My Guinea Pig Wees on Herself

Question
Hi,

My guinea pig is five or six years old and appears happy and healthy, with no previous health issues. However, recently (in the last couple of months) whenever I hold her I find her hindquarters soaked in urine. She seems to not move when she urinates and then sits in it. As a result I now bathe her bottom regularly with water but I worry that this is bad for her skin (as she is wet with urine only hours later) - is there something wrong with her, and is there any way to avoid this problem? She doesn't seem in pain and eats and drinks plenty.

Thanks,

Lizzie

Answer
Your little girl is suffering from what human women often go through as a result of the aging process. She has a leaky bladder from loss of muscle control. It's not necessarily an infection, it's just a chronic problem that can cause a great deal of discomfort for her.

I've had several old sows that developed this and it requires some effort on your part to keep her clean and comfortable. Because of the high ammonia content in the urine, the constant contact with the skin can cause a severe breakdown and actually cause the skin to bleed from the irritation.

What you will need to do is give her a daily 'sitz bath' which is a medical term for a soaking of her bum. We use this in human medicine for similar things. It's quite easy and won't take more than 15 minutes of your day.  

Fill your bathroom sink with about two inches of lukewarm water. Put a tablespoon of baking soda in the water and stir it up until it is all dissolved. Then just sit her in the water. Most pigs enjoy this soaking as it is soothing to their skin. The baking soda is to help neutralize the acid that is on her skin from the urine. Let her soak for about ten or fifteen minutes.

When you take her out use a very soft towel and gently pat the area dry. Don't rub, as this is more irritating to the already sore skin. Once she is dry you can apply Vaseline on the area to help keep the urine from penetrating to the skin. Basically you're treating as if you had a baby with a diaper rash.

She will appreciate the effort and the comfort it will give her. Although her skin has not yet broken down, it will if left untreated. Sows can get a yeast infection that is very painful and difficult to get rid of. If her skin opens up and bleeds, and a crust begins to build on the area you can use the same medication that is sold for women with yeast infections. You simply dab it on the same as you do the Vaseline.

As long as she has not shown any evidence of a yeast infection just use Vaseline as a barrier to protect her delicate tissues. There is nothing you can do to prevent this leakage as it is sadly just part of getting old. But you can keep her comfortable and help prevent further problems.

I wish there was an answer to make this condition go away, but there is not. I hope this helps you. If you have any other questions please don't hesitate to ask.