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Brownie... blood in urine...

pig in the city said:
It's not too bad, about 40 mins and a scenic drive through the peak District. She is very good and a lovely person too. I have a lot of piggies with this problem, they do well on Metacam and cystophan (or equivalent) usually, but often need treatment long term. Restricting pellets definitely helps.
My piggies are fine thanks, one had a review ( Chloe who has recurring bladder stones) and Oscar is being neutered so he can get a girlfriend. I've just heard that he is recovering well so l am picking him up later xx
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Aww i hope Oscar is ok after having his plums off! Yes, it was such a lovely drive this morning even though i was sick with worry and stressed! The journey home was more pleasant and such beautiful colours on the trees!
 
Glad to hear that it isn't ovary related. Mavis also has bladder problems. Her bladder wall is thickened and she is prone it UTIs. We give her cystease and she is on 0.2ml of metacam twice daily (she weighs 1.2kg). We have tried taking her off the Metacam but within a couple of weeks or so she starts to pee blood again. So it is probable she will need it for the rest of her life.

Hope Brownie starts to improve now you have a diagnosis and the correct treatment. I would ask Ellie about giving her Cystease, it is only a food supplement and our vet was happy for us to give it to Mavis whilst he was still treating her.
 
YvonneBlue said:
Glad to hear that it isn't ovary related. Mavis also has bladder problems. Her bladder wall is thickened and she is prone it UTIs. We give her cystease and she is on 0.2ml of metacam twice daily (she weighs 1.2kg). We have tried taking her off the Metacam but within a couple of weeks or so she starts to pee blood again. So it is probable she will need it for the rest of her life.

Hope Brownie starts to improve now you have a diagnosis and the correct treatment. I would ask Ellie about giving her Cystease, it is only a food supplement and our vet was happy for us to give it to Mavis whilst he was still treating her.
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Thanks.. I will defo ask the question! Anything to help... xx
 
I've not heard of SIC - I'm learning all the time on this forum! I googled and saw that the NHS advises people with SIC to avoid alcohol and tomatoes... this is probably not that useful for Brownie, sorry.
I also didn't realise other people tried to remove the calcium from their water for the pigs... this is something I was doing for my stone pigs in the past and I felt a bit foolish because again, I couldn't find any link in people to the water they drink and the likelihood of stones. I guess I was just trying to do something... and although I know Nottingham water is hard (I come from there) the Oxfordshire water is horrendously chalky. The lowest Ca water I could find was actually Duchy bottled water from Waitrose which is from Edinburgh or some such. The rest of us have adjusted to the tap water: frankly if my tea doesn't have scum on the top I'm thinking I must've made it wrong.
It looks like you and Brownie are just having to take it one step at a time so all I can do is wish you a safe journey back to health. What a brave girl x
 
VickiA said:
Another vote here for grain free pellets, metacam and cystease, coupled with a low calcium diet and filtered water. It can also help it you can get more water into her. So, eg drenching her veg in filtered water.

the guide gives information about a low calcium diet Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets
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Thanks @VickiA - she isn't much of a drinker,.. I will pop the water bowl back in - as they all like that at times.. their veg is generally wet and i don't like to give it them straight out of the fridge - so i boil the kettle and pour it over - i wait for it to cool a bit then tip the water away just before feeding them.. i don't usually wash my herbs tho as i forget but i will start to do that too.... I spoke to Ellie and she wants to see how she goes before I start the Cystease..
 
Free Ranger said:
I've not heard of SIC - I'm learning all the time on this forum! I googled and saw that the NHS advises people with SIC to avoid alcohol and tomatoes... this is probably not that useful for Brownie, sorry.
I also didn't realise other people tried to remove the calcium from their water for the pigs... this is something I was doing for my stone pigs in the past and I felt a bit foolish because again, I couldn't find any link in people to the water they drink and the likelihood of stones. I guess I was just trying to do something... and although I know Nottingham water is hard (I come from there) the Oxfordshire water is horrendously chalky. The lowest Ca water I could find was actually Duchy bottled water from Waitrose which is from Edinburgh or some such. The rest of us have adjusted to the tap water: frankly if my tea doesn't have scum on the top I'm thinking I must've made it wrong.
It looks like you and Brownie are just having to take it one step at a time so all I can do is wish you a safe journey back to health. What a brave girl x
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I had seen it mentioned before but wasn't sure about it - yes this forum is great for learning new things! I tell brownie no more booze - she will devastated :lol!: i don't really give them toms anyway... Our water is very hard, we have a fridge with a built in water thing so that gets filtered and the pigs have that the same as us... it's been a crazy week and me and Brownie are ready for a good sleep! x
 
Up-Date Tuesday 20th Oct... well Brownie is doing well.... She is a lot more like her old self - shouting at 5pm for her dinner for example.. She is a lot more mobile than she was... her weight is being monitored daily - that is ok at the moment and not much change day by day.. still not happy taking her metacam but managing to get it into her so that is obviously dong her some good.

I am going to check her wee again for any blood later, although not heard any noises when she is urinating..
 
well I am not sure if i spoke too soon..... :no: popped brownie in a bowl to check her wee this morning and she cried when she passed urine and it looked like there was blood in it.... repeated this again just now and she did the same.......

She has been fine and none of us have heard her cry....... her poo looks good.... BUT i did give her a small piece of melon yesterday and now i am wondering if this would have aggravated her bladder at all?
 
This is going to sound awful - I actually deleted it once but I'll put it:
The scientist in me would say (1) see if this wears off as the melon goes through her system, and then... if it all clears up... (2) give her another bit to see if the same thing happens 😢 But I know for sure I wouldn't be able to do (2) myself even if I really wanted to know. It's easier just to avoid melon. However, can you remember if you gave her any melon before when she got poorly?

Also check out this link where people with IC (and I know piggies aren't people) are debating whether it's a trigger:
http://cobf.websitetoolbox.com/post/I'm-telling-you-its-the-watermelon-1956114

If she's got this SIC it would seem there can be multiple triggers and it's just learning what to avoid

Poor Brownie - let's hope it's a one-off...
 
Free Ranger said:
This is going to sound awful - I actually deleted it once but I'll put it:
The scientist in me would say (1) see if this wears off as the melon goes through her system, and then... if it all clears up... (2) give her another bit to see if the same thing happens 😢 But I know for sure I wouldn't be able to do (2) myself even if I really wanted to know. It's easier just to avoid melon. However, can you remember if you gave her any melon before when she got poorly?

Also check out this link where people with IC (and I know piggies aren't people) are debating whether it's a trigger:
http://cobf.websitetoolbox.com/post/I'm-telling-you-its-the-watermelon-1956114

If she's got this SIC it would seem there can be multiple triggers and it's just learning what to avoid

Poor Brownie - let's hope it's a one-off...
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I only got the melon in for when she was recovering after the op which she didnt have...🙈🙈 it's not something they have hardly at all - unless it's very very hot weather... I thought of she can have this bit that's left.... I will repeat tomorrow in the bowl morning and night and see what happens... I get what you are saying...but it's the only new/different thing she has been given... 😪.... x
 
From what the humans who have these bladder conditions are saying on their own forums triggers seem to be food-related for a lot of people (maybe food allergies?) and they are given a diet sheet of 'safe' foods and foods to avoid but when they try them the effect seems to vary greatly from person to person so maybe it's the same from pig to pig. Poor little Brownie. I hope she feels better tomorrow and this is just a transient thing. If melon is a rare addition to their diet it might be worth mentioning what happened and what you think to the vet next time you see her - it might tell her something we don't understand, and it might even be something she has seen regularly before as a symptom.
The other thing might be that it is nothing to do with anything she's eaten and is just a flare-up triggered by who-knows-what.
Thinking of you all 💕
 
I find that any change to Holly’s diet at all causes a flare up in her IC.
 
artcasper said:
Really regretting that one tiny piece of melon now 😪
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Don’t blame yourself. You weren’t to know. I follow the diet Wiebke recommends in the diet guides and never vary it now. Mine all get the same each day - green bean, coriander, pepper and cucumber. Occasionally a bit of dill, but that’s it. Very dull, but we have very few issues now and they still seem to enjoy their veggies.
 
so, we are off back to see Ellie in Matlock on Monday.... Brownie still has a small amount of blood when she pees and makes a noise but we notice this is more at night time than in the daytime. She has had extra water via the syringe - she loves to bite the hell out of that - extra slice of cucumber in the morning as well as at night time... given her some critical care and a few mushed up pellets a few times as her weight went down a bit ... she seems ok mainly but at times still quiet and not happy.....

Winny will also be doing the trip with her as she has a mystery lump which has been there since April and seen by the normal vet but it has grown slightly so going to get Ellie's opinion on what that is...

Roll on Monday!
 
Good luck to brave Brownie and Winny... they might enjoy having company on the journey. I usually take my 'patients' in with a companion although now we have to hand over the carrier in the car-park there is always a big sticker on the top saying something like GEORGE - BLACK ONE - IMPACTION (for example!) in case they examine the wrong pig.

I admire you for spotting the lump had changed. We once had a lovely old girl (Dippy) who loved to munch and was very well padded - we used to joke about her big double chin which seemed to get bigger and bigger... by the time I realised it was a lump it was literally like a golf ball and I was mortified. She had it removed successfully though!
 
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