Struggles and squeaks when going to the toilet!

[Jemmalnorris]

Hi everyone,

I’m writing this post about my gorgeous guinea pig jasper. He is just over one and has been suffering for 6 months with an illness which I am struggling to finding answers to.
He has always been (and still is) a very happy guinea pig, eats and drink’s constantly, runs around with his brother, climbs the rails for treats and is a genuinely happy guinea pig despite all this.
It started off with him squeaking every time he went to the toilet and has progressively gotten worse. Now to the point where his whole bum shakes and pulses as he tries to go. He was been on many different medications, antibiotics, painkillers, anti inflammatories, probiotics. He has also had blood tests, urine tests and ultrasounds and nothing has shown.
The next step is to do an X-ray which I unfortunately can’t afford and it isn’t even guaranteed anything will show. (Not to think of how much it’ll cost after if something does show) so I don’t know where to go from here.
It fills me with such guilt every day that he struggles going to the toilet and makes these sounds.
Has anyone experienced anything like this before or know of what it could be? I would really appreciate any advice!
(I do have photos and videos but not sure how to upload them)
Thank you in advance.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Welcome to the forum and I am sorry to hear this.

There is a condition called sterile interstitial cystitis. It’s similar to what occurs in cats.

It is a condition which displays as symptoms of a UTI, however, it is not bacterial so repeated courses of antibiotics will not cure it. IC is a long term condition which has no cure. It can only be managed with pain relief and glucosamine supplements. It is only diagnosed once all other bladder issues have been ruled out.
IC piggies have a poor glucosamine layer in the bladder (glucosamine layer protecting the bladder against the urine) and the urine causes pain against the raw bladder tissue. Giving glucosamine supplements can help line the bladder.

It’s worth checking the diet to ensure you are feeding grain free, low calcium pellets and only feeding one tablespoon of them per pig per day. Ensure the diet is kept watery so that urine is dilute and the bladder regularly flushing through. For some IC piggies a particular veg can cause a flare up of symptoms but it’s rather individual if and what might be a particular issue.

It’s something to discuss with your vet if all other potential conditions have been ruled out.

 

[Jemmalnorris]

Thank you so much for your reply, I have never heard of this before and this is very helpful. do you have any further information on the IC diet as I think this should be my first step?

 

[Piggies&buns]

If your vet has ruled out all bacterial infections and bladder stones, then do mention to them whether IC is a possibility.

Adding a glucosamine supplement and ensuring adequate pain relief would be the first thing to do after IC has been diagnosed.

In terms of the diet, It’s now considered that it’s changes to the diet which cause more of an issue than the diet itself.
We would however recommend that you filter their drinking water and feed just one tablespoon of pellets per pig per day.
In terms of veg, safe daily veggies are coriander, a slice of bell pepper, a slice of cucumber and lettuce.

The guide below will help further. However it states that lettuce should be cut out for IC piggies but that is not necessarily the case. The guide just hasn’t been updated yet. IC Piggies can eat lettuce and it is more that adding in new veg or changing the diet drastically can have a negative effect and cause a flare up.
If your piggy is diagnosed with IC then it may be that you see a connection between a certain veg item and a flare up but it is an individual thing and what causes a flare for one piggy may not cause it for another.

Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

 

[weepweeps]

Welcome to the forum. I hope your vet can find the problem and your piggy is soon feeling more comfortable.