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Wet Bum

Samhtm

Samhtm

Junior Guinea Pig
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Hi all,

My sow, Chess, has managed to get herself a dirty bum twice today. It looked like wee on both occasions as it was a light orange colour. Its never happened before so I'm not sure if this is something to be concerned about or just a one off?

I havent noticed anything off in terms of weight or behaviour.

Any advice?
 
I would take Chess to the vet for a check up if she were mine. We're just ordinary members like yourself giving advice based on experience with our own piggies and are not vets so cannot diagnose what is wrong. When Patsy was leaking urine the vet diagnosed a horrendous URI and she had a course of antibiotics to clear it.

Let us know what the vet says.
 
Definitely worth a vet check, my old floofy girl Jezzy has had a rather wet tummy and dirty bum lately and when it happened again 3 days after I gave her a bum bath I phoned the vet today and have her booked in for a routine check up next week! Always best to ask the vet to be sure there's nothing wrong :)
 
If she's a long-haired girl it might just be that she's soaked up pee as she's laid in it so trim those skirts! BUT if she's short-haired, or if this is something new and it keeps happening, a urinary tract infection is a likely candidate. That is what it has been when my girls have had a 'dirty bum'... they drip urine either because of inflammation or because it hurts to pee and they hold it in more (the boys get a wet tummy). My vet usually does antibiotics and pain relief, but might also suggest an x-ray to rule out stones. If a little bladder stone starts to pass and gets stuck this can also cause dripping urine. They like a pee sample to check for bacteria, and can give you a little vial and a syringe or pipette to suck it up - we have a plastic tub I sit them in to wait it out but it's quite tricky if they are just dripping and not peeing properly. You might notice that she hunches up when she pees or even chirps in pain, but she might hide it too.

TBH even when they've x-rayed and found something that might be a stone we've always had antibiotics because there has always been a UTI too... and it's been the antibiotics that have sorted piggy out! My generalist vet does conscious x-rays by wrapping the piggy firmly in a towel so they can't move which is better for piggy and cheaper for owner so if they suggest x-ray check that they are not thinking about GA (general anaesthetic) and if they are then ask about an alternative.
 
I would also agree with taking her to the vets for a check up. From my personal experience of unexpected wet bums in sows these have in the past been caused by : urine infection/cystitis; bladder stone / sludge; pyometra (infection of the womb) and arthritis in legs or hips and spine (meaning they can’t be bothered to get up and avoid lying in their own wee. It’s always worth asking the vet to check it out in case it is something that requires treatment.
 
Hi all, thank you for your comments, I am still considering the vets, it hasn't happened at all since the incident again last night, and I'm now thinking it may have been her grease gland? It was slightly above her rear and was more a sticky substance than it was a stained colour. She does have some discharge today as I believe she has come into heat.

I'm checking her constantly and if it happens again it will be an immediate vet trip :)
 
Guinea pigs do not have any discharge when they come into season. If she has discharge, she will need to see a vet as she may have an infection of her reproductive tract.
 
VickiA said:
Guinea pigs do not have any discharge when they come into season. If she has discharge, she will need to see a vet as she may have an infection of her reproductive tract.
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Oh, I read somewhere that some pigs do? She's always had it, only around 24 hrs every 14-21 days
 
I would definitely recommend a vet check as discharge is not normal.
 
Hi all, just an update, chess went to the vet and he said that because she is eating and drinking normally that its most likely nothing to worry about and that it may have been a mucus plug (because of her being in heat). He said to keep an eye on her and if it gets any worse then take her back. I think it was a combination of her laying in her own wee and mucus plug around her heat.
 
hi, i recently noticed that my 1 year old female piggy has a wet bum but she has been extremely happy and active lately, and is popcorning quite often as well as running laps. can something be wrong if she is so joyful? only asking because our nearest vet is over an hour away.... so i'm a bit hesitant to make the trip when she seems so healthy
 
aleeza said:
hi, i recently noticed that my 1 year old female piggy has a wet bum but she has been extremely happy and active lately, and is popcorning quite often as well as running laps. can something be wrong if she is so joyful? only asking because our nearest vet is over an hour away.... so i'm a bit hesitant to make the trip when she seems so healthy
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They can appear to be happy, behaving normally, eating well, because as prey animals piggies can hide their illnesses, so if you are concerned about an unusual symptom despite piggy seeming otherwise ok, then she does need to be taken to a vet. If they are visibly ill, not eating etc, then by that time they can be quite poorly or have been hiding it for a while and are not able to hide it any longer.
 
As above... esp if she's a short-haired girl there is usually a reason for a wet bum. They like to stay clean but long-haired have more of a problem with this.
If you are living in a hot area watch out for flies which can be attracted to a dripping piggy bottom. If she is indoor it is less of a worry than outdoor. See if your girl hunches up or chirps when she pees which indicates pain. If you can get her to pee on something white you can see whether the urine is tinged pink. Good luck!
 
If you can get a fresh sample of urine to take with you it will help. Perhaps you have a drugstore or doctors nearby that can provide a sterile pot like for when people have to take a sample in. Then if you sit piggy in a plastic tub she will eventually pee and you can collect it. Try and do that shortly before the appointment and keep it in the fridge until the journey. Let us know how you get on. It's good to hear that she's still popcorning about!
 
my vet doesn't have an appt available for another 2 weeks, and my girl was dry today. Is this too long to wait? unfortunately there aren't many exotic vets in my area... is it too risky to keep the appt and see if my piggie continues to stay dry?
 
If she's peeing normally and doesn't seem to be in any distress I'd relax about it for now. If you make the appointment and see no more wet bum would they charge if you cancelled it? Check if they have cancellation charges... sometimes it's just the last 48 hours or something, sometimes it's none at all!

BUT make sure she's peeing... if she stops passing pee completely it's a serious emergency because it could be a little stone blocking her tube. I've never had a completely blocked tube - just leaky ones - I would assume it's pretty rare and tbh if she had trouble with stones she probably wouldn't be popcorning about. If she's peeing easily don't be concerned but just watch out for recurrence of wet bum x
 
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