Lily on Baytril for 3 weeks. How to promote gut health?

[LilyandGeorge]

Hello! My 7 year old sow, Lily, has a urinary infection. The vet has prescribed 0.1 ml of Baytril once daily for 3 weeks, which we started yesterday. He will re-evaluate medicine when the bacterial culture comes back from lab in 1 week. I am concerned that the antibiotic will affect her appetite and gut flora. I have just ordered some Oxbow Critical Care online in case she stops eating. I have seen Vetark Pro C probiotic recommended on the forum but I cannot find an online supplier here in Spain. Here are my questions:

1. Does anyone have other recommendations for promoting gut health? Either probiotics or particular foods?
2. What else can I do to keep her comfortable? I am stepping up hygiene - changing fleece bedding daily, bathing her bottom, etc.

Thanks

 

[GPTV]

It might be worth checking with the vet that the dose is high enough?
My vet usually gives a much higher dose say 0.3 or 0.4ml twice daily for about 10-14 days.
I've always been lucky in that all of mine have tolerated Baytril quite well (they hate it, but no major appetite/digestive issues).

Have a look at the link below to see if you can get any of the probiotic type supplements.

I think one on there is available from a general supermarket, but have a read.

Some plants such as yarrow, fennel, dandelion, cornsilks (stringy bits from maize/sweetcorn) raspberry leaves, celery apparently are all good for stomach & urinary problems.

Probiotics, Recovery Foods And Vitamin C: Overview With Product Links

I've used supreme recovery food in the past which is always received well, usually if given slightly warm mine will snatch it straight off of a spoon!
Or pour just off boiling water on her usual Nuggets to soften them (or the powdery dust at the bottom of the packet) & serve as a mush if she's not keen on eating.

Poo soup is another option if you have another healthy Guinea to steal their poops!

Try & rinse off any veg, leave it quite wet if you can & this should flush her system through
Make sure she keeps eating and drinking enough, tempt her with wet grass (if shes used to grass, build up slowly if not) just to keep her appetite up & digestive system going.

If it turns out to be IC / cystitis it might be worth asking the vet about using Cystease (designed for cats) a few members use it on here with some success
I think @Claire W & @alpacasqueak might have used it, can't think who else?

Good luck & fingers crossed for a speedy recovery xx

 

[Claire W]

Yes I have used cystease on my IC piggy Ellen. I give one capsule a day mixed with 1ml of water but this is something to discuss with your vet

 

[GPTV]

Supreme Recovery Liquid Feed for Small Herbivores 10 x 20g Sachets | Free UK Delivery
This is the recovery food I've used successfully in the past, it looks like this site delivers to the EU but an extra £8 on top of P&P to do it.
Not sure if you'll be able to find any Spanish stockists (not sure if the packaging has changed? The plus version I think possibly has added vit c but not sure?)
Hopefully the critical care you've got will do the trick anyway. Xx

 

[LilyandGeorge]

Thanks, these are some great tips. She adores dandelion and I have celery so will try those as well.

 

[Wiebke]

Hello! My 7 year old sow, Lily, has a urinary infection. The vet has prescribed 0.1 ml of Baytril once daily for 3 weeks, which we started yesterday. He will re-evaluate medicine when the bacterial culture comes back from lab in 1 week. I am concerned that the antibiotic will affect her appetite and gut flora. I have just ordered some Oxbow Critical Care online in case she stops eating. I have seen Vetark Pro C probiotic recommended on the forum but I cannot find an online supplier here in Spain. Here are my questions:

1. Does anyone have other recommendations for promoting gut health? Either probiotics or particular foods?
2. What else can I do to keep her comfortable? I am stepping up hygiene - changing fleece bedding daily, bathing her bottom, etc.

Thanks

Hi!

That is a very low dose of baytril; normal is 0.4 ml twice daily for a 1 kg piggy for a UTI. I would also recommend to ask your vet for an analgesic (metacam), which is now commonly used together with an antibiotic.

It depends on whether you are dealing with a bacterial urine infection (UTI), a bacterial cystitis or a sterile (i.e. non-bacterial) cystitis (also better known as interstitial cystitis, IC, because of its flare ups every few weeks). The latter cannot be healed by an antibiotic but is managed with glucosamine and metacam; it has become a lot more common in guinea pigs over the last decade but is mostly unknown by general vets and exotics vets that are not seeing lots of guinea pigs. Treatment is similar to that of cats with feline sterile cystitis (FSC).

Here is our guide on care support products: Probiotics, Recovery Foods And Vitamin C: Overview With Product Links

All the best!

 

[LilyandGeorge]

Thank you for that extra information. I did ask about a painkiller but he said that when the antibiotics start to work it will reduce pain. I wonder why the dose is so low. I don’t know the concentration though.

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you for that extra information. I did ask about a painkiller but he said that when the antibiotics start to work it will reduce pain. I wonder why the dose is so low. I don’t know the concentration though.

There is usually just one concentration as far as I know.

See your vet sooner if she doesn't improve or get worse during that time. In the meantime I would see about resourcing glucosamine online (google for cat bladder supplements). If necessary you can get human glucosamine from the supermarket; it is not a medication but classed as a food supplement. It is not ideal but will do the trick; it is as effective for arthritis as supporting the natural glucosamine coating of the urinary tract that keeps the corrosive urine from getting to the walls.

 

[LilyandGeorge]

Hello again! Update and another question about Lily.

In the end, she had the antibiotic for about 10 days and then the vet reported back that the urine culture showed no bacterial infection, so we stopped it on his advice. Her symptoms improved - she stopped squealing when urinating but continued to excrete quite a lot of off-white sludge. I thought the problem had gone away.

Last night I heard her squealing twice while urinating and once when eating her poops directly from her bottom. She is eating but is definitely subdued today. I am now wondering if she has the interstitial cystitis which Wiebke mentioned. I can’t find the glucosamine here in Spain. You can’t buy medicines and supplements in supermarkets - only from pharmacy with prescription. If I can get it online, what would the dose be?

What should I say to the vet? Do I need to ask for any specific tests or should I just ask for cat glucosamine prescription and metacam? Or do you think I need to rule out bladder stones first with an ultrasound? Thanks for any advice!

 

[Flutterby]

Sending lots of healing vibes!

 

[LilyandGeorge]

Sending lots of healing vibes!

Thanks!
Just got back from vet. They did an ultrasound of Lily’s bladder and said it could either be a blood clot, inflammation or a mass (e.g. tumor) but is not bladder stones. I have another appointment for Monday to investigate further. For now, I have metacam and glucosamine. Pleased she now has some pain relief and glad I knew about these things in advance from the forum. Thanks to everyone for your knowledgeable and encouraging replies!