Hello, my older 7 year old sow has been diagnosed with renal failure. For the time being she is comfortable. I'm just wondering if anyone has given their pigs milk thistle tablets? as I am reading this can help support the liver and kidneys.
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Renal disease
- Thread starter Samxox
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Hi
I am very sorry for the diagnosis. Kidney failure is not at all uncommon in older guinea pigs; sadly something has to eventually give. Your girl is a very good age.
Unfortunately, there is not much you can do about it as there is no effective medication that can buy your piggy a significant amount of time.
We do not recommend to use human products since guinea pigs/rodents have a different metabolism to us; this is very often not respected by these alternative home treatments.
If you struggle with the diagnosis and the prospect of losing your beloved piggy, then you may find this guide link here helpful. Please keep in mind that your grieving process doesn't start with the death but at the moment you are coming face to face with the reality of impending loss. In fact, this moment is the lowest point of your emotional journey bar the loss itself, so be kind with yourself but try to face the inevitable and make the very best of what precious time you have left to create special memories that stay with you forever.
Caring for Older Piggies and Facing the End - A helpful and supportive information collection
Qualcast&Flymo
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Sorry for the diagnosis. I've no personal experience, but I recall other members have used milk thistle products (tho not tablets for humans) for piggies with liver problems. See this thread for instance
Sad news from the vet for Jezzy floof :(
I don't know if it will help kidney failure symptoms though.
Milk thistle is a pretty common weed, you may be able to find it around to feed fresh.
Lp
Sad news from the vet for Jezzy floof :(
I don't know if it will help kidney failure symptoms though.
Milk thistle is a pretty common weed, you may be able to find it around to feed fresh.
Lp
Thank you both. Yes, I'm devasted for her. She got spayed 9 weeks ago as she had ovarian cysts and now she is faced with this 
. She has lost a little weight but still has a big appetite and I have her on critical care, as long as she is happy that is the main thing. She will never suffer a day, her quality of life will always come first. I had wondered about the dog/cat mill thistle tablets since guinea pigs can eat it fresh. I'll maybe just buy the 1kg dried milk thistle from nature grub 
. She has lost a little weight but still has a big appetite and I have her on critical care, as long as she is happy that is the main thing. She will never suffer a day, her quality of life will always come first. I had wondered about the dog/cat mill thistle tablets since guinea pigs can eat it fresh. I'll maybe just buy the 1kg dried milk thistle from nature grub 
I'm so sorry for the diagnosis. Leela, one of our pigs, is a few months shy of five and has enlarged (and probably polycystic) kidneys. We didn't pursue the additional testing to nail down the diagnosis because it was extremely expensive and there was no potential treatment for her even if we did find out. But we are aware that her kidneys are not healthy and that this will probably, in time, lead to her death. That said, she was diagnosed last January and is still hanging in there happily, so we are thankful for the time she's had and we will enjoy her for as long as we can. We figure that as long as she is happy and doing normal guinea pig stuff like eating, running around, playing, etc. we will just appreciate the time... once that time is over, we will have to either let her go or help her go. We just work on making every day a happy one for her. Hope this helps a bit.
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@Pound Shilling & Pig I seem to remember you mentioning milk thistle. I may be totally wrong, but think it was you xx
Pound Shilling & Pig
Adult Guinea Pig
Milk thistle is good for the liver. I don't know if it helps kidneys though and have not given it in tablet form.
There are vetinary medications for cats and dogs that can slow the progression of kidney disease, i think by increasing blood flow, but you would need to discuss with your vet if this is an option.
A low protein diet also benefits the kidneys, the highest protein foods in a piggy's diet are usually grains (in nuggets) and legumes such as peas flakes. But sadly as others have said kidney disease can not be cured so maximising quality of life is important. So it maybe the benefit of your piggy enjoying her favourite foods outweighs the benefit of changing her diet.
She is currently on an antibiotic called metrovis as she has been peeing blood. The pee sample indicated it was her kidneys and not a UTI as initially thought. She has her own piggy palace these days as she has decided she doesn't want to be with any of my other girls or my neutered boar, which is fine. As long as she is happy. I read recent studies saying milk thistle is shown to support the kidneys which is why I was looking at it as an option but I will just buy it in dried forage form for her. I don't want to prolong her life as such, I just want to do all I can to make her as comfortable as I can
