Urine Scald

[Guinea Slave]

Hi All

I am wondering if any of you have any ideas on how to help with Urine Scald? My little old lady is very incontinent due to many health issues (ex bladderstones, leaky bladder, bad heart so on diuretics...you name it she has it but she carries on regardless! xoxo ) she is being treated by a very cavy savvy vet who has said to carry on as we are. However, she has got worse over the last few months and her back end is constantly soaked with urine.

I wipe her every morning with Aloe vera based wet wipes, in the evening I give her a bottom wash with mild and gentle guinea shampoo from GG and then dry her gently. I have some Perfect Paws ointment which I dab on afterwards. However she is getting more and more sore and its really upsetting for us both.

Just wondering if there is anything else anyone has used in the past? I note on guinealynx they recommend diaper rash cream or miconazole cream. Has anyone had any experience with these creams, did they help? I am concerned that the chemicals in them will harm as she does try to clean herself.

She is also on fleece in her hideys but in a big pen with lots of hay etc which she prefers to be on, but she sits and poops all day, these get soaked in urine and then make her wet.....I cannot make her run around all day so I don't think bedding will sort the issue out. (she is smooth haired by the way which I guess is one good thing otherwise can you imagine!)

Other than this she is a very healthy active little girl. I would welcome any ideas?

Thnak you!

 

[Amanda1801]

Have you tried vet bed?

It sounds like you need some kind of barrier cream rather than a fix-the-problem-thats-already-happened cream. Something like vaseline almost, but I'm not sure what that'd do to piggy if she licked it off :... but you get what I mean?

 

[Guinea Slave]

Thank you for your mega quick reply!

Yep she is on vetbed but her little pile of poops that she creates alarmingly quickly (she eats for England) :red render it useless. She also prefers to sit on hay when she can!

If this was a short term problem I would put her in an indoor cage just on vetbed alone but its not going to go away and I really do not want to separate her from the herd as she will find this too stressful, at this age her quality of life and happiness is so important.

did think about vaseline as I agree that a barrier is what I really need but not sure as its petroleum based....

 

[Bekki]

This is probably not a great idea but what about now and again having her wear a cloth nappy/premature baby nappy atleast it would give her legs and feet a break from the constant urine I know it wouldnt help her lady area but its just an idea :-)

and would anything like nappy rash cream be suitable?

 

[Guinea Slave]

Thanks and a good idea...trouble is in practice she would poop in it and then the same problem again as the wet poops just get her wet again, unless there is some way to fit it so she can poop freely...probably impossible! Its so frustrating to know what to do. The nappy rash cream seems like the best approach but I am so concerned about the chemicals and her ingesting them.

She would be so annoyed and embarrassed if she knew we were discussing her bottom!

 

[Bekki]

bless her

id check the chemical list on the nappy rash cream against those that are in piggy shampoos, flea treatments, lice etc etc and see if they are similar

"Urine scald is a secondary condition resulting from urinary tract issues or injuries that result in decreased mobility in guinea pigs. A painful, often crusty, rash will appear around the affected area. Treatment consists of a gentle cleaning with warm water, application of diaper rash or similar topical ointment (sparingly), and vigilance in keeping the cage bedding DRY. (GuineaLynx.com has an excellent article on urine scald.)"
source: http://www.cavymadness.com/carehealth.html

obviously doesnt mean its totally fine because its on the internet but somebody else has appeared to use it fine :-)

These things have probably all been tested on rodents before being called human safe ... sad but true

I think the nappy thing would be a last resort if her feet got really bad, human nappies are dry even when the baby wees on them and stuff apparently and if her poos are healthy then they should be pretty dry anyway ... not a full time thing to suggest but in the case that her feet and legs get incredibly sore it may be an option then :-)

 

[Wiebke]

Here are tips on how to deal with urine scald from the best (and sound) medical website for guinea pigs: http://www.guinealynx.info/urine_scald.html

 

[Amanda1801]

How do you give hay at the moment?

Maybe putting it in racks would A) stop her lying in it and B) encourage her to move around more?

You could also try feeding veg/pellets scattered about to get her moving a little more, rather than sitting in one spot?

 

[Guinea Slave]

Here are tips on how to deal with urine scald from the best (and sound) medical website for guinea pigs: http://www.guinealynx.info/urine_scald.html

Thank you Wiebke, it was here I got the idea about the nappy rash cream but it's just the chemicals I was worried about. I will take your recommendation as I know people think a lot of this site.

Very, very valid point Becki re the cream having been tested on animals first. Not a nice thought is it but I guess there has to be one positive.

Amanda you are absolutely right, at the moment I spoil them by letting them have piles of hay ad lib to run around and play in, which they love, however, they do also see it as a great way to be very lazy and lie in it and eat! My pen is 22 sq feet so you can imagine how much it costs to keep that lot covered as well! So I will try that, thanks. I have some old fleeces they can burrow in instead!

Thank you so much for all your advice so far. It always helps to have some fresh ideas thank you :<>

 

[Guinea Slave]

Thank you for all your replies. I have taken a lot of advice as follows:

Total change around, fresh food now fed in a clean area so they don't sit and eat and poop/pee in the hay all morning....they hav'nt got to grips with this yet but they will....they still look at me and ask...'we can hear the bag but where's the food? ?/'. (its only around the corner in another section roughly 3 feet away! rolleyes)

Thelma whilst spending all day pulling the hay out of the rack and then sleeping on it mallethead seems to have got a little better and has at least spent most of the night on her vetbed (not so much hay to sleep on now so appears to be a more appealing choice!).

And....I bought some nappy rash cream.

All in all, within less than 24 hours her skin has made a remarkable recovery, far less swollen and she does not wince everytime I clean her. Such a difference.

So she just wants to pass on her THANKS to everyone x) (the others are furious but we won't mention them, they'll figure it out soon! :p )