• Discussions taking place within this forum are intended for the purpose of assisting you in discussing options with your vet. Any other use of advice given here is done so at your risk, is solely your responsibility and not that of this forum or its owner. Before posting it is your responsibility you abide by this Statement

What causes it exactly?

N

nbhalla19

New Born Pup
Joined
Aug 18, 2020
Messages
32
Reaction score
6
Points
130
Location
Atlanta, Georgia
I had a guinea pig that recently passed due to a UTI. She was 3.5-4 years(vets obviously give an estimate of age of guinea pigs). What causes them exactly? A few months before the UTI she had a minor URI, which the vet said happens, as long as you do something early on she will be fine. But apart from that she was fine besides before. She lived about a year after she got the UTI, but that was with extra care. The main sign she had one was there was blood in her urine. The thing is is that month before she passed the blood in the urine had stopped, the vet said she seemed ok. I didn't check her weight for week or two(I usually check once a week), but two weeks or so later a bad smell started coming from her cage and when I weighed her she was a lot less. Then she passed the next week. But before that she was fine you would have never thought she was sick I thought she was finally okay. So what causes UTIs exactly? Like I said she was always healthy before when I took her and the other one for their yearly checkups the vets always said they were in great health. One vet assistant said these are some of the healthiest guinea pigs I've ever seen.
 
I'm sorry for your loss.

A UTI is a general term for an infection in the urinary tract but there are actually many types of urinary infection and issue.

The most common type in indoor piggies is actually not bacterial at all - it is called sterile cystitis and is characterized by recurrent symptoms of painful urination, bloody pees etc but actually it cannot be treated with antibiotics because it isn’t bacterial. It is managed with painkillers and glucosamine.

The guide below explains more

Wiebke

Thread 'Wiebke's Guide to Pees and Stones'

1 The Urinary Tract
2 Pees
- Water intake changes
- Pee discoloration
3 Infections
- Bacterial urine infection (UTI)
- Bacterial cystitis
- Sterile cystitis (interstitial cystitis or IC)
4 Stones, Sludge and Crystals
- Crystals, stones and sludge
- Stone and sludge removal
5 Kidneys and Bladder Cancer
-...
 
nbhalla19 said:
I had a guinea pig that recently passed due to a UTI. She was 3.5-4 years(vets obviously give an estimate of age of guinea pigs). What causes them exactly? A few months before the UTI she had a minor URI, which the vet said happens, as long as you do something early on she will be fine. But apart from that she was fine besides before. She lived about a year after she got the UTI, but that was with extra care. The main sign she had one was there was blood in her urine. The thing is is that month before she passed the blood in the urine had stopped, the vet said she seemed ok. I didn't check her weight for week or two(I usually check once a week), but two weeks or so later a bad smell started coming from her cage and when I weighed her she was a lot less. Then she passed the next week. But before that she was fine you would have never thought she was sick I thought she was finally okay. So what causes UTIs exactly? Like I said she was always healthy before when I took her and the other one for their yearly checkups the vets always said they were in great health. One vet assistant said these are some of the healthiest guinea pigs I've ever seen.
Click to expand...

BIG HUGS

Did your vet see her when she developed the strong stale smell? That sounds rather like a serious infection, like potentially pyometra (infection of the womb lining) or another problem with the womb; Ppossibly coming from the reproductive tract rather than the urinary tract. It can affect frailer, well kept sows when the womb goes wrong, which can happen occasionally. The smell could however just be from your sow sitting in her pee and not able to clean herself; especially if she had longer or rougher hair.

However, please accept that we can only guess and that you will never know what went suddenly badly wrong. There is quite a lot that can haywire between the reproductive and the urinary tract in sows. ;
 
Wiebke

Thread 'Sow Problems 'Down Below' (Ovarian Cysts, Super-seasons, Womb Infection, Pregnancy & Mammary Tumours)'

1 Important reproductive information
- Start of making babies - seasons - lack of menopause
- Pregnancy
2 Sows in season
- How a season runs
- Strong seasons (snap seasons; the social role of strong seasons; problem seasons)
3 Health issues of the reproductive tract
- Ovarian cysts (types, symptoms and treatment options)
- Other health...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top