Wiebke is too busy with home issues at the moment but I know she would be answering this thread if she could! Calcium related sludge and stones are a flipping pain (for both pigs and slaves) and sadly pretty common.
I found this quote from Wiebke in another thread which is worth reading (not claiming credit for the wisdom
:-
There are several issues that present with very similar symptoms lumped under the label UTI:
- straight forward urinary tract infection. Responds well to antibiotics, but may take a longer course to prevent return. Baytril may not cut through it. It usually presents with a soft, relaxed bladder.
- Cystitis: inflammation of the bladder walls. Does not react well to antibiotics, but many piggy savvy vets use a two pronged approach with septrin/sulfatrim and metacam (which is not just a painkiller but also an anti-inflammatory). The bladder walls may thicken and harden, especially over time. If cystitis is recurring and not responding to treatment, you talk about
- Interstitial Cystitis (IC): recurrent bouts of acute cystitis. This condition can currently only be managed but not healed. The good news is that it generally goes away on its own, but it may take a few years. It does not cause stones.
- Bladder stones or sludge: if a UTI returns or persists, it is important to x-ray to check for the presence of stones or sludge. The constant irritation from stones or sludge can also cause cystitis as a secondary problem.
Guinea pigs are prone to urinary tract problems as a species because they have a naturally alkaline urine ph. This promotes the growth of bacteria and also the build-up of calcium, especially in guinea pigs that are not good drinkers (i.e. whose bladder is not flushed well), have a high calcium diet (including hard water), a genetic disposition of some sort, problems with the calcium absorption (which is a complex, but not yet much researched process in guinea pigs).
What you can do (but it is only so much):
- if you have got a bladder problem piggy, switch from a moderate to a low calcium diet and avoid suspected IC trigger foods like carrots, tomato or fresh grass. See daily veg in our balanced diet thread or this thread here:
Low Calcium Diet For Bladder Piggies
- you can help flush the bladder once or twice daily with a UTI/cystitis piggy by syringing as much water as she will take in one session, ideally up to 10 ml, but likely less. Make sure that you piggy has always swallowed before you give more, and never give more than half a syringe in one go (1 adult mouthful is ca. 0.5 ml) and do not force any water into her if she doesn't want to.
- At the onset of an acute bout of UTI or cystitis, you might like to give mildly diuretic veg like cucumber, young dandelions or lettuce in moderate amounts (so you don't cause diarrhea) to help flush the bladder and mitigate the acute symptoms.
- With recurring and chronic bladder issues as well as bladder stone piggies we recommend to additionally support the bladder with vegan glucosamine or glucosamine-based cat food supplements like cystease or cystophan. The bladder has got a natural coating of glucosamine on the inside, but this can be beleaguered by repeated infections or stones.
Some people also swear by barley water, made from the gloopy water you have cooked pearl barley in.
I think that is a good summary of what you are dealing with from Wiebke - hope it helps?
Pellets are certainly a key aspect of sludge but not the only thing - my boys all have filtered water and I try to find lower calcium hay eg Timothy. The link to low calcium diet is worth a read - I am trying the Vitacraft Emotion pellets at the moment - the jury is out among the boys though!
