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Help! I need advice

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Mpalmieri

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My guinea pig violet had bloody urine the other day. I immediately
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took her to the vet. She's four years old or so I am not sure because I rescued her. Anyways she has a bladder stone! Her stone is small. I was told the procedure is 460-660 in price. Is the surgery worth it? Will she just get another one? I am only 19 and the surgery will wipe out my savings. I have so many questions and I just want some more opinions. I have been a mess about this all week :(

My questions:
If I get the surgery will she just get another one within the year?
Is there any way to break it down? ( the vet told me no because it's a calcium stone)
Is the stone causing her to be in constant pain? She seems happy most of the time every so often he whimpers tho
 
I haven't had any experience with stones but I'm sure someone who has will be along soon, there's lots of people on the forum who have to deal with stones on a regular basis. Do your vets offer a payment plan?
 
They do. But my mom is telling me sense have the money in my savings account I should just use that if I do the surgery. Its just 500 or so dollars is so much money and if more stones come I cannot afford to do it twice. I don't want todo it then have her immediately or two months down the road get Another one :(
 
I am sorry to hear that your piggy has a stone but I am afraid that if it is causing her to bleed, it will eventually cause her pain if not already. Has your vet prescribed you with any metacam as pain relief?

All surgeries pose a risk to guinea pigs due to the anaesthetic and there is no guarantee to say that she will not develop further stones in the future.

There are members on here who have successfully had stones removed and then members who unfortunately haven't.

I *think* that few members have had a case where the stone has shrunk but I can't advise on this.

I am sure more experienced members will come along soon :)
 
Yeah I have metacam and baytril as of now. I've been giving her benebac on her green peppers and cucumbers. Ive also been putting cranberry juice on ice berg lettuce to encourage peeing and maybe just maybe some break down of the stone.
 
How big is the stone? I know plenty of pig's who have had bladder surgery and the stone hasn't returned.

My P, had what looked like 3 bladder stones (1mm each)., he has had chronic bladder pain for some time due to crystal formation in the bladder wall, my vet advised against surgery as number 1 they where small enough to pass, Patrick's condition and my care as he knew I wouldn't miss a blockage due to the time I spend with him. We agreed that we would treat in the hope to flush or dissolve the stones but if Patrick was to get blocked he would have emergency surgery to remove the blockage. Emergency surgery in the middle of the night is a lot more costly than arranged surgery. I should also mention Patrick stone's do not appear like normal stones they are not vibrant, which gives me the impression they maybe of different composition.

I have a treatment regime with my vet that cost's me £75 per month to monitor Patrick, this has been going on since November when the stones appeared before that we had fortnight or monthly appointments to have his bladder checked for stones, he has huge bladder problems now and is still on medication due to his bladder being so badly damaged.

If P's only problem was a bladder stone, I would of removed it but his main problem is the bladder it's self caused by the crystal formation in the bladder.

When your guinea pig has the bladder stones removed there are many precautions you can take to stop them reappearing.

As your pig is passing blood, this is an indicator the stone is damaging the bladder wall and is likely to be painful.

I hope my information helps and your pig get's better soon. X
 
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Mpalmieri said:
Yeah I have metacam and baytril as of now. I've been giving her benebac on her green peppers and cucumbers. Ive also been putting cranberry juice on ice berg lettuce to encourage peeing and maybe just maybe some break down of the stone.
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Flintstones has given you fantastic advise there and I am pleased she has responded to this thread as she is one of the members I had in mind.

Please do not feed your pig iceberg lettuce as it has no nutrients what so ever as it is mainly water so can cause stomach upsets. Every other lettuce is fine for pigs though.

You can syringe your pig cranberry juice (diluted if you wish) to help flush out the bladder. As much as she will drink. Ocean spray light is a firm favourite with members on here. You can also syringe her water from the syringe if she isn't a big drinker although feeding her cucumber will help.

Baytril can be harsh on a piggies delicate gut. Have you been given a probiotic? Septrin is a better antibiotic for bladder pigs although not all vets like to prescribe it.

I hope that your pig feels better soon x
 
In the states, the names of antibiotics are different so I can't comment on the antibiotic. As your pig has a stone, the antibiotic will be to stop secondary infection, as the bladder wall is damaged infection can set in. Personally, I have never had negative effects with Baytril so would just keep a close to ensure your piggy is eating healthy.

I wouldn't start flushing the bladder with Liquid's unless you know the stone is passable I wouldn't want to encourage a vet trip.

As Clair mentioned cranberry is good to help prevent infection.

You do need to discuss with your vet what the best course of treatment is for your pig, I must admit I had a lot of sleepless nights with P, the worry it has caused me has bee a huge upset.
 
Flintstones and claire: my pigs stone is much smaller than the other stones I have seen on google images. It is half the size of a pea if not smaller but it is sort of cresent shaped. This stone is her only problem she has been and extremely healthy piggy and has had top of the line food sense I have gotten her. She does not like the syringe which is why I have resulted to desperate measures of giving her her medicine on the green peppers and cucumbers. I make sure she gets it all down. She has a huge attitude which I love but she makes it hard to medicate her. I will stop the ice burg lettuce immediately it has just always made her pee. I medicate guinea pigs at my work all the time only they are a quarter of her size and easy to handle. What diet changes would you recommend? Do you think the surgery is a good choice? I don't want her to be in pain or on medicine the rest of her life. She has been getting benebac which is a probiotic.
 
Flintstones I have had many sleepless days and days full of tears. I just am not sure of the best path to take.
 
I'm afraid that I can't advice on whether you should have the surgery or not. I am just worried what damage will be done if the stone isn't removed. You may find this thread helpful http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=42 I have had 2 pigs now who had bladder problems so my girls are now on a low calcium diet. Foods that contain calcium shouldn't be banned altogether as calcium is needed to keep the bones strong and healthy but it shouldn't be fed everyday.
 
Me and Patrick's typical day.

I can't comment on what you should do, I can only share my experiences and will start from the day Patrick's stones where first discovered and we opted against surgery.

Every morning I get up I check to see Patrick is urinating he's checked twice daily, Patrick is weighed once a week as his pain briefly stopped him eating so he's had two dental's.

For months I syringed 60-80ml's additional fluid daily to flush his bladder, he's on a special diet (low calcium and limited pellets).

We visit the vet every 4 weeks to have an Xray to check his bladder on many occasions I have thought is this fair and considered pts as I've said Patrick has much more problems than just stones.

Patrick is medicated every day he has Tramadol opium pain killer and potassium citrate twice daily.

He has greatly improved and his last Xray showed no stones, I have paid roughly £1000 for Patrick's medical treatment and it's still ongoing he's likely to remain on medication for life.

If Patrick's problem was only stones I would have had them removed, this is my opinion based on my experience.

I should also mention his medication (Patrick's) can bring on renal failure but it's a risk I've chosen to take, it is being used to dissolve the stones.

i think the best thing you can do is discuss in details the options available.
 
flintstones said:
I know it's difficult, I must admit I tend to go with my vet and what they think is the best option after all they are the professionals. :)
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I agree :) With my Connie, I spent £500 on treatments and X-rays. In the end we agreed to let the vet open Connies bladder to investigate. Nothing but sludge and grit was found and after a bladder flush Connie appeared much better. Unfortunately we lost her five days later but I can rest knowing that we did everything possible x
 
I also base my decision on whether to operate on the knowledge and experience of the vet performing the surgery. How experienced is your vet with guinea pigs and bladder surgery in particular? I would want to know how many of these procedures they have performed and their success rate - both in terms of losses during the operation and during the days and weeks following - including any complications. I think you should discuss this and your concerns with the vet - they should be happy to talk all this through with you. Guinea lynx is a US guinea pig site and they may be able to confirm if you have a good cavy savy vet or, if not, help you locate one in your area. Whatever decision you make, I wish you and your guinea pig lots of luck.
 
The vet I go to is awesome! I am not sure how many of the surgeries she has preformed. I go to the vet on Monday to see what she has to say so I'll just go through all of these questions with her. I don't think I am going to do the surgery and I just hope that is the right choice. She still seems happy and wants to come out and eats and drinks. She just seems in pain when going to the bathroom which kills me.

I give you so much credit for doing all *** for Patrick. That Is awesome. I actually give you guys all credit for being so knowledgable and helpful in my time of need. Thanks again. I really hope I go in on money and get the X-ray and hope it is gone.
 
I don't know why it put stars in my post but it is supposed to say

Doing all of that.
 
Good luck on Monday maybe also mention herbal remedies to the vet if she agree's surgery isn't the only option.

Tramadol has been a life line for P in helping Patrick, he doesn't cry if he's had his pain killers but you will have to give it everyday twice daily.

I was going to ask my vet about trying Eurologist to dissolve the stones turns out we didn't need to, perhaps thats worth looking into but I don't what effects it has on the internal organs there's a lot of information on GuineaLynx about this, worth reading up.

Cystease is used in the Uk to line the bladder to help protect it, perhaps there is something similar in the states.

She will have be on Painkiller's longterm in my opinion if the stone is left, another option to discuss with your vet.
 
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