Ongoing bladder issues

[Elsimsy]

Hi all. My 5 year old sow Waffle has had bladder issues issues since she was about 2. She’s also prone to bloating.
She’s had several scans - one showed a very small stone, and possible ovarian cysts, but the scan was unclear as she’s always full of air.
I give her Felixstowe cystese daily (1/2 capsule), avoid high calcium veggies, and she also has vitamin C drops. She lost a lot of hair on her back end last year, but the vitamin C seemed to sort that out, and she regained weight.
Anyway, a couple of weeks back, I noticed blood in her urine, and started her on adult septrim, which normally sorts it out (0.25ml - she currently weighs around 850g). However, this time, after 2 weeks, it’s still the same. She also has 0.3ml of metacam.
Should I try upping the dosage on both the metacam and septrin? I’ve seen other threads mentioning a higher septrin dosage, but I’m unsure how much to try? Also the metacam?
I am trying to get an appointment with the vet, but the only half decent one only works 1 day a week and it’s proving difficult, so I want to try something in the meantime!
Thanks for reading!

 

[Claire W]

Hi, I am sorry to hear that your girl has bladder problems. Just a couple of questions, does she have Interstitial cystitis or ongoing uti's? My late Ellen had IC and ongoing uti's for most of her life until we had to have her pts (she declined rapidly and my vet could feel a swelling in her kidney most likely an untreatable kidney stone) She was treated with 0.2ml of dog metacam daily, increased when she was having a flare, a full capsule of cystease daily and sulfratrim (adult septrin) when she had a uti. Has your vet tested the urine for the presence of bacteria and is she on dog metacam or cat metacam?

Please do not increase the dosages without consulting your vet first

 

[Elsimsy]

It’s dog metacam. I think we may be getting to a stage where we need to think about her quality of life. She has lost weight again (although her weight fluctuates a lot) and although she’s eating OK, she’s squeaking when she wee’s which she hadn’t done previously.
Vet hadn’t tested for bacteria, but as it always cleared up with AB’s it was presumed a recurring UTI.
I’m having a lot of issues with vets - I found a decent one last year, who then left and the practice stopped seeing exotics. The practice I go to now, was taken over, and most of the vets have left, meaning you have to wait for up to 2 weeks for an appointment. And the only other practice around that is any good with exotics isn’t taking new patients. I’ve got to the point now where I probably won’t get any more pigs now as I can’t find a decent vet

 

[Claire W]

I'm sorry that finding a decent vet is difficult I would ask for a urine sample to be tested for the presence of bacteria (any vet can do this) to see if it is a uti that you are dealing with or IC which can only be managed but not cured. Antibiotics will not cure IC, just help to manage the symptoms

 

[Cavy Kung-Fu]

This sounds like my Iggy, we thought it was UTI’s but turned out to be IC. We got scans, tested his urine and there was never any bacteria just the presence of protein indicting an inflamed bladder. We manage it with filtered water, Feliway cystease tablets and 0.3mls of metacam. We also did a food elimination diet for him to see what sets him off, he’s on a grain free pellet and carrot for example causes a flare up who knows why. He’s lived with it for 4ish years now and he’s a happy boy just needs some extra TLC.

 

[Elsimsy]

This sounds like my Iggy, we thought it was UTI’s but turned out to be IC. We got scans, tested his urine and there was never any bacteria just the presence of protein indicting an inflamed bladder. We manage it with filtered water, Feliway cystease tablets and 0.3mls of metacam. We also did a food elimination diet for him to see what sets him off, he’s on a grain free pellet and carrot for example causes a flare up who knows why. He’s lived with it for 4ish years now and he’s a happy boy just needs some extra TLC.

Thanks - we have been doing all this for a while anyway, but things have taken a turn for the worse. She’s still eating well, but is definitely showing signs of pain. My vets are currently only seeing emergency cases, but are going to call me tomorrow.