Uti/kidney Stone

[jadesmyface]

Hi all, I'm new to the forum and would appreciate any advice etc that you could give me about my guinea pig Barney.

He'd been always seemed slim but to be eating fine/as much as the other pig and I thought he might just be naturally slimmer. The other pig is really fluffy so it's hard to compare them in size and Barney always seemed happy enough, but then I got home from work on Friday and noticed there were patches of blood in the cage. It took me a while to figure out which pig and where it was coming from as he was still perky/squeaky. I found it was Barney, and seemed to be in his wee.

I took him to the vet that night who said he was on the thinner side, and that it was probably a UTI or a kidney stone. I have Loxicom and Sulfatrim to give him for 7 days to see if it clears up, if not he'll need an xRay. Today he seems to be suffering more - he's not perky, has gone off his food. Does anyone have any experience of these medicines? Could they be making him worse or is this a normal stage in guinea UTIs - he just seems to have gone downhill since Friday when I started giving him the medicine, not getting better, I'm trying to tempt him with food but he's going off it and I don't want to syringe feed him if possible he really hates it. I feel awful when I hear him squeak and realise he must be in pain but I don't know what else to do

Any suggestions, or advice, I'd be really grateful.

 

[Wiebke]

Hi all, I'm new to the forum and would appreciate any advice etc that you could give me about my guinea pig Barney.

He'd been always seemed slim but to be eating fine/as much as the other pig and I thought he might just be naturally slimmer. The other pig is really fluffy so it's hard to compare them in size and Barney always seemed happy enough, but then I got home from work on Friday and noticed there were patches of blood in the cage. It took me a while to figure out which pig and where it was coming from as he was still perky/squeaky. I found it was Barney, and seemed to be in his wee.

I took him to the vet that night who said he was on the thinner side, and that it was probably a UTI or a kidney stone. I have Loxicom and Sulfatrim to give him for 7 days to see if it clears up, if not he'll need an xRay. Today he seems to be suffering more - he's not perky, has gone off his food. Does anyone have any experience of these medicines? Could they be making him worse or is this a normal stage in guinea UTIs - he just seems to have gone downhill since Friday when I started giving him the medicine, not getting better, I'm trying to tempt him with food but he's going off it and I don't want to syringe feed him if possible he really hates it. I feel awful when I hear him squeak and realise he must be in pain but I don't know what else to do

Any suggestions, or advice, I'd be really grateful.

Hi!

UTI (bacterial urine infection), cystitis and IC (interstitial, i.e. recurring cystitis; cystitis is an inflammation of the bladder walls), bladder/urethral and kidney stones manifest with pretty much the same symptoms.

Your boy is on the correct treatment; loxicom is a brand name for metacam, a painkiller and anti-inflammatory, and sulfatrim is the unflavoured new exotic vets version of adult strength septrin (UK) / bactrim (US), which is regarded as the best antibiotic for urinary tract problems.

If he is off food, please step in with syringe feed asap; in an emergency and until you can get hold of recovery formula, mushed up pellets and will do as long as you prep the syringe tip as shown in the guide, which will also guide you through all the other aspects. Your care in this respect (keeping the guts going) can make all the difference!
Adverse reactions (loss of appetite can happen with any antibiotic). Either give a pinch of probiotics 1 hours before the antibiotic (US recommendation) or 1-2 hours after the antibiotic (UK recommendation. In a pinch you can get one from a chain pet shop.
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide (also contains information on support care like recovery foods, probiotics and vitamin C)

Please contact your vet again tomorrow if your boy continues to deteriorate, especially if he seems to be in real pain (hunched up) and crying when peeing or not being able to pee at all - the latter will cause very noticeable distress and counts as life and death anytime of the day emergency. In this extreme case, he may need a scan asap to see whether a stone is stuck either in a ureter or in the urethra or whether it is due to a bad reaction to the antibiotic.

I hope that it is just the latter. Vets generally treat firstly for UTI, which is the most common and easiest to cure. If a guinea pig does not get better, continues to deteriorate or symptoms return very quickly after the end of treatment, then a scan to exclude stones in any part of the urinary tract system is the next step. Cystitis and IC are usually diagnosed by default after the other potential causes have been eliminated.

Our diet guide gives you tips on how you can minimise food hogging from dominant piggies and it also contains diet tips for guinea pigs with bladder/urinary tract problems: Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diet

Since we have members 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 available and relevant where you are straight away. Click on your username on the top bar, then go to personal details and scroll down to location. This makes it visible with every post you make and speeds up things for all parties. Thank you!