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What are the chances of a bladder stone?

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Claire W

Claire W

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I have been having problems with Connie and her bladder since November. Since November she has had an X Ray that showed nothing, has been put on to a low calcium diet, had her urine spinned down a few weeks ago and no blood, crystals or protein were present, she has had countless infections and has been on Baytril and Septrin so what are the chances of her having a bladder stone? The only reason I ask is because I am stressing again as she is still squeaking a little :( x
 
I think I would ask for another x ray. Riff's urine showed no crystals (only blood and lots of it) but the stone was the size of a baked bean when it was excised.
 
My piggy has a stone but doesnt yelp when urinting. However he has considerable blood in his urine. He is off to see a specilaist this afternoon. If I get told anything of interest that might be of use to ** piggy I will post later when I return. Its so worrying when a piggy is ill. You just wish they could talk and tell you where they are hurting..
 
It could be a urethral stone (tube from bladder to outside). I have heard these can cause problems without the presence of blood.

Or maybe you could try an ultrasound to see if it could be something soft-tissue related?
 
Riff was on septrin for weeks and, to be quite honest, I don't think it did a great deal. The stone had to come out. You could speak to Debbie (as in Furry Friends). She had a pig with a urethral stone recently, and her vet removed it easily in clinic.
 
The only treatment for a bladder stone, of a respectable size, is surgical removal. However, I have taken out a number of urethral stones, from sows, which they have almost passed, ie the stone has got stuck at the exit of the urethra. I have one specimen measuring approximately 1.5cm by 1cm.
A stone which is stuck in a ureter is more of a problem. Micro-surgery to remove such a stone is difficult. This would require the services of a highly experienced vet, even then I would not be too optomistic of a successful outcome.
 
Claire, I am changing some of my diet advice - the low calcium aspect in particular - and this will apply to you and your girls. I will post a thread over in food either late tonight or tomorrow and link you to it.

I knew that the calcium must be balanced just so with the phosphorus but never discovered how it all worked. The way it has been set out everywhere has been complicated and confusing (i.e. not described in laymans terms!) hence why I always only advise cutting out high calcium veg in cases of bladder issue. Since learning that stones can sometimes be phosphate stones - not all stones are formed with calcium - and I eventually forced myself to study it and figured out the trick to the Ca:Ph deal in the diet. 'Tis more of a science in veggie nutrition, not so much a piggie diet. :))
 
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Just to add - Stones can not only be caused by too much calcium (or an imbalance in the diet that upsets the calcium ratio in the diet/ uptake), but also too little!

Sounds mad, I know, but if there's too little calcium in the diet the body can leech it from the bones.. And then have the genius idea of excreting it, through the urine.

So be wary of going too far in either direction when it comes to calcium levels if the diet.

Girls are far better built for passing stones than boys, although I imagine they're still not best pleased about it (so far haven't had that experience, although sadly I lost my boy a few years ago to a stone/ poorly trained butcher, and one of his descendents follwed a similar fate on his second stone op last year :( ). Stick with vet advice for the most part, but NEVER be afraid to question their judgement and seek a second opinion if you are at all unhappy at the way things are going.

I believe (and having discussed this with a fair few vets, it seems true) that Septrin is by far the most effective antibiotic for the vast majority of bladder infections. And also, a piggy that is prone to cystitus will find it flares up again from time to time. Cranberry juice, pearl barley water, and plenty of fluids can help, but I'm wary to suggest flooding in an attempt to flush if this is a stone problem as you're speeding up the buildup of urine if there is a blockage. You know your pig, and if you're happy to treat as an infection then by all means, but an x ray might be the way to go (anaesthetic issues depending of course!) so you have a higher chance of the right diagnosis.
 
The specialist I went to with Minx had her bladder stone analysed, and it was mostly carbohydrates and not so much calcium. He said that that was pretty normal for guinea pig bladder stones.

Have you had Connie's urine tested for acidity? Minx had a very alcaline urine. I was told that there was not much one could do about that, but that this might be a factor with bladder stones and UTI.

I can really feel for you, having lived myself for a more than year with the spectre of bladder stones hanging over Minx - eagle-eyeing her urine spots every single day in case she was passing blood again or whether it had the smell of yet another bout of cystitis coming on.

I wish you and Connie all the best. Give her a cuddle from me and lots of cranberry juice!
 
Thank you all for your responses. Her urine wasn't very alkaline when it was last tested and there was nothing abnormal in it at all. If she did have any sort of stone, would there be anything in her urine? Her course of Septrin finishes at the end of the week. Sorry for all the questions about this issue all the time :red x
 
Nothing in the urine can really show a stone; only certain elements - like crystals or blood - can indicate that the matter needs investigating further.
Guinea pig urine is naturally alkaline, hence the usual milky/creamy colour.
 
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