Bladder Stone Surgery

[Suzyq]

Hi guys
Just wondering if anyone else had come across this....
My 3 year old Rex boar Harry had a large bladder stone removed 3 weeks ago he seems to be recovering well eating,drinking,playing pooping and weeing,he been taking baytril and metacam on & off since his op I've been trying to reduce the amount of painkiller he has from 4 drops to about 1 1/2 drops a day
He seems to still be in a little bit of discomfort when he poops not really when he wees (no blood in his wee either) is this normal & he's just recovering from his op or is it a sign a stone has reformed?

 

[Pebble]

A bladder stone operation means cutting through the lower abdominal muscle to get to the bladder. The muscle then has to know back together and start to work properly.
It requires both the integral smooth muscles in the intestine and the visible skeletal abdominal muscles to do a "proper piggie poop"

Is he in pain or is he just finding it difficult/requiring more effort to expel his poos.
If the former, I would up the painkiller again, if the latter, this is to be expected and will take while before he is back to 100%.

Worth keeping an eye on him though - stones have been known to form quite quickly after a stones op so monitoring his wee is a good thing.
Glad he is recovering well and hope this information helps
x

 

[Suzyq]

Thank you for your prompt response :-) he does seem to be requiring a bit more effort to get his poops out which seems to cause him pain (I've given him a bit more metacam ( hate to see him in even a little pain)
I was trying to reduce the painkillers cause I didn't think it was healthy for him to be on the ages but I suppose a big op like he's had take a good while to fully recover from!
Have you had bladder problems with your guineas?
While I'm here any ideas for low calcium food/veg I think they are getting bored of tomatoes & green peppers?!

 

[Pebble]

Thank you for your prompt response :-) he does seem to be requiring a bit more effort to get his poops out which seems to cause him pain (I've given him a bit more metacam ( hate to see him in even a little pain)
I was trying to reduce the painkillers cause I didn't think it was healthy for him to be on the ages but I suppose a big op like he's had take a good while to fully recover from!

There's a lot of conflicting information about using the painkiller metacam for long-term periods because it has been shown to affect kidney function in dogs. So far there is no evidence that this also applies to guinea pigs given their shorter lifespan, i.e. there is much less of a risk. Pain relief in piggies is paramount - you need to keep them eating and their guts functioning - which won;t happen without adequate pain relief. Tramadol is a good (and sometimes more effective) alternative pain relief for pigs with urinary issues - but be aware it is an opiate and can slow down the gut movement so you need to keep a watchful eye on poo output and perhaps give some gut motility meds (zantac should suffice) with it.

Have you had bladder problems with your guineas?

Yes - bladder stones, interstitial cystitis, kidney stones, urethral stones....you name it!

While I'm here any ideas for low calcium food/veg I think they are getting bored of tomatoes & green peppers?!

Veg: I have one pig with suspected interstitial cystitis who had a bladder flush 2 years ago and since then has been absolutely fine .....UNLESS I give him greens/lettuce etc.
He is therefore restricted to grass, dandelions, baby corn, pepper, cucumber and carrots ONLY. Within 24hours of him gobbling anything else, he is squawking when weeing. He is not on any meds, nor barley gloop or cranberry etc. He gets annual check-ups/Xrays top monitor for stone formation and so far he has been fine since his bladder flush.

Pellets: All my pigs get alternating Gerty meusli, Harringtons/Burgess/P@H nuggets and recently I have tried them on JRGmbh - the latter are highly recommended for urinary pigs and if I could I would use these all the time . However, the pellet size is enormous, they don;t mush up well for syringe feeding and i find I can only give these occasionally.

Fluids: Syringe-fed Pearl barely gloop, water and/or cranberry juice (without added sugar diluted with water) can all help keep the urinary system flushed. Your piggie should be drinking 30ml+ fluids and if not, needs to be syringe fed the above.

I'm sure others will add some more suggestions.
HTH. .
x

 

[Suzyq]

Thank you so much for this advice I was really worried about keeping him on metacam for too long but like you say pain management is so important,
Think I'll stick to a restricted diet for them both (Harry has a cage mate Percy who has so far had no bladder problems) I've just changed them over to oxbow cavy cuisine adult guinea pig food the reviews and my vet said it was a good food for them to have (less calcium) :-))

 

[helen105281]

I have pigs with Interstitial Cystitis and they are on daily vegan Glucosamine and a restricted low calcium diet. They have unlimited hay, Bunny Guinea Pig Basic grainless pellets from Zooplus and the only veg I feed is:

Coriander
Cucumber
Celery
Green Beans
Spring greens
Peppers

All in very small amounts.

I don't give cranberry juice as it has been shown to make Interstitial cystitis worse and this has been confirmed by an exotic vet who works with London Zoo. The same applies to humans with IC, a friend has been advised by her doctor not to drink it. I also feed no fruit because of the sugars.

I had a link about Cranberry and IC but can't find it at the moment, let me know if you need it and I will do a proper search. I did post a thread on here about it I think.

I know your pig does not have IC at the moment but thought this may help as bladder issues are often linked.

 

[Suzyq]

Thank you too! Never thought of trying cranberry juice (though I'm sure it works for some) anyway I'm sure neither of my pigs would go near it!
I've restricted my two to
Cucumber
Carrots
Peppers
Tomatoes
A few green beans
Spring greens
& baby corn
They also have unlimited hay
Dry & fresh grass
:-))

 

[helen105281]

Here are a couple of links, they relate to humans but show some of the triggers of IC, including Cranberry and other fruit juices

http://www.ic-network.com/patient-resources/diet/diet-introduction/#riskfoods

http://nutritionarticlesonline.com/bladder_interstitial_cystitisic/