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UTI/Urinary Tract Infection Small Blood Spots In Cage of Female Guinea Pig

Bailee

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Hi, one of my guinea pigs (i know which one) has been leaving small spots of blood around the cage. I had them at my friends house for a week while i was away, and she had taken care of them before. i supplied the veggies so i knew what they were eating. when i got them home i started to notice small red spots. Its not like there is blood in her pee, because her pee would be alot more than just a spot. i had her on paper towels for a while to see the blood and it is not diluted much, if at all. I notice she does seem to be in pain when she goes to the bathroom and squeaks and hunches over a bit. whenever she does this all she leaves is the blood and sometimes poo. they eat very healthy diets, oxbow pellets, timothy hay, water and 2 cups of veggies every day, but she is not overweight. she is still eating and drinking but i am getting more worried. i have spent the afternoon calling over 15 different vets near me and none of them take guinea pigs. i will end up taking her soon but want to know in the meantime. it seems like a UTI or Bladder stones but i know that the blood usually comes out in the pee with that. i really dont want her to be in pain. What should i do? putting diluted sugar free cranberry juice in one of their water bottles. i am avoiding calcium rich foods. anything else? and is there anything else it could be? again, taking her to the vet once i find one but need answers for the meantime please
 

bpatters

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It's classic for bladder stones. And no, the blood doesn't always come out in the urine with that. But hunching, squeaking, and blood when pooping say "bladder stone" about as loud as it's possible to say it.

Cranberry juice is useless. In humans, it may, but isn't proved to, help prevent a UTI from forming because it acidifies the urine. It does nothing once a stone has formed. But human urine is acidic, and guinea pig urine is basic. That means that they react very differently to anything eaten or drunk. High-calcium veggies should be avoided for pigs with stones, but even that may not help. It seems to be a genetic problem.

You need to find a good exotic vet quickly. If there is a stone and it falls into the urethra and blocks it, you'll have a full-on, painful, expensive medical emergency and you may lose your pig.
 

Spartan021

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Ok so giving a few small strands of yarrow leaves every 2-3 days should help, because yarrow is used for UTI's and such.

Some websites kid of explaining this in detail
(broken link removed)
https://m.facebook.com/notes/austra...sonous-herbs-and-plants-list/141846622536625/
https://galensgarden.co.uk/herbivores/guinea-pigs/guinea-pig-health/guinea-pig-urinary-tract/


This should help, but you still need to see an exotic vet, since this does not replace the vet it just gives you more time to find a good exotic vet that knows what they are doing.
 

bpatters

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Don't give the yarrow leaves. Same story as with humans -- herbivore urine is very different from carnivore urine, and what works with one make actually make the situation worse. Besides, you don't know that this pig has a UTI.



@Spartan021, you are new here, and you've already given some dicey advice. Be very sure that what you are recommending is safe and effective for guinea pigs, or your posts will be moderated.
 

Spartan021

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Ok and yarrow leaves are actually safe for guinea pigs and some books recommend feeding it to guinea pigs
 

spy9doc

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Ok and yarrow leaves are actually safe for guinea pigs and some books recommend feeding it to guinea pigs

When individuals make claims that no one has ever heard of, you need to make sure that you can provide accurate information. If you are going to continue to make these vague "claims", then you need to be prepared to back them up! Otherwise, you will get "called out" every time.

Saying "some books" just doesn't cut it. What books and where in the book(s) do you find your references? None of us mind learning something new, but when it comes from one whose previous advice has been less than sound, we are inherently dubious.
 

spy9doc

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Thank you for the links! I will be sure to follow them.....always interested in learning something new.
 

spy9doc

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Spent some time reading through the links you provided. The first link (https://www.guinea-pig-advisor.com/feeding/food-list/) is so full of misspelled words and bad grammar that I could hardly get through it. When I see something like that, I'm inherently suspicious of the accuracy of the information. Must be the college professor side of me!

Since I practice TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine), I am familiar with many of the herbs and forages that I see on the sites. I am quite open to learning more about common yard plants/weeds as they apply to cavy cuisine. Once warmer weather arrives, I'm sure that we'll see more of them in our yard.
 
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