Blood in urine

[grotty]

Hey all, so!
One of my piggies had surgery 2 weeks ago. Bladder stone removal. Went great, no problems.
There was a little bit of blood in the urine on the first 2 days as to be expected.

I just put her back with her cagemate today. This is the first time she's using her pee to communicate with a pig again and there is blood.
She's showing no signs of distress or pain. I am monitoring her to see if this goes away but I'm worried.

Should I remove her and wait a bit longer? Has anyone had this happen before?
Thanks so much in advance!

 

[Wiebke]

Hey all, so!
One of my piggies had surgery 2 weeks ago. Bladder stone removal. Went great, no problems.
There was a little bit of blood in the urine on the first 2 days as to be expected.

I just put her back with her cagemate today. This is the first time she's using her pee to communicate with a pig again and there is blood.
She's showing no signs of distress or pain. I am monitoring her to see if this goes away but I'm worried.

Should I remove her and wait a bit longer? Has anyone had this happen before?
Thanks so much in advance!

Hi

Was it sheer blood, light red pee or quite dark and intense red pee?

Seemingly clear urine can test high for blood so it takes a real lot before it discolours. However, intense red coloured (which ma or may not contain blood) is usually caused by a natural dye called porphyrin, which is typical for the onset of a urinary tract infection of some sort or other. You will have to wait and see whether there are more.

Sheer blood could be a sign of bladder trauma (a reaction of the bladder to he damage a stone has wrought when it was banged around with each pee after a stone removal); it is thankfully not all that common.

Here is more information on pees and stones:

Thread 'Wiebke's Guide to Pees and Stones'

May 29, 2024

1 The Urinary Tract
2 Pees
- Water intake changes
- Pee discoloration
3 Infections
- Bacterial urine infection (UTI)
- Bacterial cystitis
- Sterile cystitis (interstitial cystitis or IC)
4 Stones, Sludge and Crystals
- Crystals, stones and sludge
- Stone and sludge removal
5 Kidneys...

• Wiebke
• Replies: 3
• Forum: Wiebke's Guides to the Body

Please do not separate again. Companionship is very important and each separation is another added stress factor for the bond.

 

[grotty]

Hi

Was it sheer blood, light red pee or quite dark and intense red pee?

Seemingly clear urine can test high for blood so it takes a real lot before it discolours. However, intense red coloured (which ma or may not contain blood) is usually caused by a natural dye called porphyrin, which is typical for the onset of a urinary tract infection of some sort or other. You will have to wait and see whether there are more.

Sheer blood could be a sign of bladder trauma (a reaction of the bladder to he damage a stone has wrought when it was banged around with each pee after a stone removal); it is thankfully not all that common.

Here is more information on pees and stones:

Thread 'Wiebke's Guide to Pees and Stones'

May 29, 2024

1 The Urinary Tract
2 Pees
- Water intake changes
- Pee discoloration
3 Infections
- Bacterial urine infection (UTI)
- Bacterial cystitis
- Sterile cystitis (interstitial cystitis or IC)
4 Stones, Sludge and Crystals
- Crystals, stones and sludge
- Stone and sludge removal
5 Kidneys...

• Wiebke
• Replies: 3
• Forum: Wiebke's Guides to the Body

Please do not separate again. Companionship is very important and each separation is another added stress factor for the bond.

I would say it is a light red.
She is on antibiotics for 21 days right now as well.

Thank you for the guide too!

 

[Wiebke]

I would say it is a light red.
She is on antibiotics for 21 days right now as well.

Thank you for the guide too!

Just keep an eye on it; it could be bladder trauma and/or a bacterial cystitis (infection of the bladder walls usually resulting from stones or sludge) or bladder trauma. Good that she is already on antibiotics.

All the best.

 

[Wiebke]

PS: Have you reviewed the diet? The problem with stones is that they can also happen when the diet is just that little bit too low in calcium. Most calcium in the diet comes with water (especially the harder it is) and with the pellets, even not calcium enriched ones - they are still higher in calcium weight for weight than kale. That is also the reason why there is not an ideal diet that works everywhere. With hard water you have to filter the water and with soft water you have more leeway with calcium and oxalate high veg in the diet; especially if you reduce your pellets to 1 tablespoon per piggy per day.

However, any dietary changes take time to filter through and there is nothing you can do immediately; especially if the stone is the result of something in the very complex calcium absorption process going wrong.

What you can do about any damage to the walls of the urinary tract is glucosamine, which is classed as a food supplement and not as a medication in order to strengthen the natural isolating glucosamine coating that prevents the highly corrosive urine from coming into painful contact with raw tissue.
We recommend it for both after stone care as well as for use in any of the urinary tract infections, so it works for any of the scenarios you are possibly facing. Again, it is not a quick fix as it needs to build up but it is effective for longer term comfort.

 

[grotty]

PS: Have you reviewed the diet? The problem with stones is that they can also happen when the diet is just that little bit too low in calcium. Most calcium in the diet comes with water (especially the harder it is) and with the pellets, even not calcium enriched ones - they are still higher in calcium weight for weight than kale. That is also the reason why there is not an ideal diet that works everywhere. With hard water you have to filter the water and with soft water you have more leeway with calcium and oxalate high veg in the diet; especially if you reduce your pellets to 1 tablespoon per piggy per day.

However, any dietary changes take time to filter through and there is nothing you can do immediately; especially if the stone is the result of something in the very complex calcium absorption process going wrong.

What you can do about any damage to the walls of the urinary tract is glucosamine, which is classed as a food supplement and not as a medication in order to strengthen the natural isolating glucosamine coating that prevents the highly corrosive urine from coming into painful contact with raw tissue.
We recommend it for both after stone care as well as for use in any of the urinary tract infections, so it works for any of the scenarios you are possibly facing. Again, it is not a quick fix as it needs to build up but it is effective for longer term comfort.

Oh, yeah! I think she just got unlucky. Although, she is a rehome and I do not know what they were feeding her for her first year or so of life. Shes about 3-4 now. We do have hard water here so I have a filter and I feed all my piggies oxbow pellets using the recommended portion size.

Her pee is looking clear this morning thankfully. Would the oxbow urinary support tablets be a good choice?
Thanks!

 

[Wiebke]

Oh, yeah! I think she just got unlucky. Although, she is a rehome and I do not know what they were feeding her for her first year or so of life. Shes about 3-4 now. We do have hard water here so I have a filter and I feed all my piggies oxbow pellets using the recommended portion size.

Her pee is looking clear this morning thankfully. Would the oxbow urinary support tablets be a good choice?
Thanks!

Oxboy urinary support tablets are at the lower end but as long as you are not dealing with a more serious long term complain like sterile cystitis, they are OK.

Right now it is a bit of a wait and see situation as to whether it is a one off or wether there will be more in coming days.

 

[grotty]

So, we unfortunately found out she had pyometra & she had a spay 2 weeks ago. This pig is a fighter thank goodness. She was doing well, but today she started bleeding again (unsure if vaginal or urinary right now) and she screams when I go to pick her up, so she is definitely in pain. Waiting on a call back from my vet but any thoughts on what is happening would be great. I feel so awful for her

 

[Wiebke]

So, we unfortunately found out she had pyometra & she had a spay 2 weeks ago. This pig is a fighter thank goodness. She was doing well, but today she started bleeding again (unsure if vaginal or urinary right now) and she screams when I go to pick her up, so she is definitely in pain. Waiting on a call back from my vet but any thoughts on what is happening would be great. I feel so awful for her

BIG HUGS

I am so very sorry. I hope that you hear back soon from your vet. Without access, we can only guess as widely as you as to what has happened. Does it look like sheer blood or bloody urine?

 

[grotty]

BIG HUGS

I am so very sorry. I hope that you hear back soon from your vet. Without access, we can only guess as widely as you as to what has happened. Does it look like sheer blood or bloody urine?

Sheer blood I believe. My vet is at a loss.
She has been on bactrim for the 2 surgeries and is still on it right now. she thinks maybe she has become resistant to the antibiotic and wants to switch her to orbax. Unfortunately I cannot get her in until monday or tuesday so she can't really help me more but I can pick up the medication tomorrow if I want to go ahead and switch.

 

[Wiebke]

Sheer blood I believe. My vet is at a loss.
She has been on bactrim for the 2 surgeries and is still on it right now. she thinks maybe she has become resistant to the antibiotic and wants to switch her to orbax. Unfortunately I cannot get her in until monday or tuesday so she can't really help me more but I can pick up the medication tomorrow if I want to go ahead and switch.

What painkillers is she on?

Sheer bleeding after a bladder operation can be caused by bladder trauma (damage to the bladder from the stone) and it is a reaction to the absence of the stone. It is very painful. I've have had it twice with piggies of mine.

Please step with weight monitoring and if needed feeding support to hopefully get her through the rough bit. With a little luck the bladder will heal and calm down again. It is not an infection but the mechanical damage; with an infection it would be porphyrine (dark red) coloured urine rather than sheer lighter red blood.

What I would recommend is to get some bladder supplement capsules for cats; they are pretty standard although the brand name is different for various countries. They are glucosamine based and they help to strengthen the badly scratched isolating natural glucosamine coat of the urinary tract and majorly help with the comfort. It is however not instant and takes several weeks to build up fully. Once you have the capsules, we canhelp you further.

This is the UK brand so you can compare ingredients and order accordingly. It is classed as a supplement and not as a medication.
Feliway Cystease Urinary Tract Support Capsules For Cats - 30 Capsules - Boots

 

[grotty]

What painkillers is she on?

Sheer bleeding after a bladder operation can be caused by bladder trauma (damage to the bladder from the stone) and it is a reaction to the absence of the stone. It is very painful. I've have had it twice with piggies of mine.

Please step with weight monitoring and if needed feeding support to hopefully get her through the rough bit. With a little luck the bladder will heal and calm down again. It is not an infection but the mechanical damage; with an infection it would be porphyrine (dark red) coloured urine rather than sheer lighter red blood.

What I would recommend is to get some bladder supplement capsules for cats; they are pretty standard although the brand name is different for various countries. They are glucosamine based and they help to strengthen the badly scratched isolating natural glucosamine coat of the urinary tract and majorly help with the comfort. It is however not instant and takes several weeks to build up fully. Once you have the capsules, we canhelp you further.

This is the UK brand so you can compare ingredients and order accordingly. It is classed as a supplement and not as a medication.
Feliway Cystease Urinary Tract Support Capsules For Cats - 30 Capsules - Boots

We had her urine tested multiple times after the stone surgery with no blood in the urine despite it looking that way. That is when we found out she had pyometra and got her spayed, so I think the bleeding is likely vaginal. I do have those supplements on hand, as I ordered them before we got the pyometra diagnosis, but never ended up using them.

She had 4 doses of a painkiller after her surgery, but I can't find the receipt right now to review what it was. It was metacam or meloxicam I'm pretty sure.

I'll be sure to monitor her weight. Thankfully she is still eating and drinking like normal.

 

[GuineaDobbin]

Are you not administering painkillers yourself post-surgery? Metacam or similar.

Bladder surgeries and hysterectomy are pretty major and need some really good pain management.

Make sure you're keeping her fluids up and supplemental feeding if she's not eating. The skin pinch test is a good indication of hydration.

 

[grotty]

Update!

It was her bladder. We did another urinalysis and she had crystals in her urine along with blood. Right now she is on the cystease and we're monitoring her. My vet wants to do an ultrasound next week as well. I'm looking around for a good low calcium pellet option and am adjusting her veggies. I feed my pigs oxbow and found a senior oxbow pellet with less calcium, but if you guys know a better option please let me know. And thank you so much for all of the support on this!

 

[Piggies&buns]

Most calcium comes into the key via pellets and drinking water. All pellets contain calcium but even low calcium pellets contain more calcium than the highest calcium vegetable (which is kale). Therefore the best thing you can do is to make sure you don’t feed more than one tablespoon of of whatever pellets you choose per day.
The safe daily veggies are lettuce, cilantro, bell pepper and cucumber.
Remember that if you cut down calcium too low then you cause just as many problems as too much calcium - it’s about finding the balance that is right for your pigs. For example - my pigs get about five pellets each but only get them twice a week, that has given me leeway in the forage and veg part of their diet and I am able to feed mine slightly higher calcium veg without issue. I also filter drinking water.

The guides below will help you further -

I’ve added in our pee and stones guide, section 4 explains how crystals and sludge need to be dealt with as well as diet recommendations.
I’ve also added our nugget comparison guide (skip to the end of the guide where the newest version is located at #339)

Thread 'Wiebke's Guide to Pees and Stones'

May 29, 2024

1 The Urinary Tract
2 Pees
- Water intake changes
- Pee discoloration
3 Infections
- Bacterial urine infection (UTI)
- Bacterial cystitis
- Sterile cystitis (interstitial cystitis or IC)
4 Stones, Sludge and Crystals
- Crystals, stones and sludge
- Stone and sludge removal
5 Kidneys...

• Wiebke
• Replies: 3
• Forum: Wiebke's Guides to the Body

Thread 'Nugget Comparison Chart'

Dec 28, 2016

Pellet brands comparison chart (incl. international sold brands)

So after looking at the different foods available and finding that the information is spread all over the place I have started to compile a spreadsheet of the nuggets available here in the UK (and most in other countries). I am still gathering information but I have put the basics into a spreadsheet so that they can all be compared together.

If there is anything else you think I could add to the spread sheet, please let me know, or if you have any info about the blank spaces I'd be grateful too! Here...

• Flutterby
• Replies: 343
• Forum: Diet

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