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Uti?

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Cheeny&honeyxx

Cheeny&honeyxx

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Hi, my piggy Honey is happy and healthy and eating well but i just found a small blood patch on her sawdust near her excretion.... I first thought that she was having her first period but searching the internet has shown that guinea pigs do not get periods.... I read that it could be UTI but i dont know what that is or what any of the other symptoms are.... Incase it affects anything, honey is 3 1/2 years old and lives on her own.... Does anyone have any advice.... Or any ideas on what is wrong with her x
 
I would get her checked out by the vets. Is she squeaking when peeing or hunching slightly when she pees? It could also be cystitis or interstitial cystitis. Only a vet can diagnose.
 
Ive booked the vets for saturday.... But i was just wanting to know if anyone has any other advice like for the time being or whether it is like common at her age....

Honey very rarely squeaks anyway but she doesn't appear to be hunching and she certainly hasn't started squeaking when she pees so i guess ill just have to wait and see x

Thanks for the advice :)
 
You could try an over the counter cystitis remedy in the meantime like Canesten Oasis. Some people give diluted cranberry juice but if it turns out to be interstitial cystitis which is inflammation of the bladder and a long term condition, cranberry can make it worse. The Oasis has cranberry flavouring in it but not actual cranberry.

The other thing you would need to ask the vets about is the possibility of a stone, and I would suggest an xray or scan to rule this out.

Also, what diet do you feed as blood in urine can be dietary related.
 
I think ill get the cystitis remedy like you said.... And thanks for telling me about the cranberry juice as i literally just went out to get some.... I think ill wait for the diagnosis before giving cranberry juice! Ill ask the vet about a stone.... But i was sort of wondering what that actually is.... I'm like 14 so i don't really know.... Honey usually eats meadow hay and wagg Guinea pig crunch and often carrot and kale.... Sometimes i give her apple but she hasn't had any for about a week now.... Again thanks for the advice.... I really appreciate itxxx
 
@Jerrybelly do you think that saturday is soon enough for a vet appointment? Should i try another vet? And ill make sure to take a urine sample with me.... Thanks for the advice :)
 
You're welcome.

Good question, I think it is a build up of minerals that form a stone in the bladder.

If she is passing blood I would cut back on both the kale and the carrot. Kale is incredibly high in calcium and carrot is high in sugars and should only be fed in moderation. My pigs are on a bladder diet and are fed coriander, cucumber, celery, green beans and a small amount of spring greens and pepper. They also have a large variety of hay and limited dry food. The problem with a lot of the dry foods is that they are high in both calcium and protein which can irritate the bladder.
 
Ok.... Ive just taken out the carrot and kale and given her a bit more hay to make up for it.... Should o remove the dry foods aswell?

And thanks for explaining about the stone thingy.... :)
 
Ideally yes but that is very hard to do so just try to limit the amount you are feeding for now. If you can get some different types of hay and the veg I suggested too but I know you are probably limited on what your parents can provide. The vet appointment is the most important thing at the moment.
 
Ok.... Ive halved her dry food and mum says that we can go to the pet shop before school tomorrow and see what they have.... Would the cyctitis remedy be available in a normal pet shop? Or if not where can i get it.... And what other veg would you recommend? Were literally up for like anything at the moment..... And thanks again x
 
You can get it in the supermarket (possibly in the pharmacy bit), but don't tell them it's for an animal. I only recommend the veg I suggested above but others my suggest more. When you go to the pet shop see if they have any different hays such as timothy hay or oat hay (but not Alfalfa hay, though there is a brand of timothy hay called Alfalfa King which is ok).
 
Oh ok.... I'm sure you're very experienced but the normal meds wont have any nasty affects on honey... Right? And I've got cucumber and green beans which i have just given her and ill get the rest tomorrow:) will natures own devon meadow hay be ok? Thats her usual or sometimes she has the natures own one with daffodils? I have both at home currently but if not i can get something else tomorrow morning? And thank you again! x
 
The hay sounds fine.

It is fine to give the cystitis remedy, my own pigs have had it and it was recommended to me by my friend who runs a guinea pig clinic with a vet in Hertfordshire (I also volunteered there for a few months). It is your decision though so if you would prefer to wait for the vets to prescribe something that is perfectly fine.
 
No.... Ill try it.... My last piggy passed away because i waited too long for the vets.... Honey isn't going the same way! Ill get some first thing tomorrow :) x
 
You may find that if this is a UTI the vet prescribes an antibiotic (Septrin is good for a UTI) but you could continue to give the cystitis remedy alongside it. The other thing is to make sure she is getting plenty of fluids, is she a good drinker?
 
Not really..... She never drinks unless i squeeze the bottle for her.... Now and again i have to give her water by a syringe as she doesnt drink much.... Could that be the cause?
 
Am not sure if it would be the sole cause. If you could syringe her some water though it would help.
 
If it was me, I would aim for an appointment as soon as possible. Tomorrow, if you can, but if not, then Saturday. It may be an infection, in which case these things can be easier to treat if caught early. But it could also be several other things which only a vet can properly diagnose and treat.

In the meantime, keep a close eye on her to make sure that she's eating and otherwise being her normal self. Until you see a vet you can't be certain what you're dealing with, so don't worry about changing too many things just yet. All remedies and medicines that you are giving your piggy should also first be checked by a vet.
 
Hi, thanks to everyone who commented....

I followed all the advice i was given and there has been no more blood since that one time.... I went to the vet but she couldn't see anything wrong with her and told me to just keep an eye on her and honey seems to be fine :) yay!

Thanks again :) x
 
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