I'm sorry if this is long; it's a lot of information from personal experience, and I hope it helps anyone who might need it! Out of my 4 guinea pigs, I have 1 that has had constant issues with pee sludge and bladder stones. They all have the same diet with the same primary veggies (romaine lettuce and/or green leaf lettuce, green bell pepper, cucumber, and parsley---with occasional extra fruits/veggies for variety or as a standalone snack). Sophie has had issues with excess sludge building up in her bladder and causing her urinary tract infections. She was on medication for awhile to get rid of the sludge, which did help initially, but after my vet said I could take her off the medication it eventually came to a head about a year later (in December 2022). During the time leading up to December, Sophie's sludge had developed into many tiny, TINY little stones in her bladder that I had no idea about until she started urinating blood. Even when keeping a close eye on her and monitoring her urine for sludge for over a year (her pee was clear and "normal" for a LONG time even after taking her off her medicine), I didn't realize there was anything wrong with her until the bloody urine--she ate as normal, seemed to have her usual energy levels, and didn't make any noise of discomfort when peeing. We couldn't do surgery because 1. She's an elderly piggy (just turned 7!) and 2. The stones were SO INCREDIBLY SMALL and there were so many of them in her bladder that the vet didn't think it was worth it to put Sophie through the trauma. She instead flushed Sophie's system, which helped. However, Sophie's genetics cause her to produce those little stones REALLY fast, so she has to be on medication for the rest of her life---that being the one she was originally on when we were first treating her sludge buildup. In December she was prescribed some additional medications to help her pass the stones, but is currently off them until further notice. We originally had to do 20ml subcutaneous fluid injections every day for 2 weeks alongside the medicine, but thankfully we're well past that point! We've had three checkups since then, and every time Sophie has been stone-free! The extra fluids were the MVP in flushing those stones, so I do still give her an extra 12ml of water every day (6ml in the morning and 6ml at night) via syringe feeding. The medicines my vet prescribed: Potassium Citrate (to dissolve sludge/stones; the one Sophie is permanently on), Hydrochlorothiazide (to help prevent the sludge from developing into stones/prevent any stones from growing larger), Tamsulosin HCL (to expand the urethrae to make it easier to pass stones), and Metacam (for pain relief). I also recommend looking into Sherwood Pet Health's "Urinary Support" tablets! My vet suggested them to me as a shot in the dark (and advised me to take it with a grain of salt) back in December since I was DESPERATE to do anything it took to help Sophie feel better and the medications could only do so much. I truly believe they helped relieve stones and are currently helping prevent stones now. She doesn't like eating them, so I crush them up and mix them with the water I syringe feed her for extra fluids. When she had stones I was giving her 1 full tablet a day and syringe feeding her 24ml of extra fluids, but now I only give her half of a tablet with the 12ml extra water as a preventative measure; so far, so good! She's happy and healthy, and I realize now that her energy levels were actually lower than normal when she did have stones, so I REALLY know what to look out for since she's a pro at hiding her symptoms! I hope this helps!!
Not too long at all, very informative and very helpful to know what you've done to help alleviate her problem. She's a great age so you're doing right by her. Thank you for sharing. Hope she continues to do well
@@michellegordon4211 Of course! I'm not sure if it depends on the area you're from, but I know that each of them cost me about $50 each, give or take some. But in my town I had to have all of them compounded by a specialist since no other pharmacy in town had them, so that might impact the cost as well. The Potassium Citrate I can tell you for sure costs me $55 each month. If they're more readily available in your area, it's possible they may be cheaper?
Thank you for posting! I'm really upset at my vet now and gonna look for someone new. I was preparing to lose my pig over a bladderstone, (couldn't afford surgery at the time) and when I pressed the vet for solutions she said there is no preventative medication or anything. After days of desperate internet searching between tears, another guinea pig owner on a forum suggested those Sherwood urinary health tablets. Thank goodness for the community of r/guineapigs! I had a hard time finding them in Canada and finally found a small pet store a province over that shipped them to me. After 9 months my pig was cleared up and the sludge was gone and no more blood in his pee and healthier than ever. When I asked my vet about the tablets she had no clue about them. I told her they should stock them at the clinic and tell other piggy owners to try them, I just got this half hearted shrug in response. I'm so furious right now I feel like I could cry again, if that makes sense after all the tears and anxiety I went through. I mean thank goodness, the tablets have bought my boy another 2 years of life and he's still going strong at 6 years old but yeah. I'm going to find a new vet and ask about what your pig was prescribed or keep him on the urinary tablets.
@@jaram2369 Oh my gosh, I'm sorry that your vet is so unhelpful!! But I'm so glad your little guy is doing better! My vet isn't an exotic vet (the nearest one is like 5 hours away), but she's great because if she doesn't know the answer to something, she will call an exotic vet for advice. It was the exotic vet who told my vet to recommend the Sherwood tablets! So I'm glad to hear they helped your piggie, too! Nothing but the best to you; I'm sure you'll find a vet who will be much better. Hang in there!! 🤗
We have 10 piggies and one of them has apparent pee sludge. He is an intact boar. Of the 20ish piggies we’ve owned only 2 had bladder stones, both life-threatening cases. Both were likely 6+ years old, one a spayed female, one a neutered male. Barry had subcutaneous fluids administered by us weekly for the last 8 months of his life to keep flushing the stones out before they grew larger. He was eventually put to sleep when a stone wouldn’t pass on its own and he was in pain and surgery was too risky for his age. 😢 Norma had x-rays every 2 months the last year or so of her life. She was quite old when we rescued her. Her vet helped coax small sand-like stones out on a regular basis. Her bladder was almost completely blocked by a stone the size of the last digit of my pinkie when we initially rescued her. In both cases the pigs had suffered severe neglect for years prior to being rescued and there’s no way to know what diet they had earlier in life.
I can say with certainty, after three years of trial and error, that there is no sludge if I stop feeding pellets. My girls no longer get pellets, just a wide variety of vegetables including daily bell pepper for Vitamin C
I think you are right. You can't go wrong giving them a variety of veggies and not any one veggie in excess. My "go-to" veggies are similar to yours: peppers, celery, romaine, cucumber, and carrots. I also give them cilantro and parsley.
Thank you so much for this video!! I was told by my vet its calcium. I monitor my old one frequently he has lumbar arthritis. (So I am helicopter human😅) I actually limit dark leafy for stool related issues if in high frequency. Your channel is so helpful,I wish I knew about you 6 years ago
Scotty answering the important questions. 😂 Teasing aside, I wish I had this resource back when I had piggies. I love this channel and learning about our lil friends still even though I can't own pets right now. I have had so many questions answered in retrospect.
Very interesting topic. Variety is my aim, varied veggies daily, typically romaine, celery, cucumber, parsley, bamboo leaves, dandelion etc. Every other day i hand feed kale and spinach to ensure they all get some. Forage daily for fresh wild grasses which i give three times a day, mixed hay and dried forage mixes. Yes, they have sludgy white pee, but all healthy and active at 3.5 yrs - long may that continue.
What My piggy eats on a regular basis: Romaine lettuce, green and red leaf lettuces, parsly and/or cilantro or other herbs, green bell peppers, carrots, celery, cucumbers. On not so often times he gets apple, banana, blueberries, strawberries, kale. Thanks Scott for another very helpful video.
Thank you for making this video! I am a new piggy mom to 2 precious 1 yr old girls. I was worried because I often see white on their fleece bedding. At least I know now that it's a good sign but something I need to keep an eye on. I watched all your videos before getting guinea pigs. It's because of you, Scotty, that I can call my self a good guinea pig owner. You are right when you say that guinea pigs are not starter pets! Thank you for all your hard work and valuable information!
I had one piggy, Ottis that had a stone wedged in his urethra, just awful 😢. But I've never had any after that. This information is great Scotty. I've always wondered how they got stones but couldn't really find any great info about them.
Hi Scotty, Guinea Pig owner for 20+ years and involved in rescue. Most of the Guinea pigs we dealt with all have urine that leaves behind the calcium deposits or sludge. It has never been a cause of concern or a sign of a bladder stone or UTI. With my own experience, my boy Harley developed a large stone when he was around 4 years old. His biological brother George lived until 7 with no major health complications just a URI got him in the end and due to his age he wasn’t able to fight it off. I have always fed my Guinea pigs a variety of veggies and to this day I try to mix it up. E.g last week we had lettuce, carrots, apple, celery, green capsicum, coriander, tomato and fresh grass on the menu. This week they are having baby spinach, rocket, parsley, dandelion, red capsicum, corn (including husk), celery & cucumber. Harley was my only pig that had a bladder stone and I do not think it was diet related. Genetics may have played some part but again his brother was healthy. I think further studies are needed to determine if there is a cause, but I also believe it could be idiopathic (no known cause). I recommend to all to feed a variety of fresh veg, forages and fruits including veggies high in water content like cucumber or celery to make sure they are hydrated.
This is a painful subject for me because my late girl Kali (Kalinda Alicia) died from bladder stones. When she was diagnosed I was told nothing could be done and she was going to die. It was indeed one of the worst nights of my life-2nd to the afternoon my father informed my sister and I that he had cancer. Nini has trouble with sludge and grit. I was told not to give her any parsley. The suggestions of feeding water by dropper trouble me. I used to do that when we were traveling by public transportation to and from the Vet. But I got busted in the waiting room at Angell and politely told I could be risking aspiration.
I personally feel genetics is the main reason a guinea pig will have sludge and stones. I also think there is a age factor. I have multiple guinea pigs and all fed the same. And some are more prone than others. I will not do a stone removal for a guinea pig because of my beliefs. I have one pig on Metacam because she is prone to sludge/stones (always able to pass them on her own). Ever since she has been on it her number of sludge pees and stones have gone down drastically. My vet explained that he thinks its the anti-inflammatory factor that had helped. And the pain relief also helps if she does need to pass one. There is definately things we can do to prevent them. I try to keep the calcium in their diet low other than in some veggies and vitimin c is in pellets and veggies. I don’t gibe any extra supplements.
I think you're right that genetics plays a big role. I had three pigs and one would constantly get stones and sludge, even feeding her pellets one time would cause it. She eventually died after her third stone surgery and refusing to eat. Poor thing had to live with that her whole life :(
My piggy is going through a medical process to remove these sedimenta from her urinary track. This happened to her because she doesn’t like to drink water by herself and because of the pellets. I’m giving her water using a syringe and I’ve reduced her pellets a lot.
I have had a lot of pigs over the years and have had 3 confirmed with stones. 1 older male was peeing blood and in pain, multiple large stones on xray and he was elderly and not a good surgery candidate so was euthanized. He lived with 3 other males for years and none others had stone issues. 1 middle aged/older female, had recent OVE but struggled with recovery and turns out she had stones on xray. She passed them on her own with pain meds, confirmed by followup xrays. That was 6 months ago and she continues to do fine and then pain and peeing blood and wet butt, then back to fine. I assume she continues to make and pass stones. She also had mineralization of her kidneys on xray, for what it's worth. Third pig approx 3 year old female peeing blood and vocalizing pain, losing weight. No stones on xray, but tons of wbc and rbc in urine. Treating for severe UTI but has been on meds 1 week and still peeing blood and vocalizing pain. Switching to new stronger meds today. So technically no stones but I included her as symptoms were similar. She lives with the other stones female in a herd of 8, no other pigs having issues.
Thank you! I was so worried about my skinny pig, Harriet. She has had white pee sludge and I was looking up the different positive and negative reasons--thank you, I feel better and she is very active. The one thing I struggle with Harriet is the variety of veggies. She is going on Seven months and is so picky! Doesn't like carrots, celery, bananas, apple, radishes...she loves her romaine and peppers. Trying to branch out is hard! Oh, tomatoes, grape, but give once a week . How do I get a more balanced diet when she refuses to eat a lot of other veggies or fruits?
I use forage from countryside, wg. Dandelions alongside their leaves, sticky weed/goose grass, herbs like peppermint, parsley, basil plus other grasses when out walking. Other times of year when these aren't available I feed occasional kale, lettuce (round, romaine, gem, salad bags, peppers, celery. During cold periods I give some more sugary vegetables like carrots and celeriac,alongside lettuce, peppers. Also plentiful hay and guinea pig nuggets. I've never added liquid vitamin c.
Ooh dandelions are great for preventing stones since they help piggies urinate but since they do contain calcium they're good in moderation! Like 2-3 times a week
What I'm hearing is that you have to rebalence a guinea pig's diet when they have this. Thank you by the way. I saw this in their cage when I had guinea pigs but I wasn't sure what it was. I thought maybe they were dehydrated, since for some reason no matter what bottle we gave them it always leaked.
Hydration is key, keeping an eye out for any changes of behavior in the future, making sure Piggies stay active. A variety of veggies are good. Calcium is important and possibly limiting excess calcium and extremely calcium rich veggies. Generally guinea pig approved veggies are the ones that are not extremely high in calcium. It is also a jumping off point to continue more research and ask your vet. As I said in the video, it may leave you with more questions than answers but knowing which questions to ask is a better place than not understanding the problem at all.
@@ScottysAnimals unfortunately my piggies are years in the grave. my cat actually warned me when the younger one, Tribble was about to die. There's a wooded section of river behind our town's minor league ballfield. I left them both there with offerings of veggies and a scrap of something soft from my sewing box. For years after that I just had my cat and no other small animals. I was afraid the shore flies infesting my apartment had given the piggies flystrike. Then last summer a former neighbor gave me an angora bunny rabbit. And I have to say, I like that setup much better even though its more mess to clean up than a piggy in a cage. Shore flies by the way, have the Latin name Scatella Stagnalis, and they love piggy cages. So make sure you learn how to identify them. They're normally a greenhouse pest, and they don't carry human pathogens (notice I specified humans, I do NOT know about guinea pig diseases so I'm not going to hazard a guess there). However they leave spots behind like coffee stains on everything they touch, very teeny neat coffee colored or tea colored spots. When swatted they often produce a blood red spot. However this isn't blood. They are not blood drinkers. Its some sort of protein their bodies make. I'd check the piggies religiously for signs of bugbites, especially since I could put a flea collar on the cat, I couldn't give the piggies cat flea drops. (By the way, removing fleas and ticks from a guinea pig might be a good topic. If that had happened to my piggy girls I would have had no clue what to do.) Shore flies consume bacteria, algae, and some fungi. They're very commonly greenhouse pests or pests in hydroponic farms. They are pesticide resistant and know enough to avoid surfaces where diatomaceous earth and pesticides have been spread. Their wild relatives live in the mud around Mona lake in california, which contains many times the lethal dose of arsenic and other heavy metals. I suspect this is the source of their resiliance. That surviving in the presence of so many toxins made them immune to or able to smell and avoid the ones we use. Instead, I was able to get their numbers down to near zero (but ultimately failed) using beneficial insects. Specifically rove beetles and a three species blend of predatory nematodes from Nature's Good Guys. If you have a twitter I can send you the page for the blend I used. Its probably a good idea that these be applied in a circle around homes with pets anyway, because it says they kill flea and tick larvae in the soil, as well as ants, roaches, and a number of other crawling pests. In this case however, I used them on my houseplants to prevent the flies from hiding in there while I scrubbed the living daylights out of every sink, tub or basin in the house and hunted down anything that could hide algae and bacteria and threw it out. It didn't matter if it was still good to use, it went. A really good way to make sure they can't get into your plants is that every time you change planters or watering trays, scrub the living daylights out of them with a scrub brush and dishsoap. Every week the piggies got their cage scrubbed out with boiling water and either nature's miracle or baking soda and vinegar. However, there were moments where my clinical depression lead to my being too stressed to regularly scrub the cage. And worse, the piggies began to fight. This lead to my having to get two cages, which made the job that much harder. Every time I thought about rehoming the younger one who was starting the trouble I reminded myself that I had bought these guinea pigs. They were my responsibility. And told myself I was a wimp if I gave them to the shelter, that other animals needed that spot in the animal shelter more than Tribble did. Even though they got a lot of love, a lot of veggies and fresh juicy grasses and other fresh food and all the hay they could eat, were being taken care of in every other possible way, they still got sick and died, and the flies somehow always got the last laugh. When tribble (the last of the two to die) went, it was the start of the month. That meant an all afternoon trek by bus and foot to the store for groceries and piggy and cat supplies. This meant I was too tired to notice Tribble was ailing. She got sick fast and was dead the next day. My cat sat by her cage when I got home, tired and sore from lugging pellets, bedding, kibble and litter as well as my groceries, and he got this serious look on his face. He kept staring at me, sitting but with his back stiffly drawn up like he was trying to get my attention. Bandit was raised to be a therapy cat, and he's very in tune with body language. But he also tends to want to look after any small animals I bring into the home and he doesn't get along with other cats very well at all. Small animals though, he has zero issues with once he's used to their presence. He still does it by the way. Bandit will tell me when the bunny needs more water, when the neighbors are crying, when I get an autistic meltdown, and when my pan on the stove has boiled dry. Mom calls him my guardian angel because of how dutifully he dotes on me. He can tell when I'm getting upset before I even realize it. Once, he even tried to get into the computer screen to comfort a crying television character. I realized Bandit was trying to alert me to something Tribble needed. I got up and found her standing by Bandit, picked her up, and she died right there in my hands. I was devastated, laying on my bed with her on my chest crying and with my back still sore and the hour getting late. I've lived here a little over ten years, and the shoreflies have been here nearly the entire time. So now I warn people in the neighborhood and local pest control and our health department, as well as landlords, that these can ride houseplants in and stay in sinks and tubs. Cover your compost and take it out regularly. Do not allow beer bottles and cans to collect in large numbers as they can hide in there as well. I don't want small animals again, as sensitive as the piggies were, as comical as their shrieking for treats and food was, the smallest mammals we welcome into our homes have the biggest personalities and the shortest lifespans. The rats were amazing creatures and left me too soon, and a few years after that so did the piggies. Rabbits live almost twice as long as a guinea pig if you get them spayed, which I'm trying to save up for. And the piggie girls legacy lives on in my garden soil, which their manure nourished and which now nourishes me in the form of my own leafy vegetables. And they've both had a sky burial where they can rest by cool waters in lush grasses where the positive energy we exchanged as human and fur friends can return to the world that brought it to me in the first place. I will never let my pets die in a vet's office via euthanasia ever again. It was too traumatic for me to watch one of the rattie girls go into a back room and never come out and to have to pay extra money for any form of burial. And when they've given us their last measure of devotion, no pet deserves to be thrown out with the garbage after they die. I'm sorry to have burdened you with my troubles. The piggie girls fought but they were still my friends. I wish I had found a channel like yours when they were still alive. Maybe I could have gotten them more time or found emotional support to help me push through my depression if I had.
This is hands down the most common issue with Guinea pigs. If someone were to ask me about Guinea pig care and things to look for health wise…than this would be it. Stones are very complicated with these guys. Lots of trial and error! We need more studies on this for sure but like with everything, balance is key. I have found eliminating pellets is a tremendous help with sludge.
Out of my 5 piggos only two were having the sludge/ white pee ( mother and son, both were albinos - she had also 2 brown redeyed kids from the same " litter" as was the white one and none of the two had ever "white pee". Also, our vet said that albino piggies are prone to cholesterol deposit in the eyes, the white irregular stains around their iris, so just wondering if albino piggies could have somehow compromised or weaker calcium metabolism?
you are on to something there because kale and spinach some spinach i was over feeding kale to my squeakers and sweety and my squeakers was peeling blood and cryed out and my veterinarian told me to feed them Romain lettuce and it worked and just a little bit of kale here and there I think she’s right about the nitrates
When you get a chance can you send me a picture of one of your back guinea pigs or one of the black guinea pigs that the rescue has so i can send the picture to Mary From piggy pebbles as a reference she can use for my previous female guinea pig Midnight since I don’t have a picture of her and I need one so she can eventually make me her as a piggy pebble when I’m ready for her to make pebbles of all my previous guinea pigs and my two current guinea pigs.
Mine had sludge when i fed them spinach..havent fed that for a long time and no sludge...ive been buying whats better for me too...i dont think that's coincidence ❤
In case this is helpful to anyone,my owner, Shark researched and found out that Aquafina is membrane filtered, not chemically filtered and has zero calcium. I find it quite yummy. Not sure how much calcium is involved with water filtration, but since it is listed on the bottles of the other waters, there has to be some. I figure why drink it when the Aquafina is yummier anyway?
I am researching kidney stones because I personally get them. Stones are made from calcium binding with oxalates in the bloodstream. Spinach is high in both calcium and oxalates, so kale is a better choice.
My 3 1/2 yr old Male Abby had bladder surgery 6/14 after noticing weight loss, stopped eating, lastly developed blood in urine. Surgery went well, but 3 weeks later had blood in urine, and discovered 3 more stones. I elected NOT to have a 2nd surgery. He was then hospitalized and treated with pain meds and fluids. Today he is doing well. I tool all of my pigs off of the Alfafa rich pellets, and now give Tim Hay pellets only. Plus unlimited hay of course. Cut out parley, but cilantro is ok. I am reading labels like a fiend for calcium. I am giving the veggies wet, and have added more water rich fruit, cucumbers. I initially gave a little apple jice in water to encourage drinking, which he loves!!! I still have white padding over his bed, and watch him carefully for pain and weight loss. I am doing all I can, but recommend against high alfalfa pellets, which are higher in calcium. This is a heartwrenching situation.
My old piggie has been having bladder sludge , she is now almost 5. I’m going to the vet from AGOURA CLINIC in Los Angeles. I put her in a floor cage to make sure she keeps running and the white sludge does come out often. I guess is a good thing but also worry what could it be. It’s been almost 3 months like this and her behavior has not changed. I do give liquid calcium by syringe and she gets lettuce and cucumbers. I’m going to find out what the vet says this Wednesday and I’ll update. She does not always drink water so I been trying to force it on her but sometimes is hard . They try to avoid drinking the water and I can’t understand why.
It's a very interesting topic. Up until now, we had 3 boys. First 2 brothers, where 1 had severe problems with multiple stones, first when he was 6 month old (so it was definitely genetics). We did everyting based on the LAGPR recommendations. We also had a great doctor, who could successfully operate on him multiple times. We did everthing possible with medications and supplements. We did extensive research on the topic with our doctor, but couldn't really find anyhting definite. Despite all the hardships, he had a happy life, and much longer(2,5 years) than we first thought, when we heard the diagnosis the second time. SO in colclusion, I think after the care basics the most important is a good doctor and luck... BUT whenever our doctor wasn't available and until we found him, we got so much shaming and accusations from other doctors, it was insane. They told us, that we shouldn't have fed him vegetables, that was the cause of the stones. Then one said to us, that we caused the stones by stressing him out by keeping two boys together, when in fact they were great friends.
Thank you for sharing your experience, I think this will help many people. I'm sorry that you had to go through a lot of negativity from vets. It is also very stressful to care for chronically sick guinea pigs
I have an occasionally sludgy 5.5 yo girl who recently had urine down her leg and was wet a few days. Vet and I thought maybe uti, but a day later labs were fine and there was a small amt of blood so I think she passed a stone but I couldn’t find it. Three other piggies are fine. I feed red/green lettuce, yellow bell peppers and occasional cucumbers, tomato or carrot. All piggies love drinking from a syringe and I will put one syringe of vit c in a ramekin of filtered water and give some throughout the day a couple times a week. Extra h2o is great!❤
My piggies have had sludge a couple of times but not much thankfully. However my house bunny had a bladder stone issue last year even though I am very careful of what I feed her. We even went through a round of sub-Q fluids that was very traumatic for both of us. They mentioned surgery but due to her age (11 years this June) it wasn't a safe option. In doing some searching I found an herbal supplement called Shilintong that people were using to treat both their rabbits and piggies with for bladder stone issues. It helps to dissolve them so they can pass them. Since starting her on this supplement she has been doing great, and at her last checkup the vet didn't say anything about feeling any stones. So now when I see the sludge I know things are moving like they should. From what I read people have been using this herbal supplement to treat their own stone issues for years with great success. It's worth checking into for anyone dealing with this problem. Thanks for all of the great information as usual.
i got my piggies oxbow biscuit treats that have cranberry in them. i only give them those about once or twice a week. i figure if cranberry helps us with uti stuff hopefully it helps my piggies too. i know our systems are totally different but its worth a shot. definitely going easy on sugars helps everyone in general! lol
I believe the development of stones is mostly genetics. I have 5 piggies at a time, and will usually have one with sludge or stones, but the rest are fine. They all eat the same.
My 3.5 yr old male abyssinian piggie had painful urination. I syringe fed him 3x per day parsley tea at room temperature and diluted pure cranberry juice, 1 cc of each. As I am also an energy healer, I also gave him reiki and used a healing pendulum called a tetra pendulum . After several days he healed fully and is healhty again. I believe general guidelines are good but you need to take into account your indiividual piggies needs. Be observant, Age, size of your piggie, individual likes and dislikes and their needs at different ages all are important. Research but use your own discretion as no one rule fits all piggies.
That is strange about the vitamin C. I know my husband is a human but he gets stones and the one thing he had to do was drink vitamin C rich drinks. Like orange juice, lemonade etc. It makes me wonder.......
@@KPlyf oh sorry, answered the wrong text. My husband had kidney stones. They were the calcium type. So the doctors told him to drink calcium free orange juice as that would help to break down the calcium in the urine. He is very prone to kidney stones but since he started drinking the acidic type juices, orang juice, limeade etc. he has not had one kidney stone.
My one girl Guinea pigs,Winter, pees sludge quite a bit. I am glad you brought this subject up.
I'm sorry if this is long; it's a lot of information from personal experience, and I hope it helps anyone who might need it!
Out of my 4 guinea pigs, I have 1 that has had constant issues with pee sludge and bladder stones. They all have the same diet with the same primary veggies (romaine lettuce and/or green leaf lettuce, green bell pepper, cucumber, and parsley---with occasional extra fruits/veggies for variety or as a standalone snack). Sophie has had issues with excess sludge building up in her bladder and causing her urinary tract infections. She was on medication for awhile to get rid of the sludge, which did help initially, but after my vet said I could take her off the medication it eventually came to a head about a year later (in December 2022). During the time leading up to December, Sophie's sludge had developed into many tiny, TINY little stones in her bladder that I had no idea about until she started urinating blood. Even when keeping a close eye on her and monitoring her urine for sludge for over a year (her pee was clear and "normal" for a LONG time even after taking her off her medicine), I didn't realize there was anything wrong with her until the bloody urine--she ate as normal, seemed to have her usual energy levels, and didn't make any noise of discomfort when peeing. We couldn't do surgery because 1. She's an elderly piggy (just turned 7!) and 2. The stones were SO INCREDIBLY SMALL and there were so many of them in her bladder that the vet didn't think it was worth it to put Sophie through the trauma. She instead flushed Sophie's system, which helped. However, Sophie's genetics cause her to produce those little stones REALLY fast, so she has to be on medication for the rest of her life---that being the one she was originally on when we were first treating her sludge buildup. In December she was prescribed some additional medications to help her pass the stones, but is currently off them until further notice. We originally had to do 20ml subcutaneous fluid injections every day for 2 weeks alongside the medicine, but thankfully we're well past that point! We've had three checkups since then, and every time Sophie has been stone-free! The extra fluids were the MVP in flushing those stones, so I do still give her an extra 12ml of water every day (6ml in the morning and 6ml at night) via syringe feeding.
The medicines my vet prescribed: Potassium Citrate (to dissolve sludge/stones; the one Sophie is permanently on), Hydrochlorothiazide (to help prevent the sludge from developing into stones/prevent any stones from growing larger), Tamsulosin HCL (to expand the urethrae to make it easier to pass stones), and Metacam (for pain relief).
I also recommend looking into Sherwood Pet Health's "Urinary Support" tablets! My vet suggested them to me as a shot in the dark (and advised me to take it with a grain of salt) back in December since I was DESPERATE to do anything it took to help Sophie feel better and the medications could only do so much. I truly believe they helped relieve stones and are currently helping prevent stones now. She doesn't like eating them, so I crush them up and mix them with the water I syringe feed her for extra fluids. When she had stones I was giving her 1 full tablet a day and syringe feeding her 24ml of extra fluids, but now I only give her half of a tablet with the 12ml extra water as a preventative measure; so far, so good! She's happy and healthy, and I realize now that her energy levels were actually lower than normal when she did have stones, so I REALLY know what to look out for since she's a pro at hiding her symptoms! I hope this helps!!
Not too long at all, very informative and very helpful to know what you've done to help alleviate her problem. She's a great age so you're doing right by her. Thank you for sharing.
Hope she continues to do well
Hi, that was informative. Do you mind if I ask what all those meds cost each month?
@@michellegordon4211 Of course! I'm not sure if it depends on the area you're from, but I know that each of them cost me about $50 each, give or take some. But in my town I had to have all of them compounded by a specialist since no other pharmacy in town had them, so that might impact the cost as well. The Potassium Citrate I can tell you for sure costs me $55 each month. If they're more readily available in your area, it's possible they may be cheaper?
Thank you for posting!
I'm really upset at my vet now and gonna look for someone new. I was preparing to lose my pig over a bladderstone, (couldn't afford surgery at the time) and when I pressed the vet for solutions she said there is no preventative medication or anything.
After days of desperate internet searching between tears, another guinea pig owner on a forum suggested those Sherwood urinary health tablets. Thank goodness for the community of r/guineapigs!
I had a hard time finding them in Canada and finally found a small pet store a province over that shipped them to me. After 9 months my pig was cleared up and the sludge was gone and no more blood in his pee and healthier than ever. When I asked my vet about the tablets she had no clue about them.
I told her they should stock them at the clinic and tell other piggy owners to try them, I just got this half hearted shrug in response. I'm so furious right now I feel like I could cry again, if that makes sense after all the tears and anxiety I went through.
I mean thank goodness, the tablets have bought my boy another 2 years of life and he's still going strong at 6 years old but yeah. I'm going to find a new vet and ask about what your pig was prescribed or keep him on the urinary tablets.
@@jaram2369 Oh my gosh, I'm sorry that your vet is so unhelpful!! But I'm so glad your little guy is doing better! My vet isn't an exotic vet (the nearest one is like 5 hours away), but she's great because if she doesn't know the answer to something, she will call an exotic vet for advice. It was the exotic vet who told my vet to recommend the Sherwood tablets! So I'm glad to hear they helped your piggie, too! Nothing but the best to you; I'm sure you'll find a vet who will be much better. Hang in there!! 🤗
We have 10 piggies and one of them has apparent pee sludge. He is an intact boar.
Of the 20ish piggies we’ve owned only 2 had bladder stones, both life-threatening cases. Both were likely 6+ years old, one a spayed female, one a neutered male. Barry had subcutaneous fluids administered by us weekly for the last 8 months of his life to keep flushing the stones out before they grew larger. He was eventually put to sleep when a stone wouldn’t pass on its own and he was in pain and surgery was too risky for his age. 😢
Norma had x-rays every 2 months the last year or so of her life. She was quite old when we rescued her. Her vet helped coax small sand-like stones out on a regular basis. Her bladder was almost completely blocked by a stone the size of the last digit of my pinkie when we initially rescued her.
In both cases the pigs had suffered severe neglect for years prior to being rescued and there’s no way to know what diet they had earlier in life.
I read that feeding romaine to
Piggies causes white pee and is nothing to worry about.
Thanks for the info 🎉
I can say with certainty, after three years of trial and error, that there is no sludge if I stop feeding pellets. My girls no longer get pellets, just a wide variety of vegetables including daily bell pepper for Vitamin C
I think you are right. You can't go wrong giving them a variety of veggies and not any one veggie in excess. My "go-to" veggies are similar to yours: peppers, celery, romaine, cucumber, and carrots. I also give them cilantro and parsley.
Thank you so much for this video!! I was told by my vet its calcium. I monitor my old one frequently he has lumbar arthritis. (So I am helicopter human😅) I actually limit dark leafy for stool related issues if in high frequency. Your channel is so helpful,I wish I knew about you 6 years ago
Scotty answering the important questions. 😂 Teasing aside, I wish I had this resource back when I had piggies. I love this channel and learning about our lil friends still even though I can't own pets right now. I have had so many questions answered in retrospect.
Very interesting topic. Variety is my aim, varied veggies daily, typically romaine, celery, cucumber, parsley, bamboo leaves, dandelion etc. Every other day i hand feed kale and spinach to ensure they all get some. Forage daily for fresh wild grasses which i give three times a day, mixed hay and dried forage mixes. Yes, they have sludgy white pee, but all healthy and active at 3.5 yrs - long may that continue.
What My piggy eats on a regular basis: Romaine lettuce, green and red leaf lettuces, parsly and/or cilantro or other herbs, green bell peppers, carrots, celery, cucumbers. On not so often times he gets apple, banana, blueberries, strawberries, kale.
Thanks Scott for another very helpful video.
Very educational.
I always wondered what that was, everyone once in a while I see it on the fleece, good to know 👍
Thank you for making this video! I am a new piggy mom to 2 precious 1 yr old girls. I was worried because I often see white on their fleece bedding. At least I know now that it's a good sign but something I need to keep an eye on. I watched all your videos before getting guinea pigs. It's because of you, Scotty, that I can call my self a good guinea pig owner. You are right when you say that guinea pigs are not starter pets! Thank you for all your hard work and valuable information!
Ohh i always wanted to know this,my theory was calcium( i am waiting for the ads to end,i have yet to watch the video) thanks scotty!!🥰
I remember this when I had my girlie guineas. Never heard the term before but have seen it. Thanks Scotty. Always learning 🙏
Great topic - we also see this for our piggies
Very well done, Scotty. This is such a difficult topic. I would have gotten bogged down while trying to discuss it. : )
I had one piggy, Ottis that had a stone wedged in his urethra, just awful 😢. But I've never had any after that. This information is great Scotty. I've always wondered how they got stones but couldn't really find any great info about them.
Hi Scotty,
Guinea Pig owner for 20+ years and involved in rescue.
Most of the Guinea pigs we dealt with all have urine that leaves behind the calcium deposits or sludge. It has never been a cause of concern or a sign of a bladder stone or UTI.
With my own experience, my boy Harley developed a large stone when he was around 4 years old. His biological brother George lived until 7 with no major health complications just a URI got him in the end and due to his age he wasn’t able to fight it off.
I have always fed my Guinea pigs a variety of veggies and to this day I try to mix it up.
E.g last week we had lettuce, carrots, apple, celery, green capsicum, coriander, tomato and fresh grass on the menu.
This week they are having baby spinach, rocket, parsley, dandelion, red capsicum, corn (including husk), celery & cucumber.
Harley was my only pig that had a bladder stone and I do not think it was diet related. Genetics may have played some part but again his brother was healthy. I think further studies are needed to determine if there is a cause, but I also believe it could be idiopathic (no known cause).
I recommend to all to feed a variety of fresh veg, forages and fruits including veggies high in water content like cucumber or celery to make sure they are hydrated.
I use spring mix. Cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, carrots and the occasional bamboo leaf.
Miss my octane he died a little bit ago held em tell the seziers were gone and he passed away
🙏
Bladder stones and white pee are pretty common in elderly guinea pigs seen it before
That's good information white pee sludge my piggies are healthy and sweet good video scotty vickie napa ca piggie mom
Did Gari turn off the lights? 😂
I measure their daily serving of pellets, since the pellets are a concentrated food. They have unlimited hay and water and some veggies daily.
Well explained, Scotty 👏👏👏👏
This is a painful subject for me because my late girl Kali (Kalinda Alicia) died from bladder stones. When she was diagnosed I was told nothing could be done and she was going to die. It was indeed one of the worst nights of my life-2nd to the afternoon my father informed my sister and I that he had cancer. Nini has trouble with sludge and grit. I was told not to give her any parsley. The suggestions of feeding water by dropper trouble me. I used to do that when we were traveling by public transportation to and from the Vet. But I got busted in the waiting room at Angell and politely told I could be risking aspiration.
Thank you for the informative video, Scotty! ❤
thank you scotty
I personally feel genetics is the main reason a guinea pig will have sludge and stones. I also think there is a age factor. I have multiple guinea pigs and all fed the same. And some are more prone than others. I will not do a stone removal for a guinea pig because of my beliefs. I have one pig on Metacam because she is prone to sludge/stones (always able to pass them on her own). Ever since she has been on it her number of sludge pees and stones have gone down drastically. My vet explained that he thinks its the anti-inflammatory factor that had helped. And the pain relief also helps if she does need to pass one.
There is definately things we can do to prevent them. I try to keep the calcium in their diet low other than in some veggies and vitimin c is in pellets and veggies. I don’t gibe any extra supplements.
I think you're right that genetics plays a big role. I had three pigs and one would constantly get stones and sludge, even feeding her pellets one time would cause it. She eventually died after her third stone surgery and refusing to eat. Poor thing had to live with that her whole life :(
I wonder if pigs that are almost exclusively grass-fed develop stones at the same rate as pellet-hay-veggie-fed pigs??
My piggy is going through a medical process to remove these sedimenta from her urinary track. This happened to her because she doesn’t like to drink water by herself and because of the pellets. I’m giving her water using a syringe and I’ve reduced her pellets a lot.
It make sense, this is happening after I started giving my guinea pig vitamins 👍🏼 thank you!!!!
lm glad to learn from you too Scotty it's very good to know about we can always count on you and Saskia and team thank you much appreciated 👍 xx
Thank you so much for this video ❤
I have had a lot of pigs over the years and have had 3 confirmed with stones. 1 older male was peeing blood and in pain, multiple large stones on xray and he was elderly and not a good surgery candidate so was euthanized. He lived with 3 other males for years and none others had stone issues. 1 middle aged/older female, had recent OVE but struggled with recovery and turns out she had stones on xray. She passed them on her own with pain meds, confirmed by followup xrays. That was 6 months ago and she continues to do fine and then pain and peeing blood and wet butt, then back to fine. I assume she continues to make and pass stones. She also had mineralization of her kidneys on xray, for what it's worth. Third pig approx 3 year old female peeing blood and vocalizing pain, losing weight. No stones on xray, but tons of wbc and rbc in urine. Treating for severe UTI but has been on meds 1 week and still peeing blood and vocalizing pain. Switching to new stronger meds today. So technically no stones but I included her as symptoms were similar. She lives with the other stones female in a herd of 8, no other pigs having issues.
I feed orchard hay, oxbow adult pellets and various veggues....usually romaine lettuce, bell peppers, cucumbers.
Try the Sherwood products the food and urinary tabs have changed my Guinea pigs pee for the best
Thank you! I was so worried about my skinny pig, Harriet. She has had white pee sludge and I was looking up the different positive and negative reasons--thank you, I feel better and she is very active. The one thing I struggle with Harriet is the variety of veggies. She is going on Seven months and is so picky! Doesn't like carrots, celery, bananas, apple, radishes...she loves her romaine and peppers. Trying to branch out is hard! Oh, tomatoes, grape, but give once a week . How do I get a more balanced diet when she refuses to eat a lot of other veggies or fruits?
Good to know.
Thank you very much, Scotty, for all of your helpfull videos!
I use forage from countryside, wg. Dandelions alongside their leaves, sticky weed/goose grass, herbs like peppermint, parsley, basil plus other grasses when out walking. Other times of year when these aren't available I feed occasional kale, lettuce (round, romaine, gem, salad bags, peppers, celery. During cold periods I give some more sugary vegetables like carrots and celeriac,alongside lettuce, peppers. Also plentiful hay and guinea pig nuggets. I've never added liquid vitamin c.
So far no piggies I have had, have suffered stones. All were shop bought.
Ooh dandelions are great for preventing stones since they help piggies urinate but since they do contain calcium they're good in moderation! Like 2-3 times a week
I think all the piggys favourit veggies in moderation and lots of floor time works best . So far its worked for my boys
Thanks Scotty!!
What I'm hearing is that you have to rebalence a guinea pig's diet when they have this. Thank you by the way. I saw this in their cage when I had guinea pigs but I wasn't sure what it was. I thought maybe they were dehydrated, since for some reason no matter what bottle we gave them it always leaked.
Hydration is key, keeping an eye out for any changes of behavior in the future, making sure Piggies stay active. A variety of veggies are good.
Calcium is important and possibly limiting excess calcium and extremely calcium rich veggies. Generally guinea pig approved veggies are the ones that are not extremely high in calcium. It is also a jumping off point to continue more research and ask your vet. As I said in the video, it may leave you with more questions than answers but knowing which questions to ask is a better place than not understanding the problem at all.
@@ScottysAnimals unfortunately my piggies are years in the grave. my cat actually warned me when the younger one, Tribble was about to die. There's a wooded section of river behind our town's minor league ballfield. I left them both there with offerings of veggies and a scrap of something soft from my sewing box. For years after that I just had my cat and no other small animals. I was afraid the shore flies infesting my apartment had given the piggies flystrike. Then last summer a former neighbor gave me an angora bunny rabbit. And I have to say, I like that setup much better even though its more mess to clean up than a piggy in a cage.
Shore flies by the way, have the Latin name Scatella Stagnalis, and they love piggy cages. So make sure you learn how to identify them. They're normally a greenhouse pest, and they don't carry human pathogens (notice I specified humans, I do NOT know about guinea pig diseases so I'm not going to hazard a guess there). However they leave spots behind like coffee stains on everything they touch, very teeny neat coffee colored or tea colored spots. When swatted they often produce a blood red spot. However this isn't blood. They are not blood drinkers. Its some sort of protein their bodies make. I'd check the piggies religiously for signs of bugbites, especially since I could put a flea collar on the cat, I couldn't give the piggies cat flea drops. (By the way, removing fleas and ticks from a guinea pig might be a good topic. If that had happened to my piggy girls I would have had no clue what to do.)
Shore flies consume bacteria, algae, and some fungi. They're very commonly greenhouse pests or pests in hydroponic farms. They are pesticide resistant and know enough to avoid surfaces where diatomaceous earth and pesticides have been spread. Their wild relatives live in the mud around Mona lake in california, which contains many times the lethal dose of arsenic and other heavy metals. I suspect this is the source of their resiliance. That surviving in the presence of so many toxins made them immune to or able to smell and avoid the ones we use. Instead, I was able to get their numbers down to near zero (but ultimately failed) using beneficial insects. Specifically rove beetles and a three species blend of predatory nematodes from Nature's Good Guys. If you have a twitter I can send you the page for the blend I used. Its probably a good idea that these be applied in a circle around homes with pets anyway, because it says they kill flea and tick larvae in the soil, as well as ants, roaches, and a number of other crawling pests. In this case however, I used them on my houseplants to prevent the flies from hiding in there while I scrubbed the living daylights out of every sink, tub or basin in the house and hunted down anything that could hide algae and bacteria and threw it out. It didn't matter if it was still good to use, it went.
A really good way to make sure they can't get into your plants is that every time you change planters or watering trays, scrub the living daylights out of them with a scrub brush and dishsoap. Every week the piggies got their cage scrubbed out with boiling water and either nature's miracle or baking soda and vinegar. However, there were moments where my clinical depression lead to my being too stressed to regularly scrub the cage. And worse, the piggies began to fight. This lead to my having to get two cages, which made the job that much harder. Every time I thought about rehoming the younger one who was starting the trouble I reminded myself that I had bought these guinea pigs. They were my responsibility. And told myself I was a wimp if I gave them to the shelter, that other animals needed that spot in the animal shelter more than Tribble did. Even though they got a lot of love, a lot of veggies and fresh juicy grasses and other fresh food and all the hay they could eat, were being taken care of in every other possible way, they still got sick and died, and the flies somehow always got the last laugh.
When tribble (the last of the two to die) went, it was the start of the month. That meant an all afternoon trek by bus and foot to the store for groceries and piggy and cat supplies. This meant I was too tired to notice Tribble was ailing. She got sick fast and was dead the next day. My cat sat by her cage when I got home, tired and sore from lugging pellets, bedding, kibble and litter as well as my groceries, and he got this serious look on his face. He kept staring at me, sitting but with his back stiffly drawn up like he was trying to get my attention.
Bandit was raised to be a therapy cat, and he's very in tune with body language. But he also tends to want to look after any small animals I bring into the home and he doesn't get along with other cats very well at all. Small animals though, he has zero issues with once he's used to their presence.
He still does it by the way. Bandit will tell me when the bunny needs more water, when the neighbors are crying, when I get an autistic meltdown, and when my pan on the stove has boiled dry. Mom calls him my guardian angel because of how dutifully he dotes on me. He can tell when I'm getting upset before I even realize it. Once, he even tried to get into the computer screen to comfort a crying television character.
I realized Bandit was trying to alert me to something Tribble needed. I got up and found her standing by Bandit, picked her up, and she died right there in my hands. I was devastated, laying on my bed with her on my chest crying and with my back still sore and the hour getting late.
I've lived here a little over ten years, and the shoreflies have been here nearly the entire time. So now I warn people in the neighborhood and local pest control and our health department, as well as landlords, that these can ride houseplants in and stay in sinks and tubs. Cover your compost and take it out regularly. Do not allow beer bottles and cans to collect in large numbers as they can hide in there as well.
I don't want small animals again, as sensitive as the piggies were, as comical as their shrieking for treats and food was, the smallest mammals we welcome into our homes have the biggest personalities and the shortest lifespans. The rats were amazing creatures and left me too soon, and a few years after that so did the piggies. Rabbits live almost twice as long as a guinea pig if you get them spayed, which I'm trying to save up for. And the piggie girls legacy lives on in my garden soil, which their manure nourished and which now nourishes me in the form of my own leafy vegetables. And they've both had a sky burial where they can rest by cool waters in lush grasses where the positive energy we exchanged as human and fur friends can return to the world that brought it to me in the first place.
I will never let my pets die in a vet's office via euthanasia ever again. It was too traumatic for me to watch one of the rattie girls go into a back room and never come out and to have to pay extra money for any form of burial. And when they've given us their last measure of devotion, no pet deserves to be thrown out with the garbage after they die.
I'm sorry to have burdened you with my troubles. The piggie girls fought but they were still my friends. I wish I had found a channel like yours when they were still alive. Maybe I could have gotten them more time or found emotional support to help me push through my depression if I had.
Great video Scotty
Ooo got 1 named BO PEEP bk face n white body like the 1 in back ground. Have 5 n 1 big area.
This is hands down the most common issue with Guinea pigs. If someone were to ask me about Guinea pig care and things to look for health wise…than this would be it. Stones are very complicated with these guys. Lots of trial and error! We need more studies on this for sure but like with everything, balance is key. I have found eliminating pellets is a tremendous help with sludge.
I'm so glad I came across this one of my boys pees this a lot I was getting worried
Are organically grown veg better as there is no artificial nitrogen used. Also cranberries are good for human urinary problems...will piggies eat them
Organic is best for many reasons. It is better for the planet, there are no pesticides. If you can afford an organic item, go for it
Out of my 5 piggos only two were having the sludge/ white pee ( mother and son, both were albinos - she had also 2 brown redeyed kids from the same " litter" as was the white one and none of the two had ever "white pee". Also, our vet said that albino piggies are prone to cholesterol deposit in the eyes, the white irregular stains around their iris, so just wondering if albino piggies could have somehow compromised or weaker calcium metabolism?
l didn't know about the sludge l guest what it was xx
What are your thoughts on Sherwood pellets? As they don’t feed veggies at all
you are on to something there because kale and spinach some spinach i was over feeding kale to my squeakers and sweety and my squeakers was peeling blood and cryed out and my veterinarian told me to feed them Romain lettuce and it worked and just a little bit of kale here and there I think she’s right about the nitrates
My new skinny pigs have alot of this come out of them it is white and milky, i worry
My concern is that it it smells really fishy, i am worried she has an infection
When you get a chance can you send me a picture of one of your back guinea pigs or one of the black guinea pigs that the rescue has so i can send the picture to Mary From piggy pebbles as a reference she can use for my previous female guinea pig Midnight since I don’t have a picture of her and I need one so she can eventually make me her as a piggy pebble when I’m ready for her to make pebbles of all my previous guinea pigs and my two current guinea pigs.
Mine had sludge when i fed them spinach..havent fed that for a long time and no sludge...ive been buying whats better for me too...i dont think that's coincidence ❤
How do I get the white sludge from my guinea pig I know he don't have stones
In case this is helpful to anyone,my owner, Shark researched and found out that Aquafina is membrane filtered, not chemically filtered and has zero calcium. I find it quite yummy. Not sure how much calcium is involved with water filtration, but since it is listed on the bottles of the other waters, there has to be some. I figure why drink it when the Aquafina is yummier anyway?
My Guinea pig ls pee ls red
I am researching kidney stones because I personally get them. Stones are made from calcium binding with oxalates in the bloodstream. Spinach is high in both calcium and oxalates, so kale is a better choice.
My 3 1/2 yr old Male Abby had bladder surgery 6/14 after noticing weight loss, stopped eating, lastly developed blood in urine. Surgery went well, but 3 weeks later had blood in urine, and discovered 3 more stones. I elected NOT to have a 2nd surgery. He was then hospitalized and treated with pain meds and fluids. Today he is doing well. I tool all of my pigs off of the Alfafa rich pellets, and now give Tim Hay pellets only. Plus unlimited hay of course. Cut out parley, but cilantro is ok. I am reading labels like a fiend for calcium. I am giving the veggies wet, and have added more water rich fruit, cucumbers. I initially gave a little apple jice in water to encourage drinking, which he loves!!! I still have white padding over his bed, and watch him carefully for pain and weight loss. I am doing all I can, but recommend against high alfalfa pellets, which are higher in calcium. This is a heartwrenching situation.
My old piggie has been having bladder sludge , she is now almost 5. I’m going to the vet from AGOURA CLINIC in Los Angeles. I put her in a floor cage to make sure she keeps running and the white sludge does come out often. I guess is a good thing but also worry what could it be. It’s been almost 3 months like this and her behavior has not changed. I do give liquid calcium by syringe and she gets lettuce and cucumbers. I’m going to find out what the vet says this Wednesday and I’ll update. She does not always drink water so I been trying to force it on her but sometimes is hard . They try to avoid drinking the water and I can’t understand why.
Love your videos
It's a very interesting topic. Up until now, we had 3 boys. First 2 brothers, where 1 had severe problems with multiple stones, first when he was 6 month old (so it was definitely genetics). We did everyting based on the LAGPR recommendations. We also had a great doctor, who could successfully operate on him multiple times. We did everthing possible with medications and supplements. We did extensive research on the topic with our doctor, but couldn't really find anyhting definite. Despite all the hardships, he had a happy life, and much longer(2,5 years) than we first thought, when we heard the diagnosis the second time. SO in colclusion, I think after the care basics the most important is a good doctor and luck...
BUT whenever our doctor wasn't available and until we found him, we got so much shaming and accusations from other doctors, it was insane. They told us, that we shouldn't have fed him vegetables, that was the cause of the stones. Then one said to us, that we caused the stones by stressing him out by keeping two boys together, when in fact they were great friends.
Thank you for sharing your experience, I think this will help many people. I'm sorry that you had to go through a lot of negativity from vets. It is also very stressful to care for chronically sick guinea pigs
Is it sometimes boars glue? Because I used to have old fleece where the white stuff wouldn’t wash off and it crystallized
Boar glue is something different. It is generally rubbery and dries extremely hard. Boar glue is semen.
I have an occasionally sludgy 5.5 yo girl who recently had urine down her leg and was wet a few days. Vet and I thought maybe uti, but a day later labs were fine and there was a small amt of blood so I think she passed a stone but I couldn’t find it. Three other piggies are fine. I feed red/green lettuce, yellow bell peppers and occasional cucumbers, tomato or carrot. All piggies love drinking from a syringe and I will put one syringe of vit c in a ramekin of filtered water and give some throughout the day a couple times a week. Extra h2o is great!❤
My piggies have had sludge a couple of times but not much thankfully. However my house bunny had a bladder stone issue last year even though I am very careful of what I feed her. We even went through a round of sub-Q fluids that was very traumatic for both of us. They mentioned surgery but due to her age (11 years this June) it wasn't a safe option. In doing some searching I found an herbal supplement called Shilintong that people were using to treat both their rabbits and piggies with for bladder stone issues. It helps to dissolve them so they can pass them. Since starting her on this supplement she has been doing great, and at her last checkup the vet didn't say anything about feeling any stones. So now when I see the sludge I know things are moving like they should. From what I read people have been using this herbal supplement to treat their own stone issues for years with great success. It's worth checking into for anyone dealing with this problem. Thanks for all of the great information as usual.
i got my piggies oxbow biscuit treats that have cranberry in them. i only give them those about once or twice a week. i figure if cranberry helps us with uti stuff hopefully it helps my piggies too. i know our systems are totally different but its worth a shot. definitely going easy on sugars helps everyone in general! lol
l have been giving my gromit parsley and dill l will cut it down xx
I believe the development of stones is mostly genetics. I have 5 piggies at a time, and will usually have one with sludge or stones, but the rest are fine. They all eat the same.
My 3.5 yr old male abyssinian piggie had painful urination. I syringe fed him 3x per day parsley tea at room temperature and diluted pure cranberry juice, 1 cc of each. As I am also an energy healer, I also gave him reiki and used a healing pendulum called a tetra pendulum . After several days he healed fully and is healhty again. I believe general guidelines are good but you need to take into account your indiividual piggies needs. Be observant, Age, size of your piggie, individual likes and dislikes and their needs at different ages all are important. Research but use your own discretion as no one rule fits all piggies.
Any 1 know what that ls
Calcium
That white thing got hard I didn't notice it till I had to was the fleece. Looks like calcium or something.
- nvm Scotty is spot on.
That is strange about the vitamin C. I know my husband is a human but he gets stones and the one thing he had to do was drink vitamin C rich drinks. Like orange juice, lemonade etc. It makes me wonder.......
What do you mean? Please elaborate
@@KPlyf every so often I find this white pee stain on her fleece. I can sometimes flake it with my fingernail and sometimes not.
@@KPlyf oh sorry, answered the wrong text. My husband had kidney stones. They were the calcium type. So the doctors told him to drink calcium free orange juice as that would help to break down the calcium in the urine. He is very prone to kidney stones but since he started drinking the acidic type juices, orang juice, limeade etc. he has not had one kidney stone.
He also is not allowed a lot of dairy.
@@maryamullins4332 ok so vitamin c helps in case of calcium deposits. Thank you for answering.
Maybe everything in moderation would be a good stance.
Somebody is really thirsty! 😅