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Orange pee and slightly smaller poos after a UTI

BennyandHumphrey

BennyandHumphrey

New Born Pup
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Hi guys

I’m new to the forum and worried.

I have two rescues ( was meant to be fostering but fell I love ) with me, Benny ( Benedict)and Humphrey. Had them a few months now.

Benny has always been more outgoing and wheekish, whilst Humphrey is more of a grump…hates being stoked etc …they were in a rescue for 9 months as no one wanted them :( Apparently too old, and boars, and half their ears chewed off from old cage mates etc, so no one took them. Benny is now estimated 3, and Humphrey’s 2 years old.

on Thursday last week, Benny peed bright red blood! No painful urination as far as I could tell, and bright and upbeat …but…I freaked out and went to vet Straight away. They prescribed Baitryl for a suspected UTI, and we had that 2 x a day as well as anti inflam . After 5 days no more red pee and we have stopped meds ( he became so low in himself and so traumatised by the meds being given )

I’m also blaming myself horribly thinking I must have caused the UTI with too much Parsley or something …what if it’s a stone too etc …

Yesterday he perked up and seemed more himself but noticed a lot of bright orange pee. Took sample to vet who found no blood in sample.

Today seems a bit flat …sleeping all day in corner, but his evening he was perkier again.

He is eating hay and lettuce etc …and drinking …but probably less than normal. small poos, but beginning to look a bit more normal…but still bright orange pee!

going back to vet tomorrow …but could it just be how urine is after an infection? I read here the bacteria can be orange after infection clears. He’s had pro c sprinkled on pellets each day

many thanks just worried sick and googling and reading everything scary :(
 
I’m sorry your boy is unwell. How long did the vet prescribe the antibiotics for? Did you stop it on direction of the vet or because he was struggling with taking it? Antibiotics can dampen the appetite so it’s suggested you also give recovery food/critical care.

Small poos mean less food intake (hay). However, poo output is 1-2 days behind so isn’t as reliable an indicator of what’s going on now. I would switch to weighing him once daily (in the mornings perhaps) to see what his weight is doing.

It’s good you are taking him back to the vet. I am sure they will know how to move forward. Hope he is better soon.
 
Siikibam said:
I’m sorry your boy is unwell. How long did the vet prescribe the antibiotics for? Did you stop it on direction of the vet or because he was struggling with taking it? Antibiotics can dampen the appetite so it’s suggested you also give recovery food/critical care.

Small poos mean less food intake (hay). However, poo output is 1-2 days behind so isn’t as reliable an indicator of what’s going on now. I would switch to weighing him once daily (in the mornings perhaps) to see what his weight is doing.

It’s good you are taking him back to the vet. I am sure they will know how to move forward. Hope he is better soon.
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Thank you.

So he’s been to the vet twice ( a few days apart ) and his weight is the same …
The vet suggested that I try for a week ish with antibiotics and stop once red urine went …myself and the Rescue centre agreed on 6 days as he was so traumatised and became much lower after taking them..

if he decides not to eat at all I’ll give him critical care, but he’s eating lettuce, pellets and red pepper etc …not loads but still eating and now we stopped antibiotics hoping appetite will come back …poos beginning too be more frequent and bigger slowly but by bit …

but why is his pee orange? Never had so much orange pee before xx
 
I’m sorry to hear he has been unwell.
You cannot cause a UTI by feeding parsley. A UTI is caused by faecal bacteria getting into the bladder.

It’s good his weight is the same, but eating pellets and veg is not enough. Jointly those things are only 20% of the daily food intake, and not the fibre a piggy needs to maintain gut function. if a piggy is not eating enough hay then they’ve lost up to 80% of their food intake. This is why daily weight checks st home are so importwnt when a piggy is unwell.
Small poops are because of reduced hay intake and a digestive upset
 
Piggies&buns said:
I’m sorry to hear he has been unwell.
You cannot cause a UTI by feeding parsley. A UTI is caused by faecal bacteria getting into the bladder.

It’s good his weight is the same, but eating pellets and veg is not enough. Jointly those things are only 20% of the daily food intake, and not the fibre a piggy needs to maintain gut function. if a piggy is not eating enough hay then they’ve lost up to 80% of their food intake. This is why daily weight checks st home are so importwnt when a piggy is unwell.
Small poops are because of reduced hay intake and a digestive upset
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Oh dear ….he’s been eating hay then but clearly not enough, he’s been munching hay quite a lot yesterday and less so today, though he has been eating it ….

he’s going back to vet tomorrow …anything else I can do as force feeding him will make him completely stress out and he gets worse when stressed …..

the poos are improving …but the wee is orange. I think i might ask for an appetite stimulant to be given tomorrow when we go
 
It’s good blood wasn’t found in the urine. Does it look brownish when it dries? Urine does oxidise when it reacts with air. It can look kind of orange/brown.

With regards the syringe feeding, you could try offering it on a spoon or in a bowl. Sometimes they may not particularly like one particular type.
 
Syringe feeding isnt force feeding, but it is essential if their hay intake has reduced and you are seeing any weight loss when you weigh each morning. It may be stressful to some piggies, but not syringe feeding can be devastating and any severe reduction in hay and food intake can simply mean they become too weak for their bodies to fight any infection. Put simply syringe feeding when necessary is as vital as medicinal treatment.
Ensure you weigh him so you can ensure of what is happening with his hay intake.

If the antibiotic course isn’t long enough and any bacteria remain, then the infection can just kick off again.

Is he urine actually coming out that colour or is it changing after a while and as it soaks into bedding?
 
Siikibam said:
It’s good blood wasn’t found in the urine. Does it look brownish when it dries? Urine does oxidise when it reacts with air. It can look kind of orange/brown.

With regards the syringe feeding, you could try offering it on a spoon or in a bowl. Sometimes they may not particularly like one particular type.
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That sounds a very good idea …he freaks out when he sees a syringe …it sometimes looks brownish when it dries but mostly just a vibrant orange
 
Piggies&buns said:
Syringe feeding isnt force feeding, but it is essential if their hay intake has reduced and you are seeing any weight loss when you weigh each morning. It may be stressful to some piggies, but not syringe feeding can be devastating and any severe reduction in hay and food intake can simply mean they become too weak for their bodies to fight any infection. Put simply syringe feeding when necessary is as vital as medicinal treatment.
Ensure you weigh him so you can ensure of what is happening with his hay intake.

If the antibiotic course isn’t long enough and any bacteria remain, then the infection can just kick off again.

Is he urine actually coming out that colour or is it changing after a while and as it soaks into bedding?
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Yeah, absolutely..if he loses weight hes getting that critical care either way way by spoon or by syringe bless him …

its actually coming out that colour …apparently can be a side effect of meds?
 
I think he is feel a bit stressed bless hi, he’s been chewing a wooden stand for a playpen water bottle …but then Humphrey joined in… it breaks my heart seeing him not himself ….been trying to give him little tummy massages to help him but he’s not up for it. Giving him a whole array of favourite hays and toys but think it’s all been a lot for him. Offering him veg every hour or so xx one pee pad that’s cool, for if he’s feeling hot and one that ive warmed to ease any tummy pains …help him choose xx
 
If you think he is in any pain then definitely ask for more metacam. A piggy in pain will not feel like eating
 
Piggies&buns said:
If you think he is in any pain then definitely ask for more metacam. A piggy in pain will not feel like eating
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Yeah I don’t think he’s in pain, but maybe he has a bit of gas …I don’t know, just guessing..but he’s just dived into some hay and eating so crossing everything
 
Welcome to the forum.
I can’t add anything to the help you’ve been given but want to add my support for you
 
BennyandHumphrey said:
Yeah I don’t think he’s in pain, but maybe he has a bit of gas …I don’t know, just guessing..but he’s just dived into some hay and eating so crossing everything
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Gas can be painful. I would definitely explore it with your vet to be sure.
 
Oh dear, poor thing.

There is a genetic element to the risk of bladder stones, but all you can do is review the diet and ensure you are feeding anything high calcium items. It takes a few weeks for any diet changes to filter through the body but there is not much else an owner can do to reduce the risk.
Ensure your pellets are low calcium and are kept limited to one tablespoon per day only, drinking water is filtered (most calcium comes into the diet via pellets and water) and high calcium veg (parsley, kale, spinach etc) is not on the menu regularly (no more than one tiny amount and no more than once per week)

There is a section in this guide for bladder piggies which may help you
Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets
 
Thank you. Yeah he has filtered water and low calcium pellets ( excel ) maybe because I gave him a bit of parsley a couple of times a week its my fault …keep beating myself up…he’s only had the tiniest amount of kale once since I had him and same with spinach …but he had some dandelion forage as a treat too :(

keep thinking I must have caused it with that, though vet says she doesn’t think so. He may have been brewing a stone since before I had him…not sure. Urgh …he’s currently in operation ( they had a cancellation)and feel sick with worry xx
 
Hope it all goes well with the op. Let us know how he gets on. It’s okay to worry. Just remember you’ve done the best for him.
 
BennyandHumphrey said:
Thank you. Yeah he has filtered water and low calcium pellets ( excel ) maybe because I gave him a bit of parsley a couple of times a week its my fault …keep beating myself up…he’s only had the tiniest amount of kale once since I had him and same with spinach …but he had some dandelion forage as a treat too :(

keep thinking I must have caused it with that, though vet says she doesn’t think so. He may have been brewing a stone since before I had him…not sure. Urgh …he’s currently in operation ( they had a cancellation)and feel sick with worry xx
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no you definitely haven’t caused it. Please don’t think you have

Burgess excel are not low calcium nor grain free. However I have seen a couple of ties they they tend to have a better mix of ingredients than some others.
Science selective grain free are the recommended pellet for bladder piggies as they are the lowest calcium and are grain free
 
Good luck with the op. I hope he makes a swift recovery. 🤞
 
Please don't blame yourself about the stone. My vet was saying quite recently that the heatwaves we've experienced might well trigger stones as piggies are slightly less hydrated than usual and the urine becomes more concentrated. She compared it to a 'crystal garden' that you do in school chemistry lessons... at a certain point the solution (urine) becomes so concentrated that salt crystals form and a stone can then build up pretty rapidly. My old boy with no history of stones suddenly had a whopper actually in his penis which blocked the flow of urine. He's come through it OK (touch wood it doesn't recur) but then my girl - who has had bouts of gritty pee in the past - suddenly started to chirp when peeing again. She's through it OK too, but I'm pretty sure the heat triggered both events and my piggies are indoor ones. The vet said the best thing is to just try and keep everyone hydrated and flushing through. So now we have SIX water bottles between 3 pigs! Good luck with the op - and look into glucosamine as a food supplement for battered bladders. Have a search round the forum x
 
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