When does gradual weight loss become concerning?

Thank you all ☺️ we’re taking our time to digest the news and think through what the outcomes of each decision might be

A big part of me just wants to get the stone out and risk the surgery, but I am hesitating for a reason. He’s a frailer piggie, and he’s down at 20% total weight loss now - given his other health conditions had him in not great condition even at his top weight, and the fact he’s struggling after the light sedation for the scan, I’m leaning towards not doing it. My OH also thinks the surgery wouldn’t be a good idea, though they’d support me if I really wanted to try it

I like your suggestion @Merab of living with a decision for a few days and seeing how it feels

I am at least confident that his quality of life is good. He’s struggling today following the sedation, but in general he’s still a happy boy who climbs the bars, chases Eddie around the cage, popcorns, comes running for veggies… no sitting puffed up staring at a wall. As long as we can keep him happy, I’m okay with taking some time to decide

The vet is happy to discuss it with me again, but she wasn’t surprised when I said I was worried about the surgery and agreed that it would be risky to do a full anaesthetic with him, and the stones could recur in as soon as a month. But then, they might not recur at all. It’s a lot to think about

He’s getting lots of cuddles regardless
 
Sending my love. I am so very sorry that there is no easy way out.
 
I do have one question - is it a good idea to stop giving him pellets? He gets one tablespoon a day but considering the stone, maybe I should stop them entirely. Would I need to feed veggies differently if I did? They just get lettuce, cucumber, pepper, and coriander daily at the moment

He’s had a bit of critical care and he’s munching on some hay now. We’ve had some very odd stringy poops. His impaction is bad today as well, the sedation has given him a bit of a hard time bless him

The other thing the x-ray showed was his arthritis - particularly in his knees. The vet said it was pretty bad. But we knew about that and his pain is under control on his meds. His eyesight is deteriorating too. I love him very much, he is a bit of a poorly piggie ❤️

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JaseChase said:
I do have one question - is it a good idea to stop giving him pellets? He gets one tablespoon a day but considering the stone, maybe I should stop them entirely. Would I need to feed veggies differently if I did? They just get lettuce, cucumber, pepper, and coriander daily at the moment

He’s had a bit of critical care and he’s munching on some hay now. We’ve had some very odd stringy poops. His impaction is bad today as well, the sedation has given him a bit of a hard time bless him

The other thing the x-ray showed was his arthritis - particularly in his knees. The vet said it was pretty bad. But we knew about that and his pain is under control on his meds. His eyesight is deteriorating too. I love him very much, he is a bit of a poorly piggie ❤️

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What kind of water is he getting - tap, filtered or bottled?
 
Wiebke said:
Is he a good drinker?
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Yes he drinks more than any of my other piggies do/did. He has had some increased thirst this last month which I mentioned to the vet - not sure if that’s a symptom of the stone or not. The scans showed a bit of calcium build up in his kidneys too but not enough that there were stones in there yet (and his bladder lining was very thick and sore too)

I do also use the filtered water when mixing up his critical care. He takes about 1ml of syringed water for ever 3-4 critical care syringes
 
JaseChase said:
Yes he drinks more than any of my other piggies do/did. He has had some increased thirst this last month which I mentioned to the vet - not sure if that’s a symptom of the stone or not. The scans showed a bit of calcium build up in his kidneys too but not enough that there were stones in there yet (and his bladder lining was very thick and sore too)

I do also use the filtered water when mixing up his critical care. He takes about 1ml of syringed water for ever 3-4 critical care syringes
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It sounds like the stone has been there for quite some time and has been causing bladder damage. Potential bladder trauma in the wake of an operation would be something you may have to take into consideration, too (i.e. the bladder reacting to the absence of the stone but not in a good way). :(
Stones actually start in the kidneys and move down the urinary tract.

I would rather recommend to see whether you want to switch to low calcium bottled water (other member may advise you as to suitable UK brands) instead of cutting out the pellets completely - or you could gradually replace part of the pellets with forage.

Please be aware that you could be just a bit too low of the dietary balanced sweet spot than too high; but that's rather impossible for me to tell.
 
Thank you, that’s really helpful and good to consider ☺️ the vet thinks the stone has been there for a good while too, and his painkillers for his arthritis could have been masking any symptoms

He really hasn’t had any symptoms apart from weight loss - no squeaky pees, only a couple of mild red/bloody pees, no hunching, no fluffing up in pain, nothing else I saw with my last bladder stone piggie (Patches). I was honestly really surprised when it was a large stone because he’d had no obvious signs of it

They are very good at hiding illness though aren’t they. So he could be feeling it and just not showing it. The meds seem to keep him happy and comfortable for now
 
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