Sick Squeaking when pooping/peeing?

[butters]

My 1 1/2 year old male is squeaking occassionally when he poos/wees. The thing is, whenever he's squeaked, he's pood and peed simultaneously, so i'm not really sure which it is. He's also been dragging his bum across the floor (towels/fleece) and yesterday I could see him actively trying to push a poo out.

I took him to the vet today but there's no way to be sure what the problem is. We've scheduled him for an xray on Tuesday in case it is a bladder stone. However, the pushing suggests it might be a digestive issue.

He's eating, moving and drinking the same amount as always, and weight is the same. The only difference is that he's not as into his veg as he was before and now eats more hay and kibbles, which could mean that his poops are drier and therefore more difficult to pass... ???

Does anyone recognise these symptoms to help us along with a diagnosis? Or anything we can do in the meantime to make him comfortable/fight this???

Thanks in advance for any help you can give!!!

 

[SeeSpotSit]

Awe...poor guy Have you checked his anal sack area? Is it free from "stuff" My guy likes to hide all sorts of stuff back there. Haha. Are his poos breaking (a good way to know if they're harder) will he eat cucumber? It has a great amount of moisture, if you're worried about hydration. I'm not an expert on this and I'm sure some other people will chime in that have more experience with this stuff...

 

[Aleks]

I agree, you should check to make sure his anal sac is clean.
Do the squeaks sound like he's in pain? If so, maybe it's a UTI?

 

[cavy_jdas]

It sounds very much like a stone, and I think the x-ray is definitely needed. Did the vet test his urine for a urinary tract infection?

Did you see an exotics vet and did the vet check his anal sack to see if anything needed to be cleared out? Dragging on the floor is scent-marking, and some times this can cause hay or hair or other things to get caught. And, yes, sometimes you will see poo that is still in there and perhaps building up. If he is beginning to be impacted, I think this is still secondary to the squeaking while peeing/pooping, and may be a result of him moving around less or altering his diet from the underlying issue.

Eating less veggies is not good, and you are correct about potentially less moisture.

I would:
1. Definitely do the x-ray (if any possibility of sooner, please do) to verify stone.
2. Test urine for bacteria, blood, if not already done (again sooner is better than later)
3. Syringe him more water, preferably filtered to avoid any excess minerals and to keep bladder flushed and stools soft.
4. Watch the kibble intake, and be sure it's timothy based and not alfalfa. You don't want too much additional calcium.
5. Continue to try the veggies. If he's not eating anything fresh, consider pureed veggies or canned pumpkin via syringe.
6. Continue to weigh him daily and monitor eating, peeing, pooping. You want to be ready to step in immediately with syringe feeding if he stops eating or is losing weight. I would have some Critical Care or canned pumpkin on hand now, along with a feeding syringe, just in case you need it.

 

[cavy_jdas]

And here is some useful information to read over:
https://www.guinealynx.info/stones.html
https://www.guinealynx.info/uti.html

 

[cavy_jdas]

Oh, a few more things...
Did the vet extrude the penis to be sure that he has nothing stuck or built up?
So in addition to my list above: check out all boy parts to be sure things are clean and working.

If the vet felt it was digestive (and it's a cavy-savvy vet), it is possible that there could be infection (typically bacterial) in the intestinal tract. The vet can test a fecal sample to get an idea of what is going on. Still, symptoms to me say UTI or stone.

I would review any medications prescribed against this reference for safety and dosage:
https://www.guinealynx.info/medications.html

 

[butters]

Thanks SO much for your replies and advice!

He's a lot better again today, regarding the squeaks. It's not a painful squeak, more of a 'pushing' kind of sound. It comes and goes, sometimes he's fine and then suddenly for half a day he's struggling, like yesterday. Is this 'one day squeaking next day not' common for stones, or does it tend to be progressive?

We fed him a large variety of small pieces of veg, so hopefully today we'll see a change. He's always had a really sensitive tummy for loose poos, so we avoided fruits or anything sugary for ages. But he loves cucumber so I've been feeding him that. I hadn't thought of the fact that he's getting normal tap-water lately to drink... we moved house about 2 months ago so maybe he's getting more calcium in his diet this way! I also changed them from Supreme Science to Hope Farms Balance kibbles because my female has teeth issues and couldnt chew properly on the 'good' kibbles... but I think i'll switch them back in case this is causing a problem.

The vet checked the penis but didn't check the anal sac because he's neutered. However I'm going to have a go of that as soon as I've done my research... Only if the xray is clear on Tuesday the vet will consider for his urine/poo samples to be tested. (This can only be done in the exotics hospital in a city 2 hours away, costs a good 250eur and has a long waiting time, so its of limited use for us until we're confident its not a stone).

My vet is the 'most' cavy-savy around here, though that really doesn't say much compared to US/UK standards I think. He's been really amazing but he has really limited resources in comparison. Im really worried about the 50/50 chance that he'd make it through the surgery stress and pain, and that the relapse rate is so high as well. Please oh please just be a UTI or digestive issues

So action plan:
1) buy mineral free water and the 'old' brand of kibbles.
2) check his anal sack
3) keep him hydrated with extra water and more watery veg
4) wait in agony until Tuesday

Thanks guys. I really appreciate your help and support, and I'll keep you updated. For the moment he's eating, drinking and moving 'enough' to be out of complete danger, but i'm going to keep every finger and toe crossed that he's safe. I just realised I could also call the rescue shelter and ask them to check him out, maybe also with their vet. Hhhmmmm!!! Anything to help Jaeger!!!

Best wishes and take care all! x

 

[butters]

**update!**

Jaeger had his xray today and even a urine sample! apparently they can do that... and the result is: No visible stones, YAYYYYYYY! They found urine in his blood, pH normal, and no signs of crystals or bladder sludge, so the vet said its a uti. He's on enrofloxoral (0.5ml day, for 10 days, he's 1.150kg) and extra vitamins for a while. He's tottering around like a drunk from his sedation, bless him, but he's eating and drinking just fine.

He may have caught it at the pet-hotel they stayed at a few weeks ago. We keep their house at home (aka 'the mansion' hehehe) really clean because his buddy is allergic to hay, so any dust/residue turns her into a snot volcano... so I really hope he didn't catch anything here!


If anyone has tips on how to get him through this UTI as best and quickly as possible, please give a shout! Your last advices really helped! x

 

[pinky]

I just wanted to mention that neutered males can also get impacted. I have an intact male and a neutered one. Surprisingly, my neutered male is the one that needs the "roto rooting" once in awhile...I'm glad it's just a UTI. That should clear up quickly with antibiotics. I never heard of enrofloxoral. I'd just make sure that it's a medication that's safe for guinea pig.

 

[butters]

good to know, Pinky! ill make it part of his routine

enrofloxoral would be 'baytril' for you guys. for some reason our medicines are named after the primary ingredient in holland ratherthan a brand. thanks as well to the vitamin drops being earwax yellow, looks great on our new pillows! not to mention jaeger's face...

ive tucked the pigs in for the night, now its finally time to nurse this huge headache all the worrying gave me glass of red should fix it, no?

 

[cavy_jdas]

Glad to hear! Watch him carefully on the medication as some piggies are not as thrilled about eating when the antibiotic kicks in.

And, yes, a glass of wine sounds great

 

[RodentsRus]

Mind did that when she had a bladder stone. She had to have the stone removed...