Bloated Medical mystery

[mccolgan22]

Hello, my Guinea pig is going on 2 years old in December, but he has been sick for 73 days now. It all started with a URI, then GI stasis, bloat, diarrhea, bloat (again). Now what he is going through is something that no vet in my area can diagnose. He arches his back and whimpers when he poops. Not all the time, but mainly when we syringe feed critical care. His urine juts recently started turning a dark orange color. I know it could be oxidation but he never had it before. When he urinates there is a white spot left from where he pees. It is kinda powdery but not grainy. He seems to be happy for hours and then all the sudden he will puff up and just sit there seeming in pain. I am so lost, it’s been a very long road for recovery. I’m not losing hope on him but it seems like everyone is giving up on him. I think that if he is still here living then he wants to live and be here. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Guinea Pig Papa]

He's adorable. I'm sorry you are both going through this.

The white stuff when he urinates is excess calcium. The orange is almost certainly oxidation, but it can also be a reflection of what he's eaten recently. This can cause bladder stones which, if not caught in time, will be fatal. The bloat can be a symptom of bladder stones, but I don't see any in the radiographs you've posted.

How well does he drink water? What is his diet like? Does he eat pellets and if so, what kind? If he doesn't drink enough, you can syringe feed him water to help flush the sludge out. My little man Scooter had radiographs two weeks before he passed away, and there were no stones on his xrays either and yet, a lodged bladder stone is what took him. The back arching is also a classic symptom.

What I would do at this point, is remove anything from his diet that can create excess urinary calcium, such as romaine lettuce, spinach and parsley. Guinea pigs also don't REQUIRE pellets, and can live a very good life without them. Since they are a source of stabilized vitamin C you would need to supplement him that.

 

[mccolgan22]

He's adorable. I'm sorry you are both going through this.

The white stuff when he urinates is excess calcium. The orange is almost certainly oxidation, but it can also be a reflection of what he's eaten recently. This can cause bladder stones which, if not caught in time, will be fatal. The bloat can be a symptom of bladder stones, but I don't see any in the radiographs you've posted.

How well does he drink water? What is his diet like? Does he eat pellets and if so, what kind? If he doesn't drink enough, you can syringe feed him water to help flush the sludge out. My little man Scooter had radiographs two weeks before he passed away, and there were no stones on his xrays either and yet, a lodged bladder stone is what took him. The back arching is also a classic symptom.

What I would do at this point, is remove anything from his diet that can create excess urinary calcium, such as romaine lettuce, spinach and parsley. Guinea pigs also don't REQUIRE pellets, and can live a very good life without them. Since they are a source of stabilized vitamin C you would need to supplement him that.

His diet is strictly oxbow essential pellets, Timothy hay, oxbow vitamin C and digestive support tablets. He chews on apple sticks and we let him chew on bamboo sticks on occasion. He doesn’t get any veggies because we think that may have cause him to bloat the last time. He is drinking a lot of water and eating a pretty good amount of hay. He just recently started to eat some pellets here and there. He only cries when he poops and that’s typically when we syringe feed him critical care.