Benda's bladder stone - help going forward please.

[Her Nibship]

OK, little bit of background: Brenda had some blood in her wee. It was initially treated as a UTI. She had 2 or 3 courses of Baytril & Metacam but it reoccured each time so our vet said at our appointment on Monday she would like to do x-rays and scans to see what was going on, so Brenda was booked in for yesterday. Between Monday and yesterday Brenda began squeaking sometimes when she weed. Yesterday she had a conscious x-ray that showed up something that looked like a stone in her bladder. Then she had an ultrasound that didn't seem to match up with the x-ray exactly enough for the vet to be happy so she sedated Brenda so that an x-ray could be taken from a different angle. The overall picture showed a bladder stone that had moved down to the exit but was too big to be passed. While Brenda was sedated the vet managed to break up the stone enough to remove it without any incisions. Brenda had a Metacam injection and an injection of an opioid painkiller (sorry, can't remember the name) before she came home yesterday teatime. She is on Metacam and precautionary Baytril twice a day at home. There is a possibility from the scan that another teeny tiny couple of stones could be starting to form in the bladder. Our vet is contacting a specialist exotics vet (she is experienced with piggies but ours is a general practice) to see if there is any benefit from the stone being sent for analysis & what measures can be taken to reduce the likelihood of recurrence going forward. Since Brenda came home she has been eating, drinking, weeing and pooing. She was a bit subdued yesterday evening, but during the night and this morning she seems pretty much her normal self.

Basically, I'm looking for advice about giving Brenda the best care possible going forward.
I forgot to mention that I have been giving her probiotics since she was first given Baytril.
I'm ordering a water filter for her today. Are there any types/brands that will be best for her?
She and Andrew have a small portion of Versele Laga Cavia Complete pellets daily.
The majority of their diet is soft, green, sweet meadow hay.
Her favourite veggies are green beans, cucumber and pepper.
She loves Piggie Parcels forage. Particular favourites are green oat, coriander, dill and apple wood.

I would be so grateful if one of you amazingly knowledgeable people would be kind enough to tell me of anything that I should add/remove/change/substitute/try so that Brenda's care is the best that she can possibly have to recover from her historical problems and yesterday's procedure. I don't know if she has previously had stones; we have only had her for coming up for 5 months. When she was surrendered to the rescue they were told that she was 4 years old.

 

[Wiebke]

Hi!

You will still need a modicum of calcium in the diet as too low a calcium diet can have negative long term consquences as well. Magnesium for instance is bound up with high calcium veg and it is not supplied with pellets.
Especially in spring and autumn, fresh growing grass is a really good source of vitamin C so if you have access to dog-pee fresh grass, then please make use of it. Please follow the advice in this guide: Feeding Grass And Preparing Your Piggies For Lawn Time

We have a a chapter on urinary tract problem diet recommendations in our general diet thread: Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

If you can, opt for a stronger filter Brita jug although even a standard one will actually make a difference and reduce the amount of pellets you feed to 1 tablespoon or less per piggy per day.
By cutting out the two biggest calcium sources in a piggy (water and pellets), you actually have got more leeway on the veg side and can reintroduce a small amount of either fresh herbs, greens or even a little kale (in very small amounts) as a vital source of trace elements and other vitamins that take the role of the wild forage, which was used to supplement a grass/hay based diet. Keep in mind that the veg highest in calcium (kale) still has less of it than the same weight of any pellet brand, including the no added calcium ones.
Low nutrient watery veg like cucumber can help with flushing the bladder, especially in piggies that are not good drinkers (which bladder stone piggies often aren't). You have to however be aware that the more aware fluid is coming from their veg, the less piggies will drink.
They are not getting any thirstier overall but encouraging stronger pees in piggies that do naturally not have a great need to drink can help with flushing the bladder regularly. It is just one of the factors that play into the complex calcium absorption process - many of which we do not have any control over.
Please accept that any dietary change will take several weeks to come through until any excess calcium is worked out; it is not a quick process.
Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

What I would recommend is to start giving glucosamine (which is classed as a food supplement and not as a medication). The natural glucosamine layer in the urinary tract prevents the very corrosive urine from coming into contact with raw tissue. With stone tumbled around in the bladder and banging into the walls especially around the exit with every pee your piggy makes, this layer is being scratched. Added glucosamine can majorly contribute to the healing process. Again, it is not an instant quick fix and will take several weeks to kick in.
The easiest way are feliway cat cystease capsules (cats are the other species prone to urinary tract problems). Empty the contents of 1 capsule into 2 ml of filtered water and shake vigorously until the powder has dissolved. Give 1 ml about every 12 hours or 2 ml every 24 hours. A little medicine bottle is helpful for the mixing and storing of the water/glucosamine mix.

I hope that this will help you?

 

[Her Nibship]

Thank you so much for taking the time to give your wonderfully detailed reply to help me give Brenda the best care I possibly can, it is very much appreciated. I will implement all the guidance that you have given; the sooner we start the sooner Brenda will begin to get the benefits. Do you think she can continue with the Piggie Parcels forage, or would it be best to stop that? I'm off to order the water filter and cystease.
Thank you again.

 

[Her Nibship]

I forgot to say that I am monitoring her weight daily for the time being.

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you so much for taking the time to give your wonderfully detailed reply to help me give Brenda the best care I possibly can, it is very much appreciated. I will implement all the guidance that you have given; the sooner we start the sooner Brenda will begin to get the benefits. Do you think she can continue with the Piggie Parcels forage, or would it be best to stop that? I'm off to order the water filter and cystease.
Thank you again.

You have to see how much calcium there is in it and use it accordingly - as a rare treat in small pinches to a little more.