Protozoa in Bladder/Urine and Metronidazole

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Wed Apr 20, 2022 9:46 pm


Remind me, is she on fleece? Do you change it or wash it (or area pads) frequently? Some detergents can irritate the skin. An extra rinse, detergent for sensitive skin, might help. I notice Wiebke's page mentions bedding. An important read:
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/thr ... st-2302001

What she is laying on likely is contributing to her condition.

I also think of heart issues and retention of fluids. But I am just throwing out ideas.

DevoutHaruhiist
Supporter in '22

Post   » Wed Apr 20, 2022 11:28 pm


She is on fleece. Her bed has always used piggybedspread fleece which I change 2x a week or so now. But starting now I have been putting little 1x1 guineadad pads down on her most common areas and hopefully can change those out 2x a day or so. Most of her time is lying/playing/nesting in her hay area.

I use ALL Free and Clear detergent. Not sure if that would be a problem but it's one of the gentlest that I am aware of.

I think she also just still has some remnants of the UTI causing her to dribble some pee potentially.

I also thought of heart issues. She has always had a good heart (though I don't think the vet necessarily checked much about it this last trip). It is something I am concerned about but I have not seen any of the other symptoms that I think might pop up with cardiovascular stuff.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Thu Apr 21, 2022 12:36 pm


That is the detergent of choice so should not irritate anything.

I think heart issues are more complicated to diagnose. Reviewing the signs of illness on the heart page might help. There are various diagnostics that can be used but if no red flags, I guess just continue to keep an eye on her.

DevoutHaruhiist
Supporter in '22

Post   » Thu Apr 21, 2022 1:31 pm


I was looking over the page. Right now the only possible signs would be her moving less (though that could be from a few things I guess) and if that bulge is fluid then that could be a sign (though it could also work the other way-- favoring one side in movement/sitting could be leading to an imbalance). I wish I had asked the vet to check her heart explicitly while I was there on Monday since her next check-in is not until May 10th; I always feel like I walk out forgetting something. Still waiting on them to send me those x-rays for me to add to the record here.

DevoutHaruhiist
Supporter in '22

Post   » Thu Apr 21, 2022 4:05 pm


Just as an example of her differences I observe in how she is acting or sitting that worries me. These two pictures were just like 50 minutes apart. She seems to alternate between looking happy and gleeful and kind of weird and uncomfortable (at least to my eyes). Obviously this is not a medical thing and is just based on my observations, but still.




DevoutHaruhiist
Supporter in '22

Post   » Thu Apr 21, 2022 4:45 pm


Oh and finally got my x-ray files to add to the record here






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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Thu Apr 21, 2022 8:23 pm


What did he think about the fuzzy opaqueness in the bladder area in the top xray? Not defined enough to clearly be a stone. Seems to be absent in the second image.

DevoutHaruhiist
Supporter in '22

Post   » Thu Apr 21, 2022 8:28 pm


He said that is the precipitate/sludge in her bladder. If you look back a few posts ago on the ultrasound there is a bit of that white cloud in her bladder. It's much better than it was before her UTI treatment, but still present.

He also did note (and obviously felt around it extensively in person) the slight bulge you can see on the left side (right in the x-ray overhead). But did not seem to have too much concern about it for now in the absence of it clearly being bloat or a cyst or something.

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Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Thu Apr 21, 2022 9:28 pm


I thought sludge as well in that one image.

The other appears to be normal ingesta to me.

DevoutHaruhiist
Supporter in '22

Post   » Fri Apr 22, 2022 4:22 pm


Thanks, Sef. Yeah that is what my vet said about the ingesta as well.

*sigh* I just have so much anxiety around her condition as you can probably all tell from my posts. Like in those pictures I posted of her I am constantly flipping back and forth between thinking she is doing well and thinking she looks weird or bad.

DevoutHaruhiist
Supporter in '22

Post   » Sun Apr 24, 2022 7:33 pm


Small update for Margaret's weekend.

She had some slight weight loss mid-week that seems to have stabilized. Whereas she was sitting at 880-900 before now seems to be 860-880. Not sure what that is about. She eats all of her pellets and veggies, and is eager for the syringe food the 3x a day I offer it.

She continues some odd behavior. Whereas half the time she is eating/acting normally, standing and wheeking for veggies, etc. as I mentioned prior, she is still having periods where she just sort of stops eating and stares or lays around for awhile.

I think the pee pad changing and occasional rinses are helping. She seems drier when I pick her up, though she is still missing a lot of fur and doing more self grooming than I recall.

Her broken top tooth has grown almost completely back. It still does look a little chunky/discolored though.

Most worrying to me is the continued bulge on her side. I am not sure it has gotten any bigger, it's hard to tell, but it's definitely there. As mentioned before I guess there was no cyst or anything-- not sure what should signal me rushing her back to the vet. Her next scheduled appointment is May 10th but that seems far off, but I guess I have to just watch it ? Not sure.







DevoutHaruhiist
Supporter in '22

Post   » Sun Apr 24, 2022 10:00 pm


Meant to link this also. A small example of how she is lying spaced out sometimes. I am not sure if her breathing here would be considered "labored" since I have not experienced that with a pig. I should note 5 minutes after taking this she was wheeking loudly at the fridge door.


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