Blood spots on Lacey’s bedding

Post Reply
User avatar
ItsaZoo
Supporter in 2023

Post   » Tue Nov 19, 2019 10:20 am


Lacey has a vet appt. this afternoon. I noticed blood streaks on her bedding last night. I changed out the bedding and put her on white towels. There were spots again this morning. I checked her over twice and cannot find a source - no noticeable injury, nothing on her feet, stomach, privates or around her mouth. No lumps or bumps.

When I put her back in her pen she peed, no sign of blood in the urine. She is eating and exploring as usual, her eyes are bright. I haven’t seen any indication of pain. This is her first vet visit and this vet treats guinea pigs. He has also treated 2 of our dogs over the years including surgeries. So I’m all stressed out worrying about her.

User avatar
Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Tue Nov 19, 2019 11:20 am


I'm not familiar enough with female reproductive issues to know if this may be something related to that, but I do know that a guinea pig can throw clots if they have a bladder stone. You will typically see blood in the urine as result of bladder inflammation or secondary infection, but not always. It's good that she's getting checked out, for your own peace of mind if nothing else.

Good luck and let us know what you find out.

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Tue Nov 19, 2019 12:24 pm


Sows can also bleed during a heat period, although they usually don't.

Are you seeing actual clots, or just concentrated spots of blood.

If you don't see any more today, but if it recurs in a couple of weeks, I'd assume it's heat-related. That might be indicative of hormonal or other reproductive issues.

User avatar
ItsaZoo
Supporter in 2023

Post   » Tue Nov 19, 2019 12:48 pm


I’m not seeing clots. Just a few smears and faint little spots of blood on her white bedding. I am feeding her some purple leaf lettuce, but the smears are too concentrated to be urine stains. And I can see where she peed isn’t stained. It’s almost like an injury, like when we get a paper cut and see a smear on the paper.

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Tue Nov 19, 2019 1:47 pm


I'd guess a reproductive issue -- maybe benign if it's heat-related, else maybe not.

User avatar
ItsaZoo
Supporter in 2023

Post   » Tue Nov 19, 2019 5:45 pm


Just got back from the vet. He suspects a UTI. He checked her privates and she was wet and had just peed. He said with a bladder slightly smaller than a thimble, he wouldn’t be getting a urine sample. It looked like there were some sore spots, like she’s been cleaning herself, maybe itchy or burning, and irritated the skin.

He prescribed Baytril 0.3 cc of a 2.27% injectable solution every 12 hours. He said right away no penicillin, so that gave me some confidence. He also checked her teeth with a scope, checked her ears, and general body condition.

I mentioned this forum and he said, “They have a wealth of good information.” So hopefully he knows his stuff.

Before I give the first dose I want to double check with the dose calculator.

User avatar
Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Tue Nov 19, 2019 7:56 pm


I think you've been doing this for a while so you know to watch for inappetence with the Baytril. If you have problems, I would talk to the vet and see if you can switch to Bactrim, which is better tolerated and seems to be more effective on UTIs.
https://www.guinealynx.info/antibiotic_advice.html
https://www.guinealynx.info/uti.html

User avatar
Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Tue Nov 19, 2019 8:53 pm


Agree, I would have wanted Bactrim vs. Baytril, but hopefully the Baytril will clear up the suspected infection without causing any issues. Getting a urine sample is not all that difficult and would have been helpful from a diagnostic standpoint, but if it's indeed a UTI and assuming the bacteria responds to that particular antibiotic, you should expect for the bleeding to clear up in a few days.

User avatar
ItsaZoo
Supporter in 2023

Post   » Wed Nov 20, 2019 11:45 am


Thanks for the feedback. I’ll be tracking her weight each morning and making sure she’s eating. Only 2 doses so far.

The vet is a good one and in high demand, but I agree he should have tried for a culture. He said he sees a lot of UTIs. He talked about the importance of gut health and keeping food moving at all times. He had pigs himself and I could tell he genuinely likes them. So I have mixed feelings that maybe he should have done more or maybe he sees a lot of guinea pigs.

User avatar
Renonvsparky

Post   » Thu Nov 21, 2019 3:56 am


Some vets don't run tests for things they feel are typical symptoms of problems they've seen many times. Those tests can be pretty pricey so they don't want to run them unless absolutely necessary in order to save you the expense and the stress on the animal for something that tells them what they already know. They mean well. Unless I'm mistaken (I'm sure you guys will correct me on this), in the case of a URI, Bactrim and Baytril can treat it effectively with manageable side effects. That may be why he elected not to run the test.

User avatar
Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Thu Nov 21, 2019 6:22 am


A sterile sample would have determined if there was blood in the urine vs. blood somewhere in the reproductive system, but by process of elimination you should see improvement on the antibiotic if it is indeed a UTI -- again, assuming that the bacteria is sensitive to Baytril.

User avatar
ItsaZoo
Supporter in 2023

Post   » Thu Nov 21, 2019 10:56 am


I think you hit the nail on the head, Renonvsparky. Classic UTI symptoms, the vet sees a lot of them, pig is otherwise healthy and active, a broad spectrum antibiotic appropriate for guinea pigs should do the trick.

She’s only had 4 doses so far but I’m cautiously optimistic. I’m putting white fleece in the corners to watch for blood. Overnight only 2 pale spots as opposed to several definite blood spots the previous 2 nights. She’s eating well and I have BeneBac on the way just in case. I upped the vitamin C to 2 tabs daily which is 50 mg. I also got some of the Oxbow Urinary Care tabs but she’s not a fan.

An exotic vet clinic in Las Vegas had info on their website about vitamin C. They recommend 90mg daily for healthy pigs, and 150 mg for recuperating pigs. They listed veggies with vitamin C and said it was impossible to get all the nutrient from food alone. I should have bookmarked the site because today I can’t find it.

I appreciate all the feedback and info from everyone.

Post Reply