Cystitis/urine infections

[piggy]

Help! My pig has had some kind of problem when peeing for some considerable time. He squeaks when he goes and looks uncomfortable. Been to the vet on numerous occasions, had two sets of Baytril, xrayed for stones (came back clear), change of antibiotics and still he's squeaking! I'm going crazy, what on earth can be wrong? Could it be down to his food? At this time he's on Gerty Guinea which I've now read isn't that great for them. Does anybody have any suggestions such as natural remedies? Can you give piggies cranberry juice which is supposed to help humans with urine infections? Heeeeelp! :'(

 

[kellyandpiggies]

you can give them cranberry juice, the unsweetened one.

 

[piggy]

you can give them cranberry juice, the unsweetened one.

Thanks, will give it a go!

 

[karenrgpr]

Cystopurin or other Sodium Citrate product for humans is good and try Septrim antibiotic instead of Baytril

 

[baby-wilson]

Just wondering... apart from the pigs squeeking when they wee... how can you tell they have urine infections?

 

[daftscotslass]

Just wondering... apart from the pigs squeeking when they wee... how can you tell they have urine infections?

Blood in urine (also a symptom of stones) and a constantly wet bottom are both symptoms as well. Some piggies with infections are also a bit smelly (stale pee smell).

Just to add when getting the cranberry juice make sure that if it's sugar free it's not one with sweeteners as they can cause diarrhoea.

 

[piggy]

Just wondering... apart from the pigs squeeking when they wee... how can you tell they have urine infections?

Blood in urine (also a symptom of stones) and a constantly wet bottom are both symptoms as well. Some piggies with infections are also a bit smelly (stale pee smell).

Just to add when getting the cranberry juice make sure that if it's sugar free it's not one with sweeteners as they can cause diarrhoea.

Searched everywhere for unsweetened cranberry juice and couldn't get it anywhere, even in our local health food shop. Got cranberries from Tesco and stuck them in the blender. Think this is okay?

 

[Abnoba]

I suppose its the same with piggies as it is with humans - if they have a urine infection, they have to drink lots and lots.

A way to make sure your piggy gets loads of fluid would be to feed alot of cucumber, I suppose, mine are so greedy they will always eat all the cucumber I give them, even if they ignore their water bottle.

 

[Clover_kins]

I'm having a lot of problems with clover similar to yours. How long has the vet told you to keep your piggie on the anti-biotics? They told me 10 days, but people on here told me 2 weeks to clear the infection. what ml per day were they on? Clover was also clear for stones, they said she may have kidney disease or lumps on her kidney (because she is pretty old)

The vets also kept giving me baytril, but after i was told septrin is the best for urine infections, i suggested it to the vet, and they agreed and gave me it straight away 98)(i don't know why they hadn't given it to me before!)

 

[piggy]

He was on Baytril for two weeks then they xrayed him found no stones and put him on Septrin which he has been on for a week with no sign of change. I'm really starting to tear my hair out.He's on 0.6ml , think I should ask for more when they run out?

 

[daftscotslass]

He was on Baytril for two weeks then they xrayed him found no stones and put him on Septrin which he has been on for a week with no sign of change. I'm really starting to tear my hair out.He's on 0.6ml , think I should ask for more when they run out?

If you're having no luck then get the vet to culture the urine. This will tell you exactly what, if any, bacteria are present in the bladder. This will also determine the best antibiotic to use. I would stick with the Septrin in the meantime.

 

[GaryandJulie]

Sorry to hear about the problems your having, Jeffrey had cystitis as well as a stone and is still on Septrim. He was on Baytril for about 10 days then was swapped to 0.6ml of Septrim daily which he will have been on for a total of 5 weeks when the course is finished, although his cystitis cleared after about 6-7 days on Septrim.
A comment about Cranberry juice.....We have checked with our vet (Ken) and he said that the jury is still out on what sort of effect different cranberry juices have. We use Asda's own brand of Crnaberry and Rasberry which does have sweeteners but has a lower sugar content than the non sweetened one (work that out?!?) anyway we have checked and this is apparently fine for piggies. We do dilute it 50/50 with water and usually give our pigs it 2-3 times a week.
Hope you get the cystitis sorted out...I seem to rememebr another thread where somebody commented that there are some strains which are resistant to some antibiotics...Hope it gets sorted soon!
Take Care
Gary & Julie...and Jasper and Jeffrey....and Bertie

 

[piggy]

Oay we've been on Septrin for ten days now and he's still squeaking. I think I will try getting a sample from him and see if the vet can culture it and find anything. Thanks for the advice on the cranberry juice but I think we'll stick to blending our cranberries as he seems to be really enjoying it. Any advice on getting a urine sample?!