• Discussions taking place within this forum are intended for the purpose of assisting you in discussing options with your vet. Any other use of advice given here is done so at your risk, is solely your responsibility and not that of this forum or its owner. Before posting it is your responsibility you abide by this Statement

Funny noise?

DougalandDiego said:
That’s great thanks so much for all of the advice @Wiebke thats made it so much clearer for me to understand. So definitely ok for me to give him 2ml of the cystease/water in one go in the evening and that isn’t too much for him? He doesn’t enjoy the mixture but is a very well behaved boy and takes it with little fuss!
Click to expand...

No, that is not too much for as long as he has acute symptoms. I would see whether you can reduce it to 1 ml when things settle down in between between flare ups but that is part of longer term management, working out how little you can get away with and how much he needs to be as comfortable as possible. Ideally the time between acute episodes will eventually lengthen and the IC will fade on its own in its own time. The good news is that is not deadly and not life-shortening unless you are dealing with the most extreme form.

My Nerys (the big piggy in my avatar picture on the left) had it for 3 years and then lived another 3 years without any bladder problem whatsoever, dying from age related issues at 8 years old. She was my first IC piggy when glucosamine was still a rather new thing to do and IC wasn't well known.
 
Thats great thanks @Wiebke. Maybe I’ll try to reduce it down in a a couple of weeks when his bladder has had he cystease for a little bit. So then he’d be having half a capsule a day with a ml of water then? Does that sound right?
Thanks again!
 
DougalandDiego said:
Thats great thanks @Wiebke. Maybe I’ll try to reduce it down in a a couple of weeks when his bladder has had he cystease for a little bit. So then he’d be having half a capsule a day with a ml of water then? Does that sound right?
Thanks again!
Click to expand...

Yes. Only reduce it once all acute symptoms have disappeared for a week and be prepared to up the dosage at need. You have to work out yourself how much/little your particular piggy needs to keep him comfortable outside the flares. But your initial aim is to get it under control, first and foremost. That can take a while.
 
Hi @Wiebke i hope you don’t mind me tagging you again. Diego seemed to be doing well on the cystease and metacam since I last took him to the vets two weeks ago. He hasn’t lost any weight and has seemed happy in himself. I went in after a cage clean this evening and saw a little blood on his fleece - took him out to examine him and check for anything that could cause the blood (he lives side by side to his brother) so it is definitely his but nothing was cut etc. I put him back in the cage and he squeaked and left a little wee/pale blood patch.

Typically the guinea pig specialist I see is off for another week on holiday so he wouldn’t be able to see a pig specialist. Do you think this is the interstitial cystitis or that it wasn’t that to start with and could be something else? She checked his urine and there was no infection or blood present (18th November) and I’ve never seen blood in his urine before? I also noticed his wee was a bit more smelly today hence the cage clean.

I’ve given him some more metacam to make sure he’s comfortable until I get him seen tomorrow. Just anxious knowing it won’t be a specialist 😩
 
Update - he’s been to see a vet that’s not a specialist who has given him the cartrophen as kristina recommended on his notes. He is due to go back for his next injection of cartrophen in a week. I have booked him in for an X-ray on the 17th when kristina is back from holiday as a precautionary. All his urine samples, stomach tenderness, temperature and weight are all normal. If he doesn’t improve I’ll book him in for an X-ray sooner.
 
Hope I’m doing the right thing by adding to this post - I have Diego booked in for an X-ray tomorrow now. After his appointment on Thursday I decided that it was better for Diego to get an X-ray sooner than the 17th so we knew what we were dealing with and whether the cystease and injections were actually helping the poor boy. I’ve been weighing daily whilst he’s been having more squeaky wee episodes and some blood in his wee (although the vet couldn’t find any blood in his sample 🤯). This morning he is down about 35/40 grams, I’ve been watching him and he does seem ok in himself, moving around, eating etc. But the issue I’m having is 1 - is that enough weight loss to step in with syringe feeding and 2 - if he’s got bladder problems/stones he’s having a lot of high calcium pellets? He’s in first thing tomorrow at 8:45 luckily but I’d really appreciate some advice! I’ve also seen wiebke recommend during a really bad flare up to up their cystease two one capsule twice daily for a week so I have been doing this the last couple of days. He’s also on 0.2ml dog metacam twice daily. Thank you!
Of days
 
DougalandDiego said:
Hope I’m doing the right thing by adding to this post - I have Diego booked in for an X-ray tomorrow now. After his appointment on Thursday I decided that it was better for Diego to get an X-ray sooner than the 17th so we knew what we were dealing with and whether the cystease and injections were actually helping the poor boy. I’ve been weighing daily whilst he’s been having more squeaky wee episodes and some blood in his wee (although the vet couldn’t find any blood in his sample 🤯). This morning he is down about 35/40 grams, I’ve been watching him and he does seem ok in himself, moving around, eating etc. But the issue I’m having is 1 - is that enough weight loss to step in with syringe feeding and 2 - if he’s got bladder problems/stones he’s having a lot of high calcium pellets? He’s in first thing tomorrow at 8:45 luckily but I’d really appreciate some advice! I’ve also seen wiebke recommend during a really bad flare up to up their cystease two one capsule twice daily for a week so I have been doing this the last couple of days. He’s also on 0.2ml dog metacam twice daily. Thank you!
Of days
Click to expand...

yes you’re doing right by adding to the post! It means we can look back at the thread to remind ourselves of the background

weight loss is classified as anything over 50g. 35/40g is the difference between full/empty bladder/tummy and of itself wouldn’t be of concern - that is unless it is part of a longer downward trend. If all he has at all is that 35/40g then I wouldnt concern just yet but would offer top up feeds if there is more of a loss tomorrow.

just wanted to pick up on the sentence I’ve put in bold in your quote - in an earlier post you say he doesn’t have many pellets but that you had cut them out altogether at that point, so is this bold bit a typo and that he doesn’t have lots of high calcium pellets
 
That’s great thanks @Piggies&buns ill step in tomorrow if he’s lost anymore. Yes sorry I did see that after id typed it but didn’t want to spam the comments, I was rushing typing this morning as I was in a bit of a panic that he’d lost some weight. I meant that I’ve cut pellets out of his diet altogether (he never had much before anyway - much less than the recommended amount on here) but if I had to step in with syringe feeding I’d be worried id be giving him lots of pellets that are high in calcium which wouldn’t help his bladder problems if it’s stones! So tomorrow if he’s lost another 10g (50g from his previous weight) it’s best to step in then?

I should add tomorrow he’s not getting his X-ray done by the piggy specialist as she’s on holiday but I decided that the need for the X-ray outweighed waiting until the 17th for the specialist to do it. Is there any questions or requests I should make? I’ve been trying to read up as much as possible and I’m going to make sure they don’t just X-ray his stomach area but also his ‘boy pipe work’ in case it’s stones and there is one further down his pipes (not sure of the technical term!) I’m worried that it’s not the specialist doing it like I said but I don’t think it’s fair for Diego to wait any longer.
 
I am so sorry you and Diego are going through this. I think you are doing the right thing having the xray early, you will have a better idea what you are dealing with.
 
Thanks so much @piggieminder it’s so hard when the vet you trust is on holiday. I’m just so concerned as the vets are adamant it’s not a stone as his tummy is soft, no blood or protein in his pee, but he’s so uncomfortable when he pees. I’m just so anxious to hear what it could be or worse than that they can’t see anything on the X-ray that’s causing him discomfort! I’ll be glad when he’s had it tomorrow and hopefully it gives us some answers on how best to help our boy.
 
DougalandDiego said:
That’s great thanks @Piggies&buns ill step in tomorrow if he’s lost anymore. Yes sorry I did see that after id typed it but didn’t want to spam the comments, I was rushing typing this morning as I was in a bit of a panic that he’d lost some weight. I meant that I’ve cut pellets out of his diet altogether (he never had much before anyway - much less than the recommended amount on here) but if I had to step in with syringe feeding I’d be worried id be giving him lots of pellets that are high in calcium which wouldn’t help his bladder problems if it’s stones! So tomorrow if he’s lost another 10g (50g from his previous weight) it’s best to step in then?

I should add tomorrow he’s not getting his X-ray done by the piggy specialist as she’s on holiday but I decided that the need for the X-ray outweighed waiting until the 17th for the specialist to do it. Is there any questions or requests I should make? I’ve been trying to read up as much as possible and I’m going to make sure they don’t just X-ray his stomach area but also his ‘boy pipe work’ in case it’s stones and there is one further down his pipes (not sure of the technical term!) I’m worried that it’s not the specialist doing it like I said but I don’t think it’s fair for Diego to wait any longer.
Click to expand...

if he continues to lose weight, then yes you would want to step in.
I understand the concern about adding pellets back into the diet with syringe feeding, but if you’re in a situation where piggy isn’t eating enough and is losing weight then you’ve got to do something to prevent stasis and stabilise him. Look into critical care or some of the other recovery feeds if you’re worried about using pellets.
 
Have a look on line at the ingredients of various recovery foods. Science Selective Plus is recommended by my vet for piggies because it's main ingredient is timothy hay, it contains 1% calcium. Burgess Dual care had the least calcium I could find at .7 it's about the same as most pellets. I don't know about Critical Care's calcium, no piggie I've offered it to liked it, I can't blame them I can't stand the smell! There are other recovery brands but I can't think of them off the top of my head.
 
Just to keep everyone updated I’ve booked him in for an appointment 4 today. He doesn’t seem right and want to get him checked. He’s been very quiet and hasn’t come out his hidey much this morning. I’ll let you know what they say x
 
I hope he is ok
if he isn’t coming out to eat then step in and syringe feed him now. I know I said his weight loss isn’t huge so far, but if he isn’t right today then don’t wait to help him with support feeding
 
Yes will do I have just given him 4ml of food and of water. I’ve put some hay in front of his hidey just now which he’s had a nibble at. Thank you
 
Hi @piggieminder thanks for thinking of us. Was waiting for the scan today as well before I reported back! Basically they managed to fit us in for an emergency X-ray but not the ultrasound scan (he’s currently at the vets now - he’s been there since 8:45 bless him) the vet last night was adamant there wasn’t any stones but said he didn’t have to time to do an in-depth look as it was out of hours so said he would look or would ask someone else to look and get back to me today with the ultrasound results. Feeling really relieved if that’s the case but have asked to check his kidneys/tubes etc. in case the vet last night didn’t. Hoping it is just the cystitis if there isn’t stones but depending on what the scan today shows was thinking of booking in with the specialist next week when she’s back to discuss our options and what she thinks of the scans too. I’ll let you know when I hear about the scan. How is your boy doing? ☺️
 
It's good your vets are being lovely and thorough, I hope they don't find any stones and that your boy feels better soon.
Heard Red squeak just now, sneaked up on the cage to see him hunched up trying to wee. He's not doing it so often as he was so hopefully the antibiotics will click in soon. He's not having any poop or eating problems on them yet, long may that continue. I've just been looking at my notebook to see when Peanut stopped squeaking, there was no blood or squeak after day 5 Reds only on day 3 so I don't feel too despondent. I find keeping notes really helpful, when I returned to keeping guinea pigs 6 years ago I didn't expect to become so experienced in piggie illnesses (wish I wasn't!), it's good for comparing weight loss, medicines, dosages and what to expect when.
 
That’s a good idea @piggieminder i think I’ll do the notebook idea! I’m so pleased to have my boy back. We were allowed to collect him at 3 so he was back home by 4. They confirmed there were no stones visible on the ultrasound either which was great. The vet mentioned there being an abnormality above his bladder but she said that it was the same on both sides so think that it’s just guinea pig anatomy but has sent the video to the other exotic vet who is on maternity leave to check and said she will ring and get back to me. Diego was due to go back this Wednesday for his other cartrophen injection (it would have only been 6 days since his last) but I’ve read on the forum some people have them two weeks to a month apart so I’ve postponed it until next Monday where his usual vet (and pig specialist) will be able to see him as she’s back from holiday. It means we can discuss the scans too which will be good!

Glad to hear Red isn’t having any trouble eating that’s good news! Fingers crossed he starts improving by day 5 - I’m sure he will. These bladder problems are so tricky aren’t they! I can completely get the expert in piggy illness thing! Diego has a suspected heart problem at the start of the year and we spent nearly £800 to get the heart specialist to investigate but luckily it was a dynamic heart murmur which means it just happens when he’s nervous, and Dougal has recently had a benign lump removed.:eek: They like to keep us on our toes don’t they!
 
Hi everyone, hoping for a bit of advice about my poor little man and his IC. 😞
He is currently on 2 cystease capsules daily (one am, one pm) and 0.3ml dog metacam twice daily as advised by his vet. I also give him half of an oxbow urinary tablet/treat in the morning too (not sure whether this helps but feel it’s worth trying) He has had his third cartrophen injection and has his fourth booked in next week.

He is still having squeaky wees (and poos) on a daily basis. Tonight it seems to have flared up (no dietary changes) I wonder whether the trips to the vets are causing this, but he needs to go to have his injections, but he’s squeaking with every poo and wee it seems like. Feeling really stressed and at a loss as to what more I can do for him and what is normal with an IC piggy? Is it normal to have squeaky wees/poos everyday? I should add ive tried cutting his diet down to cucumber, pepper and coriander to see what is triggering/flaring his IC up but he’s still squeaking on those limited veggies.

I should add that he seems happy other than the discomfort when going to the toilet and hasn’t lost any weight.

I guess I’m just wondering whether this is normal to have daily or whether I should be asking to introduce some more pain relief medication for him? I spoke to the vet about tramadol but it seems a bit extreme as he’s only around 17 months old 😩

Thank you in advance from a very worried piggy mum x
 
I forgot to add - we’re currently giving him some sulfatrim daily, 0.35 ml, in case there is a very slight infection anywhere which we only started him on yesterday evening (the vet said it was worth a shot to try and see if it relieved any of the symptoms)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top