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What Would You Do In My Position?

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furryfriends (TEAS) said:
Cystitis can often be caused by stress. Your piggies have been through such a lot, it wouldn't be unusual if he has got an inflammatory cystitis. Are you still giving Metacam? x
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No I'm not still giving metacam. Do you think I should? I fear that if it is kidney problems that metacam will worsen the condition
 
The urine strips do say 3 months on the packaging. Also Milan has lost a further 5g since last night. Although not as much of a loss, it's still a loss. I'm confused as he's been eating well plus I've given some syringe feed
 
furryfriends (TEAS) said:
My piggies weights can fluctuate by up to 60g in a day, depending on whether they have just eaten or just peed.
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I know but he has had a steady loss within a week and no gain. He's lost 80g in total since the zithromax :( He seems happy in himself and I've just done a bit of syringing and now he's tucking into his hay. Hugo has lost 16g this evening but I'm not overly worried as he gained last night
 
So Milan drank 100ml water yesterday.. 40ml less than the day before. He normally only drinks a max of 70ml a day though so it is still a bit strange but then again the weather is getting warmer hmm
 
I am having exactly the same issue with my Emma and Ellen who I worry about dreadfully as they both have health issues, Emma is on long term metacam due to IC and Ellen is diabetic but I have been assured that it's the change in weather that's probably causing it xx
 
Claire W said:
I am having exactly the same issue with my Emma and Ellen who I worry about dreadfully as they both have health issues but I have been assured that it's the change in weather that's probably causing it xx
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How much have they drank Claire? It worries me more as he seems to have his appetite as normal.. Plus I've been syringing to top up but he's still loosing a steady amount of weight each day plus I did a urine test that showed positive for blood (although I've not heard him in any discomfort weeing whatsoever and I've spent a huge amount of time with him since his weight loss. All these symptoms are typical of kidney problems so I'm terrified. I'm just waiting for the vet to call back so I can feed back the results of the urine test. I hope your girls are okay x
 
Sian25 said:
How much have they drank Claire? It worries me more as he seems to have his appetite as normal.. Plus I've been syringing to top up but he's still loosing a steady amount of weight each day plus I did a urine test that showed positive for blood (although I've not heard him in any discomfort weeing whatsoever and I've spent a huge amount of time with him since his weight loss. All these symptoms are typical of kidney problems so I'm terrified. I'm just waiting for the vet to call back so I can feed back the results of the urine test. I hope your girls are okay x
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In the past 24 hours they have drank 150ml although the majority of that has been from Emma. She regularly has blood in her urine as she has IC but it always worries me as she is on long term metacam which can effect the kidneys. Please try not to worry about the blood in Milan's urine. The likelihood is that he has caught a UTI from the recent stress he has been under with the recent neuter and abscess which I would like to remind you again has nothing to do with your love and care.

Emma has the occasional squeaky episode due to her IC but she very rarely shows discomfort when urinating xx
 
Claire W said:
In the past 24 hours they have drank 150ml although the majority of that has been from Emma. She regularly has blood in her urine as she has IC but it always worries me as she is on long term metacam which can effect the kidneys. Please try not to worry about the blood in Milan's urine. The likelihood is that he has caught a UTI from the recent stress he has been under with the recent neuter and abscess which I would like to remind you again has nothing to do with your love and care.

Emma has the occasional squeaky episode due to her IC but she very rarely shows discomfort when urinating xx
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What is IC please? How much do they normally drink? Milan drank 140ml in 24 hours yesterday and 100ml in 24 hours today when he normally drinks a max of 70ish. He went to the vets yesterday and she said that kidney problems wouldn't be top of her list but I will see what she says when I inform her about the blood.

They are worrying aren't they. But surely the metacam dose is low enough to be quite safe for long term use for Emma? Has she been eating well?
 
Sian25 said:
What is IC please? How much do they normally drink? Milan drank 140ml in 24 hours yesterday and 100ml in 24 hours today when he normally drinks a max of 70ish. He went to the vets yesterday and she said that kidney problems wouldn't be top of her list but I will see what she says when I inform her about the blood.

They are worrying aren't they. But surely the metacam dose is low enough to be quite safe for long term use for Emma? Has she been eating well?
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IC stands fort Interstitial Cystitis. It is a long term condition that effects the bladder walls and can't be cured by antibiotics.

Both Emma and Ellen usually drink around 50 - 60ml each of water daily.

Emma especially has recently these last few days started to go mad for her pellets which I know can cause thirst due to there dryness.

She is on 0.2ml of metacam daily which I increase when she is having squeaky episodes. Please do not worry about Millan having IC. It took many months for Emma to be diagnosed but that was after everything else had been ruled out. I strongly suspect that Millan just has a mild UTI which I'm sure your vet will treat or diagnose once you have spoken to her.

Yes, they certainly are a worry :( x
 
There is a big difference between cystitis and kidney problems. Most bladder problems including IC and infective cystitis don't involve the kidneys. Occasionally infection can spread up to the kidneys but that makes pigs very ill. Kidney disease and kidney failure can occur without any bladder symptoms at all and are more common in older piggies. Stress can cause IC and infective cystitis so this is most likely. He needs metacam and probably doesn't need any more antibiotics. So sorry again for all your stress Sian
 
Thanks everyone. I spoke to the receptionist today about the finding of milans urine tests and she said she would pass the message into the vet. Unfortunately the vet didn't ring back so I will ring tomorrow to ensure she got the message.

On the other hand, Milan has put on 5g this evening! It's not a big gain but at least it's not a loss!
 
I've just got another urine sample which showed no blood present.. What could irregular blood mean?
 
Also I'm off out for dinner with my family tonight. They asked me to to last weekend but I said no as I was trying to maintain milans weight with syringe feeding but I thought I really should go this week- plus Milan has maintained his weight without syringe feed for the last few days. However, the boys are due their antibiotics at 8. I'm off out at 6.30 and I hope to be home by 8.30 so their meds are only half an hour late. If I'm not home until 9.. Does an hour late make much difference?
 
be reassured Sian it will not make any difference to the boys.it will be just as effetive,as long as they get them before you retire to bed.it will be nice for you to go and enjoy yourself.make you more relaxed and your piggies will notice that and bebnifit from that .enjoy Sian.:beer::).x
 
I never worry about exact timing of meds in humans or piggies. The boys will be fine with their ABs before you go to bed. Enjoy your evening out (you have to look after yourself as well as them)
 
Thanks guys! I won't be too late anyway and I will give them as soon as I get home then their probiotics before I go to bed.

I'm supervising guinea pig floor time while my partner is cutting the bush outside :)) I definitely got the best job!
 
piggie smitten said:
Hi Sian, how are the boys doing now?
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Hi, Milan is still drinking more than normal. I know the weather has been warmer but he's been drinking 100ml-150ml per day, so I'm worried about him. We have another a vet appointment on friday. Good news is that both boys seem to be maintaining their weight now without extra syringe feeding although I have quite a quiet day with work today so I will try and syringe them some more and try help them put on some of the weight that they have lost. I've taken 2 urine samples from Milan, one showed blood, the other didn't- I've not seen him in any pain while peeing. I'll have to see what the vet says on friday
 
I'm glad their weights have stabilised. My Bubble started to drink a lot more while on Zithromax for a dental abcess and it continued even after he'd finished the meds. He also had softer poos while he was drinking so much. I mentioned it to Simon but he didn't seem overly concerned. He's not drinking so much now but still a lot more than before. His poos are more or less normal consistency now too. Maybe Zithromax affects some of them this way. Never checked urine for blood though. Hope all is good on Friday.
 
Thank you.

I'm just looking for some advice. I went to see the vet last week and she was pleased with how milans lump felt and said she thinks it's just scar tissue and not infection. She said I could stop his Zithromax, however I told her I'd rather continue to make sure the infection has gone as he had only been on it for 2.5 weeks. When he goes to the vet on friday, he will have been on Zithromax for 4 weeks.. If the vet is happy with how his abscess area feels, should I stop the Zithromax for him?

Hugo however is more worrying as his lumps still feel as though there is pus apparent (well I find it hard to feel the difference but going by what the vet said last week and they don't seem to have changed) so I'm guessing they still don't feel good.. What would everyone recommend for Hugo if he still has infection after 4 weeks of Zithromax? Thanks

@Wiebke @furryfriends (TEAS) @pig in the city
 
furryfriends (TEAS) said:
Do you have much left? I personally would finish it and then stop. With regard to Hugo I would see what the vet recommends. I would be surprised if their is still pus but be guided by your vet.
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I have been using each bottle for 7 days then throwing it away so I have this bottle I'm on now, with the plan of giving last dose on friday then I have an unopened bottle (so another weeks worth) my vet doesn't know ive been using each bottle for a week rather than the recommended time of 5 days though hmm.

I hope my Hugo is okay but he does have quite a lot of lumps, the vet has just had to try and work out if they're pus or scar tissue but unfortunately she did think that he had at least one abscess brewing but said it was too early to put a needle in it. Is putting a needle in it common practise? As the thought literally kills me. Hate thinking of them being prodded with needles!
 
I've just got home from taking the boys to the vets. She said that milans area still feels good but to keep him on Zithtromax for another week to make sure the infection has gone (that will be 5 weeks of Zithromax).. Does this sound right? Regarding the blood in wee, she wants me to get as many samples as possible and test with urine strips as many times as possible.

Hugo's lumps don't feel any different to the vet. No bigger and no smaller but she does think it feels like an abscess rather than scar tissue, so to continue Zithromax and return in 2 weeks time to give him a check over
 
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