Vet blood in urine, and a lump!

[skritters]

These problems are split between my two guinea pigs, but it's concerning one vet visit; I hope it's okay to be making one post about it.


A few nights ago when I had my pigs out for floor time I noticed some pink urine. By isolating them on paper towel I found out that it was coming from BMO. I set a vet appointment. The next morning I isolated her again until she peed, and her urine looked normal, but I wanted her checked out anyway.


From the reading I was doing online, I was thinking it would either be from a UTI or from bladder stones. The vet, however, said there was a chance it was a uterine issue---that because of the proximity of the uterus to the bladder/urethra sometimes blood can make its way into the urine. I hadn't read this anywhere---does anyone have experience with this? If it is this, he said the next course of action would be having her spayed.


BMO didn't pee while we were there, so I'll be taking her in for a urinalysis. I'm hoping this will give me the information I need, because otherwise x-rays are the next step.



LSP, on the other hand, has a lump on her back that has grown over the past several months. We aspirated it and the vet confirmed my belief that it's lipoma and therefore benign. He suggested surgery to have it removed, not because it's causing her discomfort now but because we expect that it will continue to grow, and the larger it is the greater the incision.


He's very supportive of preemptive spaying; he said that even if BMO doesn't have uterine issues that because female guinea pigs are at high risk to develop reproductive problems at one point or another he recommended spaying them both, before an issue arises and before they're too much older (LSP is 3yrs 9mos and BMO is 3yrs 5mos, approx.)



Here's the result: I'm overwhelmed by all of these invasive and expensive suggestions. I do have some money put aside for vet fees, and if they really were/are sick I would come up with the money.


But the urinalysis alone is over $100. If it's a UTI, there would be the cost of antibiotics and probiotics. If the urinalysis isn't conclusive, x-rays are $250.


If I were to get LSP the lumpectomy, that would be $525-$565 including the follow-up visit.


Spaying would $395 each.


I want to be a good owner and get them what they need. But I'm a student and just cannot afford what comes in to over $1700, if they were to get all of these things done. It also seems very invasive for them.



So, I'm asking for words of wisdom: is he way off base with the preemptive spaying, or would that be the responsible thing to do? Is it okay to leave the lump (for now)? The main issue seems to be the blood in urine issue, although it only happened that night and isn't showing up anymore (they didn't have anything red to eat).


Opinions/suggestions/experience?


Thank you!

 

[foggycreekcavy]

I'd skip the urinalysis and go right for the X-ray on BMO. Intermittent bleeding can be because of a stone, and if she has a stone you'll consider stone surgery.

Not all female guinea pigs develop reproductive problems. So if she doesn't have one now, you can wait until she actually shows symptoms before having her spayed. I wouldn't want to spay right now just on the off chance she has a problem.

The reproductive problem that usually causes bleeding is pyometra, which is an infection of the uterus. The discharge can be very bad smelling. Another problem could be a tumor, which should show up on a X-ray. Ovarian cysts, for the most part, don't usually cause bleeding, and you'd probably see other symptoms as well.

I think with BMO I'd want to get a more definitive diagnosis before deciding to spay.

With LSP, it's definitely a good idea to remove the growth before it gets too large. However, I believe that this is something that can wait until you figure out what to do with BMO.