Abbey's Medical Thread

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Delaine
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Post   » Mon Jul 15, 2013 2:56 pm


I noticed red obvious blood on these dates. If I catch her peeing I dab it. Unless it is fresh blood once it dries on the tray it is sometimes hard to tell.

2012

Feb. 28
Aug. 24
Aug. 26
Oct. 16
Dec. 26
Dec. 27

2013

Feb. 22
Mar. 24
Apr. 12
May 14
June 2
June 24
June 28 (urine looked clear but tested positive for blood.)

I have a large hay tray for Zoe and Abbey. On the tray I put a layer of newspaper, then white paper towel, then I cover the paper towel with cotton fabric. Hay goes on top. I am so aware of the color of their urine because of the white paper towel under the layers.

Most of the time I only see slight dark rings around the dried urine which I now believe also indicates the presence of blood.

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Delaine
Supporter in '14

Post   » Mon Jul 15, 2013 3:06 pm


slavetofuzzy

Her nipples are normal, weight steady at 2 lbs. 14 1/2 ounces (1690 grams). She only rumbles at her sister when she is in heat. Her coat is shiny with no fur loss.

She just had an urinalysis done. It showed blood but no infection, bacteria, no signs of calcium crystals and pH was normal.

I ended up not fasting Abbey for the ultrasound because they didn't sedate her.

The vet would like to spay her to rule out any reproductive issues. I just can't believe something more concrete hasn't shown up after all this time.

I am really nervous about surgery. If I knew for sure she had some sort of tumor I wouldn't hesitate, but I would hate to put her through an unnecessary surgery.

Thank you for your understanding.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Mon Jul 15, 2013 9:17 pm


Thanks for posting those dates. I have not calculated out the time in between sightings but wanted to make sure what you were seeing was only a day or two with some time in between.

There have been occasional (but rare) reports of bleeding something like this, I think not as frequently noticed, that could be related the the menstrual cycle.

If that is the case, a spay would definitely take care of it. If you have a skilled vet, a spay can be beneficial in that your guinea pig should not develop reproductive issues (cysts or infections). There are always risks to any surgery, however.

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Delaine
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Post   » Sun Oct 13, 2013 12:06 pm


I haven't noticed any blood in Abbey's urine for quite awhile. Her sister has two small bladder stones so I am thinking some of the blood I noticed in the cage was from Zoe and I assumed it was from Abbey.

We do have another ongoing issue with Abbey and I am hoping someone might have a suggestion.

Since the beginning of September Abbey's left eye will fill with white cleaning fluid and then after a few seconds clear. When the fluid releases into her eye she squints and it look like it is irritating her eye.

I took her to a local vet and she couldn't find anything obvious so I took her to her usual exotic vet.

She says she can see early signs of a cataract in that eye but everything else looked fine. She checked her teeth because I was concerned it was a root problem. Her teeth looked good except for a slight concave area on one of the upper molars under the affected eye.

Her vet needs to put her under to do an X-ray of her teeth and she also wants to flush the tear duct.

Other than her eye filling with cleaning fluid which happens maybe 2 or 3 times a day she is her usual self. She is not scratching or pawing at her face and is eating well.

Could the cataract be causing the problem? Has anyone had tear ducts flushed on their piggy? Would saline drops help flush the eye?

I would appreciate any information. I would like to be more informed when I take her in to have the teeth x-rays, etc. done. Flushing the tear duct has me a little concerned.

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Delaine
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Post   » Sun Oct 13, 2013 2:54 pm


I had another question. If she does end up having an elongated root do they have to pull the tooth?

I read the information about elongated roots here on Guinea Lynx, but they only mentioned the chin sling.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Sun Oct 13, 2013 3:04 pm


A cataract would not cause that. It is possible a tear duct may be partly blocked. Warm wet compresses could help (very clean warm wet cloth, held over the closed eye). A veterinary ophthalmologist would be your best bet if problems develop. If you are concerned about teeth affecting the eye, an xray would indeed help.

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Delaine
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Post   » Sun Oct 13, 2013 3:31 pm


Thanks Lynx:

I will try the warm compress today. Do you think saline drops would help to flush the eye?

Have you heard of anyone having their pig's tear duct flushed? Do you think this is an easy procedure?

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Lynx
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Post   » Sun Oct 13, 2013 5:28 pm


Saline drops won't hurt but it sounds like a tear duct problem. If she is making her white "cleaning fluid", her eyes should be moist enough. I would see a veterinary ophthalmologist if you're thinking of flushing the duct (somewhat unsure about this procedure).

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Delaine
Supporter in '14

Post   » Sun Oct 13, 2013 9:17 pm


Lynx:

Thank you for the suggestions.

I boiled some water and let it cool to lukewarm then soaked a clean wash cloth in it and held it to Abbey's eye.

How often should I do this?

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Sun Oct 13, 2013 11:09 pm


See how well she tolerates it. I would try for, say, at least 5 minutes a time (more if she is okay with it). Perhaps a two or more times a day. You would see if it seems to be helping at all. I have not had to deal with this issue so I am just guessing that this would help.

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Delaine
Supporter in '14

Post   » Sun Oct 13, 2013 11:33 pm


Lynx:

Sounds good to me. I will let you know if I see an improvement in the next couple of days. Cross your fingers. If it works it sure beats having to put her through the procedure of flushing the tear duct.

If this doesn't work I will see if I can track down a veterinary ophthalmologist.

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Delaine
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Post   » Sun Oct 13, 2013 11:48 pm


Abbey's vet also said she has a slight concave area on one of the molars under that eye. She told me about it when she was there on September 20th, but she had also noticed it when she was in for her wellness checkup in April but didn't mention it.

Has anyone had a similar situation with their pigs' teeth. It was this concave area that made me question if she was developing an elongated root on that molar.

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