Blood!

[Lucy2103]

My guinea pig has been on metacam for bleeding. Originally tried baytril which didn't work. Metacam seems to stop it after only a couple of days. It's been an ongoing issue so suspected sterile cystitis as antibiotics didn't work but metacam does. We were also giving daily cystease. Stopped the cystease well over a month ago as had no blood for over 2 months. Dropped dosage of metacam to every other day as it seems it was going to need to be a long term drug. This week blood has appeared so suspected maybe every other day was not enough. Given normal dose of daily metacam for about 4 days and still blood but it would normally have cleared up by now. Will be taking back to vet. Anyone have any experience with this situation and can offer any input. Thank you

 

[CTWC]

I hope an expert will be here soon to advise

 

[Qualcast&Flymo]

I believe when sterile cystitis is diagnosed, the piggy needs to stay on glucosamine permanently. Once the initial bout is better, you reduce the dose of glucosamine until you find the minimum amount at which bleeding doesn't recur.

I couldn't find a guide or sticky thread covering sterile cystitis, if there is one hopefully an expert can link it.

 

[Wiebke]

My guinea pig has been on metacam for bleeding. Originally tried baytril which didn't work. Metacam seems to stop it after only a couple of days. It's been an ongoing issue so suspected sterile cystitis as antibiotics didn't work but metacam does. We were also giving daily cystease. Stopped the cystease well over a month ago as had no blood for over 2 months. Dropped dosage of metacam to every other day as it seems it was going to need to be a long term drug. This week blood has appeared so suspected maybe every other day was not enough. Given normal dose of daily metacam for about 4 days and still blood but it would normally have cleared up by now. Will be taking back to vet. Anyone have any experience with this situation and can offer any input. Thank you

Hi

Good that you re planning a vet trip. It sounds like it could be a strong Sterile Cystitis flare.
Please max your glucosamine and metacam to get on top it as quickly as possible.

When managing sterile IC, you have to distinguish between a maintenance dose in between flares that suppresses any symptoms and acute flare-ups every few weeks or months where you have to max out on your meds (even going up to one capsule of cystease/glucosamine every 12 hours) for a few days until symptoms are back under control again. In the milder and medium range the intervals between flares can gradually lengthen and it may go away on its own eventually.
Key is nonstop glucosamine since sterile IC seems to particularly affect the natural isolating glucosamine coating of the walls of the urinary tract, which prevents stinging urine from coming into contact with raw tissue and which causes the stained urine/blood in the urine and the screaming when peeing or pooing.

All the best.

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

 

[Piggies&buns]

Yes agree with qualcast&flymo - with sterile cystitis, glucosamine is permanent. You have to find a dosage which brings symptoms under control and then continue to give that dose every day lifelong. If there is a flare then you temporarily increase the dose to bring it back under control and then reduce back to maintenance dose one the flare has passed.
The blood stopped because you found the balance to bring her symptoms under control but by stopping giving the glucosamine altogether it allowed the symptoms to increase/get out of control.

 

[Lucy2103]

So been to the vet first thing with a urine sample. They did a couple of different urine analysis tests, no blood was found in the sample at all or bacteria to suggest urine infection, yet some blood was still coming out of her while we were at the vet. She did a poo while at the vets and the vet looked with tissue and even this didn't have blood on it so he's now suspecting potentially reproductive. She has had urine infection before though. If no blood in her sample, but she's still bleeding it can't be cystitis can it? Next step before ultrasound he suggested to up her metacam to 0.3mg a day instead of 0.2 then if it stops to go back to 0.2 and see if she can come off it completely without it starting up again. If it happens again he wants to do an ultrasound. She's 4 in June.
Would appreciate your thoughts on this new revelation please? I'd be worried about putting her under an operation.

Many thanks

 

[Wiebke]

So been to the vet first thing with a urine sample. They did a couple of different urine analysis tests, no blood was found in the sample at all or bacteria to suggest urine infection, yet some blood was still coming out of her while we were at the vet. She did a poo while at the vets and the vet looked with tissue and even this didn't have blood on it so he's now suspecting potentially reproductive. She has had urine infection before though. If no blood in her sample, but she's still bleeding it can't be cystitis can it? Next step before ultrasound he suggested to up her metacam to 0.3mg a day instead of 0.2 then if it stops to go back to 0.2 and see if she can come off it completely without it starting up again. If it happens again he wants to do an ultrasound. She's 4 in June.
Would appreciate your thoughts on this new revelation please? I'd be worried about putting her under an operation.

Many thanks

Hi

Bloody urine usually points towards a urinary tract infection or problem. With sheer bleeding from the anus of sows, the reproductive tract needs a thorough check as womb, ovaries and ovarian cysts can all go wrong, up to and including cancer in any of them. Please don't wait for too long.