Sudden thirst increase, urine scald, high calcium, diet

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daj

Post   » Mon Jan 25, 2021 10:14 pm


I took Henry to the vet today. I finally succeeded to some degree in checking him, but I didn't see anything going on, other than the fishy odor. Another symptom I didn't mention above, is that the drinking that I originally started this thread on, has increased. He typically drinks about a bottle a day. He's been this way for years. For the last several weeks I've needed to add some to get him through the day. When I first took him in for this, I agreed with the vet, that in lieu of any other symptoms, we would just watch and hold off on doing a blood draw.

Today, the vet said we can learn a lot from his urine (not sure why this wasn't suggested earlier, as he been to two different vets), so I am going to get a sample to them as soon as I collect one. So, we held off on an antibiotic, and If something seems amiss with the urine, we will check his blood. He's still wetting his bed consistently. As I said above, he used to lie on his bed in a way that allowed him to urinate off the back end onto pads, without having to get up. Today he also left a really weird poop, like just a large wet lump. I'm not sure I've seen any like this previously, from any of my pigs.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Tue Jan 26, 2021 10:01 am


The weird poop, related to impaction perhaps?
https://www.guinealynx.info/impaction.html

I think of fishy odors as fungal infections, like yeast infections. They can be oral. Sometimes the mouth gets whitish.

daj

Post   » Sat Jan 30, 2021 1:10 am


The urine test indicates a UTI for Henry. The vet prepared Baytril, but I requested Bactrim so they called it in to a pharmacy, as they didn't have it in stock. He has 3 doses in him now, and the weird thing is that I now see blood in his urine for the first time. He seems fine otherwise, maybe a bit livelier tonight. Anyone have thoughts on why he would be having blood only after starting the antibiotic?

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Sat Jan 30, 2021 9:04 am


It's probably just coincidence. If there's grit and sludge in the bladder, it could finally have irritated it to the point that he's having some bleeding.

Are you seeing pinkish urine, or small clots, or frank bleeding?

daj

Post   » Sun Jan 31, 2021 12:45 am


It's pink. He had it last night. There was none on anything in the morning, and now tonight, it's there again. He has 5 doses of antibiotic in him. He seems livelier than he's been for the past few weeks. The prescription is only for 7 days. I was surprised so short. I guess I keep an eye on it for now and see where we are on Monday and at the end of the 7 days.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Sun Jan 31, 2021 8:46 am


7 days does seem short. I hope you can get it quickly refilled if needed (likely).

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Sun Jan 31, 2021 8:53 am


Without reading back, has he been x-rayed for stones?

daj

Post   » Wed Feb 03, 2021 9:30 pm


He hasn't been x-rayed recently. He drinks more than a bottle a day though. I would think stones are unlikely, no? I haven't seen any more blood though. How would I know when it's safe to stop the antibiotic? And yes, I could get a quick refill.

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Thu Feb 04, 2021 8:15 am


Stones can develop very quickly. I'd want an x-ray.

daj

Post   » Fri Feb 05, 2021 11:44 pm


What sort of fungal condition might cause him to have an odor? I'm not sure if it's the same odor as before the antibiotic. The vet said the AB should take care of the odor. It could be from sitting on his soiled bed, I can't really tell.

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Sat Feb 06, 2021 12:26 am


Yeast infections can cause an odor. But if you think it's his bedding, you need to keep the cage cleaner. Sitting in their own waste can contribute to bladder infections and well as yeast infections. You can make fleece pads to put in the areas where he pees and poops the most, and change those frequently.

daj

Post   » Fri Feb 12, 2021 9:00 pm


I kept Henry on the Bactrim for 8 days at the prescribed dose, which seemed low to me... .4 ml every 12 hrs., and then I gave .3 for a couple days before stopping. I was unsure of whether he still had the infection, but then I saw blood in his urine again. He was off the AB for a few days, but I asked to get the prescription renewed at a higher dose. I think he was just under 2 pounds. I was thinking the vet would bump it up to .5 ml, but the prescription is for.7, which is higher than I used on any of my pigs. I recall the prescriptions always being .5 ml whenever I've used antibiotics. The bottle only says "pediatric suspension". Is this a specific concentration? I'm wondering if .7 ml isn't a bit high...

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