Bladder stone removal aftercare

[Danielle Smith]

Not ten minutes after the vet shut last night, my Toffee started doing shrieky wees -- not just the squeaks that indicate pain and distress, but all-out shrieking. Examination showed a large bladder stone at the entrance to her urethra. She wasn't able to urinate, and I wasn't able to manipulate the stone out so off to the out-of-hours vet we go.

Said angel of a vet managed to get it out manually without sedating her, using a massive amount of lubricant. There was a tiny tear and a small amount of bleeding. The vet gave me the stone to take away, as she was very impressed by it! As soon as we got home, Toffee did a massive shriek-free wee on my hand. Never been so happy to be christened by my piggies.

Toffee seems to be entirely better, eating and drinking fine, eliminating okay. My question is, should I move her onto a bladder piggy diet to prevent this happening again (including waster filtration)? I'm syringing a capsule of Cystease into her now, should I keep her on Cystease for the forseeable future? I've also ordered Chanca Plus powder from Galens Garden to give her alongside the Cystease.

Pig tax and stone picture below (with my thumbnail for reference).

 

[Danielle Smith]

Oh, and Toffee has never shown any of the signs of being a "bladder pig" -- no sludge, no squeaky wees (before now), no recurrent UTIs.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Oh dear, poor girl.
Yes I’d look at the diet, filter drinking water, check pellets kept limited etc. Changes will take a while to have an effect but it is definitely a good thing to do now onwards.

 

[Siikibam]

Oh my goodness that IS a whopper! No wonder she shrieked like never before, poor girl! And well done to the vet for manipulating that out without sedative.

It’s not a bad idea to try and reduce calcium etc. As above by Piggies&Buns

 

[Danielle Smith]

Thanks both, just wanted to make sure I wasn't going overboard! I've heard you tend to have lots of smaller stones or a single massive one in any given episode, hoping it's the latter but I will put steps into place to minimise the chance of this happening again.

 

[Wiebke]

Hi!

My Ceri (2009-14) had a 'silent' rabbit sized stone (so much so that Simon Maddock actually asked whether he could keep for his collection). She never showed any symptoms until she suddenly started to lose weight very quickly. She was a mere 520g despite feeding support over the weekend when she had her emergency operation on the Monday but was back to over 700g within two weeks of having the stone out. She was the last one of mine to require a bladder stone op and a hangover from the previous years of dietary experimentation.

The immediate relief from a large stone that basically blocks the bladder is enormous. Recovery in my own experience with bladder sows is generally very straightforward without any complications.
What can occasionally be a problem is bladder trauma but that happens more from crystals or very sharp stones, which yours isn't. Contact vet as an emergency if you notice sheer blood or continuous bleeding, or of your piggy is suddenly off food or looking very off. A little blood in the urine in the first day or two after the operation is normal and nothing to worry about.

Please take the time to read these guides here:
Tips For Post-operative Care
Emergency Resources and Critical Illness Care - Contents list and subforum link

Long term measures (won't have immediate effect but will be important for the longer term):
Diet: Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets (see chapter on special diets)
Bladder support: We strongly recommend to support the natural glucosamine coating of the bladder walls with extra glucosamine (which is classed as a food supplement and not a medication). Feliway cystease capsules are easiest to dose - mix the contents of one capsule with 2 ml of water and shake well. Wait for the powder to be fully absorbed. Shake a again before use and either give 1 ml twice a day or 2 ml of the solution once a day. A little medicine bottle is most useful for this, either an old one or one you can get from your vet or a pharmacy.

All the best for a smooth recovery for your poorly girl!

 

[piggieminder]

Ouch, poor piggy. Sending Toffee healing vibes, I hope she makes a swift recovery.

 

[Claire W]

Poor girl That stone is a whopper!
I can’t add to the advise already given but it wouldn’t harm to put her on a bladder pig diet and filter the water

 

[Danielle Smith]

Thanks for your personal experience @Wiebke, I shudder to even think how big that stone must have been! Thanks for keeping Toffee in your thoughts everyone -- she seems to be recovering fine and eating well, though we aren't quite back the the stuff-your-face behaviour she usually exhibits as my heaviest female pig!

 

[Wiebke]

Ceri's stone was 11 mm not just in length (which is not all that uncommon) but all round. It was about three or four times as large as any of the larger stones than I have ever seen!


I am sure that your girl will make a good and smooth recovery! the stuff your face behaviour will be back once the operation cocktail has worn off and the body settles down and starts healing in a serious and very quick way.
In the first 2-3 days post op you are doing well if your piggy is alert and has an appetite.