Bladder related issues I suspect pellets.

[Ragamuffin]

Hey, just after some advice to see if anyone else has been having problems with their guinea pigs and sludgy wees /bladder stones while using burgess XL mint pellets.

I feel like it started around the time their pellets changed. Now to give some background, I have an aging sow heard, they're all around 4 1/5- 5 years old... In the last two years they've all suffered heavily from bladder related issues and they've always only had burgess pellets as that's what was recommended to me, in the beginning I didn't know any better and also was feeding them too much high calcium vege, that all stopped when the bladder issues started, they've all developed interstitial cystitis 2 have /had massive (chickpea sized) bladder stones removed, flushed out, and have been on metacam and cystitease long term now.

I understand this is common with guinea pigs, and often genetic, 3 out of my 5 are related. And I've been dealing with this situation for around 2 1/2 almost 3 years now, they're on limited and low calcium food. Trying everything to help figure out what's causing this with the vets and by adjusting their food-

However, I've recently taken on a new pig, I rescued a boar who's been with me a couple of months- I've recently got him neutered so that he can be put into my herd of sows so that he can have a bunch of girlfriends-

with in the last month I've weened him off his pet store pellets and onto burgess mint xl- he's suddenly, like in the last week been showing signs of sludgy wees and now having squeaky wees- I've removed the pellets from his diet, he has a check up on Monday so I'm hopeful that he'll be all good, but I feel like this can't be a coincidence. In the last week I've had two trips to the vets with the girls, with squeaky wees/ blood in urine, but then do a test and then no blood shows up and the only remaining thing to do is take the girls off these pellets. So I did, on Monday and so far they've perked up and showing less signs of sludgy wees and seem all over brighter and more active- they're all still on metacam and cystease but they seem better for it-

Anyone else experienced this or going through a similar thing? I'm starting to feel a bit defeated

 

[Piggies&buns]

I’m sorry to hear this.

Pellets and drinking water (in hard water areas) contribute most calcium to the diet - hence the recommendations that pellets are kept limited and water is filtered.

However a diet too low in calcium is bad as one too high - you can still get sludge and stone issues.
There is no harm in removing pellets from the diet altogether but make sure you don’t completely cut out all calcium from the diet as you are then removing essential nutrients, instead you have to find a balance which works for them.

My piggies don’t have bladder issues but I feed quite a wet diet, giving a bit more that the recommended one cup of veg per day and I only feed five pellets to each pig just twice a week. Due to the lack of pellets, I do give higher calcium veg once a week

Wiebke's Guide to Pees and Stones

 

[Ragamuffin]

Hi, thanks for the response. I'll keep an eye on it, I do tend to give them slightly more than 1 cup of vege each with no dark lefty greens, someone mentioned it would more likely be the vege than the pellets but after removing the pellets from the sows diet at the beginning of the week I see a marked improvement in their urine, and then to have the sudden change with the boar who was still receiving the pellets to all of a sudden be experiencing sludgy and sore wees I feel like it's more the pellets than the vege I'm feeding. I'm in Scotland so the water isn't hard, and they're fed mostly Timothy hay and some meadow hay. Someone said to my response in a Facebook cavy group that I should get rid of the vege altogether except peppers, I'm not 100% sure that's the right thing to do- the vets said try oxbow pellets as they're lower in calcium so I've had some delivered. It's just disheartening when it's been an issue for so long and it seems to go from one sow to another- and now the new boar who's recently been neutered, I also threw out and replaced all their bedding and drink bottles and replaced with new and have also introduced extra water bowls.

 

[fluffysal]

I have a pig with bladder issues. I switched to piggie parcels joint support pellets as they have added glucosamine so are also urinary support. In my opinion they have helped my Sir George as he has been noticeably perkier. There is a thread about them but I don't know how to link. I'll tag
@Guineautopia as she is piggies parcels.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Kale is the highest calcium containing vegetable but all pellets (even low calcium ones) still contain more calcium than kale.
A completely dry diet with no veg is never something I would do - I’d ditch the pellets entirely but would not go veg free. But as I say, you have to find the right balance because you cannot and should not cut calcium down too low as you will still get sludgy pees.

I also feed a lot of grass, along with hay and veg. I feed some dried forage and barely any pellets at all.

Our pellet chart is below. The most up to date version of the chart is at post 339 on page 12

Nugget Comparison Chart

 

[Ragamuffin]

Kale is the highest calcium containing vegetable but all pellets (even low calcium ones) still contain more calcium than kale.
A completely dry diet with no veg is never something I would do - I’d ditch the pellets entirely but would not go veg free. But as I say, you have to find the right balance because you cannot and should not cut calcium down too low as you will still get sludgy pees.

I also feed a lot of grass, along with hay and veg. I feed some dried forage and barely any pellets at all.

Our pellet chart is below. The most up to date version of the chart is at post 339 on page 12

Nugget Comparison Chart

Hi thanks for this, I spoke to the vets today and they agreed that pallets are the most likely culprit, but to keep the veg.

 

[Guineautopia]

I have a pig with bladder issues. I switched to piggie parcels joint support pellets as they have added glucosamine so are also urinary support. In my opinion they have helped my Sir George as he has been noticeably perkier. There is a thread about them but I don't know how to link. I'll tag
@Guineautopia as she is piggies parcels.

https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/new-pellet-piggie-pellets-with-joint-aid.210123/

This is the thread for the new pellets xx