Reasons for squeaking in pain

[luckyandsammy]

Hi,
My guinea pig, Remi, started squeaking very VERY loudly at about 9pm on the 23rd of May, so about 2 weeks ago. I went to check on him and he was sat in his bed screaming. I checked him over and he didn’t seem hurt.
He continued screaming throughout the night .
I took him to the vets the next day (Friday) and the vet thought he might have an injury in his left hip, as she couldn’t extend it properly. However she did say it was unlikely because he was still moving and both of his back legs are a bit stiff, and he has a bit of arthritis.
She prescribed him metacam, even though I told her that usually upsets his belly.

Saturday morning Remi still wasn’t feeling better, he was still squeaking but slightly quieter, when I woke up I found him surrounded by soft poos (caused by the metacam). I picked him up and found him soaking wet with urine.
I took him back to the vets, this time we saw a different vet.

This vet said Remi could have kidney problems, a UTI or bladder stones.
She said we could do a blood test to check kidneys but said he would need GA and the sample wouldn’t be posted until Tuesday, as Monday was a bank holiday. She didn’t think this was worth doing.
She also suggested X-rays to check for bladder stones but quickly changed the subject and said we could try antibiotics as it’s very likely to be a UTI. She told us to stop the metacam and prescribed gabapentin instead.
These were both prescribed for 10 days.
The vet didn’t mention arthritis or hip injuries…

Remi very quickly got better once we started the medication, he was dry and he wasn’t squeaking loudly, but he did whimper quietly sometimes.
Since he was still whimpering occasionally, I took him back to the vets last Saturday for another check up and to see if we could continue the course of antibiotics for longer as I felt it he needed it.
We saw the same vet as the second time.
She was happy that he was no longer wet and because of this, she wouldn’t give him a longer course of antibiotics. For some reason, she did give him a whole bottle of gabapentin to take for the next 2-3 weeks.
She said if I wanted more antibiotics for him, we would have to do a urine test to check what bacteria we are trying to treat but he would need GA and an ultrasound to take the sample. This seemed a bit extreme to me, as I got urine samples from guinea pigs before by putting them in a clean, empty carrier and waiting…
She eventually gave me a little plastic tube to collect a urine sample. I haven’t done it yet, as I was waiting to see how he is.

I also forgot to add. Both vets have felt Remi’s bladder at every check up and they said they couldn’t feel anything unusual like stones or thickened tissue.

Remi had the last dose of his antibiotic Monday evening. Since then, he has started squeaking again, and every day, it seems louder. He is on 3x a day gabapentin, quite a high dose I think.

Ideally I’d like to take him back to the vets BUT the exotics vet isn’t there for the next 2 weeks. Unfortunately, she wasn’t working when Remi had his other 3 appointments, we saw normal small animals vets and I feel like I wasted time, money, and stressed Remi out with the drive to the vets without any results!
I made an appointment for him this morning for the first day she’s available, 27th of June. Remi has enough gabapentin until then but I can’t listen to the squeaks anymore, it’s heart breaking. This morning he was dribbling urine a tiny bit.

I’ve been thinking about what could be wrong with him and my uneducated theory/worry is that maybe he has an abscess that is pressing on his bladder? It could have gone down a bit while on the antibiotic, and now that he has not been taking it, it’s back causing pain/a bit of urine leaking?


This has turned into a bit of a rant but I honestly don’t know what to do anymore. Between my 10 year old rabbit getting very sick and dying 3 weeks ago, my guinea pig Smudge getting diagnosed with a tumour last week and now Remi not getting better no matter what I do, I have no time to think about anything else and I’ve developed health issues myself from the stress!

I’d appreciate any advice/opinions anyone can give, I think at this point I’ve annoyed everyone I know with my constant talk of guinea pig health issues!

 

[Piggies2023]

Hi,
My guinea pig, Remi, started squeaking very VERY loudly at about 9pm on the 23rd of May, so about 2 weeks ago. I went to check on him and he was sat in his bed screaming. I checked him over and he didn’t seem hurt.
He continued screaming throughout the night .
I took him to the vets the next day (Friday) and the vet thought he might have an injury in his left hip, as she couldn’t extend it properly. However she did say it was unlikely because he was still moving and both of his back legs are a bit stiff, and he has a bit of arthritis.
She prescribed him metacam, even though I told her that usually upsets his belly.

Saturday morning Remi still wasn’t feeling better, he was still squeaking but slightly quieter, when I woke up I found him surrounded by soft poos (caused by the metacam). I picked him up and found him soaking wet with urine.
I took him back to the vets, this time we saw a different vet.

This vet said Remi could have kidney problems, a UTI or bladder stones.
She said we could do a blood test to check kidneys but said he would need GA and the sample wouldn’t be posted until Tuesday, as Monday was a bank holiday. She didn’t think this was worth doing.
She also suggested X-rays to check for bladder stones but quickly changed the subject and said we could try antibiotics as it’s very likely to be a UTI. She told us to stop the metacam and prescribed gabapentin instead.
These were both prescribed for 10 days.
The vet didn’t mention arthritis or hip injuries…

Remi very quickly got better once we started the medication, he was dry and he wasn’t squeaking loudly, but he did whimper quietly sometimes.
Since he was still whimpering occasionally, I took him back to the vets last Saturday for another check up and to see if we could continue the course of antibiotics for longer as I felt it he needed it.
We saw the same vet as the second time.
She was happy that he was no longer wet and because of this, she wouldn’t give him a longer course of antibiotics. For some reason, she did give him a whole bottle of gabapentin to take for the next 2-3 weeks.
She said if I wanted more antibiotics for him, we would have to do a urine test to check what bacteria we are trying to treat but he would need GA and an ultrasound to take the sample. This seemed a bit extreme to me, as I got urine samples from guinea pigs before by putting them in a clean, empty carrier and waiting…
She eventually gave me a little plastic tube to collect a urine sample. I haven’t done it yet, as I was waiting to see how he is.

I also forgot to add. Both vets have felt Remi’s bladder at every check up and they said they couldn’t feel anything unusual like stones or thickened tissue.

Remi had the last dose of his antibiotic Monday evening. Since then, he has started squeaking again, and every day, it seems louder. He is on 3x a day gabapentin, quite a high dose I think.

Ideally I’d like to take him back to the vets BUT the exotics vet isn’t there for the next 2 weeks. Unfortunately, she wasn’t working when Remi had his other 3 appointments, we saw normal small animals vets and I feel like I wasted time, money, and stressed Remi out with the drive to the vets without any results!
I made an appointment for him this morning for the first day she’s available, 27th of June. Remi has enough gabapentin until then but I can’t listen to the squeaks anymore, it’s heart breaking. This morning he was dribbling urine a tiny bit.

I’ve been thinking about what could be wrong with him and my uneducated theory/worry is that maybe he has an abscess that is pressing on his bladder? It could have gone down a bit while on the antibiotic, and now that he has not been taking it, it’s back causing pain/a bit of urine leaking?


This has turned into a bit of a rant but I honestly don’t know what to do anymore. Between my 10 year old rabbit getting very sick and dying 3 weeks ago, my guinea pig Smudge getting diagnosed with a tumour last week and now Remi not getting better no matter what I do, I have no time to think about anything else and I’ve developed health issues myself from the stress!

I’d appreciate any advice/opinions anyone can give, I think at this point I’ve annoyed everyone I know with my constant talk of guinea pig health issues!

It sounds like you don't trust the vet you are currently seeing? Is there an alternative vets you can go to? Have you seen the recommended vets list on here? My vet isn't an exotic vet but is fantastic with pigs.

So Remi improved a lot on the antibiotics? I would do the urine sample as it maybe that Remi needs more or different antibiotics. Feeling a bladder doesn't rule out stones. You cannot always feel them. My Pumpkin had a bladder stone, shows up on x-ray but because it's small my vet couldn't feel it.

It's so stressful having multiple pets getting sick. It sounds like you've been through a lot recently.

 

[Wiebke]

Hi

HUGS

I am very sorry that you are having such a rough time.

It would be nice if piggies could tell us where it hurts. Unfortunately, they can't and we can just guess. Even more so with the kind of constant non-standard pain like you are dealing with. Both vets have duly checked for the obvious places. Which unfortuntely still leaves a wide field.
Here is our guide to standard pain symptoms: Signs of Pain in Guinea Pigs

Further investigations would likely include a scan and/or x-rays under GA and blood tests to check for any internal problems. A stone in the bladder or any serious bladder infection can usually be palpated. If a stone was stuck in the urethra then I would expect the bladder to still be somewhat tighter; the stone should also not cause constant pain, only if it ws moving around during urination (banging into the walls/scratching).
There also obviously seems to be some swelling or infection involved as the antibiotic seems to have eased symptoms.

I am very sorry that I am unable to snap my fingers and pull out the correct solution but it sadly doesn't work like that. Like any vet, we are very much left stranded in the wild guesses wilderness.


I would however recommend that you speak to the clinic again. I appreciate how upsetting and frustrating this is for you. We know so much more than just ten years ago but the more we push out the horizon, veterinary possibilities are still limited and the more we push, the more trickier and nastier stuff seems to appear out of the mist.

 

[luckyandsammy]

It sounds like you don't trust the vet you are currently seeing? Is there an alternative vets you can go to? Have you seen the recommended vets list on here? My vet isn't an exotic vet but is fantastic with pigs.

So Remi improved a lot on the antibiotics? I would do the urine sample as it maybe that Remi needs more or different antibiotics. Feeling a bladder doesn't rule out stones. You cannot always feel them. My Pumpkin had a bladder stone, shows up on x-ray but because it's small my vet couldn't feel it.

It's so stressful having multiple pets getting sick. It sounds like you've been through a lot recently.

My vet is on the recommended list, but unfortunately, the last 3 times I tried to make an appointment for Remi she was off work so we were seen by other vets that work at the clinic.

I did want to do the urine test but the vet wanted to put him under anaesthetic and do an ultrasound to find his bladder to get a sample of urine, which in my opinion is completely unnecessary. I did get a small tube and if I book him in for another appointment, I’ll get a sample myself and take it in for them to send to the lab.

I have mixed feelings about the vets we keep seeing as they had 2 different ideas of what was wrong, and the second one keeps suggesting things we could do but she never seems to want to do them during the appointment? He’s had 3 separate appointments for this issue so I’m very frustrated that we haven’t really got a diagnosis

 

[luckyandsammy]

Hi

HUGS

I am very sorry that you are having such a rough time.

It would be nice if piggies could tell us where it hurts. Unfortunately, they can't and we can just guess. Even more so with the kind of constant non-standard pain like you are dealing with. Both vets have duly checked for the obvious places. Which unfortuntely still leaves a wide field.
Here is our guide to standard pain symptoms: Signs of Pain in Guinea Pigs

Further investigations would likely include a scan and/or x-rays under GA and blood tests to check for any internal problems. A stone in the bladder or any serious bladder infection can usually be palpated. If a stone was stuck in the urethra then I would expect the bladder to still be somewhat tighter; the stone should also not cause constant pain, only if it ws moving around during urination (banging into the walls/scratching).
There also obviously seems to be some swelling or infection involved as the antibiotic seems to have eased symptoms.

I am very sorry that I am unable to snap my fingers and pull out the correct solution but it sadly doesn't work like that. Like any vet, we are very much left stranded in the wild guesses wilderness.


I would however recommend that you speak to the clinic again. I appreciate how upsetting and frustrating this is for you. We know so much more than just ten years ago but the more we push out the horizon, veterinary possibilities are still limited and the more we push, the more trickier and nastier stuff seems to appear out of the mist.

Thank you for the guide, he does squint when he is squeaking. I feel so bad because he must be in so much pain, despite the painkillers.
I’m on my way home now, I’ll check how he is as soon as I get back and decide if I should make an appointment today.
I think maybe I need to be a bit more firm in the consultation room, and when the vet suggests something we could do, I need to request for it to be done now rather than giving him more pain relief and re-checking in a few days as that’s all we’ve been doing so far.

 

[Piggies2023]

My vet is on the recommended list, but unfortunately, the last 3 times I tried to make an appointment for Remi she was off work so we were seen by other vets that work at the clinic.

I did want to do the urine test but the vet wanted to put him under anaesthetic and do an ultrasound to find his bladder to get a sample of urine, which in my opinion is completely unnecessary. I did get a small tube and if I book him in for another appointment, I’ll get a sample myself and take it in for them to send to the lab.

I have mixed feelings about the vets we keep seeing as they had 2 different ideas of what was wrong, and the second one keeps suggesting things we could do but she never seems to want to do them during the appointment? He’s had 3 separate appointments for this issue so I’m very frustrated that we haven’t really got a diagnosis

I can understand why you see that as unnecessary. My vet has only ever done samples with me collecting from a clean box or from the examination table. It is frustrating that you saw an improvement with antibiotics but they didn't let you continue to see if they helped.

It can take a while sometimes to get a diagnosis. It took a very long time to come to the conclusion of what my Nancy's diagnosis is but she didn't respond to antibiotics like your little one does.

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you for the guide, he does squint when he is squeaking. I feel so bad because he must be in so much pain, despite the painkillers.
I’m on my way home now, I’ll check how he is as soon as I get back and decide if I should make an appointment today.
I think maybe I need to be a bit more firm in the consultation room, and when the vet suggests something we could do, I need to request for it to be done now rather than giving him more pain relief and re-checking in a few days as that’s all we’ve been doing so far.

All the best with getting to the bottom of it or rethinking the whole situation if your vets can't.

Squinting when squeaking is likely part of the same action and is not necessarily a pointer as to where the pain is located. The eye squinting referred to in the guide is a constant squint like you have when you have something wedged under an eyelid that is scratchy.

It is more likely where your piggy cannot get anywhere near deep inside the body, or you have likely seen him biting or scratching at it.

 

[luckyandsammy]

I called the vets when I got back. At first they offered me an appointment for tomorrow with a normal small animal vet. I asked if they could do X-rays then and they said they can’t do them on Saturdays…
I asked for a day when they could do them and I had to wait for them to call me back while they speak to the vet.
They called back and said that if Remi is in pain she would like to see him, but this would just be to discuss our options as it has to be the exotics vet that does X-rays and all the other tests.
I declined the appointment as I don’t want to stress him out with pointless vet trips, we will wait for the appointment with the exotics vet on the 27th of June.

Poor Remi!

 

[Piggies2023]

I called the vets when I got back. At first they offered me an appointment for tomorrow with a normal small animal vet. I asked if they could do X-rays then and they said they can’t do them on Saturdays…
I asked for a day when they could do them and I had to wait for them to call me back while they speak to the vet.
They called back and said that if Remi is in pain she would like to see him, but this would just be to discuss our options as it has to be the exotics vet that does X-rays and all the other tests.
I declined the appointment as I don’t want to stress him out with pointless vet trips, we will wait for the appointment with the exotics vet on the 27th of June.

Poor Remi!

View attachment 250277

That is very frustrating for you. It sounds like the other vets are trained to do the scans on pigs. Is there any other recommended vets nearby you can go to instead?

 

[piggieminder]

It is frustrating for you and poor Remi.
I have two old boys who squeak sometimes when toileting because of the angle they stand to pee/poop it can be painful for them. They are on long term Meloxicam.
I hope when you get to see a vet who knows guinea pigs it will be something simple to treat and that he soon feels better.

 

[luckyandsammy]

Hi, I thought I’d post an update.
Remi has been leaking tiny bits of urine yesterday, it was a constant drip. He also wasn’t too interested in his food so I started syringe feeding which he was very happy with and ate quite a lot.
I noticed he stands most of the time, and his back feet are starting to look very red.
This morning he wasn’t dripping pee anymore but he wasn’t interested in breakfast so I gave him more critical care which he ate happily.

I decided to call the vets and he had an appointment at 2. We saw a different vet this time and he seemed a lot more on it. He checked Remi over and said that his bladder feels quite hard. He booked Remi in for X-rays on Tuesday morning. He will probably do them conscious as Remi isn’t moving around much, he has been staying wherever he is put. The vet said the gabapentin might be making him a bit spaced out.
He has more antibiotics to take until Tuesday.
The vet thinks Remi does have an infection but it is caused by an underlying issue, such as bladder stones or a mass in the bladder. If the X-rays are clear he will do blood tests.

It finally feels like we are getting somewhere so I feel a tiny bit relieved!

 

[Wiebke]

Hi, I thought I’d post an update.
Remi has been leaking tiny bits of urine yesterday, it was a constant drip. He also wasn’t too interested in his food so I started syringe feeding which he was very happy with and ate quite a lot.
I noticed he stands most of the time, and his back feet are starting to look very red.
This morning he wasn’t dripping pee anymore but he wasn’t interested in breakfast so I gave him more critical care which he ate happily.

I decided to call the vets and he had an appointment at 2. We saw a different vet this time and he seemed a lot more on it. He checked Remi over and said that his bladder feels quite hard. He booked Remi in for X-rays on Tuesday morning. He will probably do them conscious as Remi isn’t moving around much, he has been staying wherever he is put. The vet said the gabapentin might be making him a bit spaced out.
He has more antibiotics to take until Tuesday.
The vet thinks Remi does have an infection but it is caused by an underlying issue, such as bladder stones or a mass in the bladder. If the X-rays are clear he will do blood tests.

It finally feels like we are getting somewhere so I feel a tiny bit relieved!

Glad that you are getting a bit further. The bladder being suddenly a lot harder helps to nail down the problem more.

Here are our very practical care tips for guinea pigs who are not moving around much and/or suffer from excessive urination (re. urine scald around genitalia and on the foot soles, potentially leading to bumblefoot).
Looking After Guinea Pigs With Limited or No Mobility

Fingers firmly crossed.

 

[Cait_lin]

Poor little guy I'm so sorry this is happening, especially after losing your rabbit not so long ago. I'm so glad you're getting somewhere with this different vet and I hope Remi can start feeling better and out of pain soon That does seem really unnecessary of the other vet to be insisting on getting a urine sample that way. When our vet needed a sample of my boys, she mentioned getting X-rays but only if they didn't produce a urine sample normally. Seems unfair for her to put Remi through that, so you definitely made the right choice by getting a regular urine sample instead.
He looks like such a sweetheart, bless Really glad he has such a caring owner looking out for him and saving him additional stress. Feel better soon, little Remi

 

[luckyandsammy]

Remi has stopped leaking urine but he is still being picky with his food. He had critical care last night and this morning because he didn’t want his nuggets.
This afternoon I went and picked some forage and he really enjoyed it!
Unfortunately though, he didn’t really want his vegetables this evening. He had a few mint leaves and a tiny piece of carrot, so I will be giving him some more critical care soon.
I have seen him nibbling on some hay and drinking water.
I’m not sure why he’s being so picky about food!

Thank you for the guides. He has a heat pad in the fleece house he spends most of his time in and I change the fleece pad he lays on regularly.

He has red spots on his feet and one of them has developed a tiny crack so I cleaned them both with leucillin, dried them and applied blister plasters (suggestion I found on one of the websites posted above, thank you).
He’s had the plasters on since 10am this morning and they don’t seem to be bothering him. I hope the extra cushioning on his feet helps.

 

[luckyandsammy]

Remi went downhill last night. He wasn’t eating much by himself, he had a tiny bit of dill but he was eating it so slowly.
He was really struggling to keep his head up and he wasn’t moving around much.
I’ve been feeding him critical care before work, after work and before bed as I only saw him eating tiny bits of hay.
My boyfriend took him to the vets for his X-rays this morning. The X-ray didn’t show any bladder stones.
The vet is 90% sure he has a tumour, but he said it could also be kidney failure or liver failure. We wouldn’t know without further tests: an ultrasound (under anaesthetic) to look for a tumour, blood tests to check kidney/liver function (but the results will take about 5 days).
Remi is a 4 on the 1-5 anaesthetic risk scale that my vets have. So chances are, he wouldn’t make it through the ultrasound.
As he is so weak, I really don’t feel like he can make it 5 days waiting for blood test results!
He is extremely skinny, his fuzzy hair hides it but you can feel all his bones.

Remi is currently at home.
We have decided to have him put to sleep this evening. We have an appointment at 6…

 

[Wiebke]

Remi went downhill last night. He wasn’t eating much by himself, he had a tiny bit of dill but he was eating it so slowly.
He was really struggling to keep his head up and he wasn’t moving around much.
I’ve been feeding him critical care before work, after work and before bed as I only saw him eating tiny bits of hay.
My boyfriend took him to the vets for his X-rays this morning. The X-ray didn’t show any bladder stones.
The vet is 90% sure he has a tumour, but he said it could also be kidney failure or liver failure. We wouldn’t know without further tests: an ultrasound (under anaesthetic) to look for a tumour, blood tests to check kidney/liver function (but the results will take about 5 days).
Remi is a 4 on the 1-5 anaesthetic risk scale that my vets have. So chances are, he wouldn’t make it through the ultrasound.
As he is so weak, I really don’t feel like he can make it 5 days waiting for blood test results!
He is extremely skinny, his fuzzy hair hides it but you can feel all his bones.

Remi is currently at home.
We have decided to have him put to sleep this evening. We have an appointment at 6…

BIG HUGS

I am ever so sorry that Remi has taken a turn for the worst. There comes a point where pain control and quality of life no longer work and the much faster metabolism that piggies have is turning against them.
It is quite simply Remi's day and letting him make his journey to the Bridge as quickly and smoothly in view of the considerable pain he is in and which will only increase once he stops being able to metabolise is the kindest thing you can do for him now.

PTS (putting to sleep) is the most loving but equally most heartbreaking gift we can make a beloved pet, and it is never one we make lightly. If it helps you, I would have made the same decision if it was a piggy of mine.

My thoughts are with Remi and you.

A Practical and Sensitive Guide to Dying, Terminal Illness and Euthanasia in Guinea Pigs

 

[Bertie & Jelly]

Such a heartbreaking decision to have to make. Thinking of you and Remi x

 

[Cait_lin]

I'm so so sorry You're doing what's best for little Remi to keep him from suffering but I know that doesn't make it any less upsetting to go through. Bless you both

 

[weepweeps]

I’m so sorry. Sending you hugs at this difficult time.

 

[piggieminder]

I'm sorry. Sending you hugs at such a difficult time.

 

[luckyandsammy]

Remi is now gone.
The vet said it was the right decision as further diagnosis wouldn’t really achieve anything.
I handed him over to the vet in a blanket, I didn’t stay to see him after he was pts as I thought it would be too upsetting.

Poor Kiwi, Remi’s friend is on his own now.
I don’t know if I should add him to one of my other pairs of boys?
He could live with Coco and Smudge.
Smudge is on palliative care as he has a massive inoperable tumour, according to the vet he has 1-3 months left so Coco will be alone in the near future too.

 

[piggieminder]

What a sad time you are having.
Boar trios very rarely work. I would put Kiwi next to Smudge and Coco for company and then try bonding Kiwi with Coco later. If they won't bond you can leave them side by side for companionship through the bars.
Sending you hugs.

 

[luckyandsammy]

What a sad time you are having.
Boar trios very rarely work. I would put Kiwi next to Smudge and Coco for company and then try bonding Kiwi with Coco later. If they won't bond you can leave them side by side for companionship through the bars.
Sending you hugs.

Thank you. I’m very worried about them not working as a 3, I tried to add a third to a pair of boys I had years ago and they fought a lot, I ended up separating them.
Unfortunately, I can’t put Kiwi next to any of the other boys as I have what I call “guinea pig apartments”, which is a two level hutch with a C&C cage on top.
Each cage houses two piggies, the top one is now just Kiwi’s. I don’t have enough space to put the C&C next to the hutch.