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URGENT ADVICE - bleeding piggy

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guineapigfan

guineapigfan

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My guinea pig, Sweep, has had ongoing problems with her bladder for the past year and a half now. She initially started out with a UTI which was successfully treated with Batril. Since this, she has developed a large hard lump in her bladder which the vet believes to be a large bladder stone. She has been on Batril a further time but has otherwise been very comfortable and happy.

Two nights ago, I noticed a spot of blood next to her food bowl and when I picked her up, fresh blood was coming from her bottom. We immediately phoned the vet who advised to bring her in the following morning. He has given us a further dose of Batril 0.2mls for 10 days to help combat the problem; he believes the stone has caused an abrasion on the inside of her bladder. However, she continues to bleed quite large amounts and we are doing our best to keep her energy up. I am managing to feed her lots of cucumber for fluid and keeping her clean and warm.

I noticed this morning that she is very pale; her lower lip and ears are usually nice and pink and they are very white today. I have phoned the vet who is getting back to me regarding any extra supplements or vits we can give her whilst we wait for the antibiotics to kick in. She also seems a tad lethargic and quiet.

Has anyone got any tips to help a piggy who has lost a lot of blood?

I feel she may pass away soon and have considered getting her PTS but she is still eating and seems comfortable so I'm not sure what to do. She is 6 years old and has had a good and happy life but I don't think she will pull through this one. The idea of losing her is absoloutely devastating me. She has been my 'companion' for so many years now and she is the first one I cuddle when I'm sad and always licks my tears away.

:(
Pleas help!
 
I think you need to seek advice from a cavy savy vet - has she had an xray to confirm the presence of a bladder stone? (it could be something else like a mass) - if the vet suspects that she has a bladder stone, why is he treating her with antibiotics? That's not going to solve the problem.

Where abouts in the world are you? She needs to see a vet ASAP given the poor circulation, any vet will be better than no vet at this point I believe, but I'd seek a second opinion. If you can quickly let us know where you are in the world, we may be able to recommend a tried and tested vet.
 
Oh hun!

Just take her to the vets NOW, she needs expert care, she sounds very very poorly and if left......she will probably just pass away, she needs treatment ASAP, Bladder stones can be removed.

xx
 
I live in Cheshire, UK. Due to her age, the vet thinks it would be too large a risk to try and remove the stone as she would be unlikely to make it through the surgery. She has had a previous operation when she was a little younger to have a biopsy done on a mammary tumor which just turned out to be a fatty lump. I think he is giving her the antibiotics because previously, when she has bled it has settled her bladder inflammation and she has made a full recovery. It's heartbreaking seeing her like this. But at the same time she is still running around and eating?
 
Where abouts in Cheshire are you? Will help me narrow down a vets to recommend x
 
I'd definitely recommend Molly Vagra of Cheshire Pets in Holmes Chapel. I know she's working today too. Her phone number is 01477 544554. Address: Manor Lane
Holmes Chapel, Cheshire, CW4 8AB. She has a great reputation and myself and friends use her.
 
louise_stocker said:
I'd definitely recommend Molly Vagra of Cheshire Pets in Holmes Chapel. I know she's working today too. Her phone number is 01477 544554. Address: Manor Lane
Holmes Chapel, Cheshire, CW4 8AB. She has a great reputation and myself and friends use her.
Click to expand...

I can second that! Was just about to post her details.
 
If you're further north, towards Manchester there is Ashleigh Vets in Chorlton. It might be a little far, but they have good exotics vets. I know of several people who use them

Edit: Missed of the details, (0161) 881-6868, [email protected]. Have heard good things about Aiden Raferty
 
If you are near Warrington beech house vets are there and they are featured in the guinea pig magazine so are cavy savvy. The phone number is 01925 445500
 
Thank you so much for all your replies. I'm in Macclesfield, Cheshire. I'm looking into all your suggestions now to see which is nearest. I think she might be 'ready' to pass, I've had her in my arms for the past two hours (hence not replying!) and she's just very calm and relaxed and keeps licking me like she's saying goodbye? I don't know if it's better to let her pass or try and get her to the vets. My worry is she won't make the trip and I think it's better for her to die at home with her family than in a car or at the vets. What do you guys honestly think is best?
 
I honestly would put her comfort first, if you think she is comfortable any in no pain, and you are sure she is on her way then treasure the moment, only you know her, however sorry to say it, if it were me i would have been at the vets a while ago, and if they thought it was her time i would have made the best decision based on their advice.

Big hugs to you, i know it must be very hard.

Kisses to your baby xx
 
Sorry it's taken me a while to give an update on little Sweep. We rushed her to the vets on Tuesday evening, having found what I can only describe as a large lump of 'tissue'. At first I thought it was something to do with her digestive tract or bladder but just got her to the vets ASAP and took the 'thing' with us. The vet was absoloutely amazed and said he'd never seen anything like it in his life. It turned out to be connected to her uterus; some kind of piggie endometriosis and this membrane coming away from her body was the cause of the bleeding. I'd said my goodbyes and prepared to have her PTS but the vet miraculously said that she will probably improve now this thing was out of her?!

She has completely stopped bleeding since then and seems a little brighter. She still has a poor appetite and is barely drinking though. I'm hand feeding her anything she will eat and she's taken a chunk of celery, about 5 food pellets, small piece of cucumber and a nibble on a treat stick today. I managed to get 50mls of water down her too with added vit drops. She seems to be displaying signs of a URI now but I'm not sure if it is just as a result of all the previous blood loss? She's already on Batril 0.2mls twice a day but I'm wondering if I should take her back to the vets.

I can't stop worrying about her :(
 
I forgot to say; has anyone got any tips on syringe feeding? She is being REALLY difficult and I'm desperately trying to get water into her and am going to pick up some critical care type stuff tomorrow!
 
Oh goodness, bless her. I really hope she continues to improve now. I mix the Critical Care quite thick & some take it off the spoon. May be worth a try? :)
 
You're going to need to syringe feed her something tonight - if that's all she's eating, then her guts will very quickly start to slow down and stop moving.

If you don't have any critical care/supreme recovery formula or similar, then you can make a pellet mash by popping some pellets onto a plate, pour some boiling water over and allow to soak into the pellets and cool. When cooled, you can make into a mash at the right consistency that you can use it to syringe feed her. A pig that's not eating for itself needs 120ml of food per 24 hour period, split into 4-6 feeds throughout those 24 hours. Pellet mash will be ok for tonight, but oxbow critical care or supreme recovery is better suited for this. You will need to supplement vitamin C to these as they are a general herbivore support food, and don't contain enough vitamin C for sick guinea pigs. You should be aiming to get 100mg per kilogram of body weight of vitamin C into her at the moment.

Have you taken her to any of the vets recommended by other users in the area? Is she on any pain relief? If not, she probably should be! Pain is often the first thing that will stop them from eating, so it needs to be managed.
 
Thanks for your reply! We took her to the nearest vets due to the urgency. I've just syringe fed her some pellet mash but she has only taken about a spoonful. She seems to be getting very distressed and then her breathing worsens so I'm petrified when I'm feeding her that I'm making her worse?! Is it better to make her have it or leave her to rest? I'll feed her some more pellet mash tonight until I can get the special stuff tomorrow. How do I best add vitamin c? I've got some vitamin drops for her water which she has had about 50mls of today but I think it's too potent to add to food!
 
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