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~ Bitsy’s First X-Ray ~
At this point there was no sign of
calcium buildup in her bladder
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NAME: Bitsy (“Rimona”)
NICKNAMES: Bacon Bits, Rimmy, Bits McGrits BIRTHDATE: Oct 2007 |
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Finally! An update on Bitsy! 🙂
Bitsy has been receiving lots of love and care since being diagnosed with a urinary tract infection in April. This sure has been a totally new experience for both humans and pigs alike!
We hope that this story will shed some light on what Bitsy’s experience with a guinea pig UTI has been like.
BACK STORY – The last post about Bitsy was when she started taking Baytril for a urinary tract infection (UTI).
The first signs of Bitsy’s urinary tract infection (UTI) were excessive urination (especially in areas she wouldn’t normally pee, like the kitchen), stinky wee, and a dirty rump.
As our friends on Facebook and Twitter already know, Bitsy’s condition has not yet been cured. In fact, it’s taken a few interesting twists and turns.
Read along to find out more about what Bitsy has been up to for the last month:
To give you an idea of the cost for a fairly common guinea pig health problem, Bitsy’s treatment expenses have been included alongside each vet appointment.
This hasn’t even been the most expensive Happy Cavy health issue! The humans would do anything to ensure that Bitsy, Hammy, Feebee, and Buttercup receive the best care they can get. And they are fortunate to be able to have the means to make sure this happens.
BUT THE POINT IS: The next time you hear someone say that “guinea pigs are easy to care for” or “it doesn’t cost a lot to care for a guinea pig“, please consider the source.
Bitsy’s First Vet Visit
April 21, 2011 – Cost of Care: $55
During Bitsy’s first visit to the vet, she was sent home with Baytril, a common antibiotic used to treat guinea pig UTIs. The treatment consisted of one oral dose of 0.3mL of Baytril every 12 hours. The treatment course lasted ten days.
After the first several doses, Bitsy seemed to be getting better. Her bum was drier and the smell improved. But after that, things returned to their previous state – wet bum, stinky wee, soiled pants.
Bitsy’s Second Vet Visit
May 5, 2011 – Cost of Care: $130
Because Bitsy was not getting better, she returned to the vet and had an X-Ray and a urinalysis (UA) performed.
This time, Bitsy was sent home with 4 more doses of Baytril as the humans waited for the UA results to return. Two days later, the results came back with what was described to the humans as having found “a lot of bacteria”. The infection was not clearing up.
The vet prescribed trimethoprim sulfa at 0.25mL, an antibiotic that was supposed to target the type of bacteria that was causing the infection. This antibiotic was given to Bitsy orally every 12 hours for 14 days.
Bitsy Gets a Guinea Pig Bath Once a Day – Room Temperature Water and Lots of Love Are Used
As part of Bitsy’s treatment, the humans gave her a daily bath with warm water and Johnson and Johnson Baby Shampoo (see shampoo notes below).
NOTE ON SHAMPOO: A big THANK YOU to Twitter friend @HotelGP who let us know about Gorgeous Guinea, a great line of cavy-friendly shampoo products. They are located in the UK but ship worldwide!
Thanks for the tip, @HotelGP. You’re a great friend! 🙂
On a Wednesday evening, while administering one of their strange “wash parties”, a milky white substance was excreted from her private areas.
Uh. Oh. Maybe a UTI was not really the only thing going on here.
The humans promptly called the local guinea pig specialist. The Happy Cavies are fortunate enough to live 45 minutes away from one of the best (if not only) exotic animal experts in the state. The specialist was not consulted straight away because Bitsy’s problem was thought to be a UTI and curable with conventional antibiotic treatments. The humans, and their primary vet, were clearly wrong. We have learned that
An appointment was made with the specialist for 4 days later.
Bitsy’s Third Vet Visit
May 20, 2011 – Cost of Care: $265
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. Called “bladder sludge“, the cause of this buildup is not certain. A guinea pig with a healthy functioning bladder is able to fully expel the calcium that is naturally present in their urine. Older guinea pigs can develop weaker bladders that are not able to expel all the calcium from their diet. And sometimes things like this just happen without a definitive cause.
Being that the X-rays taken at Bitsy’s second appointment did not show excessive signs of bladder sludge, the prevailing theory is that the pain from her UTI prevented Bitsy from expelling all of the calcium that was naturally building up in her bladder.
Another theory is that, because Bitsy was rescued from a breeder, it is possible that she could be experiencing these problems due to complications related to her being bred.
During this visit, the specialist collected a urine sample of Bitsy which was large enough for a urinalysis and also a urine culture, if needed. After receiving the results of the urinalysis, the vet decided to follow through with the urine culture. Bitsy also received subcutaneous fluids during this visit.
Eventually, Bitsy was sent home with a one week supply of Trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (SMZ-TMP, Ditrim) and meloxicam (a pain medication). A follow up appointment was scheduled for a week later when the results of the urine culture would be available.
Here’s a detailed rundown of what the specialist found and recommended during Bitsy’s third vet visit:
CONFIRMED: Urinary tract infection
FOUND: Bladder sludge (calcium oxalate/carbonate)
Treatment:
– Antibiotics – Trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (TMS, Ditrim)
– Pain medication (meloxicam, aka metacam)
– Probiotic (to promote gut health during antibiotic treatment)
Change in diet:
– Low calcium hay (oat or orchard grass hay, no timothy)
– No dark greens (high in calcium)
– Limit pellets to 1 tablespoon per day (no unlimited pellets!)
Bitsy’s Vet Chart
Bitsy’s Fourth Vet Visit
May 28, 2011 – Cost of Care: $123.90
Bitsy’s fourth vet visit was Saturday, May 28. The appointment was a checkup to see how she was progressing in her treatment. This was the first follow-up appointment after learning of Bitsy’s calcium-buildup problem.
Since Bitsy’s last visit, the humans have been trying to express the extra the bladder sludge during wash time. However, more still remains.
Her urine appears to be getting lighter in color (read: possibly less calcium buildup) and her energy level and appetite are remaining stable.
The vet performed a followup urinalysis which found that the bacteria count has decreased: a positive sign that her UTI is improving. The results of the urine culture from her third visit had been returned. It reported that the antibiotic that Bitsy is currently taking is appropriate for the type of bacteria that was found. Good news!
Bitsy was sent home from her latest visit with a bag of goodies which included a two week supply of Trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (TMS, Ditrim) as well as more probiotics.
We hope that Bitsy will experience a return to health during the next two weeks.
We will keep you updated on Lady Bitsy as she progresses in her recovery. Thanks for reading!!
~ Hammy & Friends
I work in a vet’s office as a vet tech and own a guinea piggy of my own. There was a smilier case of a female g.p who had continuous urinary tract infections and came to us for second opinion. They turned out to be a secondary problem due to the sludge. She wasn’t getting the right nutrients and found out was not ingesting her own stool. We brought in my g.p and fed her his lovely stool samples and now she’s doing great. I’m glad Bitsy is doing well too.
Bladder sluge doesn’t sound like fun. Get better really fast, guinea pig
That is an interesting solution. Thanks for the suggestion!