Diagnosed UTI but not so sure?

[allisonj30]

My guinea pig, Nim, started having blood in her urine and squeaking while urinating a few weeks ago. I brought her to my exotic vet and they ran a urinalysis. They said there was not significant calcium deposits so it was unlikely that it was bladder stones and that it was high in some sort of bacteria that indicated a UTI. We were sent home with Metacam and Baytril. After 10 days on Baytril, Nim stopped eating and drinking and would just lay in her bed all day in pain. We went back to the vet and we decided to try Bactrim and Metacam instead. It's been 4 days since then and she is running around and eating and drinking now, but is still sometimes in pain while urinating but not as bad. I have to wash her bum twice a day because it's always wet with urine and very stinky. The vet said if Bactrim doesn't work, it could be ovarian cancer or another reproductive issue.

I have also noticed that it seems like her bladder is enlarged. It basically looks like it is round and full in that area of her body compared to my other guinea pigs. Not sure if I'm describing that great. My question is...does this still sound like a UTI if 10 days of Baytril and then 4 days of Bactrim didn't work? I'm continuing with her medication to see if she improves, but I guess I'm just looking for any insight as to if this sounds like bladder stones/cancer/etc. We didn't actually get an x-ray because the vet seemed sure from the urinalysis. Any advice is appreciated!

[bpatters]

I'd want an x-ray. And if no stones are found, then an ultrasound. But I'd want the best exotic vet I could find to do it.

It's certainly possible that she has an infection that won't respond to either Baytril or Bactrim. Did they run a culture to see if they could identify the organism and what it's susceptible to?

Ovarian cysts could cause fullness in the abdomen, but probably wouldn't affect the odor of the urine.

[Lynx]

Absolutely get an xray! I think your vet was negligent in not doing so.

I would consider finding a different vet, one who has experience with guinea pig surgery.