• Discussions taking place within this forum are intended for the purpose of assisting you in discussing options with your vet. Any other use of advice given here is done so at your risk, is solely your responsibility and not that of this forum or its owner. Before posting it is your responsibility you abide by this Statement

Sweetie has a UTI

Status
Not open for further replies.
Hello Everyone,

Just to report that I started syringe feeding Sweetie her recovery food and decided to take her out of her cozy and put her on my lap pad. I think I said in a previous post this evening that I knew she was in pain because she was chewing her cozy. She was obviously in a lot of pain when I was syringing the food into her and after I had set her on my lap I could see why. She had bloat.

Incidentally, I thought that she had bloat yesterday and took her to the vets to have this diagnosis confirmed. She looked to me as if she was hiccuping. The vet said that there was no tenderness around the upper abdomen but there was tenderness around the vulva. In the event I think we have both been proved right. I do think she has definitely had a bladder infection and I also think that my other pigs are not developing them...

However, she had a pocket of air on her right side that was about the size of half an avocado pear. I decided a home remedy would be the fastest. It is one that I will only share by pm! Anyway, after about half an hour I had a quick feel and the pocket had almost disappeared. She is much more comfortable and clearly no longer in pain to the same extent that she was. I have just put some orchard grass down in front of her and she tucked right in: unbelievable considering the state she was in just 20 mins before.

We will go to the vets as soon as I am able in the morning for some gut mobilizer and a check up but she is so bright I can hardly believe it. SHe has also had 20cc recovery mix which should get things going again now she has brightened up.

She really is a Sweetie! I hope that things continue to improve. For now I can hardly bring myself to believe what I have just seen.
 
She is still doing OK, although I wonder whether I have just moved the air bubble to a less visible place. I did hold her bottom to my ear and felt certain I heard a few tiny pumps. SHe is much brighter than she has been for the last 36 hours and is now back in her quarantine cage. The other piggies are putting their noses to the bars and she is sometimes meeting them.

I am wondering whether she injured her back leg when she leapt from the cozy last night as it seems tender.

I hope she makes it through the night. My vets don't do out of hours so it would be a case of googling and taking pot luck. It is only a matter of hours to go until my vets open.

Wish me luck, everyone!
 
So, how is Sweetie doing now?
Thinking of you both.
 
Really pleased to hear you have found the problem and she is now eating and perkier!

The hind leg tenderness may be associated with the gut or bladder irritation. I have a boar prone to what vet now thinks is localised "irritable bowel" caused by inflammation/adhesions/scarring following a neutering/UTI a year ago and it manifests itself by a reduction in poos, lethargy and pain around his hind leg/lower abdomen. It doesn;t however stop him eating in the first instance and he no longer (unlike the very first incident) develops a windy tummy or bloat.

Vet says when it occurs to give metacam (for pain and anti-inflammatory purposes) and he normally recovers from an episode in two of three days - with associated mountain of poos.

Wishing you and Sweetie luck this morning and hope she finally gets sorted and on the road to recovery.

x
 
Just wishing you lots of luck and hope it all goes well.

I agree that tenderness in her back legs may be due to the bladder problem. My bladder stone pig had problems with his back legs to the point that they virtually gave up and he couldn't stand up properly.

Let us know how you get on

x
 
Hello Everyone,

Thanks for your vibes. I was really worried that Sweetie might have a gut blockage as she was still quite gassy when I woke up (at 6.40am). I massaged her for an hour and she seemed brighter. I didn't feed her because I was so concerned that she might have a blockage. However, I did leave her at the vets so that they could look at her while I went to give my talk in Northwich.

It turns out she wasn't gassy when they looked at her, which is great news because it means that she did get all of the gas out and doesn't have a blockage. She did a wee in the night and she has done a massive stinky wee on me just now. I need a shower to get rid of the smell and will have to change my top, but I was so delighted!

She was also clearly in a lot of pain at the end of the wee which is also great news because it means that we are going in the right direction.

The vet has given her pain relief, another baytril jab and a gut mobilizer. She has just had about 25ml carrot and celery juice and 20ml recovery food. She did the wee afterwards and I am now leaving her to rest. It is really a question of intensive hand feeding from here on in. The vet said that there were no signs of stones and to be honest she was in such pain when she finished her wee that I think that the pain she is in could be from the UTI combined with the bloat which was caused by an empty stomach.

I am going to let her rest, perhaps have another go at feeding her or syringing carrot juice and then put her back with the herd. I am hoping that this will help lift her spirits and I know how much she means to them as the popcorned when she went back to her cage last night.

It is rather a fraught time, especially as someone in the big cage is now also peeing blood. However, I am keeping the faith with Sweetie. I think that if a vet had seen her last night PTS would have been considered the only option but now she is paying more attention to her surroundings and seems to be regaining an appetite. She really enjoys the juice and I am so glad in these circumstances that I have something to tempt her with.

The vets can't believe that guinea pigs mourn their cagemates so much. Not only Treacle and Piggy Wiggin going downhill together but Sweetie being at death's door as she grieved her pals.
 
Thanks. I still feel that it is very touch and go, but I did find a poo in her cage that she did last night. This is obviously great news. She had another 10mls of juice at 5pm, but she refused food. I will try her with food again at 6pm.
 
Thanks! She is looking bright and has just taken another 10mls of food. I am hoping she is going to turn the corner soon.

It is so sad to see her go downhill after Treacle and Piggy Wiggin left the herd. She must feel very sad about it.

I have heard her do some little farts again...
 
Sweetie has just taken another 10ml of recovery food, making 40ml since we returned from the vets at 3pm. She has also had in excess of 30ml of carrot and celery juice.

She seems to have more and more of an appetite. :)

I am going to let her rest until 10.30pm and then feed her during Question Time.
 
I am relieved to hear that Sweetie is a bit better. I hope she will continue to improve.
What pain relief did she get at the vets? And have you asked the vet about the Metacam - if it is still ok to give?
 
Hello Rachel,

Thanks for asking.

She got both vetergesic and metacam at the vets. The vet said that the metacam would be good to use.

I am keeping everything crossed.
 
Oh wow - What fantastic news......well done Hun.....farts (a.k.a. air biscuits :))) are good. ;)....if a bit smelly sometimes :red

All fingers and paws crossed here...(especially from some (overstrike randy overstrike) neutered boars who clearly want to be email pals to Sweetie :)):)))

So pleased to hear your news and brillo for your perseverance and tenacity :<>:0

x
 
So glad that Sweetie is starting to feel better. I hope she continues to get more and more of an appetite xx>>>
 
Well, it's generally good news.

I was going to give Sweetie 20mls of recovery food at 10.30pm but I got to 14mls and she started eating the grass again. She really ate with great gusto which was lovely to see.

Then I went and spoiled things by picking some juicy dandelions from the yard. I think the demons of the vet visit came back to haunt her and she was very spooked. I have decided to put her back with the herd as one of them is already peeing blood (off to the vets again tomorrow) and I think that the company will do Sweetie good. I will still continue with my hand feeds.

The great part is that whilst Sweetie was eating she did a massive number of poops (about 40). Hopefully it has done her good to part with them! They are quite small and hard but covered in a slight mucus. Some are strung together like a string of sausages. Has anyone ever seen that before? If I didn't know better I would say that there is a piece of grissle in there.
 
Keeping everything crossed her as well!
I have seen the poos you described as well, but generally I think it is a very good signs that there are poos at all. I think they have a different consistency, it can also depend on the meds.
 
The poos are a classic (and therefore normal/typical) indication that she has been/is dehydrated/lacking in food and has a slower gut than normal. As she has gone from no poos to poos, it hopefully means she is on the up. :<> .
( Were it the opposite way round, i.e. from healthy poos to the ones you describe) it would be clear indication that there was something amiss

Beechie also suddenly outputs a mini-poo-mountain after one of his episodes :(|)...and verily the sounds of rejoicing (once again) are heard in the Pebble household:))

x
 
Thanks for your comments.

Regarding the dehydration, she has had 30mls juice since 3pm this afternoon in addition to the 55mls recovery slurry and the water in the grass she ate. I am going to aim for 40mls carrot juice daily in addition to the slurry as I know that fluids are essential for a properly functioning gut.

I am going to bed now but will get up early or in the middle of the night to feed Sweetie. I was going to feed again about now but have decided against it as I don't want to pull her about too much.

The vet did give her a gut mobility med today so it has obviously had some effect. Sweetie is looking bright and although subdued she is holding her own in the cage. I was overjoyed and suprised to see the poos. She had done them whilst resting on a cushion in my lap!

I will keep everyone updated.
 
This is positive news, i'm thrilled to hear she's at least eating the grass and trying to be such a good little patient x)
All paws crossed that Sweetie continues to improve xx>>>xx>>>xx>>>
 
She is doing very well. She has done a lot of poos in the cage overnight which is a great sign. She is currently in the hay trays with the other pigs which is another good sign as it means that she is not withdrawing from the herd. I am going to take Minnie to the vets and then I will take Sweetie out of the cage and feed her. I haven't fed her since 1am but I do know that she is now eating hay on her own.

She still seems to have pain in her abdomen, but it does not seem to be as bad as it was. I am going to pick some more grass for her and give her finely sliced carrot and cucumber in addition to her recovery food.

Luna is sitting with Sweetie and grooming her when she shows signs of discomfort so at least Sweetie has some company.
 
I'm so glad she's improving :) Sounds like plenty of TLC from you is doing the trick!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top