Casey-stone in urethra

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Thu Nov 15, 2018 10:26 pm


I do encourage you to treat this like a dirty grease gland. Be really gentle. Apply some cold pressed coconut oil to soften it. Is the pink lump what you are referring to?



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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Fri Nov 16, 2018 7:20 am


I was not quite sure what you were referring to. You answered by email:
I am referring to the smooth, pinkish oval below the dirty-looking brown for in the
center of the photo. There is blond fur on either side of it. It is directly below where I think the grease gland is-or maybe it is the gland? It feels very firm and is not crusty at all.
I answered by email:
I take it this is not part of her private parts at all?

I am pretty sure you would not make that mistake (you've had guinea pigs for a long time). After cleaning the area (a general butt soak should help), I would look for any signs of infection.
The cleaning and soaking should help you see what is going on. If you can safely clip back some of the hair, that would help too.

If no signs of infection, my guess is a wart of some sort. It does not look like a plugged duct.

egustavson

Post   » Sat Nov 17, 2018 4:27 pm


I cleaned the area with coconut oil. A little bit of fur that was coated with grease came off. She was not very dirty at all—she may have groomed herself. I think the pinkish lump is the end of her spine or tailbone.

Casey has had alot stresses in her life in the last few months, beginning with her surgery. I won’t go into all the details now, but I think I am hypersensitive to anything that seems different.

Thank you for your support.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Sat Nov 17, 2018 6:14 pm


Ah, that is possible (the tail bone idea). There are a few guinea pigs with prominent ones. I recall pigjes mentioning one guinea pig she had that could wiggle it. Not a tail but tail-like. It sounds like you can feel along the spine and it ends with the pink lump?

That it is possibly not a medical issue is certainly a good thing.

egustavson

Post   » Sat Nov 17, 2018 6:51 pm


Yes, it seems to be connected to the spine and feels bony. It does not wiggle!

I feel a little silly!

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Sat Nov 17, 2018 10:46 pm


No, do not feel silly! I think a protrusion like this is unusual. I have never seen it on any of my guinea pigs. That you did not have a horde of people suggesting it was the tail bone is proof, in my humble opinion.

I hope pigjes sees this and can comment.

Oh, and if you have time to take a new picture with a cleaner grease gland, I would be happy to add it to your topic.

Maybe I should write up a short something for the Records forum with a link to this topic?

egustavson

Post   » Mon Nov 19, 2018 3:30 pm


I can take another picture when I have somene to help. It was tricky to take the first one and hold her at the same time!

I never examined the area around the grease gland in any of the pigs I’ve had previously. I remember reading about cleaning it, particularly in males, but had completely forgotten it existed! A description of the tailbone and how it can vary in prominence in different individuals would be a useful addition to the website.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Mon Nov 19, 2018 10:00 pm


When I look at my old knuckles, with a fist, the skin is taught and pulled over the bone. Perhaps something the same with your guinea pig.

I will be happy to add another pic if you can get one.

egustavson

Post   » Wed Mar 20, 2019 7:03 pm


Casey has not been doing well. She has had a UTI that was treated with TMS, however the symptoms returned. Dr. Nakamura then prescribed Baytril, however Casey did not do well on it. She was losing weight and had soft stools so he recommended discontinuing the antibiotic after a week, reasoning it may have been long enough to get rid of the infection. He also noticed that she has a small mass—probably a uterine tumor. Unfortunately, I discovered some blood spots in the pen and Casey went back to the vet. Upon examination, Dr. Nakamura manually removed a stone that had lodged in her urethra and discovered an ovarian cyst. He thought the infection might clear up with the stone out. No such luck—she was sitting on a towel in my lap and passed some bloody urine. A urine sample confirmed the presence bacteria.

Casey has been taking TMS since Match 5th. After a few days, she seemed to improve. She became less reclusive, more active and even took some salad from me through the grid of the pen—something she hadn’t done for weeks. The last few days it was even easier to give her the medicine. However, this behavior turned out to be a bad sign. Today, she is very lethargic and lacks the energy to even try to run away from me. She is also making a periodic, deep wimpering noise. Her weight is stable though her appetite is down now. Unfortunately, Dr. Nakamura is out of the office for a “few weeks”— he must be on vacation. I have an appointment with another vet on Friday morning.

I don’t know if the antibiotic is the problem or something else. I read about ovarian cysts and perhaps the sudden lethargy is symptomatic. She does not have hair loss though I think her body shape has changed. The sides of her abdomen protrude more than I remember.

Any suggestions or advice?

User avatar
Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Wed Mar 20, 2019 8:32 pm


I have no answers for you regarding the antibiotic (could the vet you see consult with Dr. Nakamura?). It sounds like she is in pain if she is wimpering so pain meds might make a difference.

Is she at all bloated?

I am sorry she is having these issues.

egustavson

Post   » Wed Mar 20, 2019 11:41 pm


I am so sad—Casey passed away. Yes, Lynx, I think she was bloated. I did not notice when I had her out of the cage earlier today. She ate a few small pieces of tomato. I called the vet after that because I knew something was wrong.Though she was not behaving like she usually does, she did change locations in the pen and I didn’t realize the urgency of her symptoms. I probably should have taken her to the vet this afternoon. I was out for the evening and she passed away while we were out.

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Wed Mar 20, 2019 11:53 pm


I'm so sorry.

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