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Guinea pig baldness advice

Ju4458

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My 4+ year old poor guinea has ovarian cyst confirmed by the vets. I noticed her bald patch in Jan and progressively the baldness has gotten worse. She is fine 95% of the time happy and wants hugs and food and is a bubbly girl. But the 5% it hurts when she pees and poos and cries in pain. We have pain medication to help if she needs it but my worry is now she is losing so much hair. Is there any thing I should do to help the baldness? I give her vit c drops, but do I need to give her special cream or anything to help the baldness slow down / help her well being with the baldness, as it has gotten a lot worse particularly in the last month on both sides. Thanks
 

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My 4+ year old poor guinea has ovarian cyst confirmed by the vets. I noticed her bald patch in Jan and progressively the baldness has gotten worse. She is fine 95% of the time happy and wants hugs and food and is a bubbly girl. But the 5% it hurts when she pees and poos and cries in pain. We have pain medication to help if she needs it but my worry is now she is losing so much hair. Is there any thing I should do to help the baldness? I give her vit c drops, but do I need to give her special cream or anything to help the baldness slow down / help her well being with the baldness, as it has gotten a lot worse particularly in the last month on both sides. Thanks

Hi

The screaming when peeing and pooing could point towards a coincidal problem with the urinary tract and may not have anything to do with the ovarian cysts.

Unfortunately, the balding will is going to continue and will get worse as long as the cysts are left untreated; you need either an operative removal or hormone treatment - and neither is cheap. There is nothing you can do to stop it otherwise. It is caused by a heightened hormone output and is not a nutritional deficiency. Please do not supplement with extra vitamin C as you can create more problems than you solve (including the risk of scurvy symptoms to sudden drops once the body adjusts to the higher level of vitamin C and ironically react with deficiency symptoms even though the actual level is still higher than normal).

Please brace yourself that the balding can spread across the belly and track up the sides to meet at the back eventually. Crusty nipples are generally a surefire sign of high hormone output in sows.

Sows: Behaviour and female health problems (including ovarian cysts)
 
Thank you for the advice! I’ll stop the vit c drops. I know for the bald breed of guinea pigs you need to cream them, but I’m guessing it’s different for the American guinea pig who just getting more bald?

She unfortunately had the weeing and pooing pain on and off for over a year. And vets didn’t think it was uti when I asked due to it being long term. (At one point we gave meds but I don’t believe it helped much.)

Yes the operation was bewteen £600-700 and unfortunately not affordable and she is getting old and guinea pigs don’t do well under general anaesthetic. She has lived a happy long life and we’re keeping an eye out but as she is fine most of the time we don’t think it’s time yet to put her down. But we will know when it’s time and when she no longer plays with her sister or is her bubbly self.

So the balding will just keep getting, how long until it reaches peak baldness do you know? Thank you
 
Thank you for the advice! I’ll stop the vit c drops. I know for the bald breed of guinea pigs you need to cream them, but I’m guessing it’s different for the American guinea pig who just getting more bald?

She unfortunately had the weeing and pooing pain on and off for over a year. And vets didn’t think it was uti when I asked due to it being long term. (At one point we gave meds but I don’t believe it helped much.)

Yes the operation was bewteen £600-700 and unfortunately not affordable and she is getting old and guinea pigs don’t do well under general anaesthetic. She has lived a happy long life and we’re keeping an eye out but as she is fine most of the time we don’t think it’s time yet to put her down. But we will know when it’s time and when she no longer plays with her sister or is her bubbly self.

So the balding will just keep getting, how long until it reaches peak baldness do you know? Thank you

Hi

The balding just keeps going. She only needs creaming if there are skin issues.

I am there with my Cerian myself, who is about to turn 7 years next month. She's been gradually getting balder for nearly a year now. I have however had several 5 year olds successfully emergency spayed - two of them lived to 8 years because of it. Cerian however had lost her companion by then and didn't do all that well on her own, nor would she accept any new companionship so I decided against an operation at the last possible moment.

PS: Has your vet checked for potential sludge, stones or sterile cystitis (a recurring non-bacterial bladder infection)?
 
Hi

The balding just keeps going. She only needs creaming if there are skin issues.

I am there with my Cerian myself, who is about to turn 7 years next month. She's been gradually getting balder for nearly a year now. I have however had several 5 year olds successfully emergency spayed - two of them lived to 8 years because of it. Cerian however had lost her companion by then and didn't do all that well on her own, nor would she accept any new companionship so I decided against an operation at the last possible moment.

PS: Has your vet checked for potential sludge, stones or sterile cystitis (a recurring non-bacterial bladder infection)?
Thank you for the input, it helps. So she doesn’t have any of the above I believe when the vet checked. Last year when I took her she was bleeding for a few weeks and that’s when we gave the uti meds and the bleeding stopped but not the pain. The bleeding also stopped as we have soft bedding now not sawdust and have changed her diet considerably.

So the pain from peeing and pooing is different from the cyst she has? Could be a bladder issue? The vet didn’t think there was a stone or anything more recently, is there a way to know if she has another infection if she not bleeding? Considering it’s been a year plus with pain when weeing and pooing idk what it could be. I thought it could be as her cyst is putting pressure on her bladder so it hurt when she goes to the toilet?
 
Thank you for the input, it helps. So she doesn’t have any of the above I believe when the vet checked. Last year when I took her she was bleeding for a few weeks and that’s when we gave the uti meds and the bleeding stopped but not the pain. The bleeding also stopped as we have soft bedding now not sawdust and have changed her diet considerably.

So the pain from peeing and pooing is different from the cyst she has? Could be a bladder issue? The vet didn’t think there was a stone or anything more recently, is there a way to know if she has another infection if she not bleeding? Considering it’s been a year plus with pain when weeing and pooing idk what it could be. I thought it could be as her cyst is putting pressure on her bladder so it hurt when she goes to the toilet?

Hi

I cannot say what is going on with your girl sight unseen but squeaking when peeing and pooing is generally a symptom for problems with urinary and not the reproductive tract unless you have a cyst that is pushing directly on the area, which is not exactly usual in our nearly 20 years of forum and longer private experience.

Bleeding from the anus can be associated with both the urinary and the reproductive tract, as can infections.

Do you have painkillers for her?
 
Hi

I cannot say what is going on with your girl sight unseen but squeaking when peeing and pooing is generally a symptom for problems with urinary and not the reproductive tract unless you have a cyst that is pushing directly on the area, which is not exactly usual in our nearly 20 years of forum and longer private experience.

Bleeding from the anus can be associated with both the urinary and the reproductive tract, as can infections.

Do you have painkillers for her?
Yes we give her metacam prescription from the vets. Is there a way to help if it’s reproductive system issue other than giving meds for pain? Another kind of medication that might help her if it was bladder issue not a cyst issue due to her crying? When the vets felt her side and pushed hard she did do a very loud cry, so we know it’s around her belly area the pain.
 
Yes we give her metacam prescription from the vets. Is there a way to help if it’s reproductive system issue other than giving meds for pain? Another kind of medication that might help her if it was bladder issue not a cyst issue due to her crying? When the vets felt her side and pushed hard she did do a very loud cry, so we know it’s around her belly area the pain.

If she is still having acute pain symptoms then the medication levels are too low.

Has the vet actually felt her bladder or only palpated for cysts?

Apart from hormone treatment and painkillers, there is nothing you can do. 2-4 years of age are the classic age for hormonal cysts but they can still appear earlier or later in life - as Cerian is proof since her symptoms didn't appear until she was nearly 6 years old.

And unless you know what is going on (or not) in the urinary tract, there is also nothing you can do right now apart from adjusting the painkiller levels. What strength metacam (or any derivative) is she on - 0.5 mg/ml (cat) or 1.5 mg/ml (dog) strength? And what dosage?
 
If she is still having acute pain symptoms then the medication levels are too low.

Has the vet actually felt her bladder or only palpated for cysts?

Apart from hormone treatment and painkillers, there is nothing you can do. 2-4 years of age are the classic age for hormonal cysts but they can still appear earlier or later in life - as Cerian is proof since her symptoms didn't appear until she was nearly 6 years old.

And unless you know what is going on (or not) in the urinary tract, there is also nothing you can do right now apart from adjusting the painkiller levels. What strength metacam (or any derivative) is she on - 0.5 mg/ml (cat) or 1.5 mg/ml (dog) strength? And what dosage?
Only felt the palpated cyst I think - was a few weeks ago so don’t 100% remember.
She is on cat strength at 0.3ml a day 0.5mg/ml.
 
If she is still having acute pain symptoms then the medication levels are too low.

Has the vet actually felt her bladder or only palpated for cysts?

Apart from hormone treatment and painkillers, there is nothing you can do. 2-4 years of age are the classic age for hormonal cysts but they can still appear earlier or later in life - as Cerian is proof since her symptoms didn't appear until she was nearly 6 years old.

And unless you know what is going on (or not) in the urinary tract, there is also nothing you can do right now apart from adjusting the painkiller levels. What strength metacam (or any derivative) is she on - 0.5 mg/ml (cat) or 1.5 mg/ml (dog) strength? And what dosage?
Sorry me again. I’ll ask the vets if you don’t know but can you up the dosage of metcam for a guinea pig? Says online can have up to 0.5ml. (Unknown for 0.6ml+) but is it safe to up it as I don’t find the meds really help the pain? (But I must admit I don’t do it consistently I only do it when she squeals.) or is it better to stick with 0.3ml cat dose but actually do it daily? Thanks for your advice!
 
Sorry me again. I’ll ask the vets if you don’t know but can you up the dosage of metcam for a guinea pig? Says online can have up to 0.5ml. (Unknown for 0.6ml+) but is it safe to up it as I don’t find the meds really help the pain? (But I must admit I don’t do it consistently I only do it when she squeals.) or is it better to stick with 0.3ml cat dose but actually do it daily? Thanks for your advice!

Hi

You can give a 1 kg guinea pig up to 1.2 ml of cat strength metacm (0.4 ml dog strength) every 12 hours max for severe pain.
With veterinary discretion (i.e. on advice of the treating vet) sometimes even a little higher.
Lighter piggies can have less according to their weight and heavier piggies will need more.

0.3 ml cat strength metacam is as about as minimal as can be and bordering on cosmetic.
 
Hi

You can give a 1 kg guinea pig up to 1.2 ml of cat strength metacm (0.4 ml dog strength) every 12 hours max for severe pain.
With veterinary discretion (i.e. on advice of the treating vet) sometimes even a little higher.
Lighter piggies can have less according to their weight and heavier piggies will need more.

0.3 ml cat strength metacam is as about as minimal as can be and bordering on cosmetic.
Thank you! Maybe next time I’ll ask the vet for a dog prescription then if it the same price and last longer as you give them less. She weighs 960g atm. It’s good to know I can give her more if need be. (That is 4x the amount I currently give.) I obviously wouldn’t go there straight away. I’ll ask the vet and do it gradually, thanks again for your help.
 
Hi

You can give a 1 kg guinea pig up to 1.2 ml of cat strength metacm (0.4 ml dog strength) every 12 hours max for severe pain.
With veterinary discretion (i.e. on advice of the treating vet) sometimes even a little higher.
Lighter piggies can have less according to their weight and heavier piggies will need more.

0.3 ml cat strength metacam is as about as minimal as can be and bordering on cosmetic.
Hi me again,
Thanks for your help last time. The past 2 days I noticed she is bledding when she pees. She still moans when she pees and I have upped her metcam meds by more then double. I’m just wondering is there anything more I can do. I feel a bit in a catch 22 as she is fine most of the time other than going to the toilet. Still eats and plays with her sister. Only moans when peeing and now blood. I still think she is fit enough to not put down and I can’t afford the op. I don’t think it’s a UTI from 18 months ago when she bled for 2 weeks the meds didn’t help. I think she bleeding cause of her PCOS. But is it worth asking for uti meds just in case? I also put her in the run more to get more exercise to get her moving , less wet and more dry food. Is there anything more I can do? Or will she carry on bleeding and time to put her down even if she’s fine most of the time?
Thanks
 
Hi me again,
Thanks for your help last time. The past 2 days I noticed she is bledding when she pees. She still moans when she pees and I have upped her metcam meds by more then double. I’m just wondering is there anything more I can do. I feel a bit in a catch 22 as she is fine most of the time other than going to the toilet. Still eats and plays with her sister. Only moans when peeing and now blood. I still think she is fit enough to not put down and I can’t afford the op. I don’t think it’s a UTI from 18 months ago when she bled for 2 weeks the meds didn’t help. I think she bleeding cause of her PCOS. But is it worth asking for uti meds just in case? I also put her in the run more to get more exercise to get her moving , less wet and more dry food. Is there anything more I can do? Or will she carry on bleeding and time to put her down even if she’s fine most of the time?
Thanks

Hi

The bleeding/red-coloured porphyrine peeing can come from either a bacterial UTI or a sterile (i.e. non-bacterial cystitis). Bleeding from ovaries or the womb is usually not mixed with urine but is always a major symptom that should be seen by a vet. In your case, it really needs a vet assessment. You can take pictures of the bleeding if needed so you can show it to your vet in case it is not happening during the examination.

Wiebke's Guide to Pees and Stones
Sows: Behaviour and female health problems (including ovarian cysts)
 
Hi

The bleeding/red-coloured porphyrine peeing can come from either a bacterial UTI or a sterile (i.e. non-bacterial cystitis). Bleeding from ovaries or the womb is usually not mixed with urine but is always a major symptom that should be seen by a vet. In your case, it really needs a vet assessment. You can take pictures of the bleeding if needed so you can show it to your vet in case it is not happening during the examination.

Wiebke's Guide to Pees and Stones
Sows: Behaviour and female health problems (including ovarian cysts)
So just checking bleeding isn’t a common thing for PCOS? It’s more likely a UTI possibly? Maybe it isn’t urine but just a small bloody patch. It’s hard to tell if it’s mixed with the urine or not, she just moans and blood comes out. So maybe it’s not mixed in the urine? Thanks
 
So just checking bleeding isn’t a common thing for PCOS? It’s more likely a UTI possibly? Maybe it isn’t urine but just a small bloody patch. It’s hard to tell if it’s mixed with the urine or not, she just moans and blood comes out. So maybe it’s not mixed in the urine? Thanks

Hi

Bleeding from the reproductive tract is not a common symptom for cystic ovaries; in that context it is generally a sign that something is going majorly wrong. Unlike humans, sows do not bleed when in season and ovarian cysts also do not bleed, unless cancerous.

Reddish urine (which may or may not test positive for the presence of blood in the urine) is generally a symptom for one of the possible infections in the urinry tract.

Please take the time to read the links; you may find them helpful.
 
Hi

Bleeding from the reproductive tract is not a common symptom for cystic ovaries; in that context it is generally a sign that something is going majorly wrong. Unlike humans, sows do not bleed when in season and ovarian cysts also do not bleed, unless cancerous.

Reddish urine (which may or may not test positive for the presence of blood in the urine) is generally a symptom for one of the possible infections in the urinry tract.

Please take the time to read the links; you may find them helpful.
Will read them, thank you! 😄
 
Will read them, thank you!
Hi

Bleeding from the reproductive tract is not a common symptom for cystic ovaries; in that context it is generally a sign that something is going majorly wrong. Unlike humans, sows do not bleed when in season and ovarian cysts also do not bleed, unless cancerous.

Reddish urine (which may or may not test positive for the presence of blood in the urine) is generally a symptom for one of the possible infections in the urinry tract.

Please take the time to read the links; you may find them helpful.

So I’m trying to reach the vet too but it’s been hard , so thought I’d ask. I’ve upped her metcam but it’s still not helping , she still cries in pain when going to the loo. Trying to reach them but thought I’d ask if there is any stronger pain meds than Metcam for guinea pigs? Thanks!
 
Hi

Yes, there is stronger pain meds but it is all prescription-only. Have you been able to get an appointment? We cannot tell you whether you are dealing with a urinary tract infection or a reproductive tract problem.
 
Hi

Yes, there is stronger pin meds but it is all prescription-only. Have you been able to get an appointment? We cannot tell you whether you are dealing with a urinary tract infection or a reproductive tract problem.
Thank you. I’ll try again calling tomorrow when they are open, and lets hope then they will then have something / be able to give the right meds!
 
Thank you. I’ll try again calling tomorrow when they are open, and lets hope then they will then have something / be able to give the right meds!
Finally got through and had an appointment today, they think she has a weakened immune system because of her PCOS so maybe it could be UTI he said, (they gave meds for that) and also gave metacam for dogs this time for pain management. The issue now is her weight she’s lost a third of her weight in such a short space, and she currently weighs 660 g. This scares me. They say we can give her baby food as well as some other suggestions but I thought I’d ask what you think too because she has such a sensitive belly. How can I help her gain weight? Any good ideas? Thank you for your help. 😄
 
Finally got through and had an appointment today, they think she has a weakened immune system because of her PCOS so maybe it could be UTI he said, (they gave meds for that) and also gave metacam for dogs this time for pain management. The issue now is her weight she’s lost a third of her weight in such a short space, and she currently weighs 660 g. This scares me. They say we can give her baby food as well as some other suggestions but I thought I’d ask what you think too because she has such a sensitive belly. How can I help her gain weight? Any good ideas? Thank you for your help. 😄

Hi

Please top her up with recovery formula. What you have to replace is the missing hay/grass fibre intake, which should make over three quarters of the daily food intake and which is what the digestive system is mainly laid out for.

Vegetables, fresh and dry forage, pellets and any treats all together count as basically one single food group because they replace the supplementary role that wild forage would have had in the original diet. With an iffy tummy, you do want to concentrate on giving the gut what it really needs, first and foremost, rather than opting for the wrong kind of fibre or for empty calories that will come off again as quickly as they have gone on.
Below is the link to our comprehensive feeding guide. You are looking at top feeding from a bowl rather than syringing unless the she is not eating properly. Always weigh on your kitchen scales first thing in the morning for best day to day comparison and for planning the feeding frequency/method over the coming 24 hours. The scales are your most important ally in managing illness recovery. The guide explains everything in very practical detail:
All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures
Weight - Monitoring and Management
 
Hi

Please top her up with recovery formula. What you have to replace is the missing hay/grass fibre intake, which should make over three quarters of the daily food intake and which is what the digestive system is mainly laid out for.

Vegetables, fresh and dry forage, pellets and any treats all together count as basically one single food group because they replace the supplementary role that wild forage would have had in the original diet. With an iffy tummy, you do want to concentrate on giving the gut what it really needs, first and foremost, rather than opting for the wrong kind of fibre or for empty calories that will come off again as quickly as they have gone on.
Below is the link to our comprehensive feeding guide. You are looking at top feeding from a bowl rather than syringing unless the she is not eating properly. Always weigh on your kitchen scales first thing in the morning for best day to day comparison and for planning the feeding frequency/method over the coming 24 hours. The scales are your most important ally in managing illness recovery. The guide explains everything in very practical detail:
All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures
Weight - Monitoring and Management
Thought I’d say thanks for all your advice over everything again. Our girl died yesterday AM but we had time to say bye with one last hug and she wasn’t in pain at least as she was on the dog strength of metacam, it helped I believe as I didn’t hear her cry as much, good to know the dog dose is better than cat dose! She defo had a good life ♥️
 
Thought I’d say thanks for all your advice over everything again. Our girl died yesterday AM but we had time to say bye with one last hug and she wasn’t in pain at least as she was on the dog strength of metacam, it helped I believe as I didn’t hear her cry as much, good to know the dog dose is better than cat dose! She defo had a good life ♥️
I’m so sorry for your loss. ❤️
 
Thought I’d say thanks for all your advice over everything again. Our girl died yesterday AM but we had time to say bye with one last hug and she wasn’t in pain at least as she was on the dog strength of metacam, it helped I believe as I didn’t hear her cry as much, good to know the dog dose is better than cat dose! She defo had a good life ♥️

BIG HUGS

I am so very sorry that you have lost her.

We have got a Rainbow Bridge section if you would like to leave a tribute; there is no obligation though.

Here is some practical information on what you can do for yourself as you grieve and what you can do for any bereaved companions:
Human Bereavement: Grieving, Processing and Support Links for Guinea Pig Owners and Their Children

Looking After a Bereaved Guinea Pig

Be kind with yourself as you grieve.
 
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