Post Op- Bladder Stones

[Megan Lucy]

Hi there,
On wednesday my piggy Oscar had an op to remove a bladder stone which was very big- 6mm! For the last week he hasn't been eating and is on critical care. On Friday he had his teeth trimmed as they had grown long after not eating and i'm just starting to get concerned about the length of time he hasn't eaten himself. He is showing some interest in food but not actually eating it. He's 5 years old and weighed 970g before the op and i cannot remember his current weight off the top of my head.

Also what diet changes should i make to help prevent bladder stones once he does start eating?

Thank you

 

[Lady Kelly]

I have no experience of bladder problems/stones and also extremely low experience of overgrown teeth so tagging people who I know have more experience @Wiebke @Jaycey

 

[Wiebke]

Hi there,
On wednesday my piggy Oscar had an op to remove a bladder stone which was very big- 6mm! For the last week he hasn't been eating and is on critical care. On Friday he had his teeth trimmed as they had grown long after not eating and i'm just starting to get concerned about the length of time he hasn't eaten himself. He is showing some interest in food but not actually eating it. He's 5 years old and weighed 970g before the op and i cannot remember his current weight off the top of my head.

Also what diet changes should i make to help prevent bladder stones once he does start eating?

Thank you

Both an operation and inexpert teeth trimming that leaves the dental system unbalanced can lead to loos of appetite. Please continue to syringe feed and water as long as necessary; you need to deed a minimum 40-60 ml in 24 hours just to keep the guts from closing down; a healthy guinea pig in its prime eats the equivalent of 120 ml per day - mostly in the form of hay. It is vital that you weigh any guinea pig that is not eating fully or that you suspect to not eating properly once daily at the same time in the feeding cycle in order to monitor the food intake. With a bladder piggy please make sure that you offer as much water as he will take in one go, but be very careful in never giving more than one mouthful at any time (ca. 0.3-0.5 ml) and wait until it has been safely swallowed. This to help him make at least one bigger pee a day to help flush out the bladder. Many bladder stone piggies are not great drinkers. You cannot force them to drink more than they individually need; that is not good for them, either.
Here are our post-op care and syringe feeding guides, the latter which also contains a section on looking after a dental guinea pig:
Tips For Post-operative Care
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

You can find tips for a balanced daily bladder piggy veg diet by the picture of our sample diet.
Ideally you give about a teaspoon full (10-15g) of low or calcium-free pellets and please filter all water irrespective of whether you are in a hard water area or not. Minerals in the water also contribute to the formation of stones. The filtering can make a real difference.
The diet tips in our general guide - when you keep to the recommended sample diet - actually amount to a diet that is geared to avoid the build-up of bladder stones in the first place; it also cuts out any high starch/sugar and fattening foods that can cause diabetes and other long term metabolic problems. Many of our long term members practise a similar diet and have not experienced any problems with large new stones for several years now.
The absorption of calcium is a complex and not yet much researched process. When this process is disturbed in any way, it can take a while in my and other members' experience to settle down again. Diet cannot control every aspect of it, but it can go a long way towards slowing down and minimising stone formation in the longer term.
Recommendations For A Balanced General Guinea Pig Diet

I would also recommend to start giving cystease or a similar glucosamine based food supplement to help support the battered natural glucosamine lining of the bladder walls.

 

[Megan Lucy]

Both an operation and inexpert teeth trimming that leaves the dental system unbalanced can lead to loos of appetite. Please continue to syringe feed and water as long as necessary; you need to deed a minimum 40-60 ml in 24 hours just to keep the guts from closing down; a healthy guinea pig in its prime eats the equivalent of 120 ml per day - mostly in the form of hay. It is vital that you weigh any guinea pig that is not eating fully or that you suspect to not eating properly once daily at the same time in the feeding cycle in order to monitor the food intake. With a bladder piggy please make sure that you offer as much water as he will take in one go, but be very careful in never giving more than one mouthful at any time (ca. 0.3-0.5 ml) and wait until it has been safely swallowed. This to help him make at least one bigger pee a day to help flush out the bladder. Many bladder stone piggies are not great drinkers. You cannot force them to drink more than they individually need; that is not good for them, either.
Here are our post-op care and syringe feeding guides, the latter which also contains a section on looking after a dental guinea pig:
Tips For Post-operative Care
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

You can find tips for a balanced daily bladder piggy veg diet by the picture of our sample diet.
Ideally you give about a teaspoon full (10-15g) of low or calcium-free pellets and please filter all water irrespective of whether you are in a hard water area or not. Minerals in the water also contribute to the formation of stones. The filtering can make a real difference.
The diet tips in our general guide - when you keep to the recommended sample diet - actually amount to a diet that is geared to avoid the build-up of bladder stones in the first place; it also cuts out any high starch/sugar and fattening foods that can cause diabetes and other long term metabolic problems. Many of our long term members practise a similar diet and have not experienced any problems with large new stones for several years now.
The absorption of calcium is a complex and not yet much researched process. When this process is disturbed in any way, it can take a while in my and other members' experience to settle down again. Diet cannot control every aspect of it, but it can go a long way towards slowing down and minimising stone formation in the longer term.
Recommendations For A Balanced General Guinea Pig Diet

I would also recommend to start giving cystease or a similar glucosamine based food supplement to help support the battered natural glucosamine lining of the bladder walls.

Thank you so much Wiebke! We're doing most of that already but theres a few changes i need to make! How long is it usually expected to have to syringe feed a guinea pig after an op? I'm just worried the more it goes on the less chance there is that he will eat.

 

[Flutterby]

Sending lots of healing vibes, I hope he recovers quickly.

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you so much Wiebke! We're doing most of that already but theres a few changes i need to make! How long is it usually expected to have to syringe feed a guinea pig after an op? I'm just worried the more it goes on the less chance there is that he will eat.

Basically as long as it takes. You can try mushed or finely sliced veg.

Dental piggies, unless they are seen by a dental expert (which are very rare) usually struggle with chewing afterwards. The best place for dental problems in the Cat&Rabbit Care Clinic in Northampton. Simon Maddock is seeing guinea pigs from all over the country from as far as Edinburgh and does about 15 guinea pig dentals a week on average. He has saved a lot of guinea pigs' lives. The Cat and Rabbit Care Clinic