Advice For My Piggy With A Bladder Stone Please

[PammyRay]

This is my first post having just joined today so Hello Everyone!

I have just returned from the vet with my 2yr 2 month (approx.) boar Maccy who has been diagnosed with a bladder stone, he has had blood in his urine over the past couple of days and initially it appeared almost like pure blood (I thought he may have been injured in some way). He's so gentle and loving, the less dominant of the two brothers, and he still seems happy enough; jumping over his food bowl and climbing up to eat straw. However he doesn't seem to be eating as much of his dried food (Wagg Guinea Pig Crunch) and I'd say it's possible he may be drinking a little less, he's still happily chomping on straw.

The vet weighed him (didn't support his bum when he picked him up though, I didn't like that) and took his temperature which were both fine. Then he palpatated his abdomen area and the vet said he could feel a stone possibly about 1cm in size. I'm quite sad because the options came as a shock... The vet said 'I'm not sure what you want to do because you can always get another Guinea Pig for five pounds'. (I think he was actually trying to be understanding but what a ridiculous and upsetting thing to say). So he said that an x-ray would be needed to see if there were any more stones he'd missed and if so possible surgery which would total about £400.
The vet noted that Maccy seemed perky enough (he kept climbing up my arms and body and licking me) and that Maccy would probably let me know soon enough if he was in pain by not eating etc. So the vet suggested a course of antibiotics as a first resort, he also injected him with antibiotics and an anti-inflamatory. The vet mentioned that he might only have months left - I'd asked if the condition affects their lifespan if left. Then he said see how he is in about a week and when I return we can discuss the options, one of which might be euthanasia.

Needless to say I got upset, it was a shock.

The vet seemed to think there was no special diet on which I could put him, which seemed to contradict things I have read on forums. I realise from some research that people have had many differing results with bladder stone operations. I just want to make sure I'm doing everything I can to help him so any advice on diet, bedding, bathing etc etc would be so gratefully received. Does the cost of the operation sound about right? And how can I be sure my vet is specialised with Guinea Pigs, to be honest his manner left a little to be desired and I felt like he just classed him as a small animal rather than my beloved, adored, gorgeous little Maccy that I know and cherish so well.

Thanks.

 

[helen105281]

I'm sorry you had a bad experience at the vets.

Are you far from Broxbourne at all? Amir at Vets and Pets is very experienced with bladder surgery and as far as I am aware the cost would not be as much as you have been quoted. I have not had an operation done there on my own pigs. Either way though, whether you use your own vet or go to Amir I agree that an xray is needed, or a scan to find out the exact location of the stone and determine what needs to be done.

There are mixed opinions out there on whether diet affects the formation of stones but I do believe that its does and follow a special diet put together by a friend who runs a piggy clinic at Vets and Pets.

Did your vet send you home with pain relief in addition to the injection?

 

[AuntyC]

Hello, so sorry to hear your lovely Maccy is poorly. Your vet does sound a little offhand to me! Don't be afraid to ask if they have anybody at the practice that specialises in rodents/exotics. I am sure someone on the forum with experience of treating bladder stones will offer you some helpful advice.
You can also look up the recommended vet locator at the very top of the forum page and see if a second opinion could be obtained for Maccy? All best wishes and hope all turns out ok for you both xx

 

[Freela]

I'm sorry your vet was so blunt about things! I'm probably going to run counter to the majority experience here, because I have a guinea pig with a bladder stone that is managed conservatively. She was diagnosed at about 1.5 years of age, after recurrent bouts of bloody urine. She never had any behavioral symptoms, no squeaking, no loss of appetite, so sitting hunched up, nothing but blood in her pee. We were basically given three options for her. The first was surgery; however, I'm in Canada, where the level of experience with guinea pigs does not seem to be as high as it is in the UK. The surgery would have been extremely high-risk and would have cost over a thousand dollars (more than a mortgage payment on my house!) The other option was to manage it conservatively with antiinflammatories and antibiotics to prevent UTIs from developing or taking hold. The third was to have her put down. Ultimately, we decided to manage her conservatively with constant low-dose suppressive antibiotics and to treat aggressively any infections that cropped up in spite of the prophylaxis. We figured that we would watch her closely to see if her quality of life was being impacted, and if it was, we would have to choose either to risk the surgery or to have her put to sleep to avoid her suffering. She is now about 4.5 years old and we are still in that holding pattern... she takes a low dose of Baytril every 48 hours, which seems to keep most infections at bay. She has had a couple of UTIs in that time, one of which was pretty hard to clear, but we've managed to get them back under control. She continues to eat well, run around, play, popcorn, and do all the normal piggie things. I know that guinea pigs hide pain well, but having seen the same guinea pig go through a facial abscess that was painful and seeing how miserable and quiet and reluctant to move or eat or do anything she was during that time, I honestly do not believe she is in a lot of pain from the stone. I've seen her in pain, and her baseline is not the way she behaves in pain. She may have some UTI-like discomfort at times, but for that matter, I have chronic bladder and kidney issues too and I don't wish I was dead because of them! We do make sure her diet is low in calcium (but it was anyhow, there's no obvious 'reason' why she has a stone and her companion, on the same diet, doesn't. My vet suspects that some pigs are simply predisposed to them for unknown reasons.)

I suspect that this is an unpopular alternative (I'm always afraid to say it because I expect to get blasted by someone telling me that my guinea pig has to be in constant pain and I'm making her suffer dreadfully by not doing the surgery), but I'm just putting it out there as a pig who has managed with a bladder stone without needing to be put to sleep or suffering any noticeable decrease in quality of life. Honestly, if guinea pig surgery in my area was routine and not unreasonably expensive, I would probably have opted for the surgery, but that's not the case where I live, and I'm glad she has had these few years of the good life rather than having chosen to put her down even though she was not having many symptoms at all.

 

[PammyRay]

I'm sorry you had a bad experience at the vets.

Are you far from Broxbourne at all? Amir at Vets and Pets is very experienced with bladder surgery and as far as I am aware the cost would not be as much as you have been quoted. I have not had an operation done there on my own pigs. Either way though, whether you use your own vet or go to Amir I agree that an xray is needed, or a scan to find out the exact location of the stone and determine what needs to be done.

There are mixed opinions out there on whether diet affects the formation of stones but I do believe that its does and follow a special diet put together by a friend who runs a piggy clinic at Vets and Pets.

Did your vet send you home with pain relief in addition to the injection?

Thanks so much for your quick reply, it's very good to have recommendations. I live in Chelmsford town centre so not a huge distance by car, (but I don't have a car). I'll speak to my fiance about it though, my mother-in-law is popping over tomorrow so we may be able to go, if not then maybe another time possibly. If anyone can recommend a vet experienced with bladder stones who is a little closer to Chelmsford that would be great as I'm keen for a second opinion from someone I feel a bit more happy with.

I've also read mixed opinions about diet, 'The Peter Gurney Guinea Pig Health Guide' suggested it could even be due to a lack of calcium which makes it difficult to treat. This particular site advised feeding regular natural diuretics like Hydrangea, cornsilk, gravel root and parsley piert. (I've not fed him any of these yet although he did eat parsley a couple of days ago).

I have just been given Baytil to give him for 5 days, twice a day which I understand to be antibiotics, no pain relief.

 

[PammyRay]

Hello, so sorry to hear your lovely Maccy is poorly. Your vet does sound a little offhand to me! Don't be afraid to ask if they have anybody at the practice that specialises in rodents/exotics. I am sure someone on the forum with experience of treating bladder stones will offer you some helpful advice.
You can also look up the recommended vet locator at the very top of the forum page and see if a second opinion could be obtained for Maccy? All best wishes and hope all turns out ok for you both xx

Thanks for your kind words Aunty C

Yeah I have to actually laugh at the 'five pound' comment really! I just think it was an unfortunate choice of phrases and the idea of euthanaesia came as a shock, but I do just feel a little bit like he may not specialise in Guinea Pigs (vet got aggitated when Maccy did a little hip flick and squeak after vet had touched his bum - of course he'd jump it's their most tickilish bit!) so your suggestion is helpful. You're right, I shouldn't be worried about offending the vet for the sake of Maccy!

Thanks for your wishes, really appreciated xx

 

[PammyRay]

I'm sorry your vet was so blunt about things! I'm probably going to run counter to the majority experience here, because I have a guinea pig with a bladder stone that is managed conservatively. She was diagnosed at about 1.5 years of age, after recurrent bouts of bloody urine. She never had any behavioral symptoms, no squeaking, no loss of appetite, so sitting hunched up, nothing but blood in her pee. We were basically given three options for her. The first was surgery; however, I'm in Canada, where the level of experience with guinea pigs does not seem to be as high as it is in the UK. The surgery would have been extremely high-risk and would have cost over a thousand dollars (more than a mortgage payment on my house!) The other option was to manage it conservatively with antiinflammatories and antibiotics to prevent UTIs from developing or taking hold. The third was to have her put down. Ultimately, we decided to manage her conservatively with constant low-dose suppressive antibiotics and to treat aggressively any infections that cropped up in spite of the prophylaxis. We figured that we would watch her closely to see if her quality of life was being impacted, and if it was, we would have to choose either to risk the surgery or to have her put to sleep to avoid her suffering. She is now about 4.5 years old and we are still in that holding pattern... she takes a low dose of Baytril every 48 hours, which seems to keep most infections at bay. She has had a couple of UTIs in that time, one of which was pretty hard to clear, but we've managed to get them back under control. She continues to eat well, run around, play, popcorn, and do all the normal piggie things. I know that guinea pigs hide pain well, but having seen the same guinea pig go through a facial abscess that was painful and seeing how miserable and quiet and reluctant to move or eat or do anything she was during that time, I honestly do not believe she is in a lot of pain from the stone. I've seen her in pain, and her baseline is not the way she behaves in pain. She may have some UTI-like discomfort at times, but for that matter, I have chronic bladder and kidney issues too and I don't wish I was dead because of them! We do make sure her diet is low in calcium (but it was anyhow, there's no obvious 'reason' why she has a stone and her companion, on the same diet, doesn't. My vet suspects that some pigs are simply predisposed to them for unknown reasons.)

I suspect that this is an unpopular alternative (I'm always afraid to say it because I expect to get blasted by someone telling me that my guinea pig has to be in constant pain and I'm making her suffer dreadfully by not doing the surgery), but I'm just putting it out there as a pig who has managed with a bladder stone without needing to be put to sleep or suffering any noticeable decrease in quality of life. Honestly, if guinea pig surgery in my area was routine and not unreasonably expensive, I would probably have opted for the surgery, but that's not the case where I live, and I'm glad she has had these few years of the good life rather than having chosen to put her down even though she was not having many symptoms at all.

That's really good to know, thank you!

To me you're clearly a conscientious, considered and careful owner and have proceeded with the support of your vet so in my humble opinion I don't see why anyone would justifiably berate you for making your Guinea Pig suffer but I can understand why you may anticipate such a response.

I'm really glad you posted, thanks. It's the kind of detailed information that I felt was missing when I went to the vet, I was having to ask a lot of questions about what the condition 'meant' for my pig because he didn't explain it. He just gave me the clinical aspects of the proceedure of x-ray then operation. I wanted to know more about what these stones are, do they break down, do they hurt all the time, how do they actually affect the pig etc... I like to know as much as possible!

My first question was - is he in pain, and like you, of course I would not have him suffer unfairly.

At this stage, having only been to the vet today, I'm still gathering all my information and keeping a close eye on him. I would like a second opinion and it seems like an x-ray is the way forward to know what we're dealing with. It's really helpful to know what's working for you to manage the stones and something I can always discuss with a vet if that is how it pans out.

I hope she continues in her happy ways, she sounds like she gets a lot of pleasure from life to me.

 

[Freela]

I appreciate your comments. Generally everyone on the forum is very nice so I don't know why I worry about it... it just does seem that the advice for how to deal with things varies by location as well, with surgery being less recommended in Canada (probably because, with fewer guinea pigs there are fewer vets experienced in treating them and thus the outcomes are probably not as good.) Sundae has done very well with conservative management, and although of course I hope to have her for many more years, had I known when she was diagnosed that she would still be living a good life at age 4.5 years I would have been ecstatic, it would have seemed like more than I could reasonably hope for at the time! She's a very sweet pig and I'm glad she's had all these additional good years in spite of the stone! She's the light pig in my avatar picture. She's a cutie!

I certainly wouldn't be quick to consider putting him to sleep if he seems comfortable and is eating and behaving normally. It seems like there is a lot of recourse before you hit that point and the vet was jumping the gun to bring it up at all at this stage.

I think if you've got any doubt of the vet not having a lot of guinea pig experience, it's worth getting a second opinion. You really don't want a vet 'practicing' on your Maccy, and you want to know that the vet doing the operation has done similar ones in the past with generally good results. You also will need an x-ray to assess the stone (and to make sure there is a stone... my other pig was once believed to have a stone by palpation, but it turned out just to be bladder inflammation from a nasty UTI making the bladder feel enlarged/swollen and not a stone at all.) My vet has also said that the major crisis risk with bladder stones is the possibility that the pig will begin to pass the stone and have it get stuck. This is very painful and is a medical emergency, as the guinea pig can no longer pee. Looking at Sundae's bladder stone, she was in the 'grey area' where the stone was too large to try to pass, but not so large that it was taking up her whole bladder or causing distension. I think a second opinion, maybe with a vet that is recommended who sees a lot of guinea pigs, might give you a better idea of where you are and what your options really are.

That's really good to know, thank you!

To me you're clearly a conscientious, considered and careful owner and have proceeded with the support of your vet so in my humble opinion I don't see why anyone would justifiably berate you for making your Guinea Pig suffer but I can understand why you may anticipate such a response.

I'm really glad you posted, thanks. It's the kind of detailed information that I felt was missing when I went to the vet, I was having to ask a lot of questions about what the condition 'meant' for my pig because he didn't explain it. He just gave me the clinical aspects of the proceedure of x-ray then operation. I wanted to know more about what these stones are, do they break down, do they hurt all the time, how do they actually affect the pig etc... I like to know as much as possible!

My first question was - is he in pain, and like you, of course I would not have him suffer unfairly.

At this stage, having only been to the vet today, I'm still gathering all my information and keeping a close eye on him. I would like a second opinion and it seems like an x-ray is the way forward to know what we're dealing with. It's really helpful to know what's working for you to manage the stones and something I can always discuss with a vet if that is how it pans out.

I hope she continues in her happy ways, she sounds like she gets a lot of pleasure from life to me.

 

[sport_billy]

Welcome to the forum to you and Maccy, sorry to hear he may have a stone. You have received some very good, thoughtful replies above. The forum is very supportive and we try our best to help and advise.
It is awful when the vet pops up with a get another for £5 comment and the idea of PTS is far, far to sudden. I would highly recommend a 2nd Opinion and an xray... this will definitely tell you if it is stones and if they are operable. As Freela says Guinea Pig vets vary all over the word and we are lucky in the UK to have quite a few good ones. Amir that Helen has recommended is certainly one of the best in the country in my mind, if you could find a way to get to them I am sure you will gets some further answers and hopefully something positive to go on.

As regards to diet, the main school of thought is a low calcium diet is the way to go to help avoid stones so cutting out on things like Parsley, Kale, Cabbage, Basil. Dark green veggies tend to be the ones high in Calcium.

Love to Maccy x

 

[PammyRay]

Thanks for the welcome sport_billy. It's good to know you also recommend Amir so I will see what I can do about seeing him, I would feel much better getting his opinion. He's about 30 miles away, not too far but not doable by train as I would have to go into London and back out - anyway a second opinion is my next port of call.

Good to know about the diet, actually their firm favourite is spinach (also fairly high in calcium according to wikipedia), so we'll adjust that too.

Just managed to give him his first dose of Baytril which looked like it gave him the 'tang factor' but got it in

It's all happened at once here, his brother Pickle is now closing one eye so I'm going back to the vet tomorrow with him (he scratched his eye once before and this looks very similar).

Thanks for the comments, really appreciate it.

 

[PammyRay]

I appreciate your comments. Generally everyone on the forum is very nice so I don't know why I worry about it... it just does seem that the advice for how to deal with things varies by location as well, with surgery being less recommended in Canada (probably because, with fewer guinea pigs there are fewer vets experienced in treating them and thus the outcomes are probably not as good.) Sundae has done very well with conservative management, and although of course I hope to have her for many more years, had I known when she was diagnosed that she would still be living a good life at age 4.5 years I would have been ecstatic, it would have seemed like more than I could reasonably hope for at the time! She's a very sweet pig and I'm glad she's had all these additional good years in spite of the stone! She's the light pig in my avatar picture. She's a cutie!

I certainly wouldn't be quick to consider putting him to sleep if he seems comfortable and is eating and behaving normally. It seems like there is a lot of recourse before you hit that point and the vet was jumping the gun to bring it up at all at this stage.

I think if you've got any doubt of the vet not having a lot of guinea pig experience, it's worth getting a second opinion. You really don't want a vet 'practicing' on your Maccy, and you want to know that the vet doing the operation has done similar ones in the past with generally good results. You also will need an x-ray to assess the stone (and to make sure there is a stone... my other pig was once believed to have a stone by palpation, but it turned out just to be bladder inflammation from a nasty UTI making the bladder feel enlarged/swollen and not a stone at all.) My vet has also said that the major crisis risk with bladder stones is the possibility that the pig will begin to pass the stone and have it get stuck. This is very painful and is a medical emergency, as the guinea pig can no longer pee. Looking at Sundae's bladder stone, she was in the 'grey area' where the stone was too large to try to pass, but not so large that it was taking up her whole bladder or causing distension. I think a second opinion, maybe with a vet that is recommended who sees a lot of guinea pigs, might give you a better idea of where you are and what your options really are.

Gosh no, PTS is definitely not on the cards for me at this stage.
I'll definitely need that second opinion, interesting to know that your other pig was misdiagnosed! As you say I need to know what we're dealing with and take it from there. Maccy still seems happy tonight, he's had some lettuce as a treat after his antibiotics and he wolfed that leaf down.
That's a sweet picture of your pigs, cuties indeed.
The next place I go to I'll be checking for a vet that sees a lot of guinea pigs and ideally get to one of the recommended ones.
Thanks so much x

 

[doglovinpiggylover]

Hi there, gosh i am so sorry you have had such a crappy experience at the vets, even if it is a vet that is not so well up on stones there is no excuse for that manner.

I dont want to give you advice as i am no expert, but for me reading other people stories helped me.

I have had two pigs with bladder stones. The first one i had, Pepper, i was totally uneducated and did not have a clue what to do/expect. He started by crying when weeing, no blood or anything so off we popped to the vets. He had a course of antibiotics and pain killers. the squeeking never stopped. we then had xray and found the stone, he was operated on the stone was removed. Sadly, he never stopped sqeaking from day one and even after the stone removal was squeaking often. About two or three weeks after his op he was squeaking constantly and unable to pass wee so i rushed him to the vets and he was pts. His bladder was not able to empty and following a discussion with the vet i decided as i work full time that i did not feel happy to let the vet drain his bladder in case it all happened again whilst i was at work and he suffered for a long time. the vet agreed with my decision. He had suffered enough. at no time throughout did he stop eating or drinking and his weight was maintained.

One of my current pigwigs, Oscar, has a stone that is lodged in his ureter. He has had 3 episodes of bleeding, the first two without any squeaking when weeing, food intake was normal during all episodes but water intake increased dramatically at some point during the episodes, i cant exactly remember when, but it is still a lot. After the first two episodes of bleeding we had antibiotics and pain relief and the bleeding stopped and we presumed infection. when it happened for the third time we went down the xray route which did not find a stone so we had ultrasound that did. He was booked in for surgery at which point it was found that the stone was lodged and the vet flushed but sadly it wouldnt shift. This was a year ago, he lost weight initially but after about 3months his weight went up andd has been maintained since at a decent weight approx 1020g. His food intake is normal. I changed his diet to the one Helen mentioned and changed his nuggets to lower calcium ones. Since the stone was located, Oscar has been on Metacam twice a day and seems perfectly happy and is his normal cheeky self.

I dont know if any of this is of any use to you, but like i say experience from others helped me. I think i have told this as close to how it happened, bearing in mind it has been over a few years!

I really hope you can get some better advice for Maccy. Personally i would never step foot in that practice again.

ps pepper was 3 1/2 when pts and Oscar has just gone over his 4th birthday x

pps/ like i say I'm no expert, but i would think he would feel more comfortable with pain relief

 

[Virtues2011]

Penny had a bladder stone, same symptoms...crying when going for a wee, blood present etc I took her to the vets and they basically told me in two breaths that I should put her to sleep. I didn't - but I did opt for the xray and operation to remove the stone. It was very large I must say smooth and round like a marble!. I paid £250 and she never recovered, she passed that night....there seems to be so many piggies that survive with a stone that unless there was real pain or suffering, I don't think I'd go down the operation route again.

 

[Freela]

Gosh no, PTS is definitely not on the cards for me at this stage.
I'll definitely need that second opinion, interesting to know that your other pig was misdiagnosed! As you say I need to know what we're dealing with and take it from there. Maccy still seems happy tonight, he's had some lettuce as a treat after his antibiotics and he wolfed that leaf down.
That's a sweet picture of your pigs, cuties indeed.
The next place I go to I'll be checking for a vet that sees a lot of guinea pigs and ideally get to one of the recommended ones.
Thanks so much x

Yours are very cute as well- or handsome, I should say!

 

[PammyRay]

Welcome to the forum to you and Maccy, sorry to hear he may have a stone. You have received some very good, thoughtful replies above. The forum is very supportive and we try our best to help and advise.
It is awful when the vet pops up with a get another for £5 comment and the idea of PTS is far, far to sudden. I would highly recommend a 2nd Opinion and an xray... this will definitely tell you if it is stones and if they are operable. As Freela says Guinea Pig vets vary all over the word and we are lucky in the UK to have quite a few good ones. Amir that Helen has recommended is certainly one of the best in the country in my mind, if you could find a way to get to them I am sure you will gets some further answers and hopefully something positive to go on.

As regards to diet, the main school of thought is a low calcium diet is the way to go to help avoid stones so cutting out on things like Parsley, Kale, Cabbage, Basil. Dark green veggies tend to be the ones high in Calcium.

Love to Maccy x

Thanks for this. I'm not sure whether I should wait to see how he goes on the antibiotics (baytril) before getting a second opinion, I have family that can ferry me the 30 miles to Amir but if we have to return for further visits its not the easiest or most practical option (my family do not live particularly near me - both sides 1hr and 1.5hrs in opposite directions).
He is his usual self behaviour wise, so it's very hard to know if he is in pain - it doesn't appear so.
Feeling a bit confused.

 

[Poppy'sMum]

Baytril won't do much at all, if he has a urine infection then Septrin antibiotic is the first one an Exotic vet would use. I would definitely get him to Amir, Helen gives very good advice & if you want him to have surgery then he needs a very experienced vet. He will need adequate pain relief too, what else did your vet prescribe?

 

[PammyRay]

Baytril won't do much at all, if he has a urine infection then Septrin antibiotic is the first one an Exotic vet would use. I would definitely get him to Amir, Helen gives very good advice & if you want him to have surgery then he needs a very experienced vet. He will need adequate pain relief too, what else did your vet prescribe?

He gave him 2 injections one he said was antibiotics and the other an anti-inflamatory, we have only been given baytril to give him twice a day for 5 days.

 

[PammyRay]

Would a vet do an xray there and then or is it something that needs to be booked in? And how common is it for piggies to be put under general anaesthetic just for an x-ray?

 

[Poppy'sMum]

The anti-inflammatory will probably be for pain relief too, but that would have run out by now I suspect. Is he eating ok? Please weigh him daily & keep a close eye on weeing/pooing. If he stops urinating that is a medical emergency & he needs a vet asap. He really does need a low dose of Metacam (Pain relief) daily as well though. The problem is if you take him to a vet that is closer & they are not able to help him, then you will need to look for a more experienced vet further afield. All of which is going to cost more money & also waste time, if he needs an op & you are willing to go through it then you want him to have it whilst he is in relatively good health, rather than later if he becomes weak & lethargic. Could you ask a friend or neighbour to help you get to Amir? I would also ask the vet for adequate pain relief for him too

 

[Poppy'sMum]

With regards to x-rays, some will do it without a GA, but usually they use a tiny whiff of gas to sedate them. Or they can do an ultrasound which requires no GA at all

 

[Elwickcavies]

I would echo what's been said about trying to get to a more experienced vet and looking at the possibility of surgery. You know your pig best, so you are the best person to judge if he is in pain, but I would expect the vet to have given you some metacam. Some vets don't use GA for x-rays, some use sedation and some use full anaesthesia. Personally, I don't think a full GA is ever necessary, but it does depend on the vet. All x-rays I have had done have needed to be booked in, but again this depends on the vet you are using. I agree that Septrin is probably a better antibiotic that Baytril, and it has less effect on the digestion. Are you giving a probiotic? If not it would be a good idea to give Bio-lapis (from a vet) or Pro-C (from P@H) 1-2 hours after every dose of antibiotic. Please let us know how he gets on.

 

[7squeakers.]

Hello PammyRay,
Welcome to the forum from another Chelmsfordian (?). SO sorry to hear about your poor little Maccy and your rubbish vet. Can't offer you much advice really. I have only ever had one piggie with a bladder stone. She was operated on to remove it, but sadly did not survive the op. It is a very invasive procedure. I do wish you the very best of luck with your little boy and hope a different vet can give you more good advice. BIG healing vibes coming your way.

 

[PammyRay]

Poppy's Mum - He's wolfing down lettuce whenever I give it to him (I realise this is full of water and not huge on nutrients) and he did dip into his dried food earlier but usually when I fill it up in the morning he is practically eating it out the container, so his appetite is a bit toned down I'd say. I've read that the Baytril can affect appetite especially when given orally.

I will keep an eye on his weight... (he was 1250g at vets - but without sounding overly suspicious I'm not entirely convinced that's right because his brother was weighed exactly the same some months before and he is definitely heavier by some way).

You make a lot of sense I guess I'm a bit scared by thought of losing him (it's a shock and I don't feel he is at that point, he's ok) and don't want to make the wrong decision.

There is possibly one person close-by who I may be able to ask who can take me. My fiance and I moved here a couple of years ago so I could study full time for my masters and I have just finished so most friends have either moved away or don't drive, we don't see our neighbours as we live in flats where everyone is very private.

I agree that Amir is the best person and can't really think about any further decisions until we know the deal which I guess the x-ray will reveal...

Thank you x

 

[helen105281]

Amir may prefer to do a scan but the cost is roughly the same I think, which is about £40. If he does xray it will be done conscious unless there is a reason not to.

 

[PammyRay]

I would echo what's been said about trying to get to a more experienced vet and looking at the possibility of surgery. You know your pig best, so you are the best person to judge if he is in pain, but I would expect the vet to have given you some metacam. Some vets don't use GA for x-rays, some use sedation and some use full anaesthesia. Personally, I don't think a full GA is ever necessary, but it does depend on the vet. All x-rays I have had done have needed to be booked in, but again this depends on the vet you are using. I agree that Septrin is probably a better antibiotic that Baytril, and it has less effect on the digestion. Are you giving a probiotic? If not it would be a good idea to give Bio-lapis (from a vet) or Pro-C (from P@H) 1-2 hours after every dose of antibiotic. Please let us know how he gets on.

Thanks so much this has been really helpful, I had also read (after the vet visit) that Baytril was not the antibiotic of choice for UTIs (if that's what it is). I also feel like a GA is a bit OTT, most of the time when they are put on a new surface they just stay still until I approach them anyway!
I've bought some Pro-C so they've got that in their water now, and bought some dry food that has not got any calcium in it.

He is his chirpy little self, running over and standing on his ramp when the fridge door opens (he recognises the sound and always thinks/hopes its for him), drinking fine and having the odd little chase with his brother - apart from the blood in his wee, and slight dip in interest in food earlier he is much the same as normal, and I believe I know him well too. I am at home most days at the moment having just finished study, they are indoor piggies so I spend a lot of time around/with/watching them.

Seeing Amir tomorrow
thanks x

 

[PammyRay]

Amir may prefer to do a scan but the cost is roughly the same I think, which is about £40. If he does xray it will be done conscious unless there is a reason not to.

Thanks so much, your advice and recommendation have been a great help indeed.

I have hired a car for tomorrow and we are going to see Amir I will ask about if they have any information on diet from the pig clinic as you mentioned.
The peace of mind I felt after booking in to see him is worth it, can have some faith that whatever options we have from here, we are in good hands. Thank you.

 

[PammyRay]

...I dont know if any of this is of any use to you, but like i say experience from others helped me. I think i have told this as close to how it happened, bearing in mind it has been over a few years!

I really hope you can get some better advice for Maccy. Personally i would never step foot in that practice again.

ps pepper was 3 1/2 when pts and Oscar has just gone over his 4th birthday x

pps/ like i say I'm no expert, but i would think he would feel more comfortable with pain relief

It is good to hear your stories, I feel so much more informed knowing the kinds of different experiences, outcomes and routes people have had. Your words really rung true for me actually (not stepping back in that practise) simply because I have lost confidence in their particular experience and knowledge of guinea pigs.

Do you have or know where I can find details of the diet as mentioned by Helen please? I am going to see Amir tomorrow (hired a car) so can ask at their practise if that's where it originated.

Great to know your Oscar is well and happy, chip chip! x

 

[helen105281]

Glad you have an appointment and I hope Amir can help. The diet was put together by Karen who runs the clinic but Amir may not have details of it, so if he doesn't just message me on here tomorrow night and I can summarise it all for you.

One tip, if you are following a sat nav tomorrow, don't put Vets and Pets in it, as it will send you along the tow path of the canal instead, if you put in Broxbourne station it is not far from there. I was almost going to be there tomorrow myself but I don't need to go now. Good luck.

 

[PammyRay]

Great thanks, yep the nurse mentioned that little blip! They were very nice over the phone, said people have come from Scotland to see Amir! My partner said he sounds like some sort of Guinea-pig Shaman, ha ha.

I'm really glad to be going somewhere that is trusted by people - that is a huge contributor to peace of mind, I'm also keen to keep in mind Maccy's cheerful disposition - which we are monitoring - in any discussions, so I feel prepared now and my partner will be with there which is good as he's both of ours so he can hear it from the vet directly. Anyway I digress.

Thanks again Helen.

 

[helen105281]

Ha ha. Yes it's a well known issue with the sat nav.

Good luck tomorrow, just message me if you need anything. If Amir asks how you found out about him, he knows who I am as I occasionally volunteer at the clinic and he has treated a few of my pigs.