Bladder Stone

[Sam and Ellie]

Hi,
Update - I took Munch to the vets today as he was in pain, he had a scan and he now has a stone, which was not there last week. He has pain relief and antibiotics and is due to have surgery on Thursday as the exotic vet is not in tomorrow.
I'm very stressed, i dont know what to expect, what can i do before and after the op to help my little pig.
He had his new pain relief at 2pm and he has not made a sound since then, i keep going to check he is still breathing.
I'm sorry to trouble you but i have noone to talk to re Munch, any advice will be much appreciated, he has been up for a small amount of food.
Thanks Sam

 

[Merab]

I can't give advice as I don't know enough, but I can hold you in my thoughts and prayers

 

[DM030819]

@Sam and Ellie Try not to worry, he's not going to suddenly die between now and Thursday. It's good that he's getting pain relief as stones can be quite painful for them.

It is a big operation but it's something that needs to be done. I had one boar who had bladder stone surgery twice and he was okay both times.

At the moment treat him as normal. Feed him as normal, and give him lots of love. It would be handy if you could weigh him before the surgery, just so you have a base weight so you can monitor him.

If you have any specific question or worries, please don't hesitate to ask. There are quite a few members whose pigs have had bladder stone surgery so we can try to help out.

 

[Wiebke]

I have given you already our post-op care and syringe feeding tips. They are very step-by-step and very detailed so you'll know what to look out for and what you can do at every stage, as well as when you need to contact your vet again.

Bladder stones are not at all uncommon in guinea pigs, so we see a number of them every year. I have had about 4 of them myself over the years; all of mine have made it through even though some ops happened very much in the 'olden days'.

A lot depends on where the stone is actually located. If your boy has not made a sound since he's had his pain relief, then he should hopefully not be too badly. Bladder operations generally heal well and without complications.

If he is not eating properly and losing weight now, please start syringe feeding now. Your vet should be able to give you a recovery formula to take home with you when you ask them to; until then, mushed up pellets will do. Please weigh daily at the same time to keep an eye on his food intake, so you know when you need to step in with support feeding and watering.

 

[Sam and Ellie]

I can't give advice as I don't know enough, but I can hold you in my thoughts and prayers

Thank you

 

[Sam and Ellie]

I always have CC in my gp first aid box and been giving him that, seems brighter tonight and not weeking when weeing. Have just fed him more CC and will get up and feed him again in a few hrs just to give him a extra boost. Also been giving him extra fluids too, to hopefully flush him through.
Thank you for your replies.

 

[Sam and Ellie]

@Sam and Ellie Try not to worry, he's not going to suddenly die between now and Thursday. It's good that he's getting pain relief as stones can be quite painful for them.

It is a big operation but it's something that needs to be done. I had one boar who had bladder stone surgery twice and he was okay both times.

At the moment treat him as normal. Feed him as normal, and give him lots of love. It would be handy if you could weigh him before the surgery, just so you have a base weight so you can monitor him.

If you have any specific question or worries, please don't hesitate to ask. There are quite a few members whose pigs have had bladder stone surgery so we can try to help out.

Thank you, ive not come across this before so its another learning curve. Thank you for your reply.

 

[VickiA]

Well spotted that he was in pain and for getting him to the vets. There are many owners on here whose piggies have had stone surgery and come through successfully. Just keep him comfy until the op can be done on Thursday. Sending you and Munch good wishes.

 

[Wiebke]

You may want to discuss with your vet the use of cystease for the longer term post-op. It is a glucosamine-based cat food supplement that helps to protect the natural glucosamine coat of the bladder walls.

We have got diet tips for guinea pigs with urinary tract issues in our diet guide (look under special diets). This to prevent or at least slow down as much as possible the formation of new stones.
Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diet