Anybody have some guineapig boar urinary / bladder stone post op care advice?

[Gpigwheeklyuk]

Hello hello!
So about two months ago my poor coogie had a bladder stone operation after a stone the size of a petit pois pea became lodged in his urinary tract. It was quite stressful but in the end i opted for him to have it safely removed with incision in his tract and he's thankfully been okay and made a recovery from his surgery since with alot of care from me.
Aside from using Oxbow urinary tablets / giving him plenty of water to flush his kidneys and keep the calcium on the lower side does anybody have any other recommendations to help him long term and prevent this from happening again?

I've noticed afew changes with him to since such as :
-His hair texture has changed slightly since his surgery and hasn't grown back as luxurious as it did before ( hes a long peruvian piggie)
- He has difficulty being out for laptime for long periods before he pulls my clothes to signal he needs the toilet
Many thanks for reading my post and for sharing your guineapig wisdom,
Katie

 

[Wiebke]

Hello hello!
So about two months ago my poor coogie had a bladder stone operation after a stone the size of a petit pois pea became lodged in his urinary tract. It was quite stressful but in the end i opted for him to have it safely removed with incision in his tract and he's thankfully been okay and made a recovery from his surgery since with alot of care from me.
Aside from using Oxbow urinary tablets / giving him plenty of water to flush his kidneys and keep the calcium on the lower side does anybody have any other recommendations to help him long term and prevent this from happening again?

I've noticed afew changes with him to since such as :
-His hair texture has changed slightly since his surgery and hasn't grown back as luxurious as it did before ( hes a long peruvian piggie)
- He has difficulty being out for laptime for long periods before he pulls my clothes to signal he needs the toilet
Many thanks for reading my post and for sharing your guineapig wisdom,
Katie

Hi

I am very sorry about the leaky bladder; that is obviously an operation related complication due to removing the stone and likely its location.

Never come across a complained about thinning hair before. Please check in case it is skin parasites due to a weakened immune system.
New piggy problems: URI - ringworm - skin parasites

Please be aware that any dietary changes while effective in the long term will take several weeks to kick in and will not prevent the formaton of a new stone in the short term, especially those that are caused by something going wrong in the complex calcium absorption process and not due to feeding incorrectly. Also be aware that there is a sweet spot in the diet and that both too much calcium and too little calcium can lead to stones or sludge.

More calcium in the diet comes via pellets (please reduce to 1 tablespoon per piggy per day). Even no added calcium pellets contain more calcium weight per weight than the veg highest in it.
Please filter your water - that will be the most effective measure, especially in a hard water country like the UK. Most people tend to blend out water and just focus on veg; it can be a potentially fatal mistake.

Cut out any veg high in oxalates (which contributes to the formation of stones), including all root veg, grains and green leaves high in it kale, spinach and brassicas but you will need to feed a little. We recommend one strip of greens (USA: collard greens; a milder relative of kale); you will still need magnesium, vitamin C and a modicum of calcium. A sprig of coriander per day is fine but feed parsley or dill and other herbs more as an occasional treat when you are using them in your own cooking. Herbs are a good source of trace elements.
Also go lightly on fruit and rather see them as an occasional treat.
Ideally you serve a mostly green diet with a slice of pepper that includes some watery veg like cucumber and lettuce (romaine/Cos and gem are no problem) to help with making larger pees in piggies that are not great drinkers.
You can find more information via this link here: Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

For fresh grass in the diet - very much encouraged for stone piggies alongside plenty of hay but it needs to be introduced with real care as too much too quickly can at the worst cause a fatal bloat. We see that usually in the spring. At this time of year, grass hasn't got much nutritional value but it is high in vitamin C in fresh growing grass in spring and autumn.
Feeding Grass And Preparing Your Piggies For Lawn Time

I would recommend to contact your vet over the thinned coat and also to discuss whether glucosamine could help with the natural glucosamine coating of the urinary tract which prevents the highly corrosive urine from coming into direct painful contact with raw tissue - this the main source of the squeaking with any urinary tract. Glucosamine is classed as a food supplement and is therefore not prescribed.