Urine UTI?

acrc1118 · Aug 25, 2011

Hello! I am extremely new to this whole thing, please bare with me.

My little girl Callie is almost 4 years old.
On Tuesday night we put her in her pen for some exercise time and we noticed that when she peed, there seemed to be blood in it. It was late and she was acting normal so we didn't rush her to the emergency vet or anything. The next morning we took her to her regular. They did an x-ray and found no kidney stones, so they had us get a urine sample.

Today, I received a phone call from the vet stating there was still blood in her urine and that there are some crystals in there as well, even though nothing appeared on the x-ray.

He put her on enrofloxacin for 10 days and after that we are suppose to take another sample. Is that a good medicine to treat UTI or kidney stones?

My question is, I am a VERY paranoid mommy and I'm afraid if I wait to long and she does have a developing stone she will die. Is there anymore I should be doing? Is the vet doing everything they can for her?

I also hear somewhere that if it is kidney stones she may need surgery, she I press my vet to be more aggressive in looking for stones?

She is still acting normal, eating, drinking, playing. I'm just afraid that if I wait till she isn't normal it will be to late.

foggycreekcavy · Aug 25, 2011

Guinea pigs don't really develop kidney stones, just bladder stones. Sometimes females are able to pass stones without surgery--sometimes with help from the vet flushing them out.

Lots of vets prescribe enrofloxacin (Baytril) as a matter of course for most guinea pig ailments. However, Bactrim (trimethoprim sulfa) is usually a better antibiotic for urinary tract problems.

That said, perhaps the vet cultured the bacteria and found that Baytril works for it.

If the xray showed no stones, and your vet is pretty cavy experienced, then I would go with what your vet said. You may want to look into feeding your guinea pig a diet specifically for stone and bladder issues.

SurfingPigs · Aug 25, 2011

Are you weighing daily? I would monitor her weight and go to a vet immediately if there is sustained or serious weight loss. Enrofloxacin is piggy safe, but a probiotic should be given to help replenish intestinal flora. Was a sensitivity test performed on the bacteria?

Careful monitoring and seeking vet assistance when needed, along with informing yourself as much as possible, are all good steps which you have already taken.

Do read the information on the following link, it is a good primer on how to treat guinea pigs with ABX: https://www.guinealynx.info/antibiotic_advice.html

acrc1118 · Aug 25, 2011

I'm on that site all the time! It's bookmarked at home and work actually.

This is the first health problem (knock on wood) I've had with her in 4 years, so I'm very new at this.

How can I weight her and what exactly is a probiotic?

The vet didn't say what test he performed on the urine, should I call and ask?

I was wondering if I did harm to her diet. The little girl LOVES veggies, but could take or leave fruits. She mainly eats carrots, spinach, and cucumbers. I'm thinking I should branch her out a bit more. We have tried in the past, but she can be stubborn sometimes!

Thank you so much for all your help!

SurfingPigs · Aug 25, 2011

acrc1118 said:
How can I weight her and what exactly is a probiotic?

Kitchen food scale will work. Digital ones are better for accuracy, but any food scale will work if you can get consistent readings from it.

A probiotic is a supplement that you can find at the local pharmacy. The antibiotics will kill off some of the crucial intestinal flora that aids in digestion, and probiotics help to replace some of this flora in the GI tract.

acrc1118 said:
She mainly eats carrots, spinach, and cucumbers.

I would greatly vary this. Spinach shouldn't be the main source of leafy greens, as it is high in oxalic acid, which binds to calcium and increases stone risk. GL has good information on favorite foods of pigs. You should definitely add green bell peppers and some green and red leaf lettuce to this list. Offer new foods gradually, and you will be surprised by what the pigs love.

acrc1118 · Aug 25, 2011

SurfingPigs said:
Kitchen food scale will work. Digital ones are better for accuracy, but any food scale will work if you can get consistent readings from it.

A probiotic is a supplement that you can find at the local pharmacy. The antibiotics will kill off some of the crucial intestinal flora that aids in digestion, and probiotics help to replace some of this flora in the GI tract.

I would greatly vary this. Spinach shouldn't be the main source of leafy greens, as it is high in oxalic acid, which binds to calcium and increases stone risk. GL has good information on favorite foods of pigs. You should definitely add green bell peppers and some green and red leaf lettuce to this list. Offer new foods gradually, and you will be surprised by what the pigs love.

Thank you again for all the info. I'll pick up some new and interesting veggies for her on the way home tonight.

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