t seen any more red goop since last night, and she’s still drinking water which i think is a good thing. She’s still wheeking and bouncing around like a happy healthy piggy. But I know piggies like to hide their illnesses which makes me worry.
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If you follow this guidance, a Monday appointment would be acceptable .. How Soon Should My Guinea Pig See A Vet? - A Quick Guide
 
The thing is, she doesn’t have any of those symptoms. It doesn’t say “blood-like sticky substance coming out of private area” anywhere, and other than that (which hasn’t happened again since 2 am last night) she seems completely healthy. Do you think it could have been a feminine problem, like maybe she went into heat and something came out? I know guinea pigs don’t get periods like humans do though. Maybe it could have been something she ate? Though I haven’t fed my piggies anything out of the ordinary lately. My parents are both working tomorrow and as much as I beg them that this is important I’m not sure if I can get through to them for them to take me to the vet. We’re not a very wealthy family and I don’t think my parents would take me unless they knew it was something very serious.
 
We could speculate on what it might be forever but it doesn’t replace a vet check.
I know you say she seems perfectly fine in herself, but if there is something wrong then while she is well in herself is the best time to investigate and treat any problems. If you wait until she shows signs of being unwell then it may well be harder to help her.
I appreciate that it isn’t easy if you parents won’t take her to a vet, but veterinary care is part of having pets.
 
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Not the same thing but my girl bled fresh blood from her vagina. She was acting perfectly normal too. We had her at the vets who conducted some tests (ultrasound and X-ray) to rule out the severe stuff. When everything came back normal, she prescribed antibiotics. After that day, Ellen didn’t pass anymore blood but there was definitely something that had caused it.
Your girl could have a reproductive problem. You don’t know what’s going on internally.
I’m sorry to say but your parents have a responsibility to seek veterinary treatment. I hope you can convince them
 
Thank you for your responses. They are currently asleep but I’ve texted my mum some of your messages and we can only hope that I’ll get through to her. I love my piggies with all my heart and I just want them to be healthy.
 
Zhiapapaya said:
Thank you for your responses. They are currently asleep but I’ve texted my mum some of your messages and we can only hope that I’ll get through to her. I love my piggies with all my heart and I just want them to be healthy.
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You are always welcome to point your mum in the direction of this forum if that would help?
 
What kind of diet do you have for your piggies and how is the cage cleaned?

My Finn and Lara get veggies three times a day, endless supply of hay, and some pellets. I just wondered what kind of food your piggies are getting. Also, cages mine stay are always maintained and cleaned regularly to avoid infections. I also wipe with vinegar to kill the bacteria. I try to maintain proper food and clean living area for them so I can avoid vet visits.
 
This is my piggies set up:
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It’s a custom made double decker cage. I try to clean it at least once a week, or whenever it gets smelly or looks like it needs to be cleaned. I usually just clean the trays with water, and do my best to scrub them out and then put a thick layer of woodchips in for bedding.
These are the pellets they eat: image.webp
It has little chunks of dried bananas and carrots and other yummy treats. I tried switching them to regular alfalfa pellets once and they wouldn’t touch them- this is their fave.
They always have clean water and I give them a big handful of hay whenever I clean their cage, and I try to refill it whenever I see they’ve eaten it all. Whenever we have extra veggies or carrot bums from cooking, I always give them to my piggies.
 
Are wood chippings good for them?

Mine stay indoor on fleece bedding so I just wondered. Prior to fleece bedding, I used Carefresh paper bedding for their cages.
 
A month or two ago ago I found out that my mum is allergic to guinea pigs, so I moved them out to our little travel trailer and now I live and sleep out here with them to keep them company. I’ll admit that since we’ve moved out here, they’ve gotten a few less fresh veggies as I’m farther from the kitchen, but I’m going to make a point to make sure I bring them some at least every day.
 
I actually tried sewing them fleece bedding for their cage before, and it got stinky and wet extremely fast. The woodchips stays clean for longer and I think it’s more comfy for them.
I think as long as the wood chips aren’t cedar then they’re fine, but I could be wrong.
 
Zhiapapaya said:
A month or two ago ago I found out that my mum is allergic to guinea pigs, so I moved them out to our little travel trailer and now I live and sleep out here with them to keep them company. I’ll admit that since we’ve moved out here, they’ve gotten a few less fresh veggies as I’m farther from the kitchen, but I’m going to make a point to make sure I bring them some at least every day.
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You do what you have to do, so no one can judge you.

So, prior to them moving outside, they didn't have issues like this?
 
Maybe the change from indoor to outdoor was a bit too much for them?

In Canada, it can get cold pretty quickly. I am in the US, Michigan, just south of Canada. It gets really cold fast even here.
I would provide them with lot of hay to hide when they get cold, and more food so they can resist the cold weather.
 
It seems there is some debate over whether wood chippings are good to use or not.
Fleece bedding needs to be changed every 3-4 days but regardless of what bedding you use, any wet areas need to be removed every day (I do it twice a day to be on the safe side).
When you tried fleece, did you put an absorbent layer in the middle and ensure the fleece was washed three times before using it to ensure that it wicked moisture away and down to the absorbent layer?
That food containing banana and carrot, I would imagine, would be contributing to a lot of sugar in the diet which isn’t great. However, hay needs to be the largest of the diet and they should only get one tablespoon of pellets a day.
Alfalfa pellets are not a good idea. A hay or grass based pellet is best with nothing else added into it ie the banana or carrot.
 
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