My guinea pig, who is around four years old, has been having recurring UTIs from mid-late 2018 to now. The first couple were resolved with cloramphenicol, and the one before this one, we had to switch to bactrim, this one seems more severe, my guinea pig is crying a lot more often and as I was cleaning his cage today he started tilting his head and sort of shifting to his side. He stood back up immediately after. I did some research and apparently that is not a symptom of a UTI, but a symptom of a whole different infection. I am scared, worried, and I feel extremely guilty because I feel like I am doing something wrong, but what is it? I clean his cage everyday, with a very thorough cleanup every week. When we got him, we got him from a pet shop along with another male guinea pig, the other guinea pig died at around 3 years old, I know that pet shop guinea pigs are more prone to illness, but he hasn't been having UTIs since last year. We are doing all we can, giving him his medicine, but I just feel very overwhelmed, worried, and guilty.
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What am I doing wrong?
- Thread starter Guinoala
- Start date
Bill & Ted
Forum Buddy
So sorry to hear your boy is poorly. I have no experience of this condition but I’m sure a member will come along soon and give some input. Hope he gets well soon and welcome to the Forum x
Has he been screened for bladder stones with an x-ray, or has the vet been able to palpate any stones when they feel his abdomen? Bladder stones are extremely common in guinea pigs and can lead to recurrent UTIs. I would start there. It's nothing you're doing wrong, although if stones do turn out to be the problem, there is a diet you can follow to reduce calcium and reduce the chance of new stones forming. Unfortunately some pigs are prone to bladder stones, it's definitely not your fault!
Hi!
Please your vet to investigate for interstitial cystitis (IC). It is a recurring inflammation of the bladder walls that does not react/cannot be healed by antibiotics. Anti-inflammatory plus painkiller metacam is the best way to treat. The condition is not well known outside cavy specialist circles, but we see a lot of piggies with your symptoms on here and many long term owners (including myself) have been dealing with it at some point or other.
Since we don't know what is causing IC - apart from it having become a lot more common in the last decade - we can only manage the symptoms with metacam (which is an anti-inflammatory as well as a painkiller) and with cystease or a comparable glucosamine based cat food supplement (not a medication) which helps to support the beleaguered natural glucosamine coating of the bladder walls.
Some dietary adjustments may also help with minimising acute flare-ups every few weeks.
Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets
The good news is that IC doesn't cause bladder stones or sludge in itself or shortens life expectancy. The bad news is that you are looking rather at years than mere months for it to go away on its own.
More information on interstitial cystitis (which is NOT the normal kind of cystitis that is caused by bacteria and curable with an antibiotic):
Links - Interstitial Cystitis - Guinea Lynx Records