possible urine scald

LS in AK · Post » Thu Jan 08, 2015 12:45 am

I would vote no to both mucus plugs and boar glue, and yes to possible UTI and/or reproductive problem.

If you are sure the discharge is coming from the vagina, then you need to get an ultrasound on her, to check her reproductive system. Could be a developing problem there.

But if it is a UTI and there is blood in the urine, and it is extra concentrated from being off her water a bit because she does not feel well, or sludge is present, and she is dribbling it, then that could explain the darkish smear.

When my little boy's cystitis started last summer, he was dribbling thick, reddish-brown urine at the start. A course of Bactrim seemed to clear that up, although I admit we never did find any infection.

If you can swing it, I would go for a vet visit at this point. Do a urinalysis and ultrasound and see what you find.

Or just keep a close eye on her for awhile, and gather more evidence.

meganmarie · Post » Thu Jan 08, 2015 12:57 am

The whole time (or for, at least the last hour) I've had her in a makeshift area with white towels, and she just pee'd. It is absolutely clear, She backed up, pee'd fine, with no coloration to her pee. I'm waiting to see if maybe it will dry another color, but she was fine. !!! Ugh. Frustrating...I'm trying to gather more evidence, but she is not making it easy! I would love to pop into the vet, but i only have 30 dollars to my name until the 16th. I can't even get carecredit. Dammit.

meganmarie · Post » Thu Jan 08, 2015 12:59 am

Also, when i cleaned her, i applied a tiny amount of desitin to the area where she was getting wet. Don't know if that was a good idea, but i just want to keep her dry...

LS in AK · Post » Thu Jan 08, 2015 1:11 am

Personally, I would just keep close watch on her. Does not sound like an emergency at this point, and more evidence can help streamline a future vet visit down to just the diagnostics you may need, rather than poking and prodding and guessing at what is going on. That can get very expensive, very fast.

Desitin may be a good idea, so long as she does not mind it. I know the pigs are not supposed to ingest it, so be careful of that.

I never did bathe or apply desitin to my boar who was developing urine scald -- he just needed not to be laying on his wet bedding too long, and that solved the problem.

meganmarie · Post » Thu Jan 08, 2015 6:48 pm

She is dribbling pee. I've been watching her, and that's what shes doing. I think i thought it was gooey because there was such a build-up of pee, and it got cold on her skin, turning it onto a gross-feeling buildup of urine. She is dribbling pee, and i don't know why. She is starting to get bald where it's sitting(right above her vagina). It smells like pee, it looks like pee, it feels like pee. It's almost like her vagina is extra wet, with all of the pee dribbling out.

PinkRufus · Post » Thu Jan 08, 2015 7:15 pm

I recommend getting a urine culture done. Maybe even an ultrasound and/or x-ray. She may have a UTI or something that is putting pressure on her bladder. Does she appear bloated at all?

meganmarie · Post » Thu Jan 08, 2015 7:36 pm

No she doesn't seem bloated. In fact, she seems perfectly fine, which is putting me off. I just called my wonderful, wonderful vet(he's an exotics) and He is only open for half-days on fridays. I told him my predicament(money, and also travel, because i work). His practice is about an hour, to an hour and a half away(towards Pittsburgh, its the only place to find exotic vets around here.). So, knowing that i couldn't come in, He sent me a prescription for Bactrim. I know its .5 twice a day for 2 weeks, but, besides that, i guess ill figure out the strength tomarrow when i go to pick it up. He told me to call him in about 5 days, if it's not improving, he'll fit me in, and we'll need to do xray's. Thank god for him! Anything i can do until then to keep her dry and comfortable?

meganmarie · Post » Thu Jan 08, 2015 7:53 pm

Anything specific i should know when battling a UTI? I know they are harder than most ailments to keep track of with Guinea pigs.

Post » Thu Jan 08, 2015 8:20 pm

Dribbling pea can be incontinence. If it is frequently/always wet down there, the possibility of infection is greatly increased.
www.guinealynx.info/_scald.html
www.guinealynx.info/.html

Sludge can contribute to the incontinence.
www.guinealynx.info/.html
https://www.guinealynx.info/records/viewtopic.php?t=21

meganmarie · Post » Thu Jan 08, 2015 9:57 pm

I'm pretty sure i feed a low calcium diet. Usually they get a 'spring mix', 1 slice cucucmber(each), 1 cherry tomato(each), Tons of mini sweet peppers(red, orange, yellow), ocassionally carrots, ocassionally apples. I feed them oxbow adult cavy cuisine(about 1/2 cup, for 4 pigs, every day and a half), and KMS third cut timothy hay.

And what i'm curious about...On the UTI page, it talks about crying while going to the bathroom, or blood. I'm not having either of those...i'm just worried.

bpatters · Post » Thu Jan 08, 2015 10:03 pm

Oxbow pellets have calcium carbonate as the calcium source, and there are many of us who have had pigs with sludge/stone problems when eating Oxbow. I'd recommend switching to KMS, as those are the only pellets I know of that use a different calcium source.

But in the interest of full disclosure, I have a stone pig that had eating nothing but KMS pellets for 2.5 of her 3 years when she developed two stones.

meganmarie · Post » Thu Jan 08, 2015 10:19 pm

Oh, i didn't know that...guess next time i buy hay, i'm going to be buying pellets, too...

It's scary to think i could have a stone pig. i'm worried...i hope she doesn't have a stone.