Help (urgent) - urine scald-type occurance

Gez

Post   » Thu Apr 17, 2003 5:55 pm


I just picked up Splat, my 3.5 year old abby for a bed time cuddle and noticed the fur around her bottom was matted and stuck together. Upon further investigation I found that the fur was falling out and stuck together with what seems to be chrystaline urine. I've bathed the area with warm water to get rid of most of the gunk, then bathed it with salt water, as it seems raw and I was worried about infection, then I rinsed the area again with warm water as I didn't want salt crystals adding to the problem. Splat was protesting throughout, and evidently her genitals are painful and raw. After drying her off I gave her a treat, she has a pee, and wheeked a little as she did. I assume this is because of her genitals rather than a UTI. I moved her away from the pee to stop her sitting in it and aggravating the problem, but she turned around and drank the pee! I've never seen or heard of this before, so I thought she may be dehydrated with it being so warm lately (which would make her urine more concentrated), so I made her take about 5ccs of water, and them came here to ask for help.
Is there anything I can put on her bottom to ease it? Vaseline? Savlon? (bearing in mind it's 11 o clock at night)
Should I clip her hair around her bottom to stop this happening again?
Why did it happen in the first place?

I need to make her comforatble, and of course I feel so guilty! Help!

Gez

Post   » Thu Apr 17, 2003 6:30 pm


People, my parents are forcing me to go to bed. I need to know if theres anything I can do NOW!!!

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lisam

Post   » Thu Apr 17, 2003 7:21 pm


I think I would bed her on some towels. I don't like using vaseline. Perhaps an antibiotic ointment? I don't know why she would drink her own pee. Go ahead and trim the hair around there really short.

Sorry I can't help more, go to bed and check back in the morning, and someone else will have some answers for you, hopefully!

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Becky

Post   » Thu Apr 17, 2003 8:06 pm


Urine scald often accompanies an UTI. You might want to look into that aspect of it.

Yes, clip the hair really short around her genitals. When Cookie had god-awful urine scald, my vet said to use baby diaper rash cream--Desonix (sp?) It worked great.

Is she a teddy, by any chance? Cotten, my teddy, get that clumped, matted blob all of the time.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Thu Apr 17, 2003 8:15 pm


Ditto on the possible UTI. I had a recent recommendation to use Preparation H on Nina's foot after soaking and drying. I would think if you dried off the area thoroughly, Preparation H would be very soothing until you can get to the vet.

HollyT
Get on your bike.

Post   » Thu Apr 17, 2003 8:18 pm


What does urine scald look like?

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Thu Apr 17, 2003 8:21 pm


I am guessing sore, perhaps raw skin. I don't know if there would be a rash. It would most likely smell bad.

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Becky

Post   » Thu Apr 17, 2003 8:32 pm


Here's a picture of Cookie's urine scald.

www.geocities.com/becca19522002/piggyphotos.html

And yes, it smells a bit like burnt bacon.


[Link to pics here:

www.guinealynx.info/photos/becky-1.jpg
www.guinealynx.info/photos/becky-2.jpg

Not displayed because they are pretty graphic -- Lynx]

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Thu Apr 17, 2003 9:13 pm


Grrr. Unavailable. If you mail it to me, I can post it on the board.

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Becky

Post   » Thu Apr 17, 2003 9:48 pm


OK--just emailed you two pix.

kleenmama
I GAVE, dammit!

Post   » Fri Apr 18, 2003 12:23 am


Pebbles gets the same thing each time she gets a UTI. Her butt looks wet, but actually I think it might be serum from the skin because it's higher on her butt than urine can reach, although it does start right above her genitals. The hair also gets very stiff.

I use hibitane soap twice a day to wash with, and then put on some Bactroban ointment. Both I got from Pinta's vet in Canada, not sure if either are available here but I swear by them.
After I clean this crystally stuff off her butt, she loses all her hair in that area. But eventually it goes away with this treatment (about 3 days) and her hair grows back in.

She has had this twice, both times after finishing a round of AB's for UTI. I always thought it was the AB that changed the Ph of the urine, because this never happens until about 4-5 days off the AB.

Gez

Post   » Fri Apr 18, 2003 5:01 am


Splats butt isn't as bad as becky's pictures, but it looks similar. I don't have any animal AB creams to hand, or nappy rash cream, but I do have human antibiotic cream (Savlon). I'm sure somewhere I have E45 cream for 'itchy skin' as well - which would be best? (Assuming the human cream is safe).
I will keep an eye on her for other UTI symptoms, although I believe the cause of this episode was that they've both scraped out an area in the hutch where they've moved all of the bedding away, and just lie on the wood, probably because it's so warm lately, and they've been peeing and pooping in it then lying there.
The crystals and gunk I removed last night smelled like ammonia. I've yet to read the UTI page to see if that's a symptom or if it's just becaue it was icky stale urine.
Even though it's Good Friday, I'm sure the supermarket will be open. I need to get veggies anyway, so shall I get nappy rash cream too? Or just use the Savlon or E45 I've already mentioned?
I think tomorrow all of the shops will be open, and I think the local petshop (a good petshop - *shock*) has some antiseptic cream with tea tree oil that I've used before for my rabbit when he got nicks and cuts. Will that be better? Worse? The same?
I'm going to clip her fur after I've given them their brekkie, then make sure they have another cool place to lie rateher than in the hutch, on the wood.
And she's an abby by the way, so I suppose thats why she got all the yucky stuff in her fur, when my other pig whose a shorthair didn't.

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