Where People & Piggies Thrive

Newbie or Guinea Guru? Popcorn in!

Register for free to enjoy the full benefits.
Find out more about the NEW, drastically improved site and forum!

Register
  • ONE THREAD per pig please!
    We really want your pig's history all in one place to help you. Please don't start a new thread for a new issue. Just reply to your old one. We can edit the title for you if needed.

UTI/Urinary Tract Infection "Diet Sugar-free" Cranberry Juice Okay for Pigs?

Cavilicious

Active Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Aug 9, 2013
Posts
27
Joined
Aug 9, 2013
Messages
27
So I read on GuineaLynx that unsweetened cranberry juice can be given to guinea pigs in their water to help build up resistance to urinary issues in the future. My father, failing to follow instructions on buying unsweetened cranberry juice, instead bought Diet juice that, I'm assuming, uses corn syrup as a replacement for sugar, as per usual for juices meant for human consumption. I doubt this is okay to put in the pigs' water, but I was wondering if anyone had any definite (or pretty definite) knowledge on the subject.
 

bpatters

Moderator
Staff member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Sep 23, 2009
Posts
29,261
Joined
Sep 23, 2009
Messages
29,261
No. Diet drinks do NOT use corn syrup as a replacement for sugar. They all have artificial sweeteners, and no research has been done that I can find on the effects of those chemical on guinea pigs. I wouldn't give my guinea pigs a diet drink for anything.

There's also considerable controversy over whether cranberry juice does anything at all for guinea pigs. In humans, the theory is that because it acidifies the urine, it makes the bladder a less hospitable place for bacteria to grow, and thus helps prevent bladder infections. But guinea pigs are herbivores, and as such, they have alkaline urine. You'd have to give a HUGE amount of cranberry juice to even stand a chance of acidifying the urine, if it's even possible. Their bodies would be working to keep the urine alkaline, and it might not even be possible to get the urine to an acid state.

I personally think cranberries are useless for guinea pigs as far as urinary tract issues are concerned. They're a pretty good source of vitamin C, and a lot of guinea pigs like them as treats (don't use the heavily sugared ones). But my own opinion is that you're wasting your money if what you're trying to do is prevent bladder infections. Keeping the cage clean and the pig's bottom dry is a lot more effective.
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.

Similar threads

Top