Urine Blood in Urine

[NicholsS10]

So here's my dilemma: every once in a while (now more frequently) I find blood in the cage, blood that's in urine. I'm positive of this, it's not dehydration. I have 5 pigs that live together. I haven't taken the pig into the vet, because frankly I'm not sure WHO it is. I was able to rule out 2 of my 5 pigs for sure. That leaves 3 possibilities. I think it's my neutered boy, Bodie. I was sitting on the floor with them during floor time and his jumped in a clean, white cozy. When he jumped out, I saw pink urine. So I'm pretty sure it's him. The blood can also very in color from pink to red. Here's the thing, he has NO OTHER SYMPTOMS! No pain while urinating (no squeaking while urinating). He has not lost weight (I weigh him weekly). He has been lethargic, he has not been eating less, nothing has changed. I have noticed some white spots in my cage that I know occur when they dispel extra calcium. I have since made an adjustment in their diet and lowered the amount of calcium they get. I have felt these when dry: they are smooth.

I made an appointment to take him into the vet, he goes in on thursday morning with another one of my guinea pigs who has a different problem. Since they were recently treated for lice (which cost me 400 dollars to fix--my entire vet fund) I had to apply for care credit (I was approved) so I can pay for their treatment.

I was wondering if ANYBODY has any idea what might be going on with Bodie? I want an idea when I go into the vet to make sure that the right tests are done (I have a good cavy savvy vet, I just like to make sure since I'm a poor college student and more tests equal more money that I might have a hard time affording). Thanks in advance! (and thanks for reading this long question!)

 

[NicholsS10]

Please not: I said I don't know who it is in the beginning because I'm not sure, and I'm still not completely positive it's Bodie.

 

[NicholsS10]

"He has been lethargic, he has not been eating less, nothing has changed." The quote is from my first post, I need to correct this. He has NOT been lethargic!

 

[PiggieMamaKelly]

The strongest possibilities are bladder stones or urinary tract infection (UTI). Bladder stones are detected by x-ray or ultrasound. UTIs are detected by urinalysis. A urinalysis costs me about 30 dollars, while an x-ray costs 120 at my vet's office. If you are on a limited budget, I would ask for the urinalysis FIRST. One time my vet did an x-ray FIRST because she suspected stones for some reason. It turned out to be a UTI and I wished I would have asked her to test for UTI first and save me some $$.

Edited to add: Make fairly certain you have the right pig before you go to the vet so you don't waste your money. Take each pig out individually for lap-time on a white towel. Feed veggies and wait for potty and you should see who has the blood.

 

[Paula]

Yes, PMK is right, it's likely a stone or a UTI. And the urinalysis is the best way to go, for sure. At my vet that's about 40 bucks, the xray is 100, and the surgery to remove a stone (if it's necessary) was in my case 500 bucks.

If it's not constant, it's possible he has a UTI, which is the less expensive route and I would ask for a UA first.

Best of luck to you and Bodie.

 

[NicholsS10]

Thanks guys! Another question: how do you thank people for individual responses besides saying thanks in a message like this. I'm talking about adding a thanks to: thanked xxx times in xxx posts.

 

[Paula]

Ha, it's like a full 30 days I think.

 

[NicholsS10]

Oh, thanks!

 

[Paula]

You might check this out, too, I found it really helpful with my stone pig.

Guinea Lynx :: Becky's Sample Stones Diet

 

[NicholsS10]

Thank you so much for your help! I love this website so much!

 

[5guinea5pig5]

Thank you so much for your help! I love this website so much!

Don't we all?

 

[NicholsS10]

Need Some Advice for Vet Visist

Tomorrow morning I have an appointment with my cavy savvy vet. At first it was for 2 of my pigs, now it is for 4! Since scheduling my visit, I have noticed problems with 2 more of my pigs. I have no idea what is going on! I do everything I'm suppose to do to the letter, and they all just got check ups (from a cavy savvy vet in my mother's hometown since one had lice--they all needed check-ups in order to get the medicine for all of them). They all had a clean bill of health 3 weeks ago! I have not changed my care of them since then, the only difference is that I am back at my apartment and that since my vet fund is depleted I had to apply for care credit, which I was approved for, thankfully.

Here's the link to the thread about 1 of my pigs that I had questions about: https://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/medical-veterinary-topics/41084-blood-urine.html
It's about once in a while finding blood in his urine. I am now confident that it is him. I am also bringing BoJangles in since she has a weird lump on her back, it's not bothering her, but it looks funny and I want to get it checked out since I'm going there anyway.

Here's the update on way I have to bring in 4 pigs instead of 2: all of a sudden 2 are limping! I have no idea how this happened. One (Skunk) is my most athletic pig, she loves to run laps. She somehow hurt her front left leg. And the other one, Root Beer is a lot more laid back, and you can always find her in a cozy (she almost never goes up on the bunks anymore). She ALSO HURT THE SAME LEG! It's just weird. I have no idea what is going on! I told the vet's office, so now they are going in. Until then I have placed them into a MUCH smaller cage to confine their movement and created a very plushy and soft bedding in the cage with extra towels and extra fleece. I can't think of anything else to do to keep them comfortable until I get to the vet in the morning.

I'm also thinking of bringing in my fifth pig, just in case they all need medicine for something, because I just can't be to careful right now. But she's not gonna get a check-up or anything unless she HAS to since there is nothing wrong with her. I figure I should bring her just in case, all the others are going anyway.

Anyways, here's my question: Do you guys have any suggestions on how to prepare for this insane vet visit?

I'm thinking of bringing the fleece in, since Bodie just put some blood on it today, so the vet can SEE the blood for sure.

I am also going to put the girls with the injured legs in a separate box, laundry basket, or carrier from the others so as to not aggravate any injuries.

I was also thinking of bringing in my weight journal (I weigh them weekly) and was thinking of brining in some fresh vegetables as treats for them.

Do you guys have any other suggestions?

 

[Paula]

Re: Need Some Advice for Vet Visist

You might not need to take the fleece. When they do a UA on Bodie they will be able to see any blood or any other bacteria that might be present.

Weight journal also won't hurt, but they will still get weights on all of them for meds. Unless one's been losing, the book might not be necessary.

Do take veggies, and lots of hay. If they end up having to stay for xrays or anything, they might need you to leave them, and you want to be sure to have lots of hay for them to eat if they aren't too freaked out to be interested in it.

I always take things for the pigs to hide in too, because they are always panicky, no matter how calm the pig is to begin with. Lots of blankets so they are comfy and any special toys or anything like that that might calm them further would be a great idea.

Good luck, and hopefully it doesn't cost you a fortune.

 

[NicholsS10]

Re: Need Some Advice for Vet Visist

It probably will cost a fortune! To get rid of a minor lice problem over winter break (I'm in college) it cost $400! Which was my entire vet fund. I only have a $500 dollar credit on my care credit... hopefully that's enough. My regular vet, who I am seeing soon, is cheaper than the vet that I had to takes my pigs to over winter break, since I was too far away from my regular vet. He gives me discounts too since I'm a college student, I guess he admires that someone as young as me is always trying to do right by my pets.

I also DON'T think that Root Beer's or Skunk's legs are actually broken or fractured. They move around pretty well, minus the limp (they just try not to put any pressure on that leg), they are eating well and drinking well, so they must not be in a lot of pain, and Skunk is in heat, and she keeps trying to mount Root Beer like crazy--I have them in the same small cage, I only have 1 extra cage. It's small, I use it as a hospital cage. I think they just strained muscles or sprained their ankles or something. It's just weird that it happened on the same leg on each pig.

 

[NicholsS10]

Re: Need Some Advice for Vet Visist

In case anyone was wondering about my pigs, I figured I would give an update. I just came back from the vet, we were there for almost 2 and a half hours! I decided to bring all 5 pigs in case the lice came back (if I was going to the vet, I figured I might as well get them all checked out again for it). He gave me some discounts, he always does! So for 5 pigs, it cost me under $250! Well within my budget.

Bodie- NO signs of lice (he was the one who had it the first time), a urine analysis was done on him (he peed on the steel table so the vet was about to use that sample instead of getting it from his bladder!), and blood WAS found in his urine, as well as "clumps of bacteria." He said no crystals were found, since he has no pain in his abdomen and since the blood intermittent and he shows no signs of pain while urinating, he believes it's just a UTI. He gave me Baytril since Bodie tolerates it well. He's taking 0.5cc twice a day for 10 days.

BoJangles- NO signs of lice! The vet was very thorough with the lump on her back, which has gotten smaller over the past couple weeks. He believes it was a bad scab (he picked it off and looked underneath and then cleaned it off a little). He said it look healthy, and was probably nothing to worry about. Unless it gets worse, he said just to apply a little neosporin to it twice a day.

Monkey- No signs of lice! She was my healthy girl, he just gave her a quick look over.

Root Beer- No signs of lice! Root Beer had a limp, which was not as bad as Skunk's. He felt everything in her both arms, hands, and shoulders for comparison. He also tested full range of motion. She tolerated well, no squealing. He said she probably strained a muscle or pulled something, and that she would be fine. He limp HAS started to get a little better already anyways. He said she could even go back into the C&C cage again.

Skunk- No signs of lice! Skunk's arm was WORSE than Root Beer's. He compared both arms. She tolerated the right one, but squealed with the left when he was checked out her shoulder, she also kept trying to bite him. He also noticed her lifting her paw off the ground often and limping more noticeably. He gave me some Metacam, which I am to put a drop of on a vegetable and give her to eat once a day for 3 to 5 days. She must stay in the pet store cage to restrict her movement and stay on a soft bedding. He said she'll be fine with rest, and the Metacam.

 

[Paula]

Re: Need Some Advice for Vet Visist

Did he give Bodie metacam? UTI's can be a painful condition, so it might be worth looking into.

Also, did he give Bodie any acidophilus to take with the Baytril? Pigs generally need a probiotic when they are taking an antibiotic. Else, whether the AB is safe or not, it can kill off all the good gut flora and cause the pig gut upsets, which for a pig can be quite serious.

Glad they are all doing ok for the most part.

 

[NicholsS10]

Re: Need Some Advice for Vet Visist

Bodie was not given any metacam since he has not shown any pain whatsoever. No squealing while peeing, no squealing while the vet was pushing on his tummy or around that area, he also hasn't lost any weight, he's actually gained a little weight recently (I weight them at least once a week). I'm more concerned about Skunk's pain since she lost 3oz in the past four days, so she really needs it. I don't want to give Bodie any unnecessary medication, so he's not on Metacam, and the vet didn't recommend it either.

He also only gave Bodie the Baytril. He's been on it before, just baytril for an infection after a surgery, and he tolerated it really well, no upset tummy. So I don't know if he really needs a probiotic. What should I look for to determine whether or not he needs it?

And thank you for showing concern for my pigs, I really do appreciate it! It's nice to know that people genuinely care here

 

[Paula]

Re: Need Some Advice for Vet Visist

I honestly would give the probiotic anyway.

You give it 45 minutes to an hour before the AB.

This is what my vet sells - Nature’s Life Garden Acidophilus - 100 Capsules - LuckyVitamin.com.

At the vet clinic they cost nearly a buck a pill, but you can obviously get it much cheaper elsewhere.

In the case of my pig who is on AB's right now, he LOVES this acidophilus and literally tries to steal the syringe from me when I'm giving it to him. He's gotten it away from me a few times, and he runs to the back of the cage with his loot only to realize he has no idea how to operate the plunger.

 

[NicholsS10]

Re: Need Some Advice for Vet Visist

That is so cute that he does that!

And thanks for the advice, I'm going to look into getting the probiotics.

 

[Paula]

Re: Need Some Advice for Vet Visist

It's easy, you just break apart the capsule and mix it in some warm water. In my case I use a 10 mL syringe because he loves it so much, but you could easily get away with just a 3 mL or even a 1 mL if you have the patience for getting the powdery stuff into a syringe that small.

Good luck!