Sick Help! We are bleeding!

[HDPigletMommy]

Good morning. Before I say anything let me assure everyone that Daisy Mae has the first available appointment with her vet today - however that is not until 1 pm. I am taking off work and taking her in. Ok, that is out of the way now -

I'm a MESS today. I need some advice. My Daisy Mae is bleeding a little bit when she goes to the bathroom. It isn't a lot, actually when we first saw it in the pen we thought maybe they had been fighting - it just didn't seem like enough blood to be in her pee.

It wasn't happening yesterday morning - when I cleaned out their pen. However, last night I saw it on the places where the girls sleep - so I kept an eye out and saw Daisy going to the bathroom (right where she doesn't normally go) and when she pooed there was blood coming out as well, not a lot, but enough that I could see it and that it scared me.

It seemed like it took her a bit longer to go than usual to go to the bathroom too. Normally the poos just kind of pop right out even while they are running around. She stopped, kind of squatted and, after what seemed like awhile to me, about 5 poos came out and the blood in the middle. I wiped a bit of the blood on a tissue and collected the poos - immediately contacted her vet (this was around 8 pm and they were just closing for the night but didn't seem to think I needed to take her to the ER Vet...). They are going to see her at 1:00 today (they only have two women that see piglets, so that is the first appointment available for her today).

Have you ever seen/heard of/had anything like this happen? Can you put my mind at ease with a simple idea of what it could be (I am really hoping it is something very easily cured!) If you are going to say something horrible like it might be cancer, please don't. I'm at work and already a crying mess. I'm just hoping someone might be able to set my mind at ease a bit until I go see the doc.

She was great this morning, snuggly - like normal, running around, jumping up and down for her food. Peeing, pooping, eating, playing, sleeping, snuggling, purring when I held her. She seems fine except for that. And I didn't see any blood this morning. I also think if I used regular bedding (not fleece) I don't know that I would have even see the blood at all - so I'm glad I use the fleece!

Could it be something I'm feeding her? I WILL be taking her to the vet no matter what, but I was hoping maybe you could set my mind at ease a tiny bit?

Thank you
Michelle

 

[Piggies010]

Hi I just saw your post then, how is Daisy Mae going? What did the vet say?

 

[HDPigletMommy]

Hi I just saw your post then, how is Daisy Mae going? What did the vet say?

She goes in today to see the vet, I just posted this about an hour ago. But honestly she SEEMS perfectly fine. She doesn't seem "sick" at all. And as I mentioned, had I not had WHITE fleece on the bottom of the pen, I don't think I would have even seen the blood, it really is a very small amount, diluted with something (I'm not sure if it is pee or not) Thank you for asking.

 

[Tara1]

Hope she is ok and its nothing.

 

[HannibalLecter]

It could be a urinary tract infection, stones or pyometra (infection of the uterus).
It's serious yes, but all are treatable. I know it's hard but try to just keep calm for now, it's great that she's active & eating.
Pyometra would require an spay for example, a UTI will be treated with antibiotics & stones may require an x-ray to diagnose.
What color is the stain? Is it a pinkish red, or more orange? Dried orange urine is normal from time to time.

Guinea lynx info:
https://www.guinealynx.info/uti.html

Keep us updated okay?

 

[HDPigletMommy]

It could be a urinary tract infection, stones or pyometra (infection of the uterus).
It's serious yes, but all are treatable. I know it's hard but try to just keep calm for now, it's great that she's active & eating.
Pyometra would require an spay for example, a UTI will be treated with antibiotics & stones may require an x-ray to diagnose.

Guinea lynx info:
https://www.guinealynx.info/uti.html

Keep us updated okay?

Thanks, I was on there reading that information last night and again this morning. I'm hoping it is just a UTI, nothing more difficult. But she is my baby. I have two girls and they really are everything to me. I'm just very glad I was able to catch it before she started showing me any signs of not feeling well.

I'll let you know what the vet says.

 

[NJPKL]

Thanks, I was on there reading that information last night and again this morning. I'm hoping it is just a UTI, nothing more difficult. But she is my baby. I have two girls and they really are everything to me. I'm just very glad I was able to catch it before she started showing me any signs of not feeling well.

I'll let you know what the vet says.

I hope all went well at the vet!

 

[Owned by cavy]

Hope the vet went well! Post an update if you can! Hugs to you and Daisy!

 

[HDPigletMommy]

Thank you for your caring. We saw the vet on Friday afternoon. I had to take a urine sample (wow that was fun...) They checked that before they came in to see me and said there is a LOT LOT of blood in her urine.

The felt her and said they couldn't feel any kidney stones. She also had an X-Ray done about 2 months ago (not quite that long ago). She checked that and said there was no indication that she was starting to get any kidney stones back then. She feels that, yes she could have gotten them within the past 2 months but she thinks that would be rare that they would form totally that quickly.

So she is leaning towards just a urinary tract infection (poor baby). She doesn't wheek when she pees, so that's a good sign. She is on an antibiotic (she HATES it - and really does not like cherry flavoring) for 10 days - twice a day.

I have been monitoring her pee (as much as you can in a piglet). Once in the morning and once in the evening I get her to pee in a liter pan that has a white paper towel down (instead of liter) she's being a real trooper. I have noticed a considerable reduction of blood in her pee.

I noticed on Friday I was only able to snuggle her for 5-10 minutes at a time then she was telling me she needed to pee. I'm not sure she actually did or just felt like she had to. By Sunday morning she was back to her normal schedule in the morning of snuggling me for a good 45 minutes before she asks to be put back to pee.

I did notice the medication is making her drowsy. Poor thing. She wants out a lot - she comes to the side and makes LOUD noises for me - my husband laughs because she "calls mommy" when she wants held! As soon as I get her out to snuggle she falls right asleep in my arms. Not that I mind snuggling a sleeping, warm, snuggly piglet!!!

So for right now I am leaning towards a UTI as well, I feel it was the correct assessment. However, if in a week or 10 days she is not better she will be going back to our vet and having an x-ray taken.


I do have one question though - I have been reading about kidney stones online. There are a few places that say if you find a good piggy vet they can massage out kidney stones in a female guinea pig. Has anyone ever had this experience? If you have heard of it, please let me know.

If it turns out that she has kidney stones - I believe I will be calling around to the exotic vets within an, oh, 30-50 mile radius of our house and seeing if any of them are able to do that rather than subjecting her to surgery!

Thanks so much! And Daisy appreciates all the support for mommy as well! Wheek Wheek!

 

[Carissa6729]

I've never heard of the massaging so I can't help there, but I'm so happy she's doing better! YAY!

 

[CanadianComforts]

It depends on where the stone is and how big it is. I know a few people who got lucky and had a few stones out that way but most times they either pass on their own or need to be operated on.

 

[NJPKL]

Aw, thanks you so much for the update on poor Daisy! I don't have any info on the massaging but I wish her well!

 

[bpatters]

It's my understanding that stones can only be massaged out if they're in the urethra (tube from the bladder to the outside), not if they're free-floating in the bladder. That may be incorrect, but I wouldn't want my pig's bladder massaged if it had a stone in it -- some of those stones are spiky beyond belief, and that would be very painful.

Also, feeling for stones is not an adequate way to diagnose them -- you need an x-ray to do that, no matter how recently they've had one done. However, if the symptoms clear up, the problem likely is an UTI rather than a stone.

 

[foggycreekcavy]

I think you are referring to kidney stones, but they are actually bladder stones. Guinea pigs don't get kidney stones.

Antibiotics do not make a guinea pig sleepy. There may be something else going on. What is the antibiotic?

Stones in females can sometimes be flushed or massaged out. It depends on the size and position of the stone. Usually only if it's at the end of the urethra. Some females are able to pass stones on their own.

 

[HDPigletMommy]

I was told by both the vet and the pharmacist that it would cause drowsiness....? Were they both wrong? I can't tell you the name of the antibiotic right now, I'm at work and really have no idea. I could have told you on Friday but, yeah, not anymore. I am not good with medication names. I just know it was NOT on the no-no list of medications I got online, it was on the approved list.

She is 100% fine other than the bleeding a tiny bit when she pees and had I not had white fleece down I would not have known about that as she isn't making sounds when she pees/poos - she's eating, sleeping, drinking, wheeking, popcorning, snuggling, running around and playing just like normal.

And yes, I'm sorry, I didn't know there were BLADDER stones. But that, apparently, is what I meant.

 

[bguardguy]

I am glad that your piggie is doing better!

 

[HDPigletMommy]

Maybe I need to learn not to post on here. I am a VERY GOOD piglet mommy - better than a lot of people I know. I spend hours with them, spoil them, love them and care for them just like they were my own children - actually they ARE my children.

But every time I post a question on here I feel that I am being scolded. I do everything I'm told to do - go to the vet, do this, try that - and still SOMEONE "scolds" me. It's kind of not nice. Maybe I need to learn my lesson this time and not post on here anymore. Which really is a shame because there is a lot of collective knowledge here. I guess I can just stick with the other forums I'm on.

 

[NJPKL]

Maybe I need to learn not to post on here. I am a VERY GOOD piglet mommy - better than a lot of people I know. I spend hours with them, spoil them, love them and care for them just like they were my own children - actually they ARE my children.

But every time I post a question on here I feel that I am being scolded. I do everything I'm told to do - go to the vet, do this, try that - and still SOMEONE "scolds" me. It's kind of not nice. Maybe I need to learn my lesson this time and not post on here anymore. Which really is a shame because there is a lot of collective knowledge here. I guess I can just stick with the other forums I'm on.

You are a GREAT piggy momma! Don't let anybody offend or second guess you- just enjoy the good posts and ignore the offensive ones! We'd miss you!

 

[HDPigletMommy]

You are a GREAT piggy momma! Don't let anybody offend or second guess you- just enjoy the good posts and ignore the offensive ones! We'd miss you!

Thank you, that was a nice comment, I appreciate it. It is just so frustrating when I am busting my butt trying to do the exact right thing for my girls. I love them more than anything and I feel that everyone second guesses me. And it is one thing to give advice, it's another to give it with the tone some people use.

But thank you very much. That was a lovely post.

 

[soopermum62]

Hugs and Well Wishes for you and your piggie!