Guinea Pigs; pink urine

Question
Dear Jenny Atkins,
  My guinea pig, Cinnamon, is a female guinea pig and the other time while I put her on the floor to excersize, I noticed that her urine was pink... again!!! I had already treated her with unsweetened diluted cranberry juice. I fed it to her through a sirenge and I put it in her waterbottle. The next time I put her on the floor, it was ok, so I stopped the treatment. But now its back again and I do not know what to do. I love my guinea pig with all my heart and I am devoted to her. I don't know about surgery, though. Vets here in El Paso, Texas are not so experienced with guinea pigs, I don't think. Cinnamon is still eating and drinking water and she still squeaks when I come home, but sometimes I see her slumped over on one corner in a tight ball as if she were really tense. My other guinea pig tries to cheer her up but Cinnamon just nudges her away. Its not normal. I tried massaging the stones out, because I read somewhere that you can do that with a female piggie if the stones are small enough, but it did not work. My mom is a pharmacist, so she has some Bactrim, which I heard is a medicine given by most vets to treat guinea pigs that have bladder stone. However, I know no how much to give to her and how to give it to her. Please answer me. I don't know what else to do.

Answer
Hi Sabrina,

Try giving her some celery sticks (cut up small, or she'll choke on the threads) or dandelion leaves. These are both natural diuretics and so will stimulate her kidney into working harder.

However, I do think the best thing will be to take her to the vet. Find a specialist small animal or exotic pet et if you can. Guinea pigs can go rapidly downhill, so whilst one day she might seem to just be in a bit of discomfort, the next day she could be fatally ill. Kidney stones and bladder infections are similar in guinea pigs to in humans and other animals, so most vets should know what to do.

Good luck!

Jenny.