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Bladder Stone Operation

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gemmie

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My Guinea pig Paddy re-visited the vets last week, was given an x-ray and was found to have a small bladder stone. We decided to put him in for the op as he seemed in quite a bit of pain when going to the toilet. The good news is his poos are darker and there is no blood in his urine any more. At the moment he is only eating veg, hay and we are syringing him a vitamin c supplemented water. He seems to have gone off his pellets..

Paddy is going in for the op this Tuesday ( 22nd May) and I am very worried. I'm not sure how to look after a guinea pig after an operation and the success rate of him pulling through. Can someone please give me some advice on after care, success rates etc....

Thank you x x
 
Sorry to hear that Paddy is poorly, hoping everything goes well for him.

Hoping someone with post op care experience will be along shortly to advise.. Hope everything goes ok for your little boy and sending lots of healing vibes his way.
 
Hi Gemmie,

Sorry to hear your boy needs an op for his bladder stone. My boy Dory has had 2 ops in the past 5 months for bladder stones and so I can say that if the vet is guinea pig savvy then the op should go well. How old is your boy and what weight is he? The heavier the better (800g+), and if he's in good health apart from the stone then the anaesthetic should be fine (the main thing to worry about when a pig has an op).

Post op you need to make sure he is eating straight away - the vet should keep him in to make sure. Keep an eye on his poos to make sure they are formed correctly and not diahorrea. He'll be quite dozy until the morning after the op probably but then should seem bright and fine. If not then I'd definitely consult the vet.

As for after care. I recommend giving him bottled low calcium water and put him on a low calcium diet. LOTS of different types of hay, minimal pellets and cut back on high calcium veg like kale, parsely and spinach. You can find out lots more info on this kind of diet on guinea lynx webpage.

Hope it all goes well, hugs for your boy xx
 
Thankyou he is not eating alot at the moment as he is in quite a bit of pain, he is nearly 3, he used to be quite heavy but has lost a but if weight since around 2 weeks ago. What vegetables do * recommend? We are already giving him vitamin supplemented water and lots of hay. Do I need to separate him from his brother as at the moment I don't have a spare cage?
 
Harley had a stone last year and had it removed so understand how horrible these things are :(
We didn't separate him from his brother post op as felt the company would aid his recovery better having never been apart from birth - he literally jumped from my arms when we got him home to get back into his pen and argue for the comfiest spot with his buddy...mallethead
I removed anything that Harley could jump onto, everything was on one level (they have double storey pens with a ramp) so as to keep him from straining and zooming around, hay was placed into a rack to stop him sitting in pee/poo to minimise infection brewing.
Keep the bedding scrupulously clean - I use vet bed which wicks pee away leaving the surface dry and cut a mattress protector up and popped it where he slept so could keep an eye on any blood loss from the wound site.
Check the op site twice daily for any redness/swelling etc. Make sure it doesn't feel hot to touch as this indicates infection or an abcess.
All I can stress to you is to keep your boy comfy and as clean as possible...ooh and spoil him rotten...boys love a lot of attention.

This may be of help but someone on here will always be able to advise you:

http://exoticpets.about.com/od/guineapigs/a/Guinea-Pig-Bladder-Stones.htm

Good luck and keep us updated x>>

Can you find some nice dandelions for him ? They are a diuretic so your boy may pee more but they love them.
 
HUGS

One of my first guinea pigs made it through two bladder stone operations, spaced 14 months apart. But operations are always a worrying time. Generally, a bladder stone operation is pretty straight forward, provided that the stone is not located in an awkward nook in the urethra.

Here is more information on bladder stones: http://www.guinealynx.info/stones.html
Here are tips for post op care: http://www.guinealynx.info/postop.html

Please don't hesitate to ask any questions on this thread as you go along.

I am keeping my fingers crossed for your boy!
 
thank you so much. Just a quick question, do i need to put him in a cage on his own and what bedding should I use post-op and for how long for?

thanks x
 
It would be good to have him in a cage on his own at least until you get the post op clear from your vet and the wound is no longer in danger of ripping open. The wound should start healing within 2-3 days of the op and be completely knitted up by 10-14 days.

Please keep him on light, clean, washable fabric (prewashed, softener free fleece, vet bed or just towels), so no dirt can get into the wound and you can spot any blood stains quickly.
 
I do not have a cage but I do have a cat carrier I could put him in with his fleecy blanket and some towels. What veg can I feed him?
 
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