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Joe Has His Operation Tomorrow

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So glad he is home, Rosie sends piggy kisses to your special boy, she knows what it like (she's had 2 bladder ops). Keeping fingers crossed for his continued recovery x
 
Wiebke said:
Fingers very firmly crossed! Poor Joe; that sounds like a major op, but it is great that your vet has been able to get it all out and that Joe is still there. ;)

Hopefully, he is going to perk up from sheer relief once his body has settled from the operation. The bladder is likely to stay tender for quite a while and the thickened walls will remain. I would talk about cystease/glucosamine or pearl water water to help coat the inflamed bladder and urethra walls with your vet when you pick him up. I am sure that your vet is going to give you some painkiller to use at home to help with pain and the inflammation.

Have everything to top him up with syringe feed in the first days and make sure that he gets plenty to drink to keep the bladder flushed, as much as he will take in one go.
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Thanks Wiebke. He is on 0.6ml Metacam twice per day now he is home for the pain relief. The vet says that he will need the higher dose as the walls of the bladder were inflamed and it will help with this. It was great to hear that he had had a very large wee at the vets, which shows it is getting through now fully. I have to take him back to the vets on Friday for post-operative check, so will be able to discuss possible glucosamine then. He had been having Cystophan prior to his operation, as it was thought he had interstitial cystitis, until the latest vet picked up the stone on X ray. It seems like a rollercoaster at the moment. Even though he is through the operation, I know the post operative period is just as critical for him. He is being kept warm in the living room, where I can see him all the time. We have to take each day at a time.
 
JackJack1 said:
Thanks Wiebke. He is on 0.6ml Metacam twice per day now he is home for the pain relief. The vet says that he will need the higher dose as the walls of the bladder were inflamed and it will help with this. It was great to hear that he had had a very large wee at the vets, which shows it is getting through now fully. I have to take him back to the vets on Friday for post-operative check, so will be able to discuss possible glucosamine then. He had been having Cystophan prior to his operation, as it was thought he had interstitial cystitis, until the latest vet picked up the stone on X ray. It seems like a rollercoaster at the moment. Even though he is through the operation, I know the post operative period is just as critical for him. He is being kept warm in the living room, where I can see him all the time. We have to take each day at a time.
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The good news is that Jack has made it through and that the waterworks are operational! Take heart!

If you are very worried, take him with you in his carrier when you go to bed and have syringe feed and water ready, so you don't have to get up far to check on him during the night, as much as you feel necessary. He has already made it safely through the first critical night. ;)

Cystophan is pretty much doing the same (help the glucosamine layer in the bladder), so he can continue taking that. He is in good and competent hands.

Just brace yourself that recovery is often two steps forward and one back, but he should hopefully improve with every passing day.
 
really pleased he's home :luv: sounds like you and the vet have everything in place to make sure he is being given the very best care. sending lots more recovery vibes for him. :luv:
 
Wiebke said:
The good news is that Jack has made it through and that the waterworks are operational! Take heart!

If you are very worried, take him with you in his carrier when you go to bed and have syringe feed and water ready, so you don't have to get up far to check on him during the night, as much as you feel necessary. He has already made it safely through the first critical night. ;)

Cystophan is pretty much doing the same (help the glucosamine layer in the bladder), so he can continue taking that. He is in good and competent hands.

Just brace yourself that recovery is often two steps forward and one back, but he should hopefully improve with every passing day.
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Thank you. It makes a massive difference when you have a group like this forum giving you support and of course yourself, who always has some good tips and advice.
I know that recovery may not be all smooth, but I am currently looking at him cuddled up with his best buddy (my husband) lying on a soft towel/cushion and enjoying it. I think he knows he is well loved and hopefully that will help him on the road to getting better. I have just given him all his medication for the night and he has had some critical care food. He was offered cucumber, lettuce and had a little bit of that. Tiny steps forward. Need to keep his nutrition up so that he can recover and keep his gut going.
Thank you so much for your support and advice - it is really very much appreciated.
 
Hang on in there - Joe is well on the road to recovery now; what you need now is to let nature do its work in its own time. he knows how much he is loved and cherished. ;)
 
Oh how beautiful that he is loved so much :luv:

I personally believe that they know when they are loved and that they too believe there is no place like home especially if you are not feeling the best.

Sometimes it is the love they feel coming from you both that will help them to keep recovering.

My love and thoughts are with you all at this time.
 
Joe has done lots of poos and is producing pools of urine, so gut and bladder seem to be working. I had to ring the vet though tonight to check as I was a little worried about his breathing, but the vet told me that it will be the effects of the anaesthetic that irritates the airways and it will be working its way out of his system. Joe has started eating hay by himself and has had lettuce, cucumber and critical care food and has started to perk up a little bit as the effects of his heavy mediction (vetergesic) works its way out of his system. I have an appointment tomorrow to see the vet and get him checked over post operatively. The vet has told me to stop his Cisapride as his gut seems to have sprung into action now and he is producing lots of poos.

Still very early days in his recovery and trying to take each day as it comes. He is being kept warm, clean and dry and supported for his eating and drinking. My husband has been with him all today and I am with him all day tomorrow and over the weekend.
 
that all sounds positive so far. good you checked about the breathing just incase but it sounds like it's 'normal' for after an op or even when going through an illness. but overall he's doing really well. good luck for the check-up x
 
JackJack1 said:
Joe has done lots of poos and is producing pools of urine, so gut and bladder seem to be working. I had to ring the vet though tonight to check as I was a little worried about his breathing, but the vet told me that it will be the effects of the anaesthetic that irritates the airways and it will be working its way out of his system. Joe has started eating hay by himself and has had lettuce, cucumber and critical care food and has started to perk up a little bit as the effects of his heavy mediction (vetergesic) works its way out of his system. I have an appointment tomorrow to see the vet and get him checked over post operatively. The vet has told me to stop his Cisapride as his gut seems to have sprung into action now and he is producing lots of poos.

Still very early days in his recovery and trying to take each day as it comes. He is being kept warm, clean and dry and supported for his eating and drinking. My husband has been with him all today and I am with him all day tomorrow and over the weekend.
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It sounds really good - eating well and producing lots of poos is an excellent sign and meaning that he has got all the energy to pour into healing. You are doing well!

All the best for tomorrow's check!
 
gizzy said:
How is Joe
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Thanks for asking about Joe. We have been to the vet today as follow up appointment from the operation. The scar is doing well and vet is happy how it is healing. She listened to his guts and she can hear gut sounds so was happy with that. He had poos and she squeezed these out, so was making poos and he had weed in the carrier so that was OK too. I was a bit concerned that he had dropped some weight. He has started to eat a few pellets and a little bit of hay, but not to sustain his weight, so I am having to syringe feed still every 2-3 hours. He is still a bit weak from the operation and not walking fully. He can move about and crawl, but the vet does not seem to be concerned about that, as she said he had a very big operation, so this is understandable and was not concerned. She explained that a bigger cut in the bladder was needed so that they could get the stone out of the urethra, so it is expected that only 3 days after the operation, he is still a bit weak. He is eating cucumber, lettuce, grass, trying to eat a bit of hay and pellets and today seems a bit brighter. He has not got that spaced out look from the vetergesic and anaesthetic that he has had for a couple of days.
Overall she said she was very happy with his progress and wants to see us again on Tuesday for a further check up on his progress.

Can anyone offer me advice on how to maintain his weight more fully as I am worried about his weight dropping. I am using Oxbow critical care food. How much should I be syringe feeding? I am giving him about 3-4ml every 2 hours at the moment to supplement his feeding, although this is about 3-4 hours in the night. He is objecting to being syringe fed at the moment. I am wondering if it might be better to also start mushing his pellets up and feeding that as well. Any advice would be appreciated.
 
glad to hear he is doing well and the vet is pleased with his progress.

with syringe feeding, it really does depend on the pet themselves. some prefer small amounts more regularly and some would rather a longer gap between feeds. (some get stressed with being taken out for feeding too regularly so that has to be factored in). and then have more each time. because he is eating by himself then you don't need to worry about feeding huge amounts, but i would think a little more than you are currently just because he is slipping slightly in weight. i fed eddie every 2-3 hours with small amounts, similar to you. the vets advised every 4-6 hours with slightly larger amounts. but it was hard because he really didn't want it and he couldn't manage more than what i was doing. you could try offering it to him in a dish aswell. some prefer it that way.

when maisie was syringe fed, she was eating fairly ok like joe is, and i supplemented her with around 4-5ml per time. i can't remember exactly but i think it was around ever 4-6 hours with her.

i found the critical care to be the best but eddie also had mashed pellets aswell sometimes. offered in a dish or syringe fed. so both are fine :)

sorry, not sure that helps but hopefully others will beable to advise aswell x
 
My vet prescribed Emeraid, it is like Critical Care but white & you don't need to feed them quite as often as it is very calorific. Best he stays on gut meds for a few days as well x
 
biscandmatt said:
glad to hear he is doing well and the vet is pleased with his progress.

with syringe feeding, it really does depend on the pet themselves. some prefer small amounts more regularly and some would rather a longer gap between feeds. (some get stressed with being taken out for feeding too regularly so that has to be factored in). and then have more each time. because he is eating by himself then you don't need to worry about feeding huge amounts, but i would think a little more than you are currently just because he is slipping slightly in weight. i fed eddie every 2-3 hours with small amounts, similar to you. the vets advised every 4-6 hours with slightly larger amounts. but it was hard because he really didn't want it and he couldn't manage more than what i was doing. you could try offering it to him in a dish aswell. some prefer it that way.

when maisie was syringe fed, she was eating fairly ok like joe is, and i supplemented her with around 4-5ml per time. i can't remember exactly but i think it was around ever 4-6 hours with her.

i found the critical care to be the best but eddie also had mashed pellets aswell sometimes. offered in a dish or syringe fed. so both are fine :)

sorry, not sure that helps but hopefully others will beable to advise aswell x
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Thanks for your advice - it really helps to hear other people's experiences. It is good to know that you could go longer between feeds if needed. I just don't want to be giving him too much at a time. He will not take it from the spoon or pot so it needs to be the syringe.
 
Poppy'sMum said:
My vet prescribed Emeraid, it is like Critical Care but white & you don't need to feed them quite as often as it is very calorific. Best he stays on gut meds for a few days as well x
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Thanks for this information. I have not heard of Emeraid, so I will ask the vet about it to see if it is better than critical care for Joe to build him up again.
 
JackJack1 said:
Thanks for your advice - it really helps to hear other people's experiences. It is good to know that you could go longer between feeds if needed. I just don't want to be giving him too much at a time. He will not take it from the spoon or pot so it needs to be the syringe.
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i think the vets said they gave eddie around 15ml per feed every 4-6 hours but he wasn't eating as much as joe. i just went off that as a guide really and what eddie himself could cope with.

i think if they're eating fairly ok then you have the option to build up slowly and see how you go. and adjust depending on how much he is eating by himself and what his weight is doing. x
 
Poppy'sMum said:
No problem :) Be warned though it cost me about £20 for a week's worth! :)
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It is all expensive. With Joe's tests, medicine and surgery, this episode has already cost over £500 and the oxbow critical care I bought online was £34 for a 454g bag, so not cheap. My husband keeps saying no wonder Joe is gold coloured as he has cost his weight in gold at the vets!
 
biscandmatt said:
i think the vets said they gave eddie around 15ml per feed every 4-6 hours but he wasn't eating as much as joe. i just went off that as a guide really and what eddie himself could cope with.

i think if they're eating fairly ok then you have the option to build up slowly and see how you go. and adjust depending on how much he is eating by himself and what his weight is doing. x
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Thanks. Joe is still very picky at the moment. He is eating his favourite things like he has never seen food before, but these are not the calorific things to put his weight on - lettuce, cucumber are his favourites. I am not sure Joe would take 15ml of feed at once. He does not like syringe feeding so would be too stressful for him to take 15 ml in one go. He manages 3-4ml and then starts to protest, so it is slow going. I do not want to stress him out too much as he has been through a lot in the last few days. It is difficult to get the balance right to make sure he maintains his weight but does not stress out too much. These little ones do put us through a lot of worry.
 
Well Petal <<<<<<<<<<< is a 4 figure gp, I have a thread in chat about her treatment, I could have bought a small car instead but there you go lol :D
 
JackJack1 said:
Thanks. Joe is still very picky at the moment. He is eating his favourite things like he has never seen food before, but these are not the calorific things to put his weight on - lettuce, cucumber are his favourites. I am not sure Joe would take 15ml of feed at once. He does not like syringe feeding so would be too stressful for him to take 15 ml in one go. He manages 3-4ml and then starts to protest, so it is slow going. I do not want to stress him out too much as he has been through a lot in the last few days. It is difficult to get the balance right to make sure he maintains his weight but does not stress out too much. These little ones do put us through a lot of worry.
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they definitely do. eddie couldn't manage more than the small amounts either. he had such a tiny mouth aswell so i couldn't put more than 0.3ml in per time because he would panic and like you say, the stress wasn't worth that, so things went very slowly, although he got better with it as we went along.

i know the out of hours vet said once that when they protest alot and start to panic themselves then it becomes counter-productive so i think you're doing the right thing with small amounts as regularly as he is comfortable with.

fingers crossed he starts to nibble on other foods soon aswell. he's done so well hasn't he. you must be so proud of him :luv:
 
Poppy'sMum said:
Well Petal <<<<<<<<<<< is a 4 figure gp, I have a thread in chat about her treatment, I could have bought a small car instead but there you go lol :D
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I think Joe will be reaching the 4 figure sum around now. He had a £200 episode last August with his cystitis/ultrasound/medicines. Perhaps there is potential for the most expensive guinea pig competition! Vets do know how to charge and we have to pay. It's a pity animals do not have NHS care!
 
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