Jill, Jaffa and Jupiter

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daisymay
Supporter 2016-2021

Post   » Fri Sep 04, 2020 4:26 am


Jill stopped eating yesterday evening and became hard to syringe feed so went to the vet today. Okay got back from vet and nothing much known. One molar was high and this was filed down. Urine was tested, concentration good, loads of bacteria, PH 8.5, +2 blood found in it. Lost 100grams in 3 months yet on our scales she had put on. Heart sounded good. No lumps or bumps felt. So for now she is on 0.1ml of Bactrim twice a day and Protexin.

If no better by Monday she goes back for possible X-rays to check for stones. Changed diet since Jinx had stone, current diet is red and green Oak lettuce, Radicchio lettuce, celery cut small,carrot, cucumber, cherry tomato 3 times a day, then their are bowls of Oxbow adult pellets, Oxbow timothy hay, plus meadow hay. With drought, bush fires the meadow hay is of poor quality.

Now her bedding is hard floor, then insulated pet mats, tarp, fleeced blanket, more fleeced blankets, towels, more fleeced blankets, then vet/dry bed. Vet/dry bed, towels and top fleeced blankets get changed every 2nd day, all bedding gets changed once a week.

So how can she, Jewel, Jinx be getting UTI's and blood in urine? Also QLD Guinea Refuge said to use paw paw ointment on piggies feet. Vet nearly died when one ingredient was castor oil. So have cut that out and won't be using it again. Also said no to coconut oil suggested on here!

Any suggestions much appreciated! Have had piggies for 30 years and NEVER had these problems. Thank-you for your prayers. Jill still not eating will start syringe feeding again in 2 hours as advised by the vet and will start Bactrim. Oh and she wasn't dehydrated! Keep you posted!🤔🤔🤔🥺🥺🥺Thanks for reply Sef!

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Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Fri Sep 04, 2020 7:59 pm


Is the bedding staying dry? I'm not sure I understand all the layers, and you mentioned having to change it out every other day. If the fleece-on-fleece isn't wicking properly, the dampness could be providing an environment conducive to urinary infections. Mine stays dry for several days. Just a thought.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Fri Sep 04, 2020 10:06 pm


I am so sorry to hear of her problems. I encourage you to find an object that weighs a pound or so that you can always use to check whether or not your scale has changed. It seems strange that the two scales are so far off.

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daisymay
Supporter 2016-2021

Post   » Sat Sep 05, 2020 1:05 am


I weigh the girls once a week. I always make it a Saturday and she went to the vet Friday, she is due to be weighed today which I will do.

Sef, no the bedding doesn't get wet easily, it is always dry, we just change it every second day for smell wise. NOT saying it smells but as we rent we don't wish to take chances. Plus all the layers make it nice and soft for their feet!

Had a very sleepless night. We were waiting for Jill to urinate. Can you believe the vet thought it normal after 11 hours she had not urinated? I was so worried I rang them out of hours. Finally she urinated after 17 hours. To me this is not normal.

She is still only eating cucumbers and tomatoes which makes me think teeth but they had her gassed and checked her teeth but you could tell by the way she was talking she wasn't confident she had done it properly. Luckily the girls normal vet is on Monday.

Lynx as to find something that weighs a pound would not do me much good as my scales are in kilograms, I am waiting for my scales to charge up. Last time I used it forgot to turn it off!

So it is going to be a long weekend, she has had 2 doses of Bactrim so guess will just have to wait till Monday. Thanks for the replies Sef and Lynx. At present I am only offering cucumbers and tomatoes if she eats these I offer a little lettuce etc.

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daisymay
Supporter 2016-2021

Post   » Sat Sep 05, 2020 5:03 am


Jill in now eating nothing and we are force feeding her Critical Care every 4 hours and offering her water too. Weighed her on our scales-a week ago 1023grams now 984grams a lost of 39grams in a week.

She just wants to sleep and looks very tired. She has urinated 3 more times and her poops while way down on usual amount are normal in size and texture.

She is on Bactrim and Protexin twice a day but have seen no improvement since being on them. She gets dose 3 of Bactrim in 90 minutes time. Hoping she improves really soon! Keep you posted!

Lisa12

Post   » Sat Sep 05, 2020 5:05 am


Oh, lord...We re hoping situation will turn for the better,soon...

We re keeping fingers, paws and everything crossed for Jill!! Please, get better, girl!!
T., Irie, Ziggy(cat)

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Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Sat Sep 05, 2020 7:24 am


I think the point Lynx was making, was for you to weigh something with a known weight, such as a new bag of sugar or flour, to see if your scales are operating correctly.

Not urinating in 17 hours is not normal and makes me wonder if there is a stone in her urethra causing at least a partial blockage. You will want to monitor this closely.

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daisymay
Supporter 2016-2021

Post   » Sat Sep 05, 2020 8:10 am


We have just syringe fed Jill at 8.00pm and massaged her with toothbrush for 90 minutes. In that time she urinated 4 times and on the white towel it was a light brown coppery in colour. So am hoping if she has a stone she may have passed it.

On scales I weighed Jersey and she was still 835grams and weighed Jay to may sure and she went from 935grams to 953grams. So give or take I believe our scales are working. Remember Jill lost 100grams in 3 months, she was at vet in June and she was 1084grams. Friday she was 984 that is about 7-8grams a week. Thanks for the replies Lisa12 and Sef. Jill is in lounge right next to me and am watching closely! All the girls are in the lounge!

Bookfan
For the Love of Pigs

Post   » Sat Sep 05, 2020 11:01 am


Did you see anything that looked like a little crystal on the towel? I don't think we've ever had light brown coppery urine. Maybe that has something to do with going so long without urinating. As I'm sure you know, not urinating is an emergency. If you can keep up gentle massage to keep her peeing, I think that would be good. Others might want to weigh in on that.

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daisymay
Supporter 2016-2021

Post   » Sat Sep 05, 2020 1:17 pm


That is what I was trying to get through the thick vet's head! No pee warning signs but no all she said was she did a big pee when gassed for look at teeth just after 3.00pm (10.26pm when I rang)don't worry about it. We hardly slept at all last night. She gets massaged by toothbrush, offering water and has hot pack wrapped in a towel in case she has wind.

I got this from UTI page under heading blood in urine. Urine sometimes changes to an orange color on standing (this may be the oxidation of porphyrins in the urine). When your guinea pig has blood in its urine, it will appear red or pinkish (if diluted). Blood dries a brownish color.

Will keep you posted, thanks for the reply Bookfan and no saw no crystals and none were seen under microscope just bacteria. Am off to bed before Jill is due for feeding again!

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Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Sat Sep 05, 2020 5:18 pm


Dehydration can also cause urine to have a dark or orange tint. So can high amounts of vitamin C (can't remember if you're still supplementing).

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Sat Sep 05, 2020 9:18 pm


I hope she pulls through.

Yes, as Sef explained, just find an object in your house that will not change weight that you can use to see if the scale is consistent. Since you use kilos, I would look for an object that weighed around a kilo, note its precise weight, and reweigh if you think your scale is off.

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