Bladder stone without surgery?

[Wizzy]

Hi so I have finally got my mum to agree to take rexy for an ultrasound next week(I’m paying more than half) because the antibiotics are not working for her uti. Her pee is a little bit gritty and she squeaks when she pees sometimes. It is most likely either sludge or a stone. If it is a stone, I’m in a very tricky place. First of all, the X-ray is going to cost £55, and my mum didn’t agree even to that( my stepdad is paying, but even he is reluctant). And I know stone surgery’s can be very expensive.... and I worked out I would have to save up for 2 years to have enough money. I can’t bear the fact of euthanasia if rexy has a stone... as she is still so alive and happy and eating and active, she just has pain when she is peeing. Is there a way she can live as long and as pain free as possible without surgery? I’m so worried, how much does a bladder flush usually cost? I might not even have enough for that.... although I’ll try my best . Any advice would be greatly appreciated... my mum doesn’t really understand. She said to me that it is just a pet and we can always put it down. Not the nicest thing to say.... they’re more than just pets to me!

 

[Swissgreys]

I really feel for you.
You sound like a very mature and responsible owner, and it is tough when you have to rely on your parents to pay vets bills.

But it does sound like your Mum and Step Dad are doing the right thing so far, so they clearly understand they are responsible to see that Rexy recieves proper vet cre.
Make sure that you let them know ho grateful you are for this first step.
Before worrying too much I would wait and see what the vet says, and also how your parents respond.
They may surprise you.

And if Rexy does need further treatment maybe you can talk directly to the vet about how you can help to pay the bill. If you do this in front of your Mum she might see how important this is to you and realise how seriously you are taking it.

When one of our guinea pigs was ill and required a bladder flush my daughter offered to pay half of her pocket money for a year towards the cost.
She also agreed to do certain extra chores around the house for a month, which impressed me greatly.
As a parent this made me see how commited she was to the welfare of her guinea pig.

 

[Wizzy]

I really feel for you.
You sound like a very mature and responsible owner, and it is tough when you have to rely on your parents to pay vets bills.

But it does sound like your Mum and Step Dad are doing the right thing so far, so they clearly understand they are responsible to see that Rexy recieves proper vet cre.
Make sure that you let them know ho grateful you are for this first step.
Before worrying too much I would wait and see what the vet says, and also how your parents respond.
They may surprise you.

And if Rexy does need further treatment maybe you can talk directly to the vet about how you can help to pay the bill. If you do this in front of your Mum she might see how important this is to you and realise how seriously you are taking it.

When one of our guinea pigs was ill and required a bladder flush my daughter offered to pay half of her pocket money for a year towards the cost.
She also agreed to do certain extra chores around the house for a month, which impressed me greatly.
As a parent this made me see how commited she was to the welfare of her guinea pig.

Honestly if it was up to me, rexy would be having surgery if she needed it, money doesn’t matter to me! How much did you pay for a bladder flush?

 

[Swissgreys]

Honestly if it was up to me, rexy would be having surgery if she needed it, money doesn’t matter to me! How much did you pay for a bladder flush?

I live in Switzerland, so prices here are very different to the UK.
Ruby had bladder sludge (although it looked like a stone on x-ray) so a flush was enough - surgery wasn't required.
The flush and anesthetic weren't hideously expensive, but the follow up treatments (antibiotics, pain killers, x-rays, ultra sound, urine tests, recovery food, follow up visits) cost a lot.
At one point when Ruby wasn't doing so well the vet did ask us to put an upper limit on what we would spend.
Sometimes treatment does work, and sometimes not.
It isn't always about the cost, as even trying everything doesn't always guarantee success.
You are on the right track - just wait and see what the x-rays show and decide from there.

 

[anyar.dris]

When Bunny had a bladder flush to remove her stones last month at Cat & Rabbit Care Clinic in Northampton, we paid around £350 more or less. But the cost includes the xray, anaesthetic, and meds. I can't remember the exact price for just the flush. Different vets charge different prices for every procedure though. You have to ask your vet how much they charge for such.

 

[Freela]

One of my pigs did live long-term with a bladder stone, but the difference is that she never displayed any kind of pain whatsoever. She just had recurrent urinary tract infections and a stone visible on x-ray. She took suppressive antibiotics to keep infections at bay. That said, we would have had to change the game plan if she had pain and it really didn't save me any money... it just meant I pain in installments because she was on low-dose antibiotics for years. I paid about 20 dollars a month for her meds, which isn't that bad... but when you consider that she took meds from age 2.5 until the time she passed a month or two shy of 7, that is a LOT of small payments. So conservative management isnt' necessarily cheaper in the long run. Just something for your parents to consider.

 

[Wizzy]

When Bunny had a bladder flush to remove her stones last month at Cat & Rabbit Care Clinic in Northampton, we paid around £350 more or less. But the cost includes the xray, anaesthetic, and meds. I can't remember the exact price for just the flush. Different vets charge different prices for every procedure though. You have to ask your vet how much they charge for such.

One of my pigs did live long-term with a bladder stone, but the difference is that she never displayed any kind of pain whatsoever. She just had recurrent urinary tract infections and a stone visible on x-ray. She took suppressive antibiotics to keep infections at bay. That said, we would have had to change the game plan if she had pain and it really didn't save me any money... it just meant I pain in installments because she was on low-dose antibiotics for years. I paid about 20 dollars a month for her meds, which isn't that bad... but when you consider that she took meds from age 2.5 until the time she passed a month or two shy of 7, that is a LOT of small payments. So conservative management isnt' necessarily cheaper in the long run. Just something for your parents to consider.

I will talk to my mum.... I have been trying to talk to her about it but she is saying that ‘we can just put it down’ it’s ‘just a guinea pig’ not very nice . Does anyone have an idea of how much surgery costs? It doesn’t bother me... but rather my mum as she is refusing to pay. Just wondering how long I’ll have to save up for! Might have to ask for the money for her surgery for my birthday . I’m hoping it’s not a stone though... we’ll have to see what the ultrasound shows.