# Chronic blood in urine!!



## GeminiRat (Oct 26, 2010)

First - I'm not exactly sure how old Lychee is - I got her about three years ago from a girl who thought she was a couple of years old, so she could be around five. She has chronic bloody urine. I took her to a vet who stated she had kidney stones, common to hedgehogs, and gave me an antibiotic to put her on. She went through her course of antibiotics and was fine for a while, but then the bloody urine came back (in the meantime I switched her food to a urinary health formula). The vet gave me another round of antibiotics and the blood, again, went away. Well, it came back again. I put her through a third round of antibiotics and it subsided, but it's back for again, and the antibiotics seem to work for shorter periods of time now. I hate to keep putting her on antibiotics when this occurs, but the vet doesn't seem to think it's anything to worry about. Especially at her advanced age. I know she's getting up there in age, but I'm heart-broken about her being unwell and want to do something, anything, to make her better. Does anyone have any advice? She is on the dissolution foods and a urinary health formula. What else can I do? 

Thank you! Jen & Lychee


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## shawnwk1 (Jul 8, 2011)

it's possible since they aren't working for as long now that indeed her body is becoming immune to the antibiotics. is it always the same antibiotic being given? perhaps seeking the advice of a new vet would be a good idea. have you had any blood work or xrays done? has cancer been ruled out? urinary tract infection been ruled out? i know they can keep coming back and get worse. she should have passed the stones by now and i wouldn't think it should be a recurring thing, but always possible i suppose. idk i'd be going to a new vet and getting that second opinion. her age isn't necessarily a death certificate waiting to happen. this could possibly be something that can be treated, but you have to figure out exactly what is causing it first.


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## Immortalia (Jan 24, 2009)

Did the vet draw urine out directly from her bladder to decide whether it's uterine or urinary?

Otherwise, it's possible that she may need to be spayed. However, at her age, it's up to you to decide whether or not it's worth risking putting her under to have her spayed. 

Since the antibiotics don't seem to be working, it will be best to have to vet determine if it's uterine cancer, especially since they can be prone to it.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

The stones irritate the urinary track as they are passing which creates an ideal environment for infection. 

My Kenya had stones and she would have blood for urine and it would go away with antibiotic but next stone and back the blood would be. She went through this multiple times until we put her on the Medical Dissolution formula. It worked with her for about 7 months. Kenya was an elder hog when she developed the stones. We always knew when Kenya was passing a stone. She would come to the bars of her cage and sit and huff to let us know she was hurting. 

You could try a different brand of dissolution and see if it might work better. Cranberry juice helps with humans so you could try it or try cranberries. The more water she drinks the better. Perhaps a different antibiotic might work better. Otherwise, I can't offer any advice. Kenya's stones did come back even with the dissolution. She filled with fluid and the vet assumed a stone was blocking her urinary tract so we helped her cross rather than put her through any surgery.


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## Hissy-Fit-Hazel (Jul 15, 2011)

sometimes you need to know what type of crystals formed the stones in order to give the proper type of dissolving food...there are different types unless they have come up with a multi type food. (in dogs/cats it's usually struvite or oxalate ) I've had both in dogs and the foods were different


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