Can sterile IC be passed on to other pigs?

[Snowflake]

Hello all,
Sorry for the long post!
I got my girl when she was 6months old. She had 2 litters before I got her. She is around 2 now. She has been fine. Last October she had a urine infection and was very sore. In lower tummy. Vet did x Ray no stones, was on baytril , metacam and cystease. Was fine after. Then this year in March again urine infection vet did longer course of bay trail 2 weeks. After fine. Now 2 nd May another urine infection. On metacam, baytril and cystease. She is good again. She weighs 1,600kg . Vet is now putting her on permanent cyst ease as she thinks it could be stress related cystitis. Her boar who she lives with has sterile IC for 2 years now. Could he have passed this condition on to her? They are cleaned out twice a day. Bedded on hay covered everywhere. Both fed a low calcium diet. They are both outside on grass everyday ( only when it’s dry and not cold) and inside a 160 ferplast cage at night. They vet said if she didn’t respond to baytril and dropped weight then it could be a stone. But as she’s not bleeding and putting weight on its more infection or stress related cystitis. Are some females more prone to cystitis than others ? Or could she have caught sterile IC from the boar?
Thank you.

 

[Wiebke]

Hello all,
Sorry for the long post!
I got my girl when she was 6months old. She had 2 litters before I got her. She is around 2 now. She has been fine. Last October she had a urine infection and was very sore. In lower tummy. Vet did x Ray no stones, was on baytril , metacam and cystease. Was fine after. Then this year in March again urine infection vet did longer course of bay trail 2 weeks. After fine. Now 2 nd May another urine infection. On metacam, baytril and cystease. She is good again. She weighs 1,600kg . Vet is now putting her on permanent cyst ease as she thinks it could be stress related cystitis. Her boar who she lives with has sterile IC for 2 years now. Could he have passed this condition on to her? They are cleaned out twice a day. Bedded on hay covered everywhere. Both fed a low calcium diet. They are both outside on grass everyday ( only when it’s dry and not cold) and inside a 160 ferplast cage at night. They vet said if she didn’t respond to baytril and dropped weight then it could be a stone. But as she’s not bleeding and putting weight on its more infection or stress related cystitis. Are some females more prone to cystitis than others ? Or could she have caught sterile IC from the boar?
Thank you.

Hi

In my own experience with the Tribe, yes, it can be passed on but most companions can fend it off with their own immune system without ever developing anything more than some short-lived smelly pees but no further symptoms.
A bit like a bacterial urinary and respiratory infection - healthy companions won't get it unless there is another aggravating factor in play (in these cases generally an impacted immune system through stress (new separated pet shop babies in close proximityduring transport and in th shop; exposure to cold and damp as well as the bacteria).

Sterile cystitis seems to affect mostly guinea pigs who with a high level stress default setting - something that they experience as their 'normal' while still in the womb of a highly stressed out sow. It is blamed on the rise of commercial pet supply breeding and backyard breeding. You see the same in cats (feline sterile cystitis). Hopefully your sow has it only mildly and it is going to go away on its own eventually - in the Tribe the few follow-up cases were all on the milder side than the initial cases because their bodily defences are obviously stronger.

These are just my personal views.

 

[Snowflake]

Hi

In my own experience with the Tribe, yes, it can be passed on but most companions can fend it off with their own immune system without ever developing anything more than some short-lived smelly pees but no further symptoms.
A bit like a bacterial urinary and respiratory infection - healthy companions won't get it unless there is another aggravating factor in play (in these cases generally an impacted immune system through stress (new separated pet shop babies in close proximityduring transport and in th shop; exposure to cold and damp as well as the bacteria).

Sterile cystitis seems to affect mostly guinea pigs who with a high level stress default setting - something that they experience as their 'normal' while still in the womb of a highly stressed out sow. It is blamed on the rise of commercial pet supply breeding and backyard breeding. You see the same in cats (feline sterile cystitis). Hopefully your sow has it only mildly and it is going to go away on its own eventually - in the Tribe the few follow-up cases were all on the milder side than the initial cases because their bodily defences are obviously stronger.

These are just my personal views.

Thank you for your detailed reply.
My boars mum, auntie and my boars brother had it. Her last antibiotic is tomorrow. She is back to her feisty, sassy self again. My vet said to now permanently keep her onhalf capsule of cystease twice a day. And taper off the metacam. Few days before I took her to the vet at the beginning of May her urine stank for a few days. She doesn’t squeal when weeing like my boar. Or pass blood.

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you for your detailed reply.
My boars mum, auntie and my boars brother had it. Her last antibiotic is tomorrow. She is back to her feisty, sassy self again. My vet said to now permanently keep her onhalf capsule of cystease twice a day. And taper off the metacam. Few days before I took her to the vet at the beginning of May her urine stank for a few days. She doesn’t squeal when weeing like my boar. Or pass blood.

Just up the metacam for 2-3 days when she has got a flare to get symptoms down quickly.

 

[Snowflake]

Thank you. Her last dose of baytril is today. She’s still 1,600kg. She was on 1.02 ml twice a day of metacam. Vet said to taper it off. She is now on 0.5 ml of metacam. Should I wean her off metacam or should she be on it long term like my boar who has IC ? If you think she should be on metacam then I could ask my vet what she thinks. She was going to write out a prescription for me for her as she’s been on it on and off. She will be permanently on cystease half a capsule twice a day. My boar also has potassium citrate long term as well for his bladder. My girl might benefit from that if I speak to my vet. I am due to see vet for my boars prescription check up and my girl comes to so I can talk to her then. Thank you for you help. It’s taken 2 years to get my boar on correct pain management for IC he still has flare ups and we increase the cystease. I’m lucky to have a vet that is very knowledgeable with pigs and medication for them.

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you. Her last dose of baytril is today. She’s still 1,600kg. She was on 1.02 ml twice a day of metacam. Vet said to taper it off. She is now on 0.5 ml of metacam. Should I wean her off metacam or should she be on it long term like my boar who has IC ? If you think she should be on metacam then I could ask my vet what she thinks. She was going to write out a prescription for me for her as she’s been on it on and off. She will be permanently on cystease half a capsule twice a day. My boar also has potassium citrate long term as well for his bladder. My girl might benefit from that if I speak to my vet. I am due to see vet for my boars prescription check up and my girl comes to so I can talk to her then. Thank you for you help. It’s taken 2 years to get my boar on correct pain management for IC he still has flare ups and we increase the cystease. I’m lucky to have a vet that is very knowledgeable with pigs and medication for them.

It depends on the severity of the IC. In the very mildest cases you just need to step in with the metacam during flares but then I would recommend to do so with a decent dosage in order to get the inflammation and pain down quickly.
IC runs the whole spectrum from the very mild to the untreatably severe. You have to work out in each single case just how low you can go in between flares and how high you need to go to get a flare under control again as soon as possible. I have found with some home experimentation that shortly upping the glucosamine is more effective than upping the metacam in a flare but of course the combination is most effective - the experimentation was to help me work out the most efficient way to get the discomfort down again as quickly as I could. I would in any case make sure that you always have metacam ready at home so you can step in promptly whenever there is a flare.

 

[fluffysal]

I have no advice just wow, 1600g! Is she part cuy?

 

[Snowflake]

I have no advice just wow, 1600g! Is she part cuy?

she is 1,600kg. No she’s just a very well built Sheltie. She weighs the same size as my boar!

 

[Snowflake]

It depends on the severity of the IC. In the very mildest cases you just need to step in with the metacam during flares but then I would recommend to do so with a decent dosage in order to get the inflammation and pain down quickly.
IC runs the whole spectrum from the very mild to the untreatably severe. You have to work out in each single case just how low you can go in between flares and how high you need to go to get a flare under control again as soon as possible. I have found with some home experimentation that shortly upping the glucosamine is more effective than upping the metacam in a flare but of course the combination is most effective - the experimentation was to help me work out the most efficient way to get the discomfort down again as quickly as I could. I would in any case make sure that you always have metacam ready at home so you can step in promptly whenever there is a flare.

Thank you again for your advice. Much appreciated.