Very Painful, Persistent Uti In Male Gp

[Guineapigs6]

I've recently taken in a beautiful, very timid 12-month old GP named Leo. He came in passing smelly, blood-tinged urine and he "squeals" when he urinates. I took him straight away to our exotics vet who did an X-ray (no stones); she prescribed 0.2mL Baytril, 0.1mL Metacam and a probiotic twice daily for 10 days. Today is Day 7 on treatment and though he seems brighter overall, his symptoms (pain on urinating, smelly urine) are persisting. Is it normal for a UTI to be so persistent?

Also, Leo's not drinking independently (maybe due to timidity?) so I've been giving him water by syringe. He tolerates this but never seems thirsty. How much water should I be giving - or just as much as he wants?

This is the first time any of my pigs has had a UTI - thanks in advance for your thoughts / advice / stories.

 

[Elwickcavies]

I would have expected more improvement by now, so it would be worth asking the vet to try a different antibiotic - septrin has a good track record with UTIs. His lack of thirst may well be contributing to the UTI. Try to get him to drink 80 ml of water a day, or more if you can. It will help to flush the infection out. It's good news that there are no stones though.

 

[Wiebke]

It is good news that there are no stones and that your vet has promptly checked for them and that she seems to be knowledgeable! That is the biggest worry out of the way.
Some strains of UTI can be resistent to baytril, so I would contact your vet and see whether she can try either a doubled dose of baytril or another antibiotic like bactrim/septrin. if he has got cystitis/interstitial cystitis (inflammation of the bladder walls), then it may not react much to any antibiotic. it is good that your vet has put your boy on metacam, which is not just a painkiller, but also an anti-inflammatory.

Bladder problems are more common in bad drinkers as bacteria and minerals have more of a chance to build up in the bladder. You can additionally to the syringing try feeding mildly diuretic foods like cucumber, lettuce, fresh green grass (probably not quite so easy to come by in the middle of the summer heat) or fresh dandelion to help flush things out. Please do not go overboard as to cause soft poos or diarrhea!

You can also discuss giving vegetarian glucosamine/cystaid or an equivalent brand to coat the bladder walls. Barley water (made from the gloopy strained water in which you have cooked pearl barley) can also do a similar job.

Wishing poorly Leon and you all the best!