*URGENT* Passing blood...squeaking

User avatar
Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Sun Dec 25, 2005 3:04 pm


I'm not going to worry with the cranberry capsules. The label doesn't really say what's in it, and I'm not going to chance it. When the store opens again tomorrow morning, I'll pick up some unsweetened juice and just use that if I need to. Lots of clean water in the meantime, which he seems to be drinking readily.

Thanks, everyone.

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Becky

Post   » Tue Dec 27, 2005 1:33 pm


I'd get an x-ray to rule out stones. My experience with UTI's is the blood continues, whereas, with a stone, the stone moves and stops irritating the bladder and no blood.

Also, don't limit the calcium in the diet. Just balance the Ca:Ph. Limiting the calcium actually make things worse, creating an inviting enviornment for stones.

User avatar
Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Mon Jan 09, 2006 11:00 pm


Follow-up: The boar had a set of xrays, two views, that showed nothing out of the ordinary. Urinalysis showed trace blood. The vet said to continue on the Bactrim for a total of 3 weeks. So far, I haven't found any more blood, and the squeaking upon urination/defecation seems to have stopped for now. I'm still not convinced that he's 100%. When he urinates, he stays stooped for several seconds as though his bladder still feels full.

My question is this. I have noticed that the boar is producing quite a bit of calcium deposit when he urinates. This is not ordinary for him. It's not sludge, but definitely white and a little gritty. I know it's normal to find this on occasion, but it's the first time that I've seen it with this particular pig. His diet is Cavy Cuisine, romaine, red and green leaf lettuce, green bell pepper, cucumber, a little carrot, and timothy/bluegrass hays from KMS.

What could be causing the increase in calcium output in the urine? I just want to be sure I'm not missing something.

Thanks.

User avatar
Mum
I GAVE, dammit!

Post   » Mon Jan 09, 2006 11:37 pm


t's not sludge, but definitely white and a little gritty.
I thought sludge was gritty? Regular calcium deposits aren't gritty - more like chalk.

User avatar
Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Mon Jan 09, 2006 11:51 pm


The gritty could be causing the pain. There seems to be a genetic component to stones (and likely sludge). In spite of providing the most optimal diet, they may still have problems. Up fluids, read about interstitial cystitis and treat as though it was stones. You might try a couple of the herbs that people have found helpful when nothing else works. I think shilintong is one of them?

User avatar
Paravati
I GAVE, dammit!

Post   » Tue Jan 10, 2006 12:02 am


I'm glad you got X-Rays. I had a problem boar recently PTS who battled on and off for over a year with what I THOUGHT was recurring UTI's. For some reason, nobody ever wanted to X-Ray him and I didn't insist on it, as I should have. The eventual result was a bladder stone the size of a soybean. If I had X-Rayed him in the beginning we might have been able to surgically remove it.

His symptoms were as Becky said - He would pass blood sometimes and grunt sometimes, and then other times he would seem okay. What was happening was that the stone was moving around and occasionally getting lodged in his bladder horn, but after I'd mess with him a bit (massage, treatments, flushing, etc.) it would move and he would be okay again for a while. So, I kept thinking it was just UTIs.

Anyway, keep monitoring him and I'd X-Ray him every few months if you keep seeing deposits in his urine, and especially if the UTI seems to keep coming back.

User avatar
Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Tue Jan 10, 2006 8:37 am


I'm glad you got X-Rays.
Me, too. I'm also glad that we found a new exotics vet (since our former exotics guy retired), some 60 miles from where we live. She seemed extremely knowledgeable about cavies, and told me that she usually recommends xrays in that situation to help rule out stones. Of course, I realize that just because nothing showed up, doesn't mean nothing's there. But at least it gave us a baseline look at things.

On second thought, I'm not so sure what I'm seeing can be called "gritty." Maybe somewhere between chalky and gritty. It dries to a smooth, chalky consistency, but at the time of urination it looks a tad thick. I always thought "sludge" was a lot thicker and (for lack of a better word) chunkier. Maybe I'm off-base there. ? At any rate, the "white" I'm seeing in his urine is unusual for him.

We'll finish up the Bactrim on Saturday, and see where things stand. I'm thinking I might take a urine sample over to our "regular" vet, just to see if any trace blood is still showing up. Just to clarify, how do I "up" his fluid intake? Do you mean, administer by syringe? Plain water?

Thanks again.

User avatar
Wheekers3

Post   » Tue Jan 10, 2006 11:51 am


You can get water in any way you can. I usually wet lettuce down as much as I can. The piggie needs at least 100mls a day from what I understand. Keep track of the water level in the bowl or bottle too. If you think your piggie is really down on the water than you may want to syringe feed some several times daily.

My pig Suey and I are dealing with sludgy urine as well.

User avatar
Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Tue Jan 10, 2006 12:08 pm


Rub it between your fingers once it has dried. If it is scratchy/sandy, it is sludge.

User avatar
Trisha

Post   » Thu Jan 12, 2006 3:55 am


yes, just plain water in a syringe. I give my Flatman around 50 cc daily this way on top of his normal drinking water.

User avatar
Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Thu Jan 12, 2006 9:42 am


50cc's sure is doing your part. The only other thing I can think of is that some people use gentle vibrators to shake up the sludge in the bladder so it gets flushed more easily when peeing. And pain meds can help.

User avatar
Trisha

Post   » Thu Jan 12, 2006 10:48 am


I agree Lynx. My vet said that a gathering of calcium in one place in the bladder is not helping preventing stones.

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