Lynx,
I work very very VERY hard to prevent urine scald. She has had it off and on during this. Mostly just fur loss in those areas, no wounds. She does now have bumblefoot because of it. Being treated with silver cream 2x a day plus daily baths and diaper cream for her skin.
I have tried both sub a fluids at Cornell (daily, then every other day then once a week) for the first month but it did t help. I do daily fluids orally now just to keep her hydrated plus wet lettuce and Cukes for the fluids.
The bacteria has changed. I am going to get them wrong but the first was corona something and then trouperella and now two new ones. I didn’t even bother with their names honestly. All of them are supposed to be susceptible to TMS but she has been on TMS 2x a day continuously since the end of January (and correct dose for weight) with no improvement and during this time has always shown signs of a uti (wet and leaky, excessive urine in cage, excessive thirst) which is why I was willing to try new things like D’Mannose and other herbal things to try to flush her out.
She is on fleece bedding with the 2 layers of uhaul pads but I have tried UK vetbed and also guineadad fleece with bamboo just to see if the bedding was somehow infected.
Cornell’s theory is that she is incontinent which causes leaking. Sitting in or near urine causes the bad bacteria to grow and then re enter her urinary tract thus causing an infection. Before they suggested that all the sludge could be harboring the bacteria as well since antibiotics can not penetrate non living things (sludge being non living) but she passed all but a tiny bit of sludge.
Lately I have been reading about bio colonies and bacterial uti colonies in humans and it’s terrifying but also possible that’s what we are dealing with. It’s just hard to determine what will help if anything and to know if she is comfortable and ok throughout all of this.
I am sure I don’t need to explain to this crowd that with bimonthly cultures and ultrasounds that we are in the several thousands of dollars for treatment this year and it’s just frustrating that we can’t find an answer for it.
Guinea pig losing fur and messy bottom
I do not use bleach. I was afraid that would ruin the fleece or wash away it’s color. I use vinegar though and wash it 3 times before drying. I am happy to try bleach if you think it will work.
I change the cage in full every 5 days and change out the pee pads she is on and the kitchen area every day. Sometimes twice per day.
The fleece seems to be very quick wicking which is good but she often lays in her hay and hay seems to be terrible at absorbing. I change the hay out at least 3 times per day, often 4 times.
I stay at home full time so I am able to give meds, force feed when needed, and change her bedding at all hours. I need to remind myself that I have kept her going with a pretty good quality of life (there were a few times in there that were touch and go) but mostly all positive for 6 months which is a long time in piggie years.
I still wish I could find something to help though. I may try the proin syrup and see if that works. The hope is that if she dries up then the meds can kill all the bacteria sitting in her bladder and she can be free of the uti.
I change the cage in full every 5 days and change out the pee pads she is on and the kitchen area every day. Sometimes twice per day.
The fleece seems to be very quick wicking which is good but she often lays in her hay and hay seems to be terrible at absorbing. I change the hay out at least 3 times per day, often 4 times.
I stay at home full time so I am able to give meds, force feed when needed, and change her bedding at all hours. I need to remind myself that I have kept her going with a pretty good quality of life (there were a few times in there that were touch and go) but mostly all positive for 6 months which is a long time in piggie years.
I still wish I could find something to help though. I may try the proin syrup and see if that works. The hope is that if she dries up then the meds can kill all the bacteria sitting in her bladder and she can be free of the uti.
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Lynx
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The bleach would be very diluted. It is extremely effective at killing bacteria. If the fleece had an odor, that would be an indicator of bacteria present that was not removed by simple washing.
The bleach would be very diluted. It is extremely effective at killing bacteria. If the fleece had an odor, that would be an indicator of bacteria present that was not removed by simple washing.
Reading through this and I must say that you are dealing with a lot of issues with this guinea pig. All I can say is stick with it. One thing you said that has me thinking was about the floor time. Do you just put her down on the open floor and let her have the run of the room if she chooses or is there some kind of enclosure? I ask because piggies are known to freeze in one spot if they feel insecure. Also is there some place she can hide in or play in? A fleece forrest or a tunnel is effective for both purposes. Do you have toys and things in with her? Little stuffies work. Even something as minor as a crumpled up piece of paper or a small block of wood can get their curiosity up.
My boar, Mr Bubbles was a non mover due to being overweight, but we started small with the crumpled up piece of paper. He bumped it around with his nose at first and later on decided to pick it up, flip it over his head and then go get it to do it again. We started adding other things like his tunnel, fleece forrest Eventually he got to where he runs around and plays. The best thing is the fleece forrest. All 4 of mine love it. You can buy one or it's not too hard to make one. It provides endless hours of fun for them. I think the feeling of the strips of fleece running along their body is amusing to them. They also love the security it provides.
I know your piggie has heart issues so she can't really run, but getting her to move around even a little bit should help with her weight and possibly help strengthen her heart. I would start small by making sure she feels secure on the floor and giving her the crumpled up paper just to see what she does. That or a little stuffie that is smaller than her, but not too small.
My boar, Mr Bubbles was a non mover due to being overweight, but we started small with the crumpled up piece of paper. He bumped it around with his nose at first and later on decided to pick it up, flip it over his head and then go get it to do it again. We started adding other things like his tunnel, fleece forrest Eventually he got to where he runs around and plays. The best thing is the fleece forrest. All 4 of mine love it. You can buy one or it's not too hard to make one. It provides endless hours of fun for them. I think the feeling of the strips of fleece running along their body is amusing to them. They also love the security it provides.
I know your piggie has heart issues so she can't really run, but getting her to move around even a little bit should help with her weight and possibly help strengthen her heart. I would start small by making sure she feels secure on the floor and giving her the crumpled up paper just to see what she does. That or a little stuffie that is smaller than her, but not too small.
Update-
Butterscotch was placed on proin. .1 ml did not do anything to help the urination issues but at .2 I noticed she was totally dry. This was great news except that she began to appear very bloated and uncomfortable and was losing weight. I am trying to rest her tummy as best I can by taking her off the sodium citrate and everything else to see if I can narrow it down to see what is causing the problem.
I thought it might be the .2 of proin but if I tried to lower the dose she began to leak again. However, eating is also important so I took her off the proin yesterday to see if it will help. Also, she began drinking excessively Tuesday and a Wednesday so I thought taking her off proin short term to see if that makes a difference might be a good idea.
Her only meds at this point are Bactrim and meloxicam. I suppose they could be the culprits as well but wanted to see about the proin first since it seemed to get worse with the start of that.
I continue to feed her 3 times a day with critical care but it’s not enough to keep her weight up.
What do you suggest for weight loss or any other reasons she might be losing weight?
Butterscotch was placed on proin. .1 ml did not do anything to help the urination issues but at .2 I noticed she was totally dry. This was great news except that she began to appear very bloated and uncomfortable and was losing weight. I am trying to rest her tummy as best I can by taking her off the sodium citrate and everything else to see if I can narrow it down to see what is causing the problem.
I thought it might be the .2 of proin but if I tried to lower the dose she began to leak again. However, eating is also important so I took her off the proin yesterday to see if it will help. Also, she began drinking excessively Tuesday and a Wednesday so I thought taking her off proin short term to see if that makes a difference might be a good idea.
Her only meds at this point are Bactrim and meloxicam. I suppose they could be the culprits as well but wanted to see about the proin first since it seemed to get worse with the start of that.
I continue to feed her 3 times a day with critical care but it’s not enough to keep her weight up.
What do you suggest for weight loss or any other reasons she might be losing weight?
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