UTI help

[Louisette]

Our poor little boar has a UTi we noticed last weekend he was making a new noise I'd never heard before, it sounded as if he was wailing in pain, it would happen every half hour or so, it was horrible! I then noticed he would raise his back legs and a poop would come out, then the noise would stop and he'd carry on. He's eating and drinking all normally but this noise is just awful!

On the Sunday we found a vet which was open, and after examining him he agreed it was a UTi. We took an x-ray to check for stones which was clear, so he prescribed 0.5ml baytril for 1 week along with a painkiller.

We have been doing it for 6 days and after just one day the awful noise stopped, we were really happy! But to be sure, wanted to give him the full week of antibiotics.

Yesterday though the wailing has returned! We are still doing antibiotics morning and evening with a painkiller every evening too.

Tomorrow I am supposed to go back to the vet, shall I continue the baytril or do I need to return? Trying to minimise vet trips as this really stresses him out and it's very expensive, the last one cost £196!

He hates his syringe feeds too it's very difficult now to even give him the meds, always persuaded with treats and done following advice but he still hate's it!

I feel so helpless, is there anything else I can do? Is this normal for symptoms to go and come back again? How long do they usually have to be on the antibiotics to clear the UTI?

Any help or advice I would really appreciate - thank you!

 

[Deleted member 114675]

I fully sympathise with you on your feelings about vet bills - however, going to the vet is a necessary part of owning guinea pigs.

Apparently, Baytril tastes awful …. which is why guinea pigs are so reluctant to take it . If you are taking your guinea pig for a check up tomorrow, I advise you continue with the Baytril until this check up ….. you can always discuss with the vet about ongoing medication.

It's good news that your Guinea pig hasn't got stones. If your guinea is free from urine infection and still having symptoms - he may have a condition known as IC . Your vet will discuss this further with you . I have a guinea pig with IC so ….. if your guinea pig is diagnosed with this , I am happy to discuss further

 

[Wiebke]

Our poor little boar has a UTi we noticed last weekend he was making a new noise I'd never heard before, it sounded as if he was wailing in pain, it would happen every half hour or so, it was horrible! I then noticed he would raise his back legs and a poop would come out, then the noise would stop and he'd carry on. He's eating and drinking all normally but this noise is just awful!

On the Sunday we found a vet which was open, and after examining him he agreed it was a UTi. We took an x-ray to check for stones which was clear, so he prescribed 0.5ml baytril for 1 week along with a painkiller.

We have been doing it for 6 days and after just one day the awful noise stopped, we were really happy! But to be sure, wanted to give him the full week of antibiotics.

Yesterday though the wailing has returned! We are still doing antibiotics morning and evening with a painkiller every evening too.

Tomorrow I am supposed to go back to the vet, shall I continue the baytril or do I need to return? Trying to minimise vet trips as this really stresses him out and it's very expensive, the last one cost £196!

He hates his syringe feeds too it's very difficult now to even give him the meds, always persuaded with treats and done following advice but he still hate's it!

I feel so helpless, is there anything else I can do? Is this normal for symptoms to go and come back again? How long do they usually have to be on the antibiotics to clear the UTI?

Any help or advice I would really appreciate - thank you!

Hi! How much does your piggy weigh? 0.5 ml of baytril once daily is a rather low dosage for an average sized piggy (the correct dosage in that respect should be 0.4 ml twice daily because guinea pigs have a much faster metabolism than cats and dogs).

Baytril is about the most foul tasting thing you can give your guinea pigs. Don't try it yourself - it is harmful to humans.
Ideally you give it in one fell swoop and then follow it up with the same amount of some berry concentrate like UK brand ribena. Please see a vet during regular opening hours if the UTI has not fully cleared or is coming back.
Many vets also give a painkiller/anti-inflammatory in conjunction with a UTI. The more effective antibiotic for UTIs is is sulfatrim (formerly septrin) UK/bactrim (US).

If you find that the antibiotic is impacting on the digestion (as it also works on the bacteria that are crucial for breaking down and absorbing the nutrients), then please give a pinch of probiotics either 1 hours before the antibiotic or 2 hours after (UK recommendation).

With an acute UTI it helps to change the bedding every day or two at first to prevent it from spreading to companions via scent marking (rubbing the scent gland next to the genitalia along the floor).

There are several bladder problems that present with the same symptoms. Vets will treat first for UTI, a bacterial urine infection. If that is not successful, then a check/x-ray for bladder stones is indicated. Only if there these have eliminated but symptoms persist or recur every few weeks can a vet diagnose a cystitis or interstitial cystitis (IC). This is a non-bacterial inflammation of the bladder walls that can currently not be healed but metacam can help with easing the symptoms. Thankfully IC doesn't cause bladder stones, doesn't kill or shorten the life expectancy and eventually goes away on its own, but more in a matter of years than months.

Vet care is unfortunately an integral part of pet keeping and will make the overall largest budget post in the life long expenses. Please save up for a vet fund right from the start as an integral part of the weekly living cost for any pet.

You may find these guides here helpful, including diet tips to minimise the risk of bladder stones and bladder inflammation in the long term. Our general diet recommendations are fine for healthy guinea pigs; piggies with stones or recurring bladder problems do better on a more restricted diet.
Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets
Guinea Lynx :: UTI

Administering Medications And Syringe Feed
First Aid Kit For Guinea Pigs

 

[Louisette]

Thank you so much for this advice! I was really panicking! I really appreciate you getting back to me so soon, this all makes a lot of sense! The links are excellent too thank you!

Yes we are putting £50 each a month (£100 total) into an account now, I looked into pet insurance but a lot of people said it is much better to have a vet fund for Guinea pigs as the insurance is mainly for cats and dogs and a lot won't cover things like dental and have a big excess anyway. If my piggies ever needed to see a vet money would not be an issue, sorry I just meant i just didn't want to go needlessly.

I totally agree, if this continues tomorrow (after the week) I will definitely be going back. I want to go to a different one though, would this be okay half way through treatment?

We have been to see 3 different vets - first one at vets for pets, big mistake, then another recommend by a shelter, they were great but over 45 minute drive down the M25 which used to really stress out my already stressed boy! This one last Saturday dealt with small animals but I felt was in no way an expert, and I've seen you have a list of good vets, so I'm going to try the one in Kingston as that's a lot closer to me so he wouldn't get so stressed in the car journey.

Thanks so much again for your advice, this is a fantastic forum keep up the good work x x

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you so much for this advice! I was really panicking! I really appreciate you getting back to me so soon, this all makes a lot of sense! The links are excellent too thank you!

Yes we are putting £50 each a month (£100 total) into an account now, I looked into pet insurance but a lot of people said it is much better to have a vet fund for Guinea pigs as the insurance is mainly for cats and dogs and a lot won't cover things like dental and have a big excess anyway. If my piggies ever needed to see a vet money would not be an issue, sorry I just meant i just didn't want to go needlessly.

I totally agree, if this continues tomorrow (after the week) I will definitely be going back. I want to go to a different one though, would this be okay half way through treatment?

We have been to see 3 different vets - first one at vets for pets, big mistake, then another recommend by a shelter, they were great but over 45 minute drive down the M25 which used to really stress out my already stressed boy! This one last Saturday dealt with small animals but I felt was in no way an expert, and I've seen you have a list of good vets, so I'm going to try the one in Kingston as that's a lot closer to me so he wouldn't get so stressed in the car journey.

Thanks so much again for your advice, this is a fantastic forum keep up the good work x x

We have got a recommended UK vets list on the top bar, if you'd find that helpful.

Since we have members and enquiries from all over the world, we find it very helpful if you please added your country, state/province or UK county to your details so we can always tailor any advice to what is relevant and available where you are straight away, and will try to help you with recommendations if possible. Click on your username on the top bar, then go to account details and then down to location. This makes it appear with every post you make and saves everybody time. Thank you!

 

[Louisette]

Hello everyone, just a quick update, we took him back to the vet on Monday and she agreed we should switch to sulfatrim, she had to order it in especially, so we got that on Thursday and have been giving twice daily. No improvement as of yet....he does seem a bit down and is quite grumpy with the girls, he seems to like his own space at the moment, but that's understandable as he's not feeling well

He still currently wheeks in pain when he is going to the toilet. It's so sad I hate him being in pain but I can't think of what else I can do? He doesn't even like being held at the moment as he associates this with the syringe feeds ! Do you know when we would usually see any signs of improvement of the sulfatrim is working? Will it take the full 2 weeks or may we see improvement sooner? I know all pigs will be different...All I can do is give another update in two weeks either asking for further advice, but hopefully telling you that it's all better! Fingers and toes crossed!

One last question, this would not be to do with fleece bedding would it? I switched them over to fleece and it was a week later this all started, I wasn't sure if this was just a coincidence? I do poop sweeps twice daily and change their hay area every day, I thought it seemed a lot cleaner than their previous cage! But it was just a thought which crossed my head. He wouldn't be allergic to fleece or anything? He has always had fleece in his pen area, and has never had a reaction before, but only recently in the cage. He tends to just pee in the hay area and doesn't tend to go on the fleeces, and I regularly wash them with a cup of white vinegar to help odour and germs. Just wondered if you'd heard of anything like this. I would immediately switch back if you thought this was something to do with it.

As always any advice greatly appreciated, thank you x

 

[Claire W]

I currently have a piggy being treated with septrin for a uti but thankfully hers is mild.

It is true that septrin is the better antibiotic for uti’s but it can take longer to work. I’ve had piggies before that’s been on it for as long as 5 weeks until the uti fully cleared up.

But if the antibiotic doesn’t work, I strongly recommend that you discuss Intersistial cystities (IC) with your vet. I’ve now had two piggies who have had this condition. It can’t be cured but it can be managed with daily painkillers / anti inflammatories and both my IC girls had a daily dose of cystease which is a urinary supplement for cats. IC can sadly last several months or even years until it goes away by itself. Emma had it for 3 years and Ellen for 2.5 years but it isn’t life threatening.

I don’t use fleece personally but many members on here do. I doubt very much the fleece is responsible for the uti

 

[Louisette]

Thanks you very much for your reply I really appreciate the advice!

He's been on septrin just over a week now unfortunately no improvement still wheeking in pain and raising back hind when going to the toilet. Still eating and drinking well and the same weight which is at least one good sign

I have looked at a few samples off wee though and there doesn't seem to be any blood? Is blood always present with UTI s or is it only sometimes? If it is definitely always present with UTI would this suggest it may be the IC or something else? Also he is still wheeking in pain every time, does this mean the painkillers are not working? He is on metakam 1ml once a day.

Let me know your thoughts and thanks so much again I am a new pig owner and have absolutely no experience of this! x

 

[Claire W]

A week isn’t that long so don’t worry. In both uti’s and IC not all pees contain blood and pee can look clear but still show up blood on the test stick.

The pain killers should be working but have a chat with your vet if you’re concerned. Both my girls did squeaky wees whilst having an IC episode and they were both on painkillers