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Bladder Op Advice

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Midge&Panda

Midge&Panda

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Rosie has had her x-rays and about 3-4 stones were found. We've discussed the options and the only way forward and to give Rosie a chance is to have them removed. She's 5 yrs and in general good health. Can somebody advise as to what the operation entails and any additional aftercare tips. I've dealt with spays and lump removal but nothing like this before. Many thanks
 
I am sorry; having to face an operation with on older piggy is always a major leap of faith!

The good news is that generally bladder stone operations on sows are pretty straight forward and they tend to heal well and without any complications. it is going to take 2-3 days for the body to settle after the operation, so you have to factor that in. I found that a spay was a worse operation to recover from than a bladder stone one. How well also depends on how complicated/long the operation is and how much damage there is to the bladder.

What you can do for post op care:
- please ask your vet how soon after the operation Rosie can have painkillers and if necessary a gut stimulant.
- keep her on light vetbed, flece or towels. A little bleeding during the first 2 days is normal, but any large amount needs to be seen asap. Change any soft bedding and/or cosies daily or preferably twice daily at first.
- If it makes her happier, she can have a companion with her as soon as she is eating normally and is chipper.
- Make sure that you have got everything for hand feeding, as well as probiotics etc. in case she's not got her appetite back. Do not hesitate to step in order to keep the guts working. Also offer as much water as she will take, as flushing any bacteria out of the system will also help.
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/complete-hand-feeding-guide.115359/
- Check at least once or twice during the first night that Rosie is leaving her operation scar alone and is not pulling out any stitches or gnawing on it.
- See your vet or an out-of-hours vet promptly in case Rosie doesn't pick up or is becoming very apathetic at any stage; the same goes if she seems to be in real pain.
- if Rosie is not yet on bladder wall coating vegetarian glucosamine or glucosamine based cystease/cystaid etc., you may want to look into that to help ease the discomfort and protect the walls.
- you may want to look into low calcium diets, pellets and filtered water to minimise the chances of a reoccurrance/new build up if that is possible. It depends on what is causing the stones. Not all factors can be controlled, as there is sadly still very little research.
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/low-calcium-diet-for-bladder-piggies.105930/
The IS diet has been integrated into our general diet recommendations; it is listed under "daily veg" (just leave away any other veg, herbs and fruit). We would recommend feeding 5 low calcium Bunny pellets per piggy per day with it; they are the currently best available brand.
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk...or-a-balanced-general-guinea-pig-diet.116460/
http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/small_pets/food/guinea_pig/bunny/195679

Wishing your girl all the best! My Ceri had an emergency bladder operation at a similar age and at very low weight (540g) after a rapid sudden weight loss, but she made it through thanks to a very good vet and was back to over 700g within two weeks of the op, so it can be done! ;)
 
Many thanks for that advice, Silly question time- I know probiotics are not to be given at the same time as antibiotics but something like pro-c added to the water and quite dilute does the same rule apply. She really likes it to drink but because she shares living space with a diabetic she cant have it unless separated. When she comes home she will be separated from her cage pigs but next to them in a hospital cage they tend to steal her food and annoy her.
 
Midge&Panda said:
Many thanks for that advice, Silly question time- I know probiotics are not to be given at the same time as antibiotics but something like pro-c added to the water and quite dilute does the same rule apply. She really likes it to drink but because she shares living space with a diabetic she cant have it unless separated. When she comes home she will be separated from her cage pigs but next to them in a hospital cage they tend to steal her food and annoy her.
Click to expand...

I would not add anything to the water. You give a pinch of probiotic 1-2 hours after the antibiotic, ideally on a bit of their favourite veg. If that doesn't work, mix the probiotic with 1ml of water and syringe it.
 
Rosie has had the op and come through it ok. She also had a very inflamed bladder wall as well as sludge. She's had a wash out as well. She has pooed but the vet wants her to stay in overnight for feeding and if needed stronger pain relief than what I can give her at home. After such a big op I know she's in the best place but I still want her home.
 
You must be relieved that she has come round. It is hard for you to leave her at the vets, but I am glad that she is getting all the pain relief and round the clock care she needs right now.

Sending her vibes! xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
 
Well Rosie's home all be it that she is a little bit quiet. I have a quick question, is it normal for her urine to be still bloody after a stone removal and flush out.( I'm waiting for the vets to phone back). She's not showing any signs of discomfort when passing either wee or poop. Thanks.
 
Yes, there can be a bit of blood for a few days. It depends on how bad the damage to the bladder walls is.
 
Thank you that puts my mind at ease. The wall was quite inflamed/irritated and I've been given the 2 stones she had. 1 is quite small but the larger one is about 8mm in length and about 5mm in width (rectangular in shape). Must of been extremely painful.
 
I hope that she will make a good recovery once the inflammation is going down. Please consider speaking about cystease/glucosamine with your vet.
 
Thanks, We tried a combination of ABs and nutracys+ to start with when we thought it was just an infection. She's been sent home with more nutracys+ so I'm guessing she will be staying on it but will double check when we go for her check-up on Thursday.
 
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