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Post by Orlaith on Aug 1, 2012 22:40:14 GMT
I just commented today on another thread that I've never had a pig with a UTI, but now I suspect that Annie might have one. We picked her up last night to put her in her carrier while we did the full clean and we noticed her belly and bum were really wet. We thought it was just that she was lying in one spot all day and gave her a bath, but this evening she was just as bad again. She has been making a different little grunt the last few days, which I had thought was her giving out to the other pigs (they're having a dominance war right now) but now I think it's her squeaking when she pees or poops. I rang our vet, but our regular guy is off tomorrow, and the locum just hasn't got enough guinea pig knowledge so I'd end up having to being Annie back in a few days, so she won't be seeing the vet until Friday. I've started her on a course of baytril (our vet gives us a supply to have at home) and I'm giving her some unsweetened cranberry juice until we see the vet. How much cranberry juice should I give her? Does it need to be diluted and if so, how much? Any other tips to make her comfortable? I'm hoping it's not kidney or bladder stones  Oh, and apart from the wet butt and belly and the new squeak sound, she's in great form. She's eating all her veg, eating hay and pellets and drinking water. She's still really friendly and loving so it doesn't seem to be bothering her too much right now. |
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Post by babydoll on Aug 1, 2012 22:44:39 GMT
Hi yes you dilute the cranberry juice, what i do is fill the waterbottle half cranberry and half water.
Jackie
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Post by clairfo on Aug 1, 2012 22:45:39 GMT
welcome to my world!! This is exactly what my pig presented with nearly two weeks ago.
I have been bathing her when really wet or cleaning her with wet cotton wool pads twice a day to try and get the urine off. The urine has caused scalds on my Betty and they are very weepy and sore. Try and make sure you can change their bedding frequently to prevent them lying in it all day - towels with puppy pads under have worked well for us and now vet bed. I give my girl cranberry juice diluted with water - about 50/50 and ive attached a bottle to the cage for her to get it when she wants it. Ive also given her some human cystitis medication and i think thats helped too. How much baytril are they on?
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Post by Orlaith on Aug 1, 2012 22:53:15 GMT
Cool, thanks! I diluted it 50/50 earlier just in case, phew!
She's on 0.2ml baytril a day, until the vet tells us otherwise. Poor lady.
I'll definitely be more proactive with the spot cleans. One of my other pigs got urine scald on her feet before from not moving enough when she was really sick, so I definitely want to prevent that if I can.
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Post by clairfo on Aug 2, 2012 10:31:44 GMT
how is annie today? x
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Post by piggiluv on Aug 2, 2012 14:01:20 GMT
Poor Annie. I hope the antibiotic clears it up for her!
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Post by Orlaith on Aug 2, 2012 14:31:47 GMT
She still has a wet bum but she's nice and bright and eating like a horse. She's not too impressed with the cranberry juice, but she gets a nice treat after so she gets over it pretty quickly.
If it wasn't for her being so wet and her little grunt you wouldn't know there was anything wrong with her. Can't wait to get the vet to look at her, though.
I kept her out a little while to make sure it was peeing and not pooping that was hurting, and it's definitely peeing. I couldn't see any blood in her urine either, so fingers crossed.
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Post by Orlaith on Aug 7, 2012 20:42:44 GMT
Sorry it's taken so long to update on Annie, I've been away at a family wedding for the weekend. Well, we have an answer for Annabel. She has a bladder stone! And a secondary infection from it. I took her to the vet on Friday morning and he examined her. She was crying when he pressed on her bladder so he did a quick x-ray (no sedation needed) and there it was, a giant stone in her bladder. Poor girl. Now, the vet said that the stone was so big that it hasn't just come up in the last week or two, so it was most likely a UTI that had set in that was causing the pain. So, we were given baytril to give to her for 10 days, and she got a bit of metacam as well to help with the pain. We discussed our options and, while the vet said surgery was an option, and he has done several bladder stone removals in piggies before, he didnt' really recommend it due to Annie's age (she's four and a half), as he thought there was a good chance she wouldn't make it off the table. I agreed that surgery would be an absolute last resort for her, and only if her quality of life was affected. But we both hoped that by clearing the infection we would remove the source of the discomfort and she could live out the rest of her days with the stone intact and maybe having to get baytril every once in a while if the infections were to recur. So, Annie has been on baytril now for six days and it seems to be doing wonders for her. Her belly is much drier and she's only a bit wet around her genital area now, and she isn't squeaking when she pees anymore, so its seems like things are going to plan. We're hoping there'll be no need for surgery and Annie will be back to normal soon. For your interest and information, I took pics of the x ray (hehe, with encouragement from the vet - he knows all about the forum  ). Here's the whole x-ray:  And here is the bladder stone area, and I've highlighted the stone. It's quite big, especially when you consider the size compared to how big a guinea pig is!  |
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Post by twistedsymphony on Aug 7, 2012 21:06:20 GMT
oh my, poor piggy, hope she gets better soon xxx
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Post by clairfo on Aug 7, 2012 21:58:28 GMT
aww poor little darling! i wonder if betty has the same problem? shes a similar age so even if I have her x rayed im like you i think surgery would have to be a last resort. betty's bottom and tummy has been wet again in the last few days and shes on her third week of baytril poor girls  |
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Post by madmommy on Aug 7, 2012 23:50:54 GMT
Goodness! It looks like she swallowed a marble! Poor thing, but glad there are options for treatment.
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Post by guineapiglover20 on Aug 8, 2012 1:17:44 GMT
that poor littl thig hope things get better and im happy that there is treatment and it looks like a rock hope things get better
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Post by piggiluv on Aug 8, 2012 17:24:39 GMT
Aw poor baby I sure hope the meds make her feel better really soon!
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Post by Orlaith on Aug 9, 2012 23:46:56 GMT
aww poor little darling! i wonder if betty has the same problem? shes a similar age so even if I have her x rayed im like you i think surgery would have to be a last resort. betty's bottom and tummy has been wet again in the last few days and shes on her third week of baytril poor girls It definitely could be. If you wanted to confirm it you could get an x-ray done, but be aware it'll probably cost in the region of €50 AND (my vet explained) if the bladder stone happens to line up behind the spinal column then it won't be visible, and to take a lateral-view x-ray, your piggy would have to be knocked out - something I know you would rather avoid. Aw, poor Betty. I hope she gets better soon. I know that my vet told me that it would be at least 10 days of baytril for Annie, maybe more, as UTIs can be tough to clear. Annie has done her 10 days now and fingers crossed she's fine now. She seems better anyway and her bum isn't wet. We're going away for the weekend, so we'll know when we come back if it has recurred or not. There's a good chance she'll have recurrent infections now for the rest of her life, but fingers crossed they won't be too often. |
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Post by clairfo on Aug 10, 2012 21:28:29 GMT
Went to see the vet again today. I didnt mention a bladder stone and she didnt either so I left it, due to her age even if a stone was found on xray im not sure it would be best for her to be operated on. Betty had 3 weeks of baytril - told she doesnt need it again now after today so fingers crossed its done the trick. I have some left over though if its not gone. Our poor girls eh. |
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Post by Orlaith on Aug 15, 2012 14:54:23 GMT
Yeah, they have a hard life of it! After finishing her course of antibiotics and being squeak-free for a whole week, Annie is sore when she's peeing again  I spoke to the vet, and he said he was expecting the infection to recur, but that he had hoped she'd get a month or two before it came back. So, he has said we could keep Annie on the baytril indefinitely, but eventually it would probably stop working and then we would have to make a decision to either do the bladder stone operation, or to have her pts. I'm hoping it won't come to that. Apart from her wet bum and it hurting her when she pees, she's in fantastic form, and it would be such a pity to have to say goodbye to her over something like that, but with her age I'm really not sure she would come through the operation. So, fingers crossed for Annie! Let's hope she gets better. |
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Post by madmommy on Aug 15, 2012 22:44:54 GMT
C'mon Annie!
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Post by clairfo on Aug 15, 2012 22:49:37 GMT
fingers and toes crossed for her! Is she still wet around her bottom? How are you keeping her dry and comfortable if so?
It seems to be such a common thing for piggies at the moment. Really hope she pulls through and shes comfortable at least for a while longer! xx
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Post by piggiluv on Aug 16, 2012 17:43:57 GMT
Aw poor baby, I hope she improves soon!
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Post by Orlaith on Aug 17, 2012 9:36:39 GMT
Thanks everyone!
Yeah, she's still wet around her bum, so I'm keeping the cage really clean and wiping her down twice a day with antibacterial pet wipes that I got in Pets At Home. They seem to be working so far, although I'm actually considering shaving her butt!
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Post by clairfo on Aug 17, 2012 9:39:02 GMT
Thanks everyone! I'm actually considering shaving her butt! I had the exact same thought with my partner the other day. Would this be helpful? so much urine gets soaked into their fur and causes irritation! |
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Post by Orlaith on Aug 17, 2012 9:59:58 GMT
Thanks everyone! I'm actually considering shaving her butt! I had the exact same thought with my partner the other day. Would this be helpful? so much urine gets soaked into their fur and causes irritation! Well, my vet used to have shelties and he kept their butts shaved to stop their fur getting all matted, so I figure it must do some good. Annie is part sheltie so we normally keep her fur trimmed up anyway, but I'm really thinking that shaving could be the way to go! |
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Post by clairfo on Aug 17, 2012 11:14:01 GMT
Bettys bum is pretty bald now anyway.. the urine scalds has made a lot of the fur fall out. Ill try and take photos to show you later
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Post by Orlaith on Aug 20, 2012 13:01:21 GMT
We shaved Annie's bum and it helped her a lot.
However, she has been back on baytril for a week and I feel she's getting worse, not better. She seems to be squeaking more often, and when she poops now too. I noticed yesterday that her grease gland and around her genital area is quite swollen and she cries when I touch her there.
So this morning I brought her back to the vet and we've decided to go ahead with the operation. She is in a lot of pain, so it's really either that or have her pts, and even though the operation is risky, I'd rather give her a chance than give up on her. I'm really nervous and there's no guarantee she'll come through it, but I feel I have to give it a shot rather than just let her go.
So, she's booked in for Wednesday. I hope I'm making the right decision.
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Post by babydoll on Aug 20, 2012 15:15:40 GMT
Fingers cross for Annie i know what your going through my Junior is going in tomorrow for bladder stone operation.
Jackie xx
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Post by Orlaith on Aug 22, 2012 7:31:21 GMT
Well, today's Annie's big day. I'm so so nervous. I gave her some extra love last night but I'm so afraid. However, her belly is getting wetter and wetter and her cries when she pees or poops are getting worse, so what choice do I really have? It would be cruel not to treat her.
So, fingers crossed for my beautiful girl. She's a fighter, I know she can do it!
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Post by clairfo on Aug 22, 2012 9:07:37 GMT
Fingers and toes crossed for little Annie  x x |
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Post by fudgeandsmudge on Aug 22, 2012 10:15:18 GMT
Oh what a stressfull day for you. Hope everything goes well. Praying for her.
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Post by babydoll on Aug 22, 2012 12:56:11 GMT
Good luck little Annie you can do it  Jackie |
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Post by Orlaith on Aug 22, 2012 13:50:25 GMT
The operation is over and done with.
The vet nurse said on the phone that the operation was tough but it was a success and Annie has woken up from the anaesthetic and is eating a little. They want to keep her for a few more hours to monitor her as she's still a little sleepy so I'll be picking her up after six. Fingers crossed the recovery goes well.
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