Piggy has bladder stone ..learned so much

[Toffeepig]

1/ filter drinking water.. far too much calcium in un filtered drinking water (esp where we are)
2 /avoid alfalfa hay ..TIMOTHY IS FINE
3 /parsley Kale spinach lots of ,yummy piggy veggies feed rarely research the calcium content in fruit and veg ..you would be amazed
4 Nuggets..again no alfalfa .and small amounts
Fortunatly our 5 year old girl is doing fine after a stone was removed from her Urethra...just made me super aware of what she eats and drinks.
doing all the above and more is not guarenteed to prevent bladder stones..but its always worth trying

 

[Bill & Ted]

Is parsley full of calcium? I knew kale and spinach was, phew if it is I’ll keep clear of that, it’s unfortunately their favourite!

 

[Merab]

Welcome to the forum
Glad your beautiful girl is fully recovered.
Where are you ?
I’m in Wiltshire which is also a really hard water area.
If you are down this part of the country would you like to come to the Salisbury Meet on the 22nd?
It’s a chance to meet some other forum members over lunch

 

[Piggies&buns]

Is parsley full of calcium? I knew kale and spinach was, phew if it is I’ll keep clear of that, it’s unfortunately their favourite!

Yes it is.

 

[Wiebke]

1/ filter drinking water.. far too much calcium in un filtered drinking water (esp where we are)
2 /avoid alfalfa hay ..TIMOTHY IS FINE
3 /parsley Kale spinach lots of ,yummy piggy veggies feed rarely research the calcium content in fruit and veg ..you would be amazed
4 Nuggets..again no alfalfa .and small amounts
Fortunatly our 5 year old girl is doing fine after a stone was removed from her Urethra...just made me super aware of what she eats and drinks.
doing all the above and more is not guarenteed to prevent bladder stones..but its always worth trying

Hi and welcome

I am sorry that you have found us too late to avoid a bladder stone! But glad that she has come through her operation well.

Unfortunately the UK is a mostly hard water country. Many new owners are not aware that the greatest amount of calcium in their diet is actually coming from thew water and too high pellet intake. A diet on too much high calcium veg can compound it. Unfortunately, it is not just a matter of simply cutting out any calcium; you are aiming at a sustainable balance. There is also the issue that magnesium (which is not provided by pellets) is bound up with calcium rich veg.

Please have a look at our diet recommendations for bladder/urinary tract problem piggies in our general and special diets guide; our long term members practise similar diets to our sample diet and have found that the occurrance of stones and bladder problems has markedly dropped or completely vanished.

Calcium absorption is a complex and not yet much researched process. If there is a genetic predisposition or there are changes in how the calcium is absorbed, there is only so much you can do with a diet as it is not a quick fix. It can over time however still slow down any acute ongoing problems.
Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

 

[VickiA]

Hello and welcome. Sorry to hear your girl has had a stone. Good to hear she’s doing ok now.

 

[Bill & Ted]

I love the colour of your girl, definitely toffee coloured and glad she’s on the mend x

 

[Toffeepig]

Is parsley full of calcium? I knew kale and spinach was, phew if it is I’ll keep clear of that, it’s unfortunately their favourite!

Sadly my piggies fave too and dandelions and there the same ..so now she has a teeny weeny bit of each very rarely ..I'm prob being very overly cautious ..but it was a horrible time so if i can help not get it again by just making some changes then i dont mind . love to u all and our darling piggies x