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Worries about pyometra and possible spay

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LunaPig72

Junior Guinea Pig
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I’m off to the vets first thing tomorrow with Ana, my lovely 3yo ginger Aby girl, having had an initial telephone / email consultation today. I noticed she was wet around the bottom area when I brought her in from the garden run yesterday evening and then this morning she had a whiteish discharge in addition to the wetness. Having seen photos our vet thinks it’s either a uti or possibly pyometra but wants to see her to examine her, take samples etc to make a proper diagnosis.

I’m now panicking about pyometra and the possibility of her needing a spay.

Is it possible (if it is pyometra) that it might clear with strong anti bs, or is a spay likely to be the only option to give her a decent chance? And if she needs a spay what can I do to prepare her/help her recover as best she can? Ana has been with us since she was about 10 weeks old and has never had any health issues before now. I’ve had guineas for over 20 years but never come across this issue before either.

She still seems bright and happy, pootling about, eating, pooing etc (she’s just cheerfully nicked a romaine lettuce leaf out of a cagemate’s mouth and run off with it) but I know they’re such little experts at masking discomfort so I’m not letting myself be too reassured by that.

I’m also concerned about her three friends (all females, aged 6m-4yrs) - they seem fine at the moment but are they also at risk of developing the same infection if I keep them together? Vet has recommended to keep them together for now but I can’t help worrying about the other three too. FWIW they live indoors in a 6x2 C&C cage with daily time in a grassy run outside when the weather is good (and floortime indoors when it’s not).

Any advice/words of wisdom would be much appreciated, thank you.
 
Hiya, if it does turn out to be pyometra then she'll almost definitely need to be spayed (I personally haven't heard of it being treated with only antibiotics but your vet might say otherwise). At 3 years old though I'm sure she'll be fine through the surgery. Pyometra usually comes alongside cystic ovaries so she may well have those too, and they tend to just keep growing over time, resulting in the need for a spay anyway. I'm not sure about the contagiousness of pyometra so hopefully someone else can advise you on that before you see the vet. Best of luck!
 
Thank you. She is at the vets now (had to leave her for examination, can’t enter the surgery due to Covid restrictions) and they will call me later so fingers crossed.
 
So an update : little pig has a nasty uti but no pyometra thankfully and no nasties like stones or cysts either - she had a thorough check up at the vets. We now have a course of antibiotics for her which will hopefully do the trick. Thank you for the response x
 
Fingers crossed that your little girl is on the mend very soon. I’m glad it’s just a uti and no other nasties. Has she been prescribed a pain killer (metacam) alongside the antibiotics and what antibiotics has she been given?
 
She has been prescribed Septrin twice daily and some loxicom - is that the same as metacam? Oh and I’m also giving her some probiotic too. She still seems quite perky and is eating well. Luckily she appears to like the taste of the meds!
 
I am so pleased you got a clear diagnosis and it sounds like a good treatment plan too.
Fingers crossed she is feeling better soon.
 
I’m pleased to hear it is a UTI. Hope she soon recovers from this infection.
 
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