Kidney Stone, Arthritis & Heart Disease in One Day 😵‍💫

[Wiebke]

Thank you so much, everyone

We had our appointment and think it went fairly well. Serj seems a lot more comfortable to touch but still reacts when the vet went near his kidney - she said that, although the stone is less than 1mm in size, there is a cyst around it which is causing the pressure and the pain. He had also lost a bit of weight (from 1.39kg to 1.31kg) but the vet said it was not enough of a swing in a fortnight to be concerning.

The vet agreed the barbering was unusual and something we would keep an eye on, but nothing major (thank you once again to the incredible @Wiebke for calming me down!).

She also agreed with me that his breathing seems somewhat laboured more than a simple stress response. There was no crackle in his chest and suggested a diuretic (super impressed when I mentioned Frusol, told her my friends @LucyP & Dottie had mentioned it )

Our new regime is:

MORNING
[ ] Vetmedin for heart (Quarter crush + water)
[ ] Tralieve for pain (Quarter crush + water)
[ ] Furosemide for fluid (0.12ml)
[ ] Arthrocam for pain (0.46ml)
[ ] Paracetamol for pain (0.6ml)
[ ] Johnsons 4 Joints for arthritis (0.5ml)

EVENING
[ ] Vetmedin for heart (Quarter crush + water)
[ ] Tralieve for pain (Quarter crush + water)
[ ] Vetpro for kidney (1/3 capsule + water)
[ ] Furosemide for fluid (0.12ml)
[ ] Arthrocam for pain (0.46ml)
[ ] Paracetamol for pain (0.6ml)

There is no heart murmur or irregular beat so I have paused my hunt for Stethoscopes atm!

As it stands, we are booked in for another appointment on the 27th and will be doing bloods & scans every 4 months to keep an eye on things - does this seem frequent enough? Don't want him to have to go through it too much but seems like an awfully long time between checks!

K x

Bloods and scans are quite a stressful thing for him, but you will have to play that by ear.

Please keep in mind that the daily weight swing is about 30-40 g so any weight within 50g is seen as stable. Any quick weight loss over 10% of his body weight or any steady down trend over a week or longer that goes beyond 50-100g should be vet checked.
Weight and Weight Loss Explained: BMI, Weighing, Poos and Feeding Support Levels

Your and your vet's aim is to keep him as stable as possible for as long as possible and to slow down any weight loss.

Wishing you all the best. Please bookmark this thread so you can pick it up and we have the whole information and time line together. It helps both sides. We are here for moral support and any questions you may have. See how he does on his medical cocktail.

 

[kaz91]

Bloods and scans are quite a stressful thing for him, but you will have to play that by ear.

Please keep in mind that the daily weight swing is about 30-40 g so any weight within 50g is seen as stable. Any quick weight loss over 10% of his body weight or any steady down trend over a week or longer that goes beyond 50-100g should be vet checked.
Weight and Weight Loss Explained: BMI, Weighing, Poos and Feeding Support Levels

Your and your vet's aim is to keep him as stable as possible for as long as possible and to slow down any weight loss.

Wishing you all the best. Please bookmark this thread so you can pick it up and we have the whole information and time line together. It helps both sides. We are here for moral support and any questions you may have. See how he does on

Bloods and scans are quite a stressful thing for him, but you will have to play that by ear.

Please keep in mind that the daily weight swing is about 30-40 g so any weight within 50g is seen as stable. Any quick weight loss over 10% of his body weight or any steady down trend over a week or longer that goes beyond 50-100g should be vet checked.
Weight and Weight Loss Explained: BMI, Weighing, Poos and Feeding Support Levels

Your and your vet's aim is to keep him as stable as possible for as long as possible and to slow down any weight loss.

Wishing you all the best. Please bookmark this thread so you can pick it up and we have the whole information and time line together. It helps both sides. We are here for moral support and any questions you may have. See how he does on his medical cocktail.

Thank you the vet said a swing of 90g was insignificant, but I had been consistently weighing him in at around 1.4kg, I just thought perhaps my scales were not as accurate.

I am sorry to be a pest but I wonder if I could ask for a bit more advice - currently the boys hay piles are in cat litter trays which requires a small jump for them to get into. Given Serj's thickened knees, is this something I should rethink? Or is the exercise beneficial? He doesn't seem to have a problem at the moment, but I would just like to make sure I am covering all bases

 

[kaz91]

Hi, everyone I am genuinely so sorry, feels like I am constantly harassing this group

The vet said a swing of 90g was insignificant, but I had been consistently weighing him in at around 1.4kg, I just thought perhaps my scales were not as accurate. Weighed him tonight and he is coming in at 1.375kg (after peeing) but I now have yet another concern - feels like we just can't get out the bit atm.

I had been concerned about the shortened hair at Serj's left knee/hip and thought it was barbering. The vet had said it was something we would keep an eye on. Serj has been peeing lots on his diuretic and was giving him a wee clean around his right hip and noticed the hair on both sides is coming in wiry. He has always been a bundle of fluff so this is unusual. He is still eating and drinking as usual, but could this be a Vitamin C deficiency? Our next vet appointment is in 1 week, but is this something that should be seen sooner? Or can I go barrelling in with a supplement? Don't want to overload the poor boy

Also, sorry if this is a non-issue. Feels like we are all on high alert atm.

 

[Merab]

I don’t have the knowledge to give you an answer but please don’t apologise for asking lots of questions.
We all love our piggies and when something is wrong we naturally get anxious.
This is a good place to share the anxiety and find support from people who understand how important these gorgeous creatures are to us.
Hugs

 

[kaz91]

Thank you, @Merab I can see you all answer hundreds of questions a day from different people, I hope you know how appreciated you all are for moderating a forum like this

Keep asking Serj to 'use his words' and tell me how to help I can see the Johnson's 4 Joints has Vit C but unsure if the anxiety is leading to hypochondria and I definitely don't want to be THAT guy

 

[LucyP]

Thank you so much, everyone

We had our appointment and think it went fairly well. Serj seems a lot more comfortable to touch but still reacts when the vet went near his kidney - she said that, although the stone is less than 1mm in size, there is a cyst around it which is causing the pressure and the pain. He had also lost a bit of weight (from 1.39kg to 1.31kg) but the vet said it was not enough of a swing in a fortnight to be concerning.

The vet agreed the barbering was unusual and something we would keep an eye on, but nothing major (thank you once again to the incredible @Wiebke for calming me down!).

She also agreed with me that his breathing seems somewhat laboured more than a simple stress response. There was no crackle in his chest and suggested a diuretic (super impressed when I mentioned Frusol, told her my friends @LucyP & Dottie had mentioned it )

Our new regime is:

MORNING
[ ] Vetmedin for heart (Quarter crush + water)
[ ] Tralieve for pain (Quarter crush + water)
[ ] Furosemide for fluid (0.12ml)
[ ] Arthrocam for pain (0.46ml)
[ ] Paracetamol for pain (0.6ml)
[ ] Johnsons 4 Joints for arthritis (0.5ml)

EVENING
[ ] Vetmedin for heart (Quarter crush + water)
[ ] Tralieve for pain (Quarter crush + water)
[ ] Vetpro for kidney (1/3 capsule + water)
[ ] Furosemide for fluid (0.12ml)
[ ] Arthrocam for pain (0.46ml)
[ ] Paracetamol for pain (0.6ml)

There is no heart murmur or irregular beat so I have paused my hunt for Stethoscopes atm!

As it stands, we are booked in for another appointment on the 27th and will be doing bloods & scans every 4 months to keep an eye on things - does this seem frequent enough? Don't want him to have to go through it too much but seems like an awfully long time between checks!

K x

So glad your appointment went well. That's great they couldn't hear a murmur or irregular beat and no crackling too. Hopefully whatever might be going on with the breathing is fairly minor. That sounds like a comprehensive medical regime too, although a bit of work for you getting that all in I bet! Sorry I have no advice re anything else but you are doing a great job and I bet glad Serj is glad to be in such dedicated hands. PS Dottie enjoyed her moment of fame, being name checked all the way in Scotland no less!

 

[LucyP]

PS sorry, also not sure about why the wiry fur. Hopefully nothing to worry about but others may have advice.

 

[kaz91]

Hi, everyone - me again I am so sorry to message this group again and please let me know if I should be starting a new thread as Serj now developing another issue

He is eating, playing and taking his medication just fine and as normal but during this evening's medicine time noticed a small chip from his upper tooth. Wasn't there this morning, and he has been playing with his blackberry bush twigs this afternoon.

It doesn't seem to be bothering him, but can anyone please advise if we need yet another vet visit? Can't even fathom it just now, calculated I have spent £4600 since the 23rd of Dec on vet bills alone and feeling like the worst piggy parent for even contemplating the cost

PS: the gunk on his nostril is from about 10 minutes before picture when he stuck the head on his Frusomide before peeing on me while trying to clean it up

 

[kaz91]

Sorry, folks - just wondering if anyone can advise on this?

Had a brief chat with the vet who said it should be fine and we can trim but it will be expensive - has anyone had experience where this straightens itself out? He has been through so much these last few months, desperately don't want to do anything that could cause more stress

 

[Qualcast&Flymo]

They should be OK left alone - they should become even again with daily wear providing he is eating normally. Are the lower incisors even?
He may need some help picking up some foods, I would keep an eye on his eating and also on his weight to check the break isn't having an undesirable impact.

 

[kaz91]

Thank you so much lower ones seem fine, but I took the boy's blackberry sticks away out of panic and now think that was a stupid thing to have done to help even them up.

Will start back on his daily weight checks, thank you so much for the advice