Can't find the cause of blood in guinea pig cage.

[elijerr]

I started noticing what appeared to be bloody urine two days ago (I'm getting them into the vet within the next day or so). I put down a pee pad and waited for both pigs to pee but both of them had completely normal urine. I checked them both over for injuries multiple times and I checked their bottoms multiple times as well. I checked their pee again yesterday and still there was no redness but more blood kept showing up. Their nails aren't bleeding and neither are their noses. I've looked into so many causes of blood in the cage but I can't find a single explanation. I thought it would be best to go into the vet with at least a general idea of whats wrong and at least know what guinea pig its coming from.
I think I know what pig its coming from since she's been more moody lately and really lethargic but I still have no idea what could be wrong. I've posted on multiple platforms and nobody seems to know what it could be. It only ever shows up when I'm not around and I'm all out of ideas. Anyone have any experiences similar to this or any ideas?
(I am aware this isn't a substitute for a veterinarian's diagnosis, I just want to have a general idea).

 

[elijerr]

Are you sure it's definitely blood you are seeing ?

Its a really dark red and it looks like every picture of blood in urine I can find. At first I hoped it was just discoloration from something they ate but they haven't had any veggies that could possibly make it that red. I know reddish pee can also be common in young males but they're both older females.

 

[weepweeps]

I hope the vet can find the cause. As they are older ladies maybe it’s their reproduction system that needs checking. But the vet will obviously do that. Has one of them lost weight? That’s usually the first sign of illness. Keep us posted.

 

[VickiA]

It’s not uncommon with cystitis for there to be blood visible in the urine for a while and then not visible to the naked eye. If you can get a urine sample for your vets to test, that would be very helpful. How To Collect A Urine Sample

Cystitis can be bacterial or non bacterial. That is what your vets will be testing for - the presence of blood and raised white cells or other indications of an infection that may need antibiotics. If there are no raised white cells then it could be a non bacterial (interstitial cystitis). My own Holly has IC, as do several other piggies on this forum. Management of IC is multi-pronged - switching to grain free pellets, feeding a low calcium diet Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets and filtering water to remove excess calcium.

If there is bladder sludge or crystals this can cause irritation to the urinalysis tract and cause episodic bleeding, (that’s what I am dealing with at the moment). This may (subject to severity) need further investigation and potentially a bladder flush.

If your vet decides it’s not urinary in origin, then a reproductive tract is the next likely suspect in a sow for unexplained bleeding.

Whatever the cause, any blood should warrant investigation by your veterinary surgeon. Please let us know how they get on with the vet and what the vet finds.

 

[elijerr]

It’s not uncommon with cystitis for there to be blood visible in the urine for a while and then not visible to the naked eye. If you can get a urine sample for your vets to test, that would be very helpful. How To Collect A Urine Sample

Cystitis can be bacterial or non bacterial. That is what your vets will be testing for - the presence of blood and raised white cells or other indications of an infection that may need antibiotics. If there are no raised white cells then it could be a non bacterial (interstitial cystitis). My own Holly has IC, as do several other piggies on this forum. Management of IC is multi-pronged - switching to grain free pellets, feeding a low calcium diet Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets and filtering water to remove excess calcium.

If there is bladder sludge or crystals this can cause irritation to the urinalysis tract and cause episodic bleeding, (that’s what I am dealing with at the moment). This may (subject to severity) need further investigation and potentially a bladder flush.

If your vet decides it’s not urinary in origin, then a reproductive tract is the next likely suspect in a sow for unexplained bleeding.

Whatever the cause, any blood should warrant investigation by your veterinary surgeon. Please let us know how they get on with the vet and what the vet finds.

Thank you very much!