[Gpdd] [CARE] Cystitis and Barley water and Cymalon

[Ann Evans]

Dear Ellen and the GPDD Family,

I wrote that I could not find Cymalon in the USA. But in Peter Gurney's
book Piggy Potions he uses Barley water. This will have the same
pharmaceutical properties as Cymalon. I scanned page 10 of his book. I 
hope this helps.

> Cystitis This condition occurs much more frequently in sows, but it
> is not unknown in boars. Symptoms vary: in the majority of cases the
> guinea pig will be constantly wet underneath, and there will be a
> stale odour. Examination of the genital area might reveal some
> crusting on the genitals, and the interior of the vulva might be
> coated with a yellowish discharge. Alternatively, the sow can squeak
> in pain when she passes urine, the area around the genitals can lose
> hair, and the surface of the skin can become inflamed as the result
> of the acidity of the urine. However, the sow can also make this
> squeaking sound if there is an internal cyst or if she is having
> trouble voiding the pellets she has to ingest. If this is the case,
> crusting, inflammation and the loss of hair will not occur. There may
> be blood in the urine too. This can also be indicative of a
> life-threatening condition but more often than not it is a symptom of
> easy-to-treat kidney or bladder problems. It can also simply be a
> slight "show" of the sow in season. If the blood loss is heavy and
> the guinea pig listless it should immediately be taken for expert
> examination. However, if it is well in every other respect, with
> appetite good and droppings normal, the following therapies should
> work. I always turn first to one of the oldest cures in the book:
> barley water combined with a dose of honey, morning and evening, a
> treatment widely used for women with cystitis. I also give one Denes
> Denex pill twice daily. (An alternative to Denes is tincture of Couch
> Grass, Bearberry, Echinacea and Yarrow, dosage 0.5ml, given orally
> twice daily.) Always make up your own barley water. Make it in small
> amounts, as it has to be used within 24 hours. The recipe is one part
> of pearl barley to eight parts of water. Boil it for 20-30 minutes.
> Drain off the water, but do not throw the barley away. Let the water
> cool, then put it into the drip feed bottle. If the guinea pig will
> not take it in this way (and many will not) you will have to syringe
> feed as much of the liquid as possible. Put the remaining barley into
> a liquidizer along with the guinea pig's favourite vegetable. Add
> enough water so that it liquidizes to the consistency of a thick
> soup, then either put it into a separate dish or syringe feed it.
> Finally, add 1mI honey, night and morning, administered by syringe.
> The majority of cases respond to this treatment within three or four
> days and the cure is usually complete. Alternatively, cranberry
> juice, syringe-fed neat, can be very effective. Give 5-7ml at one
> sitting, two to three times daily. Liquidized parsley or cucumber can
> be added to improve the taste. Other helpful products are Cystocalm
> and Cystemme, human medicines which come in powder form. One sachet
> is enough for the full treatment of a guinea pig. Divide it into 3
> portions, then mix portion with 40-50mI of water and administer, a
> little at a time, for three days. The condition usually clears up
> within forty eight hours in this way. If there is no change after
> four days, a urine test will have to be carried out to see if any
> alien bacteria are present. This can be done with a stick tester
> which can be bought over the counter, but it is not a job for the
> inexperienced. A vet will know what to look for, and as it is likely
> that a POM will be necessary, it is best left to him or her: the
> results of the test will determine what treatment should be given.
> For the inflammation, use Denes skin balm, Calendula or a sulphur
> based ointment recommended for animals or children. For the crusting,
> use an antiseptic ointment, again ensuring that it is safe for
> animals or children. I am specific about this because both products
> must be formulated to be non-toxic to avoid harm if they are ingested
> by licking. In the rarer cases of a boar with this problem, he too
> will squeak with pain when passing urine, and 	the penis will appear
> red and raw when extruded. Use the same treatment as for sows. If the
> guinea pig is producing more urine than usual (quite a common problem
> in cases of 	cystitis) it will be losing potassium, so feed some
> banana or a quarter of a 600-800mg effervescent potassium tablet for
> as long as the condition lasts.
>

Cheers,

Ann and the Rescued Piggys of Piggyville, Tampa Florida USA.