Charlotte – UTI and Bactrim Dosage

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Catie Cavy
Supporter 2011-2020

Post   » Sat Dec 10, 2016 2:41 pm


Charlotte (aka Charlie) has a UTI. I went to a neighborhood vet with limited guinea pig experience. She recommended I start with .5ml of Bactrim twice a day. Charlie weighs 1500 grams. Is this enough Bactrim? It is the standard 240mg/5ml dosage. Also, she recommended I start by giving it to her for a week. Is this long enough? Thanks.

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Lynx
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Post   » Sat Dec 10, 2016 9:11 pm


You can check it pretty easily in either of these places:

www.guinealynx.info/_calculator.html
www.guinealynx.info/_dose.html

This is 1.5 times the dose for a kilo pig.

I would give it longer. I take it you have had an xray to rule out stones?

.5ml sounds pretty low. Using the first link, it looks like it should be about 1 ml. (calculator comes up with 0.9375 cc)

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Catie Cavy
Supporter 2011-2020

Post   » Sun Dec 11, 2016 2:39 pm


Thanks, Lynx. I did check those links before posting but wanted to double check since the amount I was coming up with was almost double the recommended amount. I just checked Carpenters and they list a range of 15-30 mg/kg, so maybe my current dose is okay since it would be 15 mg/kg?

I’m almost 100% certain it is a UTI, which is why I went to a local vet instead of driving 1 hour+ round trip to see an exotic vet. I recently went out of town so I switched from fleece to wood chips to make it easier on my husband. The pet store didn’t have pine so I got aspen, which I don’t think is as absorbent. When I got back in town, I was working overtime so I didn’t clean the cage right away. It didn’t smell and I was spot cleaning it daily. When I went to change out the cage on Wednesday, I picked up Charlie and noticed her butt was soaking wet and smelly. I felt terrible. I gave her a butt bath and put her on clean fleece. I immediately noticed blood spots on the fleece. Since her butt had been soaking wet and probably for several days, I’m pretty sure it is a UTI. She did have a UTI over the summer and had an x-ray at that time which was negative for stones.

Charlie is a bit overweight and doesn’t move around much so I have to be especially careful she doesn’t get UTIs in the future. I do trim her butt hair even though she is has short hair anyway. I may try giving her cranberry juice as a preventative.

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Catie Cavy
Supporter 2011-2020

Post   » Sun Nov 12, 2017 8:46 am


Is hooting always a sign of heart disease?

I used to hear occasional hooting when my guinea pigs were eating. This morning I am hearing constant noise from Charlotte. I’m pretty sure it is “hooting.” The only other signs of possible heart disease are that she has never been a very active guinea pig (I has assumed it was because she was so large). She has become calmer lately as well (I assumed it was because I had been handling her so much since she has had chronic UTIs).

I have benazepril left over from Fluffy. Should I do a trial of that? Could the “hooting” sound be something else? Is she in pain? Does she need a vet? I don’t really easy access to a good exotics vet.

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Sun Nov 12, 2017 11:34 am


I've got one that hoots that has neither heart nor lung disease. I'm stumped, and so is the vet, but it doesn't seem to be slowing her down. However, you do need a good vet to rule out an enlarged heart or other problems.

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Catie Cavy
Supporter 2011-2020

Post   » Sun Nov 12, 2017 3:04 pm


Thanks, bpatters. I was really worried this morning because she was doing it for an hour straight. She seems to have stopped for now. A vet visit was probably in order any way. She’s had an ongoing problem with UTIs. They stop while she’s on antibiotics but start up again as soon as she stops. I think she needs a longer course or a different antibiotic.

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Lynx
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Post   » Sun Nov 12, 2017 5:41 pm


As far as I know, it is not a definitive sign of heart disease. My guinea pig would hoot, cough, and be fine. She might hoot for a couple hours. It seemed to me it was an obstruction in her throat.

You would look for other signs. Good luck to her!!

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Catie Cavy
Supporter 2011-2020

Post   » Mon Dec 11, 2017 8:49 pm


Look what Charlotte got!




(I have no idea how it got wet.)

Of course, in order to earn her certificate, she had to have this removed:




It was right at the end of her urethra. I think the surgery was basically an episiotomy. She is doing well.

I'm not sure what else I can do to prevent stones. Do you think these Oxbow treats might have contributed? My girls LOVE them but the second ingredient is alfalfa meal:



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Lynx
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Post   » Mon Dec 11, 2017 10:12 pm


That stone is huge! What a brave girl she was!!

I suspect there is more calcium in the treats than you would like. I would write Oxbow and ask why they don't have the percentage of calcium listed. Since it is on their main pellets (and people care), it should be on these treats too.

Let me know if you'd like your pics added permanently to your thread. The stone is very impressive. (as is the certificate ;-)

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Mon Dec 11, 2017 11:37 pm


The second ingredient is alfalfa, which is very high in calcium.

Why not feed bits of fresh veggies and occasional fruit as treats?

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Catie Cavy
Supporter 2011-2020

Post   » Tue Dec 12, 2017 8:52 pm


Thanks, guys. They beg for these treats and get so excited when they get them but I guess I’ll have to stop. I’ll figure out some fresh veggies I can substitute. I’ll write Oxbow, too, just to see what they have to say.

And yes, Lynx, please add my pics. Thanks!

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Lynx
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Post   » Tue Dec 12, 2017 10:45 pm


Will do!

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