Blood in urine and metacam

[Christuphar]

Hi All,

Our guinea pig Teddie has blood in his urine since 10pm last night, we took him to an emergency vet as I've not experienced this. The vet couldn't feel any lumps or bumps to indicate any stones and attempted to get him to urinate but nothing came. She has prescribed cat metacam at .5g/ml and we're on one daily dose of 0.1ml as he's 1kg, I know some vets prescribe higher doses but I don't want to go over this even though they metabolise it faster.
The blood is still coming when he urinates, he's not showing any signs of disinterest in food/hay and I've given small pieces of cucumber to help add a bit more water content to hopefully flush through (stools are still firm so I'm not concerned about overfeeding cucumber).

He hasn't been prescribed anything for a UTI except Metacam, is there anyone with experience of this as she said to wait for 5 days which I feel is too long to wait?

 

[eileen]

Hello and welcome to the forum.
I've dealt with this a few times.I'm sorry you are dealing with this.
I think you need to see a more experienced cavy vet.maybe have a look at the vet locator.
Urine problems can be painful.
Maybe an xray is needed to rule out stones and sludge.urine dipstick to check for protein....this can aid with informing of possible urine infection.
It's good that your piggie is eating and drinking .please weight daily on any kitchen scales,as weight is the only sure way to know if your piggie is eating enough. Its very deceptive to see the piggie eat some hay.
A weight loss of 50grams in 24 hours is a red flag to see a vet.only weighted once aday in the morning .
I wish you and your piggie all the best.

 

[Christuphar]

We've been weighing him and his weight has not changed luckily, but that was my first thought too!

I'm going to do a check in the morning to see how the little guy is doing and schedule an appointment with a reputable vet as they aren't open over the weekends frustratingly.

Thanks for your message.

 

[Wiebke]

We've been weighing him and his weight has not changed luckily, but that was my first thought too!

I'm going to do a check in the morning to see how the little guy is doing and schedule an appointment with a reputable vet as they aren't open over the weekends frustratingly.

Thanks for your message.

Hi

Please see a regular vet this week. Most vets have an emergency slot or two when you call them first thing in the morning. It is always worse when it happens on a weekend but you were right to see an out-of-hours vet.
The Guinea Pig Forum

It is impossible for us to say whether it is real blood from a stone or sludge or very strong porphyrin-coloured urine at the start of a bacterial or sterile infection.

0.1 ml once daily with cat metacam is rather cosmetic, to be honest.

 

[Christuphar]

Hello,
Thought I'd provide an update on Teddie's situation. The blood in his urine has seemed to subside as we cannot see any further deposits, however we went to speak with the fantastic Kim Maddock at the Cat and Rabbit Care Clinic in Northampton and she has explained that Teddie (now an OAP) has signs of arthritis and how his body position can be causing him to not fully empty his bladder and as urine can be somewhat problematic, it has caused a little bit of inflammation which could have caused the bleeding. He's now on a life term plan of anti-inflammatory for his arthritis with a 4 week check and the potential of 3 monthly checks once we've followed up to see how the little guy is doing.
In light of it all, I just want to preach the wonderful Kim who shared so much knowledge and compassion with us, it was like a new experience and one that has opened my eyes.

 

[eileen]

I've used the Cat and Rabbit clinic many times.They are excellent.I'm pleased you got some answers for Teddie.i hope he improves with his new treatment.

 

[Christuphar]

Thank you Eileen!

 

[Wiebke]

Hello,
Thought I'd provide an update on Teddie's situation. The blood in his urine has seemed to subside as we cannot see any further deposits, however we went to speak with the fantastic Kim Maddock at the Cat and Rabbit Care Clinic in Northampton and she has explained that Teddie (now an OAP) has signs of arthritis and how his body position can be causing him to not fully empty his bladder and as urine can be somewhat problematic, it has caused a little bit of inflammation which could have caused the bleeding. He's now on a life term plan of anti-inflammatory for his arthritis with a 4 week check and the potential of 3 monthly checks once we've followed up to see how the little guy is doing.
In light of it all, I just want to preach the wonderful Kim who shared so much knowledge and compassion with us, it was like a new experience and one that has opened my eyes.

The Maddocks are great vets, aren't they? Kim is always very careful, thorough and considerate in her examinations.

I would recommend that you get additionally Johnson's extra strength 4joints dog liquid either online or from a pet shop and give 0.4 ml once a day (1kg piggy). In my own experience with plenty of arthritic elderlies and currently three of them on it this really makes a difference in their quality of life and in their mobility. Any glucosamine based product will take a few weeks to fully build up but at the moment it is the best UK support care product around for treating acute arthritis. 4joints is not a prescription medication so you won't get it from a vet.

All the best and glad that it is nothing alarming.

You may also find the very practical advice and tips in these two links here helpful in order to optimise your daily care and know what else to look out for:
Looking After Guinea Pigs With Limited or No Mobility
Caring for Older Piggies and Facing the End - A practical and supportive information collection