Hi!
Please be aware that when you do any online research that will come typically across two types of posts - all the horror stories and the miracle cures. What nobody considers worth posting about is the vast majority of perfectly successful operations, as they get taken for granted. If you have a tendency for anxiety, I would strongly recommend to stay away from these places as they give you a very distorted image of reality.
Operations of stones in the bladder is generally a pretty straight forward operation with a high rate of a problem-free straight forward recovery; even a repeated surgery is generally not a problem.
Where it gets complicated, especially for boars is if a stone fetches up in the urethra (the tube that connects the bladder with the anus). While in sows that is usually just before the exit, boars have a longer urethra with an awkward inglenook where most passed stones get stuck. Getting them out of there is much more difficult and fraught.
However, we have seen a fair number of successful recoveries even from urethral stone operations so they are by no means the end of the road.
Here are our post-op care and our crisis care tips. They do not make the most cheerful reading because there is of course more advice for when things don't go to plan than when things do, but they will hopefully make a very helpful resource for you during post-op recovery. Please bookmark them.
Tips For Post-operative Care
Emergency, Crisis and Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment (this only for when things go
really haywire!)
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
What I would recommend is that you:
- Please read our diet advice for guinea pigs with bladder stones (in the chapter for special needs diets). More calcium comes generally from water and pellets than high calcium veg; something that many people are not aware of.
Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets
- Get hold of a glucosamine-based cat bladder supplement like cystease capsules; they are classed as a food supplement and not as medication. All walls of the urinary tract are coated with glucosamine to prevent the corrosive urine from damaging any raw flesh. A bladder stone will of course damage this layer and cause pain. The glucosamine will help with the healing and recovery of this lining and will help with overall comfort.
You mix the contents with 1 capsule with 2 ml of water, shake well and syrine either half every 12 hours or all once in 24 hours. Use a small medicine bottle for the mixing and storing of the solution (your vet will have them).
I hope that that helps you?
PS: So far, I've had about 4-5 bladder stone piggies (one needing two ops) and have never lost any due to an operation. I have however not had another bladder stone piggy for 7 years after starting to filter water and reducing the amount of pellets massively.
I’ve booked him in to have them removed next Thursday, but I’m sooo worried about the op. I know guinea pigs don’t do well under GA, and I’ve read so many horror stories (worst thing to do I know). Aside from the stones he is very healthy, eating normally, good weight and still very young, he turns 3 next month. Am I making the right decision? Has anyone else had experience with stones? 
