Cystitis diagnosis - help!
Well, vets couldn't really suggest everything as we have realistically been through everything and nothing has worked. Her periods of wetness have come and gone so it's definitely occasional and the vet is sticking with her diagnosis of IC.
Her bum is extremely painful for her at the moment every time she poops (which, as we know, is often) and it looks a little ulcerated. I'm reluctant to take her back to the vets as it deeply stresses her and the opiates they gave her before didn't help (and probably hindered). So I'm going to continue to apply the silver sulfradine and give her a high dose metacam and hope for the best. Also trying not to worry about the fact that her cagemate and sister is actually being nice to her, which does NOT happen in normal circumstances.
Anyway. She's still with us and worrying me terribly!
Her bum is extremely painful for her at the moment every time she poops (which, as we know, is often) and it looks a little ulcerated. I'm reluctant to take her back to the vets as it deeply stresses her and the opiates they gave her before didn't help (and probably hindered). So I'm going to continue to apply the silver sulfradine and give her a high dose metacam and hope for the best. Also trying not to worry about the fact that her cagemate and sister is actually being nice to her, which does NOT happen in normal circumstances.
Anyway. She's still with us and worrying me terribly!
- Lynx
- Celebrate!!!
I am sorry you are still struggling with this.
When you say her bum is extremely painful for her and looks a little ulcerated, does this look at all like urine scald?
https://www.guinealynx.info/urine_scald.html
A baby product like Desitin, Balmex, Desinex, or a similar ointment can really provide a good barrier to urine scald. And painful pooping, I take it she has had xrays and they have not revealed stones?
When you say her bum is extremely painful for her and looks a little ulcerated, does this look at all like urine scald?
https://www.guinealynx.info/urine_scald.html
A baby product like Desitin, Balmex, Desinex, or a similar ointment can really provide a good barrier to urine scald. And painful pooping, I take it she has had xrays and they have not revealed stones?
Sadly it looks way worse than urine scald or indeed how it has looked previously... Pictures would be pretty gross to share, I am on the verge of taking her to the vet in case some antibiotics might help, but it's a really hard decision as she has literally no tolerance for stress, and frequently stops eating just because I've taken her to the vet. At present she is still eating, drinking and moving around normally, although yelping in pain frequently :( :( :(
- Sef
- I dissent.
Yelping in pain is not good, especially if she's already on a high dose of Metacam (how much?). Ditto either oral or topical antibiotics (with caution) for that skin condition. If you need to take her in, see if your vet could let you come early in the morning before the clinic gets too busy and noisy, or at the end of the day when most everyone else has left. I've had to do that with some of my more skittish guys and it has helped somewhat.
We've been back to the vet this morning as her bum was so swollen and ulcerated that she needed help to expel her poop :( :( :(
Vet has suggested propanolamine, which is not something she's given to guinea pigs before (although she has to rabbits) - apparently a dog specific medication that helps restrict urine leaking. Her sense is that we need to stop the urine leaking out to prevent this level of pain. If the meds don't work, she said that "we will need to have a conversation"... She said antibiotics wouldn't help as the sulfradine cream is doing that job (and the ulceration is miraculously not infected) so I've obviously been doing well at keeping her clean. She's on a 0.8ml dose of 0.5mg/ml metacam once a day (which I know is high, especially as she only weighs 845g poor skinny girl), vet said I could do it twice a day and that there was another painkiller we could also add (gabapentin maybe?).
Hawkes is still super lively and energetic, eating loads, albeit her tummy is very bald from barbering and obviously her bum is very sore. I have no clue what to do. It feels wrong to put down a guinea pig just because her bum is sore???
@Lynx I've sent Monday's pic... Pretty gross.
Vet has suggested propanolamine, which is not something she's given to guinea pigs before (although she has to rabbits) - apparently a dog specific medication that helps restrict urine leaking. Her sense is that we need to stop the urine leaking out to prevent this level of pain. If the meds don't work, she said that "we will need to have a conversation"... She said antibiotics wouldn't help as the sulfradine cream is doing that job (and the ulceration is miraculously not infected) so I've obviously been doing well at keeping her clean. She's on a 0.8ml dose of 0.5mg/ml metacam once a day (which I know is high, especially as she only weighs 845g poor skinny girl), vet said I could do it twice a day and that there was another painkiller we could also add (gabapentin maybe?).
Hawkes is still super lively and energetic, eating loads, albeit her tummy is very bald from barbering and obviously her bum is very sore. I have no clue what to do. It feels wrong to put down a guinea pig just because her bum is sore???
@Lynx I've sent Monday's pic... Pretty gross.