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Help Please - Re: Bladder Stones

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Lisanjake

Lisanjake

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Hi

I haven't been on here for ages but I could really use some advice.

About 2 weeks ago my girl Luna was taken to the vet - I noticed her crying whilst going to the toilet, and was also concerned she looked a bit 'bloated' and her belly was a bit round.
Anyway, they told me they wanted to keep her in and get xrays as she was in pain when being touched by her bladder.
they kept her in overnight and said she has a very small bladder stone, gave me pain killers and some other medication to make it easier for her to pass.

Took her back about 3 days later for a check on how she was doing and the vet said she doesn't seem in pain anymore and had put on weight so that was a really good sign...

I go to the Cambridge Vetinary group as I know they have vets which specialise in guinea pigs.
I was a little disappointed no one told me much about after care, what I should / shouldn't be feeding etc. I was just given medication and told to let her get on with it. I had a good research online and cut out a lot of the high calcium foods I was giving them, Kale, Spinach.

So anyway I hadn't heard her cry for about a week and thought oh good she seems fine, yet this morning I noticed her cry again! so I'm very upset she's still not better :(
Should I take her to another vets? should I wait and see how she goes? I just don't know what to do, she seemed her happy normal self, eating running about. though I have noticed her bullying my other guinea pig a lot which is very unlike her..

Let me know what you think sorry for the essay! :)
 
If you know she is in pain and she is now showing other signs of something being wrong I would go back to the vet. If you know they have a guinea pig specialist there make sure you are booked in with them and not one of their other vets and express your concerns. They may need to xray again to see exactly what is going on with the stone and carry out some other tests as there could be other issues such as cystitis, ovarian cysts etc which could be causing problems.

Whatever is going on with your Luna I really hope you get some answers and she gets to be pain free soon
 
Grace Has A Bladder Stone :(

This is when my grace had a bladder stone a couple of weeks ago , there are quite a few helpful tips on there

The one below was also very helpful on preventative info for bladder pigs.

Vegan Glucosamine.

One of my previous piggies Ellie had reoccurring uti's-bleeding quite heavily at times &it turned out she had ovarian cysts.
They are apparently very painful especially when small &growing.
Make sure the vet gives u plenty of painkillers just in case.

Ellie had the hormone injections for her cysts &everything went back to normal &healthy.
Text book signs for them are grumpy &hormonal piggies, hair loss on the sides, internal lumps (opposed to on the surface fatty lumps).

A conscious ultrasound should be able to find them.

Bit pushed for time at the mo but can expand on either for u later if u would like?

Did the xray find one stone or signs of more or sludge?
Xx
 
Thank you so much for the replies.
I'm booking her back in asap.

any help id be very grateful for, they just told me they found one tiny stone. x
 
You may find these threads here helpful:
Tips For Post-operative Care
Low Calcium Diet For Bladder Piggies
Alternatively, switch to our recommended daily veg with the addition of a green bean and a 1 in strip of spring greens (for magnesium): Recommendations For A Balanced General Guinea Pig Diet
Try to get hold of low calcium pellets and filter any water, as minerals can also contribute to the build up of stones, not just calcium. @helen105281 can hopefully update you on the latest available brands on that score.

We recommend to additionally give vegan glucosamine or a glucosamine based cat food supplement like cystease or cystophan to help support the natural glucosamine coat of the irrated bladder walls in the longer term with any bladder piggy. A stone can cause a cystitis (inflammation of the bladder walls), which can also lead to screaming when peeing/pooing and the same symptoms.
 
If another bladder stone has been produced after such a short while,as well as following the advice above you can give 1 pillule twice a day of Nelsons Calcorea carbonica available from most Holland and Barratt stores - my vet put Bumble on this after developing 4 separate lots of stones - and he never made any more after being on this - (it is a homeopathic remedy that my vet has had previous success with )
 
@TAN Could you post a link to it in their website please? I'm interested in discussing it with my vet and I can't find it on the website. Thanks!
 
Jayce PM me your address and I will send you mine - as I have a full bottle and a half one left - you can't get them on -line and they don't have them in stock in every store - my vet is happy to speak to your vet about what we used for Bumble - he was on 0.1ml of potassium citrate twice daily (sorts out the acidity of the urine ) and moduretic 0.3ml twice a day ( this is used in humans to help prevent stones forming - Rachel got the recipe from the states for making it up for piggies,because previously it has been difficult to get it into small enough quantities for a piggy - he is the first piggy in the uk to use it as far as we know ) - both meds are really cheap - only a few pounds -

Rachel is the exotics specialist at Vale Vet Referrals in Dursley - (they are a referral hospital for other vets who can't find out whats wrong ) - she is also the team vet for the Kennel clubs team GB dog agility and won a bronze medal for Britain in the world dog agility championships in Helsinki - owns 28 pets including piggies and skunks - so she knows her stuff - she also runs the pet rehab centre - your vet can call her or email and she will be happy to help - [email protected] 01453 542092
 
Hi
Just an update, went to the vets and she basically said the stone would have been passed as it was very far down her urethra.
And as I live in a hard water area to either boil or filter (with a very good filter?) her water.
and to encourage her to drink more, put a dash of good (not sugary stuff) Ribena in her water? though to be honest she drinks lots of water anyway.
when I bought her home from the vets her stomach was making strange noises, I don't know if she was burping or it was coming out the other end lol. but id not heard her do that. not sure if its because she was being poked and prodded earlier. she gave the vets a nip as she didn't like being poked about! lol

So if shes still in pain when going to the loo, which is very on / off. to go straight back otherwise she should get on a lot better with limited calcium intake.

Whats everyones thoughts?

x
 
Filtering the water is a good idea, I live in a hard water area and have had bladder pigs and this has helped. I use a Brita jug filter.
Adding Ribena to the water does not sound good though, even if sugar free. I would suggest soaking veg to add water to diet and syringing water or my pigs like cooled camomile tea. Syringe slowly with 1ml syringe to avoid aspiration.
Did vet pallpate bladder to check for pain? Test a urine sample?
The gut gurgling can be under eating or gut disturbance. What are poohs like? Have u got a probiotic to give to help good gut activity? You can get one at pet shops or better ones from vet.
Kind of sounds like u haven't got to the bottom of this yet. What is weight like?
 
thank you, I was reluctant with the Ribena idea so wont try it.
Ive ordered a decent filter jug so hopefully that will arrive soon. it supposedly gets rid of 99% of calcium!

I will soak the veg in water, that's a good idea.

her poos are fairly soft which has made me wonder a bit... I haven't tried a pro biotic but ill give it a go.
she didn't actually weigh her which I thought was strange as she seemed very thorough otherwise... I am still wondering if I should visit another piggy specialist. she felt her bladder and said she didn't seem in pain. she was squeaking a little as she doesn't particularly like being prodded about, but you are right I don't feel 100% confident shes over it yet.

One thing she said, she had a bit of poo matted in her fur, where she must poo then sit back in it? she washed it off in the other room and she has a tiny scab. not sure if they pulled her fur off that area or what but it looked sore.

I still have a bit of Metacam left so might give her that incase she is in any pain at all?
 
Ok, re metacam, if u have seen vet recently maybe ring up and ask about metacam. They would need to advise on dose. Which should be based on weight which they didn't take! But still worth asking.
Can u weigh her now at home to give u info? Kitchen scales will do.
Her soft poohs are another sign that there is a gut thing going on too. Linked to bladder thing maybe?
Soaking veg is good for bladder but not if she has soft pooh already so perhaps hold back in that. Tempt her with posh hays etc.
I would be tempted to see the specialist vet if u think u are not getting to the root of the problem. Gut problems can be bad news for Guineas because they are hay digesting machines that need to keep moving. Let us know how u get on
 
lauraboara said:
@VickiA
or @LisaAli please could you just check I have said nothing incriminating re metacam above - feels like a bit of a minefield
Click to expand...

It's fine, you haven't talked about doses, but pointed the OP towards her vet, also good idea to weigh her piggy before calling her vet... x
 
I have ordered some puppy weighing scales (hope these are okay?) as my kitchen ones too small for her to sit on. and she kicked the bowl over last time I tried to place her in it ^_^ haha yet my other piggy is as good as gold. Luna must be short for Luna-tic! she is a crazy little soul, that's why I love her.
Ill hold off on the Metacam, when she came home after the first visit the vet told me to give her 1.5mm twice a day. she loves this by the way! hehe

They get normal hay, and grass hay (2 different kinds) she loves her hay though has been a tiny bit 'off' the veg. though she will scream the house down if she hears me rustle a bag. you would think someone was strangling her lol.
She also likes to be hand fed lol. she will snatch food from me but doesn't always eat all of it.
 
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