Red Pepper and the vets...

[phantom35]

While cleaning out my guinea pigs yesterday...kokanee walked onto an area with no bedding and left a little present for me (typical!!)! I was surprised to noticed that this little wee she had left me was a baby pink colour!!
Of course...after seeing this, I got very worried, called up my vet and discussed it with him. As I've never noticed her urine being this colour before now and she isn't really showing me any obvious distress, he told me it was probably because she was menstruating...(which surprises me, as after reading this site apparently they don't menstruate..shouldn't vets know this???!!!) I booked an appointment to take her down there tonight anyway. But it has suddenly dawned on me. I fed the girls red pepper on Sunday night....and it was in her little hidey house (she must have dragged it in there to eat it??) could this have changed the colour of her urine to pink??
I took Padme (Kokanee's sister) to the vets with the same problem a few months back and left the vets disgusted!!! The vet squeezed her bladder to make her urinate on the table so he could take a sample and the noise my little baby girl made while he was doing this really upset me. He found there wasn't anything wrong with her and she was very timid with me for quite a while afterwards...if I can avoid putting Kokanee through this I would rather!!! :-( I hate that man! But there's no one else available to take Kokanee too at such short notice!
Is there any other way they can take samples without causing so much distress to the piglet!!?

[PrayerWarrior]

No, red pepper won't change the color of their urine. If that were the case, our little babies would be peeing the rainbow!

And there has to be another way than squeezing a guinea pig to make them pee. The vet could've killed her! I would not take her there ever again. That's why it's always a good idea to have a cavy savvy vet lined up.

[phantom35]

Originally Posted by PrayerWarrior

No, red pepper won't change the color of their urine. If that were the case, our little babies would be peeing the rainbow!

Well thankyou very much PrayerWarrior for trying to ridicule my question...browsing through the other threads based on the "pink urine" subject so far I have seen the below replies!:

Originally Posted by Roxy&Rex

Have you been feeding any items that would coincide with the tone?

Such as colored pellets,Excessive carrots,tomatoes

Originally Posted by nonamian_girl

Don't freak out, pigs often have discoloured urine from things they eat--especially beats and red chard. Apparently if there is blood in the urine, you'll KNOW it (that's what Weaver told me cuz I was freaking out about the same thing once).

Wait what, Weaver you're sending me mixed signals here .

So I think it's fair to ask if an orange carrot, beats, tomato and red chard can alter the colour of a guinea pigs urine...can a red pepper??

And on the

Originally Posted by PrayerWarrior

I would not take her there ever again. That's why it's always a good idea to have a cavy savvy vet lined up.

response. A) what is a cavy savvy?? and B) No, I obviously do not want to take her to that place again...I have one vets within 20 minutes drive from my house. Where else will you have me take her?? I think an hours drive is a bit excessive!

[Toadies]

I have to take urine samples for one of my boys to the vet pretty frequently. I put him in the collapsible crate that I use to transport him, with clean butcher paper on the bottom. I give him a piece of lettuce and a bowl of pellets and wait. Pretty soon, pee puddles. Then I use a sterile syringe to suck up some of the pee. Because the paper is clean and I know what exactly was in the crate with him, the sample works for checking for blood, specific gravity or infection. I just make sure that I pick a puddle that's not contaminated with any poop. No stress to the pig AND he gets extra treats.

[PrayerWarrior]

Originally Posted by phantom35

Well thankyou very much PrayerWarrior for trying to ridicule my question...browsing through the other threads based on the "pink urine" subject so far I have seen the below replies!:

Wait just a minute, that was never my intent. You took it way out of context, and I was simply saying if red pepper could change the color, why not carrots and lettuce?

And on the response. A) what is a cavy savvy?? and B) No, I obviously do not want to take her to that place again...I have one vets within 20 minutes drive from my house. Where else will you have me take her?? I think an hours drive is a bit excessive!

A) Cavy savvy is someone that is knowledgeable about cavies and what they can and can't tolerate in terms of medicine, foods, etc.
B) Actually, an hour is not excessive, in my opinion, but it's up to you.

[gooberific]

I think PrayerWarrior just meant that otherwise, with all the different colored foods we feed our piggies, they'd be peeing red, yellow, green, orange, blue, etc. It wasn't attacking your question, but I can understand that you're worried about your little girl and read it differently than I might have.

A vet experienced in treating guinea pigs (cavy savvy) would be the best for your piggies. An hour's drive would be worth it to me if it meant the best for my pigs.

[phantom35]

Thanks Toadies.....that sounds like an awesome way of getting wee samples!!

And sorry PrayerWarrior for taking your reply the wrong way, I really did feel like you were mocking me.

Looking at the way you spell colour...(color) are you American?? I am in the UK and have never heard of a Cavy Savvy? Looking on the internet there appears to be no specialists here.

If Kokanee looked to be in distress than yes, I would obviously do anything to help her. But at the moment, it seems silly to drive a very long distance (expecially with the price of fuel at the moment) only to find she is absolutely fine.

[Haley0489]

I believe everyone who's replied is American, but Cavy Savvy is just a term we use on here to say a vet is guinea pig knowledgeable. You're looking for an exotics vet, or small animals vet. Normal cat/dog vets are usually in the dark about how to treat a guinea pig, and may prescribe deadly antibiotics or attempt treating something they have no idea about.

[Rattie Mom]

I don't know if this will help. But I noticed the pinkish tint in both my pigs AND my bunnies. I asked my vet, who is an exotic specialist, and she asked me what I gave them for dinner. One of the items was Raddiccio, and she said that could definitely change the color. Of course, she also mentioned blood in urine and other medical reasons as well.

I've watched closely and sure enough, everytime the pigs and bunns get Raddiccio, I see pinkish urine stains on the fleece.

I'm certainly not a pig expert (I've only had piggies for about 6 months now) but it does make sense to me that some foods could color their "output". I definitely see a difference in color of poo in my rats when they've eaten blueberries or other dark colored items.

[RayFay]

Here is a link where you can find a cavy knowledgeable vet near you.
Veterinarians - The GLX-Files

(link courtesy of GL)

[Amelioratione]

I'm sorry to hear that you're having so many problems! I wish you the best of luck.

If its any help, a friend of mind had a similar experience and after taking her female guinea pig to a cavy vet it turned out to be a urinary tract infection. Ew, those are definitely not fun.

I hope you find a vet near, that is very knowledgeable about guinea pigs, and I hope your little girl is doing better also.

[Ly&Pigs]

Some veggies can change the color of urine but generally red peppers probably wouldn't unless she had a lot of them. Beets on the other hand will change the color of the urine. There are other veggies that will change urine color, I just can't think of them all offhand right now.

She could have a UTI or another bladder problem. A vet visit wouldn't be out of order.

[clotho]

I have had one experience with pinkish urine in a boar who ended up having a bladder stone and needed surgery to remove it.

It is definitely a cause for concern if the pinkish tinge to the urine continues. The best way to monitor it is to put your piggie on white towels for a while and you will be able to see what colour she is peeing.

If you see it again, you'll know it wasn't what she ate and need to get her to a cavy knowledgeable vet. She may have a urinary tract infection that can be treated with antibiotics or she may have something more serious going on that requires surgery.

I have found that it actually saves money in the long run to drive further to see a vet who actually knows what they are doing with guinea pigs. Proper diagnosis and prompt, correct treatment can save your piggie's life (and save you money in the long run that you might have spent on incorrect meds, extra vet trips, etc.)

Have you checked out guinea lynx? It's a great place to post medical questions and get some wonderful advice and support. You can also find a list of vets there as was already mentioned. If/when you do take your piggies to the vet, you should take the list of safe and unsafe meds along with you so you don't accidently get an unsafe med prescribed for your piggie. The more you know, the better off you and your piggies will be.

Please let us know how kokanee is doing.

Guinea Lynx :: Common Mistakes
Guinea Lynx :: What's Normal?
Guinea Lynx :: UTI
Guinea Lynx :: Bladder Stones
Guinea Lynx :: Medications

[bettykiddospigs]

Good luck, we've had so many problems with our vet it's unreal!

[Char-x]

My piggy had pink urine when she had a UTI...I would definatly get her checked out by a vet with exotic/piggy knowledge. An hours drive away would be worth it, trust me!

[RainKindle]

Originally Posted by Toadies

I have to take urine samples for one of my boys to the vet pretty frequently. I put him in the collapsible crate that I use to transport him, with clean butcher paper on the bottom. I give him a piece of lettuce and a bowl of pellets and wait. Pretty soon, pee puddles. Then I use a sterile syringe to suck up some of the pee. Because the paper is clean and I know what exactly was in the crate with him, the sample works for checking for blood, specific gravity or infection. I just make sure that I pick a puddle that's not contaminated with any poop. No stress to the pig AND he gets extra treats.

I've searched the entire forum on "urine samples" and this is the best posted suggestion in my opinion. Thank you Toadies!
My question is:
How much does the vet usually need of the urine to test?
Also, Phantom, what did the vet say about your piggie?