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Julie Koup – be sure the area where you want them to potty is under cover. As prey animals, they like to hide when they are “busy”. They will also tend to pee and poo where they eat, so covering the eating area with fabric or a lid of some type is a great way to train them to go there and not in the rest of the cage. Preventing uroliths will mostly involve changes in diet and husbandry, depending on the exact cause.
A comprehensive approach to your pet’s health can have life-changing results. The natural restorative properties of our guinea pig supplements promote your pet’s overall health by supporting their immune system, or to help them while they recover. While it shouldn't be used alone to treat an active bladder infection, you can dilute 100% unsweetened cranberry juice and offer via syringe to prevent UTIs. If it bubbles, it suggests there is blood present and you could be dealing with a urinary tract infection .
Nutritional Supplements for Your Pet’s Diet
Rabbits will absorb nearly all of the calcium they consume and guinea pigs are thought to absorb a significant portion of dietary calcium as well. Excess calcium is then filtered through the kidneys and excreted in the urine. But the kidneys can only take so much before they cant filter any more. When this happens, the calcium forms a solid crystal which gets excreted through the urine, producing a cloudy sludge.
Put corn silk into the diluted cranberry juice or in water and make sure she gets plenty of it. If you get cornhusks, brew the husks like a tea bag to make tea out of it then cool it down and get her to drink it. The cranberry , cornhusk and corn silk will be cleansing out her system so she will be going potty alot both urination and poopies.
A balanced and healthy diet
Urolithiasis or kidney stone is caused due to the deposition of the calcium. The excess of calcium in the body gets deposited in the kidney and the bladder, which eventually turns into stones. After the kidneys filter the calcium, it is passed into the bladder.
If she is living with a male, this will ensure population control and prevent multiple litters of guinea pigs. Besides preventing babies, females often develop uterine and ovarian issues, including various cancers, and having your female spayed can prevent these issues. Sometimes the uterus and ovaries can be removed even after the problem has been discovered but other times cancer has already spread to other parts of the body, rendering it untreatable. A complete ovariohysterectomy can be performed by your exotics vet on your guinea pig to prevent uterine and ovarian diseases, just as it would in a dog or cat. Bitsy’s third veterinary appointment was Friday, May 20. The specialist examined Bitsy and suspected the milky discharge was an unhealthy build-up of calcium in her bladder.
Is Your Guinea Pig At Risk
These actions will help you prevent the bulk of the most commonly seen diseases, though there are, of course, numerous other diseases that affect guinea pigs. To rule out anything else or to look for internal issues, an annual physical examination with your exotics vet is always recommended. While they are usually healthy animals, there are a number of diseases that commonly affect pet guinea pigs. By knowing what the most common illnesses are, you can be better prepared to monitor for signs and symptoms that your guinea pig may be getting sick. Once kidney and bladder stones are formed, they can block the passage of urine through the urethra. That is extremely painful for the guinea pig while urinating.
Many guinea pigs require longer treatment to clear up the infection and allow the bladder walls time to heal. Call your vet immediately if bleeding recurs after antibiotics are stopped. If your vet did not take an x-ray and the original signs you observed are still present while on antibiotics, be sure to have an x-ray taken immediately.
Only cleaning up your guinea pig urine scald is not enough. Your guinea pig has a problem that must be resolved. Always remember that if you fail to solve these problems of your guinea pig, then it may lead to serious health issues. It causes swollen red skin between their back legs, and it can also lead to serious medical problems like bladder stones or urinary tract diseases. Their short legs put them low to the ground where they are more likely to pick up bacteria from wet bedding and droppings.
Depending upon the severity of urine scalding, your guinea pig’s back will be damp or soaking wet. It would help if you remembered urine scalding are symptoms of a broader problem. So just washing your guinea pig is not a sufficient treatment. You must need to get to the root of the issue and resolve it. Take your guinea pig out of the cage, and dampen the hair near their bottom with tap water. Use your fingers to take sections of the hair between your middle and index finger, and trim the excess hair with grooming scissors to keep your guinea pig’s bottom tidy.
If you suspect your pet is sick, call your vet immediately. For health-related questions, always consult your veterinarian, as they have examined your pet, know the pet's health history, and can make the best recommendations for your pet. I don't know about home remedies, but everything I have read says that you need antibiotics, but in the future the things you are doing, can help prevent another UTI. The main thing is, are the main antibiotics vets prescribe for pigs only? Is there any human alternative that can be given in small doses?
Urinary tract infections can be treated with proper antibiotic dosage but can infect your guinea pig again. So you need to take precautionary measures like increase the water intake, change of diet, and regularly observe for any symptoms. Cystitis bacterial infection is commonly occurring in urinary tract infections. Was wondering if any of you piggy owners out there have had guinea pigs with UTI problems and how did your piggies overcome this?
Lastly, we advise you never to show ignorance on such health issues as it can lead to significant problems for our guinea pig. Always try to provide the hygienic environment and shower them with all love and care. If you ever notice that your guinea pig’s backside is wet, you immediately start a further investigation. Make sure that you do this softly because urine scald is very painful for your guinea pigs. So you should make sure to upgrade your guinea pigs cage with its growing size to avoid such medical issues.
The first signs of Bitsy’s urinary tract infection were excessive urination (especially in areas she wouldn’t normally pee, like the kitchen), stinky wee, and a dirty rump. Some guinea pigs are more prone to UTIs than others. Urinary tract infections are more common in females due to their shorter urethras, but the fellas aren’t off the hook. Known for being vertically challenged, it’s not far fetched some bacteria would find its way up where it doesn’t belong due to guinea pigs’ bottoms’ close proximity to the cage floor. Adenovirus is species-specific for guinea pigs and may cause a primary respiratory pneumonia.
Additional Support for Your Furry Companion
Their legs and bottom will touch the ground and urine resulting in scalding. When your guinea pigs urinate, the surplus skin will come in between in which the urine can become trapped. If your guinea pig has recurrent UTIs, try offering plain unsweetened diluted cranberry juice.
