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Help, browny, yellowy discharge. Sows soaked all down stomach and looks blocked.

Josie_lg said:
We switched to filtered water and cut out pellets when poppy got really bad and these really helped. She ate more watery food and she came out for a run around once or twice a day to try and prevent the sediment sitting at the bottom of her bladder. Even now she gets a flare up after pellets which is so sad as she loves them a lot.
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I was gonna start getting her bottled water but I'm having a hard time knowing which one due to all these extra ingredients and high calcium. Oh dear, I don't think she is gonna be happy going pellet free as like Poppy, she loves them! I would also be concerned she may lose too much weight without them. Do you think pellets are a big cause for bladder issues? If I need to then I'll have to remove pellets from her diet x
 
sarahloo89 said:
I was gonna start getting her bottled water but I'm having a hard time knowing which one due to all these extra ingredients and high calcium. Oh dear, I don't think she is gonna be happy going pellet free as like Poppy, she loves them! I would also be concerned she may lose too much weight without them. Do you think pellets are a big cause for bladder issues? If I need to then I'll have to remove pellets from her diet x
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Pellets contain a lot of calcium and can really affect bladder issues, which is why even low calcium pellets need to be kept limited. Pellets along with unfiltered drinking water (in a hard water area) contribute most calcium to the diet.
 
I found tesco own brand bottled water the lowest in calcium I could find. Best of luck to you and Heidi, I know from experience how upsetting it can be to see a piggy suffering from bladder issues 😔❤️
 
Wheekallweek said:
I found tesco own brand bottled water the lowest in calcium I could find. Best of luck to you and Heidi, I know from experience how upsetting it can be to see a piggy suffering from bladder issues 😔❤️
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Ah right tesco, thankyou! I have just looked online and can't get the info on ingredients up for some reason. Do you know if its the tesco elmhurst English or the tesco ashbeck? There are two kinds that's all. Do you think switching to bottled would help? I just dont wanna make her worse. Thank you for your best wishes, it really is upsetting. I just wish I could swap places with her and me suffer instead. Hate seeing anyone suffer but children and animals are worst, poor things don't understand what's happening when they are ill x
 
Just give Heidi a little bum bath before bed. Noticed she's starting to look different down below....a little better maybe? But still looks sore/swollen and to be sticking out if that makes sense. Off past experiences would anyone say this is getting better? Could the soreness be urine scald?x
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If her bladder feels full and she is bleeding, then she perhaps ought to be seen by the vet again.

Please step in and syringe feed her a recovery feed if she isn’t eating.
 
Piggies&buns said:
If her bladder feels full and she is bleeding, then she perhaps ought to be seen by the vet again.

Please step in and syringe feed her a recovery feed if she isn’t eating.
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I don't think that she is emptying her bladder fully. I have been up all night and have given her around 6ml of crushed pellets and around 5ml of water. She has had a wee on my hand bless her, but wouldn't say it was a full one, had around 3 poops and has had a leaf of lettuce but has only eaten 2 strands of hay. She is not active at all, seems to be sitting in corner all the time.

She's now been on baytril for 4 days and her privates do look to be getting better and discharge seems to be clearing but now these other problems have arisen. I'm hoping its not the antibiotics slowing her gut down x
 
sarahloo89 said:
I don't think that she is emptying her bladder fully. I have been up all night and have given her around 6ml of crushed pellets and around 5ml of water. She has had a wee on my hand bless her, but wouldn't say it was a full one, had around 3 poops and has had a leaf of lettuce but has only eaten 2 strands of hay. She is not active at all, seems to be sitting in corner all the time.

She's now been on baytril for 4 days and her privates do look to be getting better and discharge seems to be clearing but now these other problems have arisen. I'm hoping its not the antibiotics slowing her gut down x
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I would definitely mention it to the vet that she doesn’t seem to be emptying properly.

Is she on probiotics? The easiest way to give probiotics particularly as she is being syringe fed, is to simply add the probiotic dose to the syringe feed. That way you know she is definitely getting it.
 
Piggies&buns said:
Our posts mentioning probiotics crossed!
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Great minds think alike! Yes, I'm going to phone vets when they open at 8 and tell them everything. Maybe she just needs another antibiotic. I honestly thought she was making progress and now this 😭.

I keep thinking it could be antibiotics but with it being day 5, thought they would have affected her gut straight away not now x
 
sarahloo89 said:
Great minds think alike! Yes, I'm going to phone vets when they open at 8 and tell them everything. Maybe she just needs another antibiotic. I honestly thought she was making progress and now this 😭.

I keep thinking it could be antibiotics but with it being day 5, thought they would have affected her gut straight away not now x
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It wouldn’t think it unusual for antibiotic gut related issues to be a few days later once it has built up in her system….it may also not be anything to do with the antibiotics

Let us know what the vet says
 
Hi, just got back from vets again. Heidi was examined and vet could still hear stomach movements so didn't think antibiotics were affecting her gut. She did another bladder express and got a load of sludge out.

I asked vet about the possibilty of her recent uterine tumor being cancerous and this spreading and she said it could be and couldnt rule it out without investigation.

The vet gave us two options, one we take her home, carry on with critical care for day or so and monitor her to see if she improves or two have her undergo surgery to open her up and see if there is anything else going on. I asked vet what she would do and she said the first option as Heidi still looked bright and she was optimistic force feeding her could pull her round. I however, think she isnt bright and can see deterioration. She has also lost 200g since last Friday which my scales failed to pick up, so they are obviously useless.

After much deliberation, me and my partner decided to bring her home and monitor her over next 24 hours due to fear of her being too ill to survive surgery as vet did say it can be risky looking around inside and with her already being ill. My other fear is her deteriorating even more and undergoing surgery tomorrow or later then not surviving either. I also do not want to put her through it if theres nothing that can be done. I really didn't and still don't know what to do for the best.

The surgery is also gonna cost near to £400 and if she doesn't survive or they find cancer and there's nothing they can do well.....

Money is the last thing I care about but it is really tight at the moment, I just want her to be OK and be well again. I really am lost x
 
Has anyone else had any similar issues? Can share their experience and offer any advice? Again, I am lost. Don't want to see her in pain but don't want to give up and have her euthanized either x
 
Hi. It’s so stressful with a poorly piggy. You really are doing a great job. If it was me I’d carry on supporting her for a couple more days. Good luck. Sending you a hug 🤗
 
My Connie was really poorly with her bladder back in 2009. It went on for several months of antibiotics, painkillers, X-rays and scans until we opted for surgery after something suspicious was seen on one of her X-rays. The vet found a bladder full of sludge so she had a bladder flush. She survived the surgery but sadly died 5 days later. I really don’t know what to suggest for the best but I hope Heidi improves soon x
 
sarahloo89 said:
Has anyone else had any similar issues? Can share their experience and offer any advice? Again, I am lost. Don't want to see her in pain but don't want to give up and have her euthanized either x
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Firstly you are doing everything right, and while money isn't the most important thing, realistically it still has to play a part.
No one is made of it, and whilst none of us want to think it influences our decisions there does come a point when it has to.
Don't ever feel bad for being realistic.

I had similar issues with Ruby when she had sludge, and it ended up creating a total blockage which meant she couldn't pee at all, went off her food, etc and ended up being rushed to the emergency vet when she went downhill very quickly.

The vet managed to express some urine manually and said it seemed very 'sludgy' so did a couple of x-rays which revealed the extent of the sludge. She was operated on straight away and we were very lucky that the guinea pig vet was on duty that night, as she managed to do a full bladder flush from the outside (so no open wound at all).

Apparently this is a pretty tricky operation to get right, but it saves the guinea pig a lot of trauma (and the owners a lot of expense).
After this Ruby improved a lot, even though I would say it took another 2-3 weeks for her to fully recover.

Would this be something your vet would consider?
The fact that every time she sees Heidi she manages to express sludgy wee tell me she has a lot backed up and might benefit from a bladder flush.
But of course I am not a vet so I could be totally wrong about that.
 
Swissgreys said:
Firstly you are doing everything right, and while money isn't the most important thing, realistically it still has to play a part.
No one is made of it, and whilst none of us want to think it influences our decisions there does come a point when it has to.
Don't ever feel bad for being realistic.

I had similar issues with Ruby when she had sludge, and it ended up creating a total blockage which meant she couldn't pee at all, went off her food, etc and ended up being rushed to the emergency vet when she went downhill very quickly.

The vet managed to express some urine manually and said it seemed very 'sludgy' so did a couple of x-rays which revealed the extent of the sludge. She was operated on straight away and we were very lucky that the guinea pig vet was on duty that night, as she managed to do a full bladder flush from the outside (so no open wound at all).

Apparently this is a pretty tricky operation to get right, but it saves the guinea pig a lot of trauma (and the owners a lot of expense).
After this Ruby improved a lot, even though I would say it took another 2-3 weeks for her to fully recover.

Would this be something your vet would consider?
The fact that every time she sees Heidi she manages to express sludgy wee tell me she has a lot backed up and might benefit from a bladder flush.
But of course I am not a vet so I could be totally wrong about that.
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When I seen vet today I did mention I was open to do a bladder flush if that was necessary. All she gave me were the two options, whether she was planning on doing a flush when under anesthetic I'm not sure. All she said was the next thing would be to take a look around at what is going on inside. I just can't understand why Heidi was eating, pooping up until yesterday and all of a sudden has no interest in food at all. She honestly is looking and acting so tired, it's frightening. Such a big decrease in health in a matter of 24 hours. My partner is swaying towards euthanasia but I feel like I'm failing her, that's the last thing I want. If there is no improvement then I will ask if this procedure is one they could perform. I just hope they can and there is nothing even more sinister going on inside her x
 
Claire W said:
My Connie was really poorly with her bladder back in 2009. It went on for several months of antibiotics, painkillers, X-rays and scans until we opted for surgery after something suspicious was seen on one of her X-rays. The vet found a bladder full of sludge so she had a bladder flush. She survived the surgery but sadly died 5 days later. I really don’t know what to suggest for the best but I hope Heidi improves soon x
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Oh dear, I'm sorry to here that, all we can do is try our best. It's devastating when they are ill. I hope she starts to recover too x
 
I’m so sorry that Heidi is still so poorly. She should feel a little better without that sludge in her bladder in as much as that she should be able to pass urine freely again. You are doing everything right, however in cases like this, there sometimes isn’t a clear answer as to what course of action to take. Whether to go for further surgery is a big decision - aside from the monetary cost there is the cost on your time and emotions and also the benefits to Heidi to weigh up. We are here to support you in whatever decision you take. Many of us have had to make a big decision like this at one time or another, not knowing what the potential outcomes might be so we do understand your dilemma. It feels like stepping into the unknown. I hope that Heidi (and you) have a decent night and that things look brighter in the morning.
 
sarahloo89 said:
When I seen vet today I did mention I was open to do a bladder flush if that was necessary. All she gave me were the two options, whether she was planning on doing a flush when under anesthetic I'm not sure. All she said was the next thing would be to take a look around at what is going on inside. I just can't understand why Heidi was eating, pooping up until yesterday and all of a sudden has no interest in food at all. She honestly is looking and acting so tired, it's frightening. Such a big decrease in health in a matter of 24 hours. My partner is swaying towards euthanasia but I feel like I'm failing her, that's the last thing I want. If there is no improvement then I will ask if this procedure is one they could perform. I just hope they can and there is nothing even more sinister going on inside her x
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Have they done any more ultrasounds x rays or even a CT scan to look at further ? Maybe a urine sample or some bloods to check kidneys 💙
 
Heidi has now began making a strange noise. The only way I can describe it is like a grunting or hooting noise. She has done this noise before, a while ago but it just went away, put it down to hay stuck in her airways but now shes doing it again and has not eaten any hay. Hope this isn't a sign she's getting worse x
 
Josie_lg said:
Have they done any more ultrasounds x rays or even a CT scan to look at further ? Maybe a urine sample or some bloods to check kidneys 💙
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No all they did was xrays on Monday and 2 urine tests last Friday and Monday gone. Just rang to ask about non-abrasive bladder flush and to mention about strange noise however, vet was not on site. This is a horrible nightmare x
 
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