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Any top tips for op aftercare?

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07721 026401 to text/phone your message to Vedra. A rodentologist can advise you and recommend vets etc but not invade the body cavity but they know all this :) Vets are not allowed (legally) to recommend products not licensed for guineas without trying one that is, then one that is suitable for other animals and similar to whats needed. But I would talk to Vedra over the phone about it, there's probably nothing a rodentologist can 'do' that she can't advise.
I found flushing Henry's bladder with 40ml daily of baby fruit juice (diluted) helps get the sludge out and achieves the correct PH balance to help more stones forming (I'm told!).
 
thanks Karen for that - thats really helpful O0 Does she have an email address do you know? Sorry I keep calliing her Vendra with an 'n' - oops! *embarrassed* Is Vedra a rodentologist herself or just a very experienced owner?

Will try the fruit juice, as well has keeping her flushed with potassium citrate - I'm sure she'll like the juice better! How do you know it actually does remove the crystals - they can only be seen under a microscope apparently. Ive seen her pass sediments... but the vet said its the tiny crystals that are the problem. :-\ Wonder if I could mix the citrate granules in with the juice? She might be more keen to have in then. Would that be ok?

I also try and give her some apple and tomatoes - more often than I used to - just to give her system more acidity.

karenrgpr said:
I found flushing Henry's bladder with 40ml daily of baby fruit juice (diluted) helps get the sludge out and achieves the correct PH balance to help more stones forming (I'm told!).
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Lol - I want to help stop them forming - but I know what you meant ;D O0 Thanks so much Karen
 
::) Yeah, missed out the word STOP there LOL!

Henry used to pass bladder sludge occasionaly (better out than in), you could see it on his vetbed. If you can only see her crystals under the microscope then you won't see them? Henry was having Uriflow which is supposed to stop crystals from forming.

How much fluid are you giving? Hen had 40mls a day in 10ml 'sessions'. I'm sure if you're giving that amount the Potassium Citrate can be given seperately to the juice. Iwould be careful giving fruit, it has the wrong Ca:Ph levels and might do more harm than good. I cut fruit and roots almost completely out of Hen's diet.
 
they dont have hardly any friut to be honest - just veg. But thought I'd try apple and banana (cos its high in potassium).

I give her a pinch of potassium citrate diluted in water. Definately gonna give her more fluid to give her a really good flushing out everyday, like you suggested. She drinks alot anyway but its obviously not enough. Just wondered if I could put the granules in the juice to make it taste nicer than just putting it in water. Apparently humans can have it and it tastes so bitter :P Hopefully by doing what you did might help her a bit. ;)

I can see sludge in her wee - its almost textured too - like sugar at the bottom of your cup of tea. But the vet said calcium crystals are microscopic. So dont know what exactly the sludge is to be honest. I know every piggy has some degree of sediment.

What did you think of Uriflow?
 
What does the sludge look like and how does it differ from normal deposits?
Yes, definately text Vedra, as Karen says she may be able to help, even indirectly :) She does have an email addy, but am away from my home PC so don't have it on me, but she checks her texts more often than emails apparently, so a text would be better at this point.

Glad to hear Ruby's spirits are up :smitten:
 
its really hard to explain.... suppose its like the tiniest flakes of porridge or ready brek or something. When its in the syringe - it settles, at the bottom. These arent what is causing the damage tho - according to my vet :-\ Sometimes you can see sediment floating in her wee - other times you cant but you can see that the water is textured (like undissolved sugar - clear but you can still see it). The crystals the vet is on about you cant see with the naked eye - maybe they are inside the sediment? I dont know :( I think sediment/sludge/deposits are all the same thing. Fresh its a sediment/floating deposits... but when it settles it looks like sludge

If anybody could give me Vedras email I would be very grateful - prefer it to phones! ;) Can remember to get everything accross then. ;)

Thanks Julie - she's still as funny as ever! :)

Ive just given her her first 10ml with a tiny bit of apple juice - didnt have to hold her or anything - just held it to her mouth and she started to drink (while I pushed gently on the syringe.) Bless her :smitten: such a good girl!
 
I don't know how often she checks email but I'd be inclined to text her ;)

I think the Uriflow helped Henry and others give it to their pigs too. I saw Marbles the other wheek- gave him a water 'session' actually and he's fighting fit and its been two years and two ops (the ops were pre Uriflow) later. My vet knows about Uriflow and was happy for me to use it. My Henry's stones were embedded in the bladder, they got some out but had to leave a few 'bits', the Uriflow didn't dissolve those but may have kept them to a minimum and he certainly had lots of sludge coming out- dissolved crystals maybe, I don't know ::) I just got to a do or die situation, nothing else was working, Hen was obviously predisposed to stones in some way, so it was worth trying.

The sludge is a good thing, you don't want that inside her :) But if you can get her wee clear (it can be done!) all the better.

I would strongly advise texting Vedra, then writing down everything you need tosay (she will ask the right questions too :) ), email could take a lot longer. She'll text you back and ask you to phone her at a certain time (when she's free) sometimes, that gives you time to prepare.
 
Cheers Karen - your such a mine of info! O0

Thought Uriflow sounded really good when I read about it. Can I buy it over the internet or can only vets get hold of it? I was just worried about using something that isnt recommended by my vet. Glad your vet seems to be ok with it! Maybe they could have a chat to my vet! I gave my vet the story about Marbles to read through then she rang around to see what other experts thought. But I reckon it might be worth trying.

Know what you mean about emails! ::) Just I hate phones - and cant get much on a text message! Thanks for letting me know about her - see what more my vet says and I might give Vedra a call O0

Thanks peeps - you're all so nice
 
Hi Helen glad to hear you sound a bit chirpier today. I got Uriflow shipped over from the States, took about a week to get here. I was going to use it for Tetley on the recommendation of both Karen and Chrissie (Gorg Guineas). I spoke to a vet recommended by Maryh and she said she hadn't heard of Uriflow but said she didn't think it could do any harm to give it a go. As Karen said above, vets can't/won't recommend meds that aren't licenced for pigs - you wouldn't believe the battle I had getting my vet to give me paediatric Septrin the first time I needed it!

I have posted a link to the company I got the Uriflow from (hope this is ok mods), hope the link works - http://www.bioneutrix.com/conditions/kidney_stones.htm

Give Ruby a cuddle and keep your pecker up my love. Sandra
 
Uriflow is a product for humans, Chrissie found it when Marbles' stone recurred. There's a link to a website on the article and the vets address/phone number. Our vet didn't prescribe it or recommend it, she just knows about it because she was treating them at the time and has seen the results!
Uriflow is the site if you want to take a look.
 
Havent seen that site (only the site about Marble). It sounds brilliant! :D :D :D :D It really does sound like a miracle!

What size are the bottles? How long does a bottle last - do you dilute it? How much do you give and how often? Can you pay for it in pounds (not too good on conversions! I guess $147 is around £70? 98) ) Anywhere in the UK that sells it? Seen it cheaper on e-bay - is it safe to buy it from there?

http://search.ebay.co.uk/uriflow_W0QQfcclZ1QQfclZ4QQfnuZ1QQfsooZ1QQfsopZ1

sounds pretty reliable - never bought anything from there before you see!

So many questions! Just hope its safe to use :-\ Also it seems to be more for targeting kidney's rather than bladder stones/crystals. Does it do the job for the bladder?

I asked about Septrin - but still have Baytril for Ruby! ::) Hopefully I can take her off it soon.

Thanks for your help!
 
Sorry - forgot to say - thanks Sandra! Means alot.

Ooooh I love so much I could squeeze her let alone cuddle her! :D ;D She certainly causes me some trouble though, that little madam! ;D
 
Helen the Uriflow I had shipped over from the States cost me around £30 which included free p&p - the link to the company I used in shown in my post above. There are 60 capsules in a pot and Chrissie told me to get a small sterile container i.e. old medicine bottle or something similar, and open the capsules carefully into the pot so that the powder inside goes into the bottle. If I remember correctly she uses the narrow end of a syringe (the bit that goes in the pigs mouth) to scoop up a "small pile" of powder which she adds to baby fruit juice. Chrissie (and I have to say I also do the same) uses 15, 1ml syringes filled with baby fruit juice/water one after the other to give her piggy with bladder stone problems his Uriflow. I found with Tetley that if I was well away from other distractions i.e. pigs and food of any description he would quite happily take 15mls. 15ml of juice/water again mid day, followed by 15ml juice/water + Uriflow at night. Chrissie said that she had only had to have a couple of purchases from Bioneutrix in all the time she has been giving her piggy Uriflow.

Hope that all makes sense and helps!
 
Thanks Sandra! Think I got all that! So how much would you say is in that small scoop - not much I bet so probably hard to say - less than a pinch!

So I guess its better to buy one pot of uriflow at a time rather than a pack of 3. I checked out that site you gave me - Bioneutrix - but couldnt see where to actually order it. Is it better/cheaper to buy it from there than the actual Uriflow site?

Ive got a 10ml syringe which makes things a bit easier than refilling the 1ml's. ;)

Does giving her too much water/juice throughout the day mean the uriflow will just go straight through her and not have time to work? 98) Sorry - thought I'd ask!

It does really help thanks - like to know other peoples experiences - feels like theres hope!

Helen x
 
I would say the measure probably equates to a small pinch, hard to judge! Having spoken to Chrissie I only bought one bottle as she said it lasted such a long time. Try this link, I think this is where I started my navigation around their site http://www.uriflow.com/. I only used the 1ml syringes because Tetley flatly refused to take anything larger ;D. I had 15, 1ml syringes lined up on the table and just used one after the other! I think the idea of the larger quantity of liquid throughout the day is to keep the bladder flushed out, thus washing any sludge/crystals out - I went on the advise given by others. I seem to remember reading somewhere that a piggy with bladder problems should have a liquid intake of somewhere in the region of 40/45 mls daily.

I have to say I don't know what I would have done if I hadn't found this forum, so many helpful people willing to share their knowledge and stories O0
 
Caviesgalore said:
I have to say I don't know what I would have done if I hadn't found this forum, so many helpful people willing to share their knowledge and stories O0
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I second that - I'd be totally lost. xx0 Its nice to know you're not alone

I look at the 10ml syringe when its full of water/juice and its a bit shocking all that has to go through her little bladder in one go! :o My vet put it into perspective when she said they've got bladders the size of a marble. :o Reminds me when I had to have a ultrasound once to check something - I had to have 2 pints of water before I went! Ouchey... it was uncomfortable! Ruby seems to take to the mouth bit of the 10ml syringe ok thankfully.

Ah right - I get it now - Bioneutrix are the company that makes uriflow is that right?! So I can just buy it from the 'uriflow' website. Was trying to find somewhere to purchase it on the 'Bioneutrix' website you gave me a link to before (thought they were just a supplier).
Hope you understand what I mean! 98) ? Hard to put it across in words. ;D

I dont usually go against professionals advice but I'm desperate to try anything - and this sounds like its safe enough. Was just a bit sceptical at first because vets dont know enough about it as a reliable treatment.
 
I used to use lotsof 1ml syringes too You can buy them from SPH Supplies. Chrissie's a good person to talk too :) Got mine from uriflow.com so can't help re Ebay, its probably OK but I'd prefer to be sure and get from Uriflow.
 
Fine thanks Julie! ;) Thanks for asking.

The vet rung yesterday to say she had rung swindon - and they cant suggest anything more that we can try. So I said again about trying Uriflow (I'm gonna try it) and also asked about her going back onto hay bedding - which she can.

At the moment I'm just giving her plenty of fluids via syringe - and once a day with some potassium citrate. Havent heard her squeek when she wee's so hopefully its doing the trick of relieving her pain a bit.
 
Aw poor rubes, glad the option of uriflow is there, fingers crossed it works O0
Love Emma x
 
Ah, that's good :) glad to hear that. Bless her piggie socks, let's hope the Uriflow helps.
it's elating when they take stuff off the syringe isn't it?! It's usually such a struggle!
 
Boureki said:
Ah, that's good :) glad to hear that. Bless her piggie socks, let's hope the Uriflow helps.
it's elating when they take stuff off the syringe isn't it?! It's usually such a struggle!
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It sure is! Sometimes its a real struggle - but Rube is much better than little Dil (thought I would she how she gets on with a syringe full of diluted juice) - the faces she pull are so funny! ::) ;D

jnenbnb said:
Aw poor rubes, glad the option of uriflow is there, fingers crossed it works O0
Love Emma x
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Thanks emma - bit worried about using it - but other people have used it ok. Got to give it a go I suppose!
 
Glad to hear Ruby is taking her fluids like a good girl. Hope the Uriflow works out for her - keep us posted.
 
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