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Bladder stone in elderly pig

Wizzy

Junior Guinea Pig
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Hi everyone,
i’m looking for a bit of advice. One of my pigs Rexy is about 7/7.5 years old now.
When we first adopted her about 3 years ago it was obvious she had a few bladder issues. She was on antibiotics and loxicom but nothing did much. however in may of 2018 she squealed loudly while weeing for about a day, and then stopped. we presumed she had passed the stone. Since then she sometimes has squeaky wees but nothing too serious at all.
However, she had bloat at the beginning of this year and has had dodgy poos since that are only just getting much better. I’ve noticed her painful wees are worse than they were, she takes a bit longer to wee and squeaks loudly every time she does it. Her bits look a tiny bit swollen but i’m not completely certain?
I’m now at a bit of a loss as to what to do now as it seems like she’s possibly grown another one. She had the supreme science recovery food for a few weeks whilst recovering from bloat.
She doesn’t get any veg at the moment whilst her tummy settles, gets a tablespoon of grain free pellets and filtered water. She keeps her weight of 861g. Is a little fluffed up but only really while eating and sleeping next to her sister.
As she’s extremely old and doesn’t weigh rather much, i really don’t think going through with a bladder stone op if it’s there is a good idea?
She also has had an uri once or twice so i’m not happy putting her under anaesthesia. what can i do to help her? is there a chance she could pass this stone like she did last time?
 
it might help if you go to the vets and get some medicine for her ? i did some research and this is what i found
Has she had the urine for the presence of blood, crystals and high protein levels (indication of a urinary tract infection/UTI or a cystitis (i.e. an inflammation of the bladder walls, which if it is chronic or repeating and not reacting to an antibiotic is called interstitial cystitis/IC)?
Has a scan/x-ray been done to check for a stone in the bladder or the urethra?
Has your vet checked the womb for any issues, as that can also cause symptoms similar to a cystitis?
hope this helps
 
Your first port of call I think would be a vet visit to see if she does have a stone. At least then you’ll know what you’re dealing with and can make any decisions from there x
it might help if you go to the vets and get some medicine for her ? i did some research and this is what i found
Has she had the urine for the presence of blood, crystals and high protein levels (indication of a urinary tract infection/UTI or a cystitis (i.e. an inflammation of the bladder walls, which if it is chronic or repeating and not reacting to an antibiotic is called interstitial cystitis/IC)?
Has a scan/x-ray been done to check for a stone in the bladder or the urethra?
Has your vet checked the womb for any issues, as that can also cause symptoms similar to a cystitis?
hope this helps
Thank you everyone! The vets are closed today after a covid case, but after a phone call with them they’ve advised to increase her water consumption and see how she is. She’s still rather fluffed up but is still getting pro c probiotics via a syringe. i just hope she’ll be okay as she is rather old now :(
 
Hi everyone,
i’m looking for a bit of advice. One of my pigs Rexy is about 7/7.5 years old now.
When we first adopted her about 3 years ago it was obvious she had a few bladder issues. She was on antibiotics and loxicom but nothing did much. however in may of 2018 she squealed loudly while weeing for about a day, and then stopped. we presumed she had passed the stone. Since then she sometimes has squeaky wees but nothing too serious at all.
However, she had bloat at the beginning of this year and has had dodgy poos since that are only just getting much better. I’ve noticed her painful wees are worse than they were, she takes a bit longer to wee and squeaks loudly every time she does it. Her bits look a tiny bit swollen but i’m not completely certain?
I’m now at a bit of a loss as to what to do now as it seems like she’s possibly grown another one. She had the supreme science recovery food for a few weeks whilst recovering from bloat.
She doesn’t get any veg at the moment whilst her tummy settles, gets a tablespoon of grain free pellets and filtered water. She keeps her weight of 861g. Is a little fluffed up but only really while eating and sleeping next to her sister.
As she’s extremely old and doesn’t weigh rather much, i really don’t think going through with a bladder stone op if it’s there is a good idea?
She also has had an uri once or twice so i’m not happy putting her under anaesthesia. what can i do to help her? is there a chance she could pass this stone like she did last time?

Hi

Please have her vet checked, so you know what is going and can then take it from there with her quality of life upmost in mind before your worries. Keep in mind that guinea pigs don't have a concept for life expectancy; they measure their life in happy days. She is clearly in discomfort, and that has to be your first priority before any fears of your own. It is always easier if you know what you are dealing with because you can then focus on doing what needs doing than letting your fears run rampage and getting in the way of you doing the right thing for another being in pain.

The organs at the lower end of the body are all very wrapped up by the gut, so any major pain issue will impact on the gut (bloating and pooing), whether that is a problem in the urinary tract, in the reproductive tract (which may account for the swelling and should be looked at as things can go badly wrong in there in older age, too) or bad arthritis in the lower spine.

All we can do is speculate based on your worried speculations, and that will definitely not help in any way. Please book a vet appointment for as soon as possible, ideally within 24 hours. Is there another vet you can see?
 
I’m just about to book her in for a scan tomorrow. hopefully they’ll be able to do it conscious?
 
Vet was closed today as well! I’ve tried calling around other vets but none are accepting new patients because of covid, and the emergency vet is £200 :mal: ive been syringing her probiotics in water and she’s eating fine, but is rather fluffed up.
She is still peeing though thank god, although it is painful for her :(
I’ve been feeling her bladder for stones and her bladder feels soft, does this mean anything?
i’ll attach a picture, would anyone be able to tell me if they look swollen or not just so i know?
 

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Forgot to add! she isn’t really puffed up when walking around, only when sleeping and eating. sometimes she puffs when’s she’s next to my other pig.
 
I’m sorry that the vets was closed and that other vets aren’t taking on new patients in your area.

It’s difficult to tell from your photo but the genitals do not look particularly swollen to me.

It’s good that she’s still eating and drinking normally. Have you been weighing her to make sure she isn’t losing weight?

It’s also good that her bladder is soft. I’ve always been told that if there’s a bladder stone, the bladder will be hard but I’m not a vet so can’t say for sure x
 
I’m sorry that the vets was closed and that other vets aren’t taking on new patients in your area.

It’s difficult to tell from your photo but the genitals do not look particularly swollen to me.

It’s good that she’s still eating and drinking normally. Have you been weighing her to make sure she isn’t losing weight?

It’s also good that her bladder is soft. I’ve always been told that if there’s a bladder stone, the bladder will be hard but I’m not a vet so can’t say for sure x
thank you! she isn’t losing any weight, and has actually put on weight recently. the only thing that worries me is how fluffed up she seems to be. she is also a little lethargic, but when i pick her up she’ll happily run along the ground, it’s just when in the cage. i think she’s possibly a bit tired from being prodded all day!
Hopefully will get her to the vet as soon as i can; and if it isn’t a bladder stone could arthritis be a possibility? i’m thinking because of her age.
She’s always had an issue with squeaky wees ever since i got her 3 years ago, but i’ve noticed it’s gotten a bit worse this week.
 
Fluffing up is usually a sign of pain somewhere in the body. If her wees have become more squeaky, it could be a uti in which case a course of antibiotics and painkiller from your vet will hopefully clear. It could also be interstitial cystitis (IC) but this is only diagnosed once uti, bladder stones and reproductive problems have been ruled out.

Arthritis is also a painful condition but it’s impossible to say without a vets examination
 
Fluffing up is usually a sign of pain somewhere in the body. If her wees have become more squeaky, it could be a uti in which case a course of antibiotics and painkiller from your vet will hopefully clear. It could also be interstitial cystitis (IC) but this is only diagnosed once uti, bladder stones and reproductive problems have been ruled out.

Arthritis is also a painful condition but it’s impossible to say without a vets examination
she seems to have not weed at all this evening. she’s put on weight and is eating just fine (i gave her a little cucumber and she snatched it out of my hands) and isn’t too lethargic but she hasn’t weed at all. she isn’t extremely fluffed up, i put her on a towel in a box with some hay for an hour and she didn’t wee once. she did a high pitched squeak once she got back in the cage, but she didn’t even wee then, only pooped. she also doesn’t want anymore water from the syringe, even though she was gulping it down earlier. should i be concerned? her bladder still feels soft, and as she’s a small pig (870g) i can feel the bone between the bottom of her stomach and her privates. thought for a second there that it might be a massive bladder stone but i think i’m just paranoid lol.
but mainly it’s the fact i haven’t seen her wee anything all evening when she’s had lots of fluids :(
 
It could be that it hurts her to wee so she’s holding it in? The other option is that she has a stone stuck in the urethra that is restricting urine flow which is a medical emergency but I would expect her to be poorly if that was the case. I’d keep a close eye on her urine output and take her to the emergency vet if you suspect she can’t wee
 
Hi, I just wondered how things are? Hope she's pulled through..
hello,
she is okay. vet can’t do anything about the bladder stone because of her age and heart murmur. we’re not even sure if it’s a sludge or stone because the ultrasound wasn’t clear. she is 6 and a half and so don’t want to put her through too much. her weight is fine and she’s eating and acting fine. some of her poos are perfect, and others are tiny and teardrop shaped. she is in a little discomfort when she pees :(
she gets probiotics every morning and evening and liquid recovery food when her weight drops a little. so far she is doing okay. hoping for the best for her x
 
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