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Is My Piggy Likely To Have Diabetes?

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Sian25

Sian25

Adult Guinea Pig
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Obviously the only way to know for sure would be to test for diabetes but today the vet found cataracts in both milans eyes (I feel so bad for not noticing this myself) and she mentioned possible diabetes.

Milan has just had his 2nd birthday.

I have been looking at the symptoms of diabetes alongside the cataracts.. Frequent urination - I am not 100% sure as I have not monitored his or my other piggies wee to compare but I have not seen anything abnormal regarding frequency of urinating. Sudden phases of weight loss - he has not had any substantial weight loss whatsoever and excessive drinking - although he does drink more than my other boar, I wouldn't say it was excessive. He normally drinks roughly between 70 and 80ml per 24 hours
 
My Emma started to develop cataracts last year at the age of 3.5. I felt so guilty as I hadn't noticed :( My vet carried out a urine test which showed no glucose in her urine so diabetes was dismissed.

My Ellen (who doesn't have cataracts) was diagnosed with diabetes last October at just 7 months old. I noticed that she was drinking regular so I tested her urine at home with a urine test stick which showed glucose in her urine. In a panic, I took her to the vets where they carried out a urine test and blood test (pin prick behind the ear) which showed a high level of glucose in her blood as well as her urine so diabetes was diagnosed.

Ellen's diabetes is thankfully controlled through diet. As I also have a bladder piggy, they are both on a low calcium, low sugar / carbohydrate diet. They eat minimum pellets, unlimited hay and their veggies consist of cucumber, celery, coriandar, bell peppers apart from red due to the high sugar content and lettuces. They also have filtered water.

After a few weeks on this diet, Ellen's urine was completely free of glucose so my vet is very happy that her condition is under control and / or she is in remission.

The only way to test for diabetes would be to first test the urine for glucose followed by testing the blood if glucose is present in the urine.

Cataracts alone is definitely not a firm diagnosis for diabetes.
 
@Claire W where did you get the home urine test please?

He is already on the IC veg diet and eats similar veggies to your pigs.. He has pepper (mostly green but sometimes yellow or red if I cannot get green), cucumber, corriander, cellery then each week I alternate between green beans and spring greens.

Has your emma lost any sight yet? It's an upsetting thought isn't it? Here's one of my boys cataract if you can see it

image.webp
 
Also @Claire W do you know roughly how much water your diabetes pig was drinking? I'm not 100% sure what's normal and what's classed as excessive
 
I brought my urine test sticks from Amazon. Just type in urine test sticks. But please be careful as due to Emma being a bladder piggy who often as blood in her urine (visible and none visible) I became obsessed with testing their urine so may be it would be an idea for your vet to do it for you.

Emma's eyes look similar to your piggies. She is acting perfectly normal with regards to her vision but I talk to her before stroking her so not to startle her. They have a ramp in their cage which she is still able to manage perfectly well.

It is upsetting and I dread the day she looses her sight completely, but I am comforted as I was lucky enough to meet @Wiebke cataract piggies (some who were completely blind) and they lived their lives to the maximum and were very happy :) xx
 
@Claire W hmm maybe the urine sticks aren't a good idea then as I suffer from OCD so I guess it will be another thing to obsessively check but then again I am really tempted. Unfortunately my two boys don't get along and live side by side in c&c cages but they are both booked in to be neutered next month to be paired up with a sow each. I'm worried that he may have less vision that I think and will not be able to bond with another piggy as he could be scared with not being able to see properly?
 
Sian25 said:
@Claire W hmm maybe the urine sticks aren't a good idea then as I suffer from OCD so I guess it will be another thing to obsessively check but then again I am really tempted. Unfortunately my two boys don't get along and live side by side in c&c cages but they are both booked in to be neutered next month to be paired up with a sow each. I'm worried that he may have less vision that I think and will not be able to bond with another piggy as he could be scared with not being able to see properly?
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Urine and blood testers are fatal when you have obsessive or anxiety issues. They will only serve to feed your own fears, but they won;t help your piggies one bit.

Please take heart that Molly Varga is not too worried about diabetes (considering that your piggy is not showing the alarm signals of major diabetes) and wants to treat the UTI first, which is currently the more important. If there is an issue, it is at the worst only mild and can be easily rectified and controlled by diet, as @Claire W can testify with her Ellen.

If you need reassurance about cataract piggies, you may find these links here to cataract piggies of mine comforting. the biggest mistake you can make is to wrap your cataract piggies in cotton wool - the more you challenge them, the more they will learn to do.

Turning a blind eye on mischief - another piggy story
(Missy suffered from congenital cataracts; her first eye came on very suddenly, so it was more dramatic for her; she even learned to free roam the garden to return to her run over the distance of several yards just by following my voice commands, provided I stood next to the opening!))

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=903956772968515
(This is a video of my then 7 year old blind cataract lady Mali running around following her own scent spoor - she did that until two days before she died around her 8th birthday).

Mali having homewrecking a party
https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=952923511405174

My formidable cataract ladies' group - it was the blind ladies that protected the seeing boar... :D
https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=953007844730074

I currently have several guinea pigs developing old age cataracts.
 
I'm not sure how much Ellen was drinking to be honest but she was constantly at the water bottle and it was going down fast. I am pleased to say that this has now been rectified since the diet change. I used to feed red pepper, corn on the cob and carrots as treats which are all high in sugar / carbohydrates.

I wouldn't recommend the urine test sticks as obsessing over them had a very negative effect on me.

You could have him tested for diabetes if it would give you peace of mind but I doubt your piggy has it.

I can't comment on the bonding him with a new friend I'm afraid but guinea pigs use their other senses to communicate and move around :)
 
My Fuzzy has cataracts too, she doesn't have diabetes and spends her life bombing around all over the place.
 
Right I admit I gave in to ordering those urine strips. I have tested both piggies wee and compared with the normal levels. Both pigs results were identical- no blood and normal glucose levels. However both pigs had an abnormal (in relation to humans) PH level. I'm guessing their wee is just a different PH level to humans?

So with milans test being clear for blood does this mean the bloody wee I saw over the weekend is not an issue anymore? He's on antibiotics for a possible UTI but does this mean he doesn't even have a UTI? Also with the glucose levels being normal it seems he does not have diabetes?
 
Sian25 said:
@Claire W hmm maybe the urine sticks aren't a good idea then as I suffer from OCD so I guess it will be another thing to obsessively check but then again I am really tempted. Unfortunately my two boys don't get along and live side by side in c&c cages but they are both booked in to be neutered next month to be paired up with a sow each. I'm worried that he may have less vision that I think and will not be able to bond with another piggy as he could be scared with not being able to see properly?
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I have successfully adopted, introduced and bonded a number of partially blind or fully blind guinea pigs, the last of them being a stroke/bad eye infection survivor with full loss of sight in one eye; she's just about turning one year old.

PLEASE keep off any test strips if you have got obsessive or anxiety issues! All you are doing is adding another whole new toxic dimension to obsessing about your guinea pigs' health to the already existing one!

Your guinea pig IS NOT showing the classic symptoms of diabetes and the cataracts have very likely nothing to do with it. There is a form of genetic cataracts that develop around 1-2 years od age that are much more common. To cause loss of sight, any diabetes needs to be quite strong and already established for a longer span of time. This is NOT the case here; you have not reported any of the alarm signals. It is your vet's duty to make sure she checks for diabetes, if only to exclude it safely. Molly talking about that was when your mind just went off course.
 
I do agree @Wiebke that urine test strips are not a good idea for those with anxiety or obsessive tendencies but after Molly Varga mentioning possible diabetes being the cause of milans cataracts then I just couldn't get that worry out my head. These strips have made the situation less worrying as both glucose and blood tested normal.

I am however confused about why Milan is being treated for a UTI when Molly did not test for this and he's had a clear reading on the urine strips suggesting that a UTI wasn't even the cause of his bloody wee in the first place
 
Try not to worry about cataracts, some piggies are more prone to them than others and will develop them at a younger age. Genetics plays a significant part in this. Like Wiebke says it's not a big deal to a piggy., I have two partially sighted boys (one with cataracts and one other issues) and it doesn't bother them at all. Guinea pigs have relatively poor sight anyway and have great hearing and smell senses as well as whiskers which help them cope brilliantly. As cataracts develop over time they learn to cope with the changes as they happen.

Also, urine dips don't show the full picture of any problem. Please trust your vet, she's a good one who knows what she's doing. There are other clinical signs for infection other than a urine dip and blood in the urine is only one sign. The antibiotics will start working and he should be feeling better soon.
 
I'm unsure whether this has anything to do with milans cataracts (I doubt it has) but thought I'd post it on this thread just incase. does anyone have any ideas what this little white dot is in milans eye? I've just noticed it now.. It's not red anywhere or doesn't seem sore

image.webp
 
I really don't know, it's really small and hard to see but think it's inside the eye? But the spot is more pink than white now I see in a better light
 
Milan is also having a post op check tomorrow. Am I able to mention his eye in that consultation? Or would I have to book a paid consult?
 
Sian25 said:
Milan is also having a post op check tomorrow. Am I able to mention his eye in that consultation? Or would I have to book a paid consult?
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I would mention the eye while he being looked at. it should be part of the consult.
 
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