Urine Reoccurring blood in urine (Bladder Sludge Piggie)

[cheyanneh]

Hi everyone, I have come to this board to seek any advice or guidance.
First, some stats/history.
My male pig, Oliver, 5 turning 6 in November, started to show blood in urine about 7 months ago. He didn't squeal when peeing and he did not seem in pain. Took him to his exotic vet, they did a urinalysis and an ultrasound. There was NO infection or white blood cells, so it was not a UTI. They did say there was excess protein in the urine. I wanted more answers so we did the ultrasound of the bladder and the kidneys. They said there were no tumors or masses, kidneys looked fine.
In the bladder, they said there was some bladder sludge buildup. The vet advised me to cut back on his pellet intake and we switched from Oxbow to KMS pellets. He gets unlimited Timothy hay and sometimes Oat hay. He is a good eater. I give him water from a Brita water filter and I would say he drinks anywhere from 2-4 onces a day depending on the day.
He has been doing good with no blood in the urine for a few weeks, but now he has it again tonight. I just don't know what to do anymore! He acts completely normal, plays with his sisters, eats like a little cow, and has lots of energy. I have called the vet each time and she has told me the reason for the blood in the urine is because the bladder sludge is scraping against the bladder walls and causing it to bleed. I don't know what to do. Even though he doesn't seem in pain, I want this to stop.
ANY suggestions are appreciated!!

 

[bpatters]

Some pigs can just have chronic bladder problems because of their genetics, not because of diet or other factors. So there may not be a lot you can do.

I'd increase the amount he drinks by syringing him water or pedialyte. You can flavor the water with something he likes. But if you can get 30-40 cc a day extra in him, it may help flush his bladder out. It might also help for the vet to give him a sub-q, and to teach you how to do it. Having more fluid go through his bladder can't do anything but help.

The other things is to encourage more movement. I realize that's easier said than done with some pigs, but the activity suspends the sludge in the urine so it can be passed from the bladder more easily.

 

[Soecara]

The only other thing to consider with diet is vegetables. I'm sure you have already addressed the high calcium veg, but do keep in mind some vegetables can cause some guinea pigs sludge issues even though the vegetable isn't high in calcium for unknown reasons. A good example of this would be romaine/cos lettuce, it isn't any higher in calcium than other lettuces but for some reason it causes issue in some guinea pigs but not others.

 

[spy9doc]

I'd increase the amount he drinks by syringing him water or pedialyte. You can flavor the water with something he likes. But if you can get 30-40 cc a day extra in him, it may help flush his bladder out. It might also help for the vet to give him a sub-q, and to teach you how to do it. Having more fluid go through his bladder can't do anything but help.

From experience, I can agree that this has the potential to make a difference. I had a sow who had a bladder stone plus a lot of sludge. The bladder stone lodged in the wall of her urethra and stayed there until her death. Keep in mind that the male urethra is longer and more narrow than a female and thus is more problematic when it comes to passing a stone or even sludge.

The sludge was a different story. We had an ultrasound done on a Friday which revealed quite a bit of sludge in her bladder. Over that weekend, I syringed copious amounts of unflavored Pedialyte and on Tuesday her bladder was clear of sludge. I also did sub-q fluids on a couple of occasions.

It is certainly worth a try and can only benefit him.