Blood or beetroot?

[Suki&Indie]

Hi all, I recently gave my Guinea pigs some forage with dried beetroot flakes
Tonight when cleaning the cage I noticed some drops of red in two places. No piggie is off their food/losing weight or squealing in pain so I haven’t suspected any urinary issues but the red drops are scaring me.
I did try wetting some of the dried beetroot (incase someone peed on some beetroot lying on the ground) but the colour isn’t as concentrated as what’s on the fleece
I haven’t seen any other red drops but I’ll keep my eyes peeled now. Would it be a good idea to isolate the piggies and see if anyone is peeing blood?
If it helps I have two sows and one neutered boar in the cage
Definitely stopping the beetroot for now though!
Thanks for reading!

 

[fluffysal]

Bump

 

[Wiebke]

Hi all, I recently gave my Guinea pigs some forage with dried beetroot flakes
Tonight when cleaning the cage I noticed some drops of red in two places. No piggie is off their food/losing weight or squealing in pain so I haven’t suspected any urinary issues but the red drops are scaring me.
I did try wetting some of the dried beetroot (incase someone peed on some beetroot lying on the ground) but the colour isn’t as concentrated as what’s on the fleece
I haven’t seen any other red drops but I’ll keep my eyes peeled now. Would it be a good idea to isolate the piggies and see if anyone is peeing blood?
If it helps I have two sows and one neutered boar in the cage
Definitely stopping the beetroot for now though!
Thanks for reading!

Hi

Beetroot will show up pink in the pee within 24 hours (fresh; dried patches will darken over time as they dry in dark fleece but dry into more purplish tones). Poos can have a distinct purplish tinge.

Dark red pees, drying into maroon are from a natural dye called porphyrin, which is characteristic for the onset of any of the urinary tract infections. If the latter is the case, then you should see gradually more symptoms appearing over the coming few days. Initially, they can be very hit and miss - there can be clear and porphyrin pees, which may or may not test for blood in either state and the squeaking when peeing may also a bit hit and miss.

What it doesn't look like is fresh blood, which dries into mid-brown shades.

Right now, all you can do is wait and then book a non-urgent appointment during regular opening hours once you know how things are going and who is the affected piggy (which in a group can take a while). I would recommend not to panic and to please not hover over the cage. If it is an infection, it will become obvious by the time there is a chance for a vet to actually diagnose something.

Fingers crossed for beetroot!

 

[Suki&Indie]

Just wanted to update incase someone is in a similar situation
Shortly after I noticed my youngest piggy hiding a lot more and reluctant to come get her treat. Brought her to the vet who was happy with weight/heart/lungs. Our vets aren’t very cavy savvy so he only gave us a small amount of metacam. Since starting it she’s a whole new piggy but we will see if she regresses once her metacam is finished and look into getting her some antibiotics.
Mostly likely it is a UTI/cystitis and if she’s not better by the end of her metacam we’ll be getting a urine culture done
She’s very young so I assume it’s not due to too much calcium (they’re also mainly fed orchard grass which is low calcium and a very small amount of oxbow pellets) is there anything I can do to avoid this in future? The cage is kept super clean and she’s short haired so her bum is also clean.

Quick edit to add: any glucosamine recommendations? Preferably something tasty that she will willingly take as she HATES being held/picked up and I want to avoid stress as much as possible (on that note has anyone had a good experience with the stress reducing plug ins? I’m worried that whatever they spray might hurt their lungs but I’d also like to reduce stress when the little lady is sick)

 

[Wiebke]

Just wanted to update incase someone is in a similar situation
Shortly after I noticed my youngest piggy hiding a lot more and reluctant to come get her treat. Brought her to the vet who was happy with weight/heart/lungs. Our vets aren’t very cavy savvy so he only gave us a small amount of metacam. Since starting it she’s a whole new piggy but we will see if she regresses once her metacam is finished and look into getting her some antibiotics.
Mostly likely it is a UTI/cystitis and if she’s not better by the end of her metacam we’ll be getting a urine culture done
She’s very young so I assume it’s not due to too much calcium (they’re also mainly fed orchard grass which is low calcium and a very small amount of oxbow pellets) is there anything I can do to avoid this in future? The cage is kept super clean and she’s short haired so her bum is also clean.

Quick edit to add: any glucosamine recommendations? Preferably something tasty that she will willingly take as she HATES being held/picked up and I want to avoid stress as much as possible (on that note has anyone had a good experience with the stress reducing plug ins? I’m worried that whatever they spray might hurt their lungs but I’d also like to reduce stress when the little lady is sick)

Hi

You may find this link here helpful for an oversight.

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 and Bladder Cancer
-...

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

We recommend Feliway cat cystease capsules: empty the contents of a capsule into a small medicine bottle and mix with 2 ml of water (it may take a little while to absorb). Shake before use and either give the 2ml every 24 hours or 1 ml roughly very 12 hours. It is not a quick fix but needs time to build up. They are just easiest to measure out and syringe as they taste best.
They are widely available online. In other countries you will have to google for comparable brands.


Right now it is still wait and see what happens and how it develops.

 

[Merab]

Just offering support