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Caring For Post Op Piggy ..ga Advice Etc

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rufcjoe87

rufcjoe87

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Apologies if there is a thread elsewhere and for potentially clogging up but I felt this was a slightly different topic - feel free to take down if need be.

My piggy, Henry, had his bladder stone removed today. The stone was quite big in comparison to him bless him. I have it as a souvinir lol. Op went well and he is waking back up and he is home.
The vet said they performed his surgery fairly late in the day so may take longer to recover. He's back in his cage. He's not moved much. It took him about 24 hours to recover on Monday so I'm not too worried but thought I'd ask:

When should we syringe feed - dont want to leave it too long but I know he needs his rest?
How long roughly will it take until he starts regaining a bit of movement etc (he's due back at vets on Friday for check and says if not moved by tomorrow take him back - is this right?)
Is there anything else we should be doing to help him be comfortable and recover. I'm not worrying yet as I know he's coming round but obviously it's not nice seeing him just laying there bless him.
As always help and advice appreciated!
 
Poor little lad, l assume he has had some pain relief and gut stimulant at the vets?
I routinely syringe feed my pigs post operatively unless they have started eating normally for themselves. He especially needs fluid to keep his bladder flushing through, it will help reduce his pain if his urine is nice and dilute. I wouldn't worry about too much about him not moving around this evening, but if he doesn't seem to be getting going by the morning l would have him checked out. He will need pain relief for a few days and maybe some gut stimulant if he is not eating and poohing normally. Sending lots of healing vibes your way
 
Hi, I would contact your vet asap as it seems unusal to me if they haven't given him any post op care & he was allowed to come home so soon after surgery. Has he got any pain relief & medication? & ask them if they gave him any fluids as he will be in danger of becoming dehydrated if not. Does he seem any more alert now? When he seems awake enough you can offer him some green food like grass & try syringe feeding but only give little mouthfulls at a time so he doesn't choke & handle him gently. Hope he will be ok, but if you are worried get him back to the vet before Friday especially if you think he is in pain & won't eat or drink. It does take 24hrs for anaesthetic to leave the body but he will need support before then.
 
If he is not eating for himself, you will need to syringe feed him in order to keep his digesting system in working order. However, feed the first few syringes cautiously, to gauge how well he is swallowing as you don't want him aspirating the food into his lungs. Make the mixture thicker rather than runny.

GA will take its toll on their little systems and if he was operated on later in the day, he is maybe an hour or two behind in his recovery. The vet may have given pain killing meds at the time of surgery, but they should have let you know everything that happened when they discharged him and should also have prescribed some painkillers for him to continue with at home.
 
Hi guys. Thanks for your response. This morning he does seem brighter. He's eating on his own, had some veg and a few bits of his food. We still syringed him some water and a little food along with his meds (painkiller and baytril), but he has improved overnight.


Still a little groggy but a definite improvement from when i posted this post. He has done a few poos also, not many but some and he was looking for his breakfast this morning - something he's not done for a while. Obviously will keep a close eye on him and see what vet says tomorrow but he seems to be recovering ok. I know it's a long road but the signs seem good.


Thanks again guys this forum and its members are brilliant! :)
 
Just got in and hes moving around around well and improving all the time. He still squeaks a little when he wees though - assuming this is just him being sore from the op?

I'm a paranoid piggy parent lol!
 
rufcjoe87 said:
Just got in and hes moving around around well and improving all the time. He still squeaks a little when he wees though - assuming this is just him being sore from the op?

I'm a paranoid piggy parent lol!
Click to expand...

This is normal, as well as a bit of bleeding in the first 2-3 days after the operation. Make sure that you have got a painkiller or ask your vet for one. it takes about 2-3 days for the body to settles after a major operation and for the wounds to start knitting; this takes about 10-14 days.

Weigh him daily, so you can top him up with syringe feed if necessary.

For the long term, you'd best look at a low calcium diet. You can either use the limited IC diet (which we have listed under "daily veg") in our regular diet thread or find more information on low calcium veg in our other thread. Please filter any water and consider getting low calcium pellets, on which @helen105281 can advise you best.
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk...or-a-balanced-general-guinea-pig-diet.116460/
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/low-calcium-diet-for-bladder-piggies.105930/
 
Wiebke said:
This is normal, as well as a bit of bleeding in the first 2-3 days after the operation. Make sure that you have got a painkiller or ask your vet for one. it takes about 2-3 days for the body to settles after a major operation and for the wounds to start knitting; this takes about 10-14 days.

Weigh him daily, so you can top him up with syringe feed if necessary.

For the long term, you'd best look at a low calcium diet. You can either use the limited IC diet (which we have listed under "daily veg") in our regular diet thread or find more information on low calcium veg in our other thread. Please filter any water and consider getting low calcium pellets, on which @helen105281 can advise you best.
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk...or-a-balanced-general-guinea-pig-diet.116460/
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/low-calcium-diet-for-bladder-piggies.105930/
Click to expand...

helen105281 said:
The pellets I recommend are Bunny from Zooplus:

http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/small_pets/food/guinea_pig/bunny/195679

Or these which have slightly higher calcium but are still a good pellet:

http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/small_pets/food/guinea_pig/vitakraft/262148
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Thanks guys, really appreciate this! I thought I knew how to look after piggies but theres still so much to learn! Henry is definitely more himself, moving around more and looking for food. He is still squeaking when he pees but I forget its only been two days since the op! It feels longer! He's definitely brighter though! He's off to vets today fo a post op check. I asked re calcium free diet and vet said he wasn't sure as there wasn't much research so the threads about it on here are extremely helpful! Will look into those pellets and what veg would be better etc, and of course study threads here!

Thanks again guys it is appreciated! Henry says thanks too! :)
 
rufcjoe87 said:
Thanks guys, really appreciate this! I thought I knew how to look after piggies but theres still so much to learn! Henry is definitely more himself, moving around more and looking for food. He is still squeaking when he pees but I forget its only been two days since the op! It feels longer! He's definitely brighter though! He's off to vets today fo a post op check. I asked re calcium free diet and vet said he wasn't sure as there wasn't much research so the threads about it on here are extremely helpful! Will look into those pellets and what veg would be better etc, and of course study threads here!

Thanks again guys it is appreciated! Henry says thanks too! :)
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Calcium absorption in guinea pigs is complicated and has not yet been properly researched. Not all factors can be fully controlled by diet, but we have generally made good experiences in the last few years with any low calcium diet for bladder problem piggies and have had less cases of reoccurrance than in the years before.
Our recommendations work on practical long term experiences from people who haven't had any new cases of bladder stones in years despite looking after a great number of often frail guinea pigs.
You need to allow for a bit of cabbage (ideally spring greens, which seem to work best) to cover the magnesium need; magnesium unfortunately is found only in calcium rich veg.
Filtering water seems to one main factor that can go a long way, as it also removes the minerals that can also contribute to the build-up of
stones and sludge.
 
Wiebke said:
Calcium absorption in guinea pigs is complicated and has not yet been properly researched. Not all factors can be fully controlled by diet, but we have generally made good experiences in the last few years with any low calcium diet for bladder problem piggies and have had less cases of reoccurrance than in the years before.
Our recommendations work on practical long term experiences from people who haven't had any new cases of bladder stones in years despite looking after a great number of often frail guinea pigs.
You need to allow for a bit of cabbage (ideally spring greens, which seem to work best) to cover the magnesium need; magnesium unfortunately is found only in calcium rich veg.
Filtering water seems to one main factor that can go a long way, as it also removes the minerals that can also contribute to the build-up of
stones and sludge.
Click to expand...

Thank you! Thats why i love this forum - lots of people who can help with the experience! Am going to get those pellets, be careful which veg they have and buy a water filter for the boys! INteresting that their diets /water are the same but only one piggy is poorly but i suppose each piggie is different! My one worry is this happening again but hopefullyl now it won't!

Also assuming when you say filter water you mean in like a brita filter etc?

thanks again :)
 
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rufcjoe87 said:
Thank you! Thats why i love this forum - lots of people who can help with the experience! Am going to get those pellets, be careful which veg they have and buy a water filter for the boys! INteresting that their diets /water are the same but only one piggy is poorly but i suppose each piggie is different! My one worry is this happening again but hopefullyl now it won't!

Also assuming when you say filter water you mean in like a brita filter etc?

thanks again :)
Click to expand...

You can never tell; sometimes stones can come back in weeks despite you doing everything right, but hopefully, this is going to be the last one. How good a drinker a piggy is seems to play a role as well as a gentic disposition to stones.
 
Wiebke said:
You can never tell; sometimes stones can come back in weeks despite you doing everything right, but hopefully, this is going to be the last one. How good a drinker a piggy is seems to play a role as well as a gentic disposition to stones.
Click to expand...

well if we do the above we can certainly help if nothing else. He has never been much of a drinker. Rarely do we see him drinking and when he does it's not much - not sure if that should tell us something? He's not dehydrated according to the vet but never been a 'big' drinker!

have bought filters this afternoon so nice clean water from now on :)
 
rufcjoe87 said:
well if we do the above we can certainly help if nothing else. He has never been much of a drinker. Rarely do we see him drinking and when he does it's not much - not sure if that should tell us something? He's not dehydrated according to the vet but never been a 'big' drinker!

have bought filters this afternoon so nice clean water from now on :)
Click to expand...

Guinea pigs that don't drink much are at a higher risk of developing bladder issues, as their bladder doesn't get flushed out as well, so bacteria and stuff can build up over time. There is not a lot you can do about it. You can try and syringe as much filtered water as he'll take in one go once a day to help flush the bladder, but you cannot force him to take on more fluid than he wants.
 
Wiebke said:
Guinea pigs that don't drink much are at a higher risk of developing bladder issues, as their bladder doesn't get flushed out as well, so bacteria and stuff can build up over time. There is not a lot you can do about it. You can try and syringe as much filtered water as he'll take in one go once a day to help flush the bladder, but you cannot force him to take on more fluid than he wants.
Click to expand...

that makes sense. its funny he will sit there and let you syringe him syringe after syringe of water bless him but hes never at his bottle for more than a few seconds at a time! as he recovers maybe we will look to 'cage syringe' him water to try and top him up. But as we know piggies can be stubborn anyway! will keep a close eye! thanks again.!
 
Wiebke said:
This is normal, as well as a bit of bleeding in the first 2-3 days after the operation. Make sure that you have got a painkiller or ask your vet for one. it takes about 2-3 days for the body to settles after a major operation and for the wounds to start knitting; this takes about 10-14 days.

Weigh him daily, so you can top him up with syringe feed if necessary.

For the long term, you'd best look at a low calcium diet. You can either use the limited IC diet (which we have listed under "daily veg") in our regular diet thread or find more information on low calcium veg in our other thread. Please filter any water and consider getting low calcium pellets, on which @helen105281 can advise you best.
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk...or-a-balanced-general-guinea-pig-diet.116460/
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/low-calcium-diet-for-bladder-piggies.105930/
Click to expand...

Bit of an update. Vet on Friday said was pleased with his progress. Said his bladder was quite badly inflamed and the stitches take amonth to dissolve so could be in discomfort for some time yet while he recovers.

On Friday Henry was improving well, squeaking for his food and coming out for it etc. Over the weekend he's gone back to how he was pre-op. There's still blood in his wee (he wees very little and very often) and he's clearly in pain while he's doing it. He doesn't squeak when he hears his food. He will come out when you put some in his cage and he comes for a siff around, but mostly he's in his bed feeling and looking sorry for him self. We gradually reduced the syringe feeding him to nothing by Sunday as he is eating his veg but not sure if we should start again. He is now off anti biotics and painkiller at the vets advice. We are going away on Sunday and my dad is looking after them so I'm concerned that he will not be 100% by then. He is still pooing ok, but when he does he kind of lifts his bum in the air (though that could be when he is weeing!

It's been 5 days since the op. Is this all just part of him recovering from the op, and I need to be more patient and less paranoid, or should I be concerned?
 
rufcjoe87 said:
Bit of an update. Vet on Friday said was pleased with his progress. Said his bladder was quite badly inflamed and the stitches take amonth to dissolve so could be in discomfort for some time yet while he recovers.

On Friday Henry was improving well, squeaking for his food and coming out for it etc. Over the weekend he's gone back to how he was pre-op. There's still blood in his wee (he wees very little and very often) and he's clearly in pain while he's doing it. He doesn't squeak when he hears his food. He will come out when you put some in his cage and he comes for a siff around, but mostly he's in his bed feeling and looking sorry for him self. We gradually reduced the syringe feeding him to nothing by Sunday as he is eating his veg but not sure if we should start again. He is now off anti biotics and painkiller at the vets advice. We are going away on Sunday and my dad is looking after them so I'm concerned that he will not be 100% by then. He is still pooing ok, but when he does he kind of lifts his bum in the air (though that could be when he is weeing!

It's been 5 days since the op. Is this all just part of him recovering from the op, and I need to be more patient and less paranoid, or should I be concerned?
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I would continue to weigh him once daily at the same time to keep an eye on his food intake and offer him syringe feed after each veg meal, as much as he wants to take. I would also try to offer him as much water via syringe as much as he he will take once a day for the future in order to keep his bladder flushed as much as possible.

His bladder sounds like it has been through the wars, so it will take time to settle down, and he will remain in discomfort for a while; that includes pooping as well as peeing. Metacam long term can cause kidney problems, but it is also an anti-inflammatory and not just a painkiller, so if you feel that the discomfort remains too high, I would recommend to contact your vet and talk about alternative painkillers for a bit longer.

Wishing your little boy all the best!
 
Wiebke said:
I would continue to weigh him once daily at the same time to keep an eye on his food intake and offer him syringe feed after each veg meal, as much as he wants to take. I would also try to offer him as much water via syringe as much as he he will take once a day for the future in order to keep his bladder flushed as much as possible.

His bladder sounds like it has been through the wars, so it will take time to settle down, and he will remain in discomfort for a while; that includes pooping as well as peeing. Metacam long term can cause kidney problems, but it is also an anti-inflammatory and not just a painkiller, so if you feel that the discomfort remains too high, I would recommend to contact your vet and talk about alternative painkillers for a bit longer.

Wishing your little boy all the best!
Click to expand...

Thank you! I will keep weighing him daily and topping up his food with syringe feeding. He does usually take one or 2 syringes before making it clear he doesnt want any! We gave him some last night and he went straight to his dandelion mix and dried grass and started eating so he IS eating for himself. Perhaps he's just fed up of being in discomfort and being syringe fed! We have him for a cuddle each night and when we do we syringe him water, and he does take quite alot. We also placed a water bowl in his cage incase the reason he is not drinking much is he dislikes the bottle. He never seems to drink much on his own but obviously he may do when we're not looking! There isnt much coming out when he does wee though - though this may be due to him weeing more often, as humans do when they have UTIs?

We have stopped all meds at advice of the vet but may see about getting somemore while we are away for my dad to give him to keep his discomfort to a minimum.

Hopefully, as you say, his bladder has been in the wars and is just taking a while to recover. I probably need to stop being so paranoid as all the major signs are good, but can't help it when you see a piggy in discomfort!

I assume the blood in his wee is probably still part and parcel of the whole recovery process?

Thanks again for the advice and all your wishes - i'll pass them on to him tonight :)
 
Wiebke said:
I would continue to weigh him once daily at the same time to keep an eye on his food intake and offer him syringe feed after each veg meal, as much as he wants to take. I would also try to offer him as much water via syringe as much as he he will take once a day for the future in order to keep his bladder flushed as much as possible.

His bladder sounds like it has been through the wars, so it will take time to settle down, and he will remain in discomfort for a while; that includes pooping as well as peeing. Metacam long term can cause kidney problems, but it is also an anti-inflammatory and not just a painkiller, so if you feel that the discomfort remains too high, I would recommend to contact your vet and talk about alternative painkillers for a bit longer.

Wishing your little boy all the best!
Click to expand...

Quick update - spoke to vet last night based on your advice (he was unaware but impressed that such a forum exists) and gave me more pain killer (meloxidyl) and said "give to him whilever you feel necessary". Now I know it may take a while to get better I'll give him his pain killer to help him through and keep an eye re weighing/syringing etc and hope that it's not too much longer before he's getting back to himself. Now I know it takes a while I will try nto to worry - easier said than done though!
 
rufcjoe87 said:
Quick update - spoke to vet last night based on your advice (he was unaware but impressed that such a forum exists) and gave me more pain killer (meloxidyl) and said "give to him whilever you feel necessary". Now I know it may take a while to get better I'll give him his pain killer to help him through and keep an eye re weighing/syringing etc and hope that it's not too much longer before he's getting back to himself. Now I know it takes a while I will try nto to worry - easier said than done though!
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Yes, it is always a worrying time! But take heart by the fact that he is eating and drinking on his own - he wouldn't do that if the pain was too great. Please give the meloxidyl whenever you feel he is in discomfort - just imagine it was your bladder that had been operated on!

It is now a matter of letting the recovery take its due course and trying to minimise the chances of another build-up via his diet and encouraging him to have at least one big pee every day. But don't force him to drink more than he wants to.
 
Wiebke said:
Yes, it is always a worrying time! But take heart by the fact that he is eating and drinking on his own - he wouldn't do that if the pain was too great. Please give the meloxidyl whenever you feel he is in discomfort - just imagine it was your bladder that had been operated on!

It is now a matter of letting the recovery take its due course and trying to minimise the chances of another build-up via his diet and encouraging him to have at least one big pee every day. But don't force him to drink more than he wants to.
Click to expand...

Another update. He's gone downhill a little today - been squeaking quite alot and noticed quite a bit of blood in his pee. He also has gone off his food. Took him to vets who said (and credit to him for this) he's been reading up on guinea pigs and he says the removal of the stone is not always the end of it. The stitches could irritate hi and he could have infection. So he has prescribed Septrin (1ml twice a day) and Meloxidyl for ten days. Now I think we stopped his Baytril on Sunday and since the his recovery seemed to have stalled. The vet did say he does look healthy other than this but is obviously in some discomfort and not himself. So hopefully the Septrin (i know form this forum thats preferred in these cases) will help ease his recovery bless him. Will also get some cystease.
The reason I mention this @Wiebke is because your kinda like my second opinion with all your advice on here and I wonder what you thought of these developments and his diagnosis/treatment?
Any one elses advice welcome too. Poor Henry going through the wars!
 
Just had him on the grass and he ate some but also did about 4 wees in 20 mins... Assuming this is sign of possible infection?
 
I think the vet is right to give Septrin, a lot of vets do it as a precaution after an op. It does sound like he may have an infection to me but I suspect there will be a lot of inflammation too.
 
helen105281 said:
I think the vet is right to give Septrin, a lot of vets do it as a precaution after an op. It does sound like he may have an infection to me but I suspect there will be a lot of inflammation too.
Click to expand...

Thanks for this. Yeh A week late but least, hopefully we're on the right track. Hopefully the Septrin will do the trick bless him. 1ml x 2 a day seems high though, but the vet did weigh him and calculate it. Think its just cause I'm used to 0.2 of the painkiller maybe. It's banana flavoured and Henry doesnt like banana!....
 
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