DISORDERS OF THE URINARY SYSTEM
by Mette Lybeck Ruelokke (Mette the Vette)
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When the cavy gets older, the function of the kidneys is often reduced. That means that the kidneys are not able to concentrate the urine so much, the cavy urinates more and must drink more to maintain the fluid balance. The valuable compounds will also be excreted in larger amounts, while the kidneys lose the ability to actively excrete the poisonous compounds. That’s what has happened when a cavy suddenly starts to drink large amounts of water, and I guess every fancier experiences that from time to time. As long as the cavy drinks, the kidneys can still compensate for the disorder, but as the kidneys deteriorate, more and more useful compounds e.g. proteins, are excreted. At this stage the cavy will grow thinner and thinner and will finally look quite emaciated, although it may still be happy and eat well. The cavy can even get a large and distended belly just like children suffering from protein undernourishment. when it stops drinking, it's a sign of the kidneys now being so bad that poisonous compounds can no longer be excreted in sufficient amounts, and the cavy is literally poisoned from inside. If the cavy has not beer put down before, it should certainly be at this stage.
There seems to be no way to stop kidney disease from develop-ing or progressing and most fanciers accept it as a normal sign of ageing, nothing worth trying to fight against.
The urinary bladder is a reservoir for the urine before it is excreted from the cavy. Cystitis is an infection in the urinary bladder, and is more often seen in the sow because the urinary ways are shorter and broader, so invasion by bacteria is more likely to happen. The symptoms are stinking urine (the bacteria form ammonia from the urinary compounds), frequent urination, the cavy may be wet on the belly, and sometimes the cavy will look unwell and eat less. This sort of cystitis is easily treated with sulpha/TMP, and the cavy recovers quickly. But sometimes a more severe cystitis is found, with blood in the urine and causing severe pain. The cavy will scream every time it urinates and it will be soaked in foul smelling urine underneath. Because of the pair the cavy will stop eating and sit in the corner looking miserable and without moving. This sort of cystitis can be very difficult to treat, but should involve sulpha/TMP and pain-killer. A post mortem will often reveal urinary stones in the bladder, which explains why the treatment was unsuccessful.
A urinary stone can also migrate out through the urinary ways in the sow, but is often trapped just inside the urinary opening, which lies where the behind forks out as a Y, and the stone car be felt as a hard lump just above theY. Sometimes a stone can be formed there without any signs of cystitis. Small stones can be pressed out without problems, but bigger stones cannot pass the urinary opening. Without removal the stone grows bigger and bigger andfinally blocks the passage, so the cavy can't urinate. As a curiosity, I can mention that a big urinary stone in one of my old sows was crushed with an ultrasound tooth cleaner and she recovered completely. I don't know if the disposition of forming urinary stones is hereditary, but my old Self Red sows very often get them, and quite often I must remove one. It might also be a question of feeding?
Sometimes urinary incontinence is seen. Again ifs often sows, and quite often over 2 years of age. Fat and lazy pigs are predisposed. The urine seems to leak out without the cavy taking notice and the belly is almost constantly wet. Because the symp-toms can also be caused by cystitis, a sulpha/TMP treatment can be tried, but in case of true incontinence, the treatment doesn't work. The only thing to do is protect the skin from urine irritation, e.g. rinse it with water, and if the skin gets red and sore, a baby ointment for red behinds can be used.
Mette Lybek Ruelokke