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bladder stone question

thomasmuffinsRgood

thomasmuffinsRgood

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
Jul 29, 2021
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Location
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Hi, so we brought one of my piggies (Brutus) to the vet today because of bloody urine. They did an X-RAY and found that he had a decent sized bladder stone. The vet told me they wouldn't be able to get it out, and there is 1 of 2 things will happen. 1, he will have a few months to live 1. he will live the rest of his life happily with a bit of blood now and then
(yes they gave us meds for the bleeding) is this outlook correct? i just wanted to know whether thats right or not, because there aren't many vets where i am and i want to make sure I'm not taking fake news advice.
 
So sorry to hear of this news that you got about your Piggy. Unfortunately, we can't tell you if your vet's advice is correct or not. However, it doesn't hurt to get a second opinion from a professional if you're not sure. I know you said there are not many vets where you are, but would you be willing to travel to get another opinion if needed? Also, does the vet that you've already seen specialize in guinea pigs?
 
Hope4gem said:
So sorry to hear of this news that you got about your Piggy. Unfortunately, we can't tell you if your vet's advice is correct or not. However, it doesn't hurt to get a second opinion from a professional if you're not sure. I know you said there are not many vets where you are, but would you be willing to travel to get another opinion if needed? Also, does the vet that you've already seen specialize in guinea pigs?
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yes the vet specializes in guinea pigs, its the only vet in the state that we can visit because the other 2 are not taking new clients. the closest one besisdes the one in falmouth is 1hr 20 mins away.
 
Hope4gem said:
So sorry to hear of this news that you got about your Piggy. Unfortunately, we can't tell you if your vet's advice is correct or not. However, it doesn't hurt to get a second opinion from a professional if you're not sure. I know you said there are not many vets where you are, but would you be willing to travel to get another opinion if needed? Also, does the vet that you've already seen specialize in guinea pigs?
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also i was wondering, the stone is pretty big, but could it get stuck in the beginning of, what do you call it? i will attach a photo.
 

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thomasmuffinsRgood said:
yes the vet specializes in guinea pigs, its the only vet in the state that we can visit because the other 2 are not taking new clients. the closest one besisdes the one in falmouth is 1hr 20 mins away.
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I'm sorry it's a long drive for you. We have members on this forum who drive that far to get vet care, and in some cases they drive even farther, but I realize that you already got one opinion from a vet. It's good that they specialize in guinea pigs.
 
thomasmuffinsRgood said:
also i was wondering, the stone is pretty big, but could it get stuck in the beginning of, what do you call it? i will attach a photo.
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I'm sorry I don't understand your drawing. It sounds like this question would be best answered by your vet.
 
Have they said why they cannot get it out?
Surgical removal of a bladder stone in boars is usually the course of action. Boars have an awkward angle in their urethra and if he was to be left with the stone inside him, then if it moves into the urethra it would get stuck. This is very painful and would require emergency surgery/be fatal. There may be a reason why the vet isnt able to remove it - it might be because of the vet's lack of experience (although if your vet is an exotic and specialises in piggies, then it’s probably not that) or there is a medical reason in your particular case which is preventing removal.
 
Piggies&buns said:
Have they said why they cannot get it out?
Surgical removal of a bladder stone in boars is usually the course of action. Boars have an awkward angle in their urethra and if he was to be left with the stone inside him, then if it moves into the urethra it would get stuck. This is very painful and would require emergency surgery/be fatal. There may be a reason why the vet isnt able to remove it - it might be because of the vet's lack of experience (although if your vet is an exotic and specialises in piggies, then it’s probably not that) or there is a medical reason in your particular case which is preventing removal.
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The vet said it is a very risky surgery, since he is so small, there is a good chance he doesn’t come off the table, and with the stitching may end up leaking, resulting is disaster
 
Piggies&buns said:
Have they said why they cannot get it out?
Surgical removal of a bladder stone in boars is usually the course of action. Boars have an awkward angle in their urethra and if he was to be left with the stone inside him, then if it moves into the urethra it would get stuck. This is very painful and would require emergency surgery/be fatal. There may be a reason why the vet isnt able to remove it - it might be because of the vet's lack of experience (although if your vet is an exotic and specialises in piggies, then it’s probably not that) or there is a medical reason in your particular case which is preventing removal.
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But the vet was saying there is a possibility he will live his normal life with the stone in him,
It’s way to big to go in the urethra. Is there a possibility that he could live his whole life just fine with the stone in him?
 
It’s not possible for us to say - you need to be guided by a vet you can trust and if they say surgery isn’t possible, then they must have their reasons for that (generally removing a stone in the bladder is fairly straightforward in a healthy piggy with a competent vet). Is he urinating normally? If the stone blocks the urethra even partially, then things can escalate into a serious situation as urine will back up. Is he experiencing any pain/on painkillers?
 
Piggies&buns said:
It’s not possible for us to say - you need to be guided by a vet you can trust and if they say surgery isn’t possible, then they must have their reasons for that (generally removing a stone in the bladder is fairly straightforward in a healthy piggy with a competent vet). Is he urinating normally? If the stone blocks the urethra even partially, then things can escalate into a serious situation as urine will back up. Is he experiencing any pain/on painkillers?
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Yes we have baytril for the blood and metacam if he squeaks
 
I think most vets with experience of performing piggy surgery would want to remove a large obvious stone from an otherwise healthy piggy. There may also be bladder sludge that they could flush out while removing the stone that would help prevent further stones or blockages and bladder discomfort in future. However if your vet isnt confident about the surgery and does not want to attempt it, I think you have to either find a more experienced vet, or go with what your current vet recommends... I appreciate this is tricky if piggy vets are in short supply where you live!
 
PigglePuggle said:
I think most vets with experience of performing piggy surgery would want to remove a large obvious stone from an otherwise healthy piggy. There may also be bladder sludge that they could flush out while removing the stone that would help prevent further stones or blockages and bladder discomfort in future. However if your vet isnt confident about the surgery and does not want to attempt it, I think you have to either find a more experienced vet, or go with what your current vet recommends... I appreciate this is tricky if piggy vets are in short supply where you live!
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will he be able to live a normal life span if we dont remove the stone?
 
Nobody can answer that I'm afraid, I personally would want the surgery done immediately but by a confident specialist vet, which we are lucky to have plenty of in the UK. Other people may not want to risk it, especially if they do not think the vet can safely operate on puggies.
Nobody can say if the risk of a blocked urethra and lifelong bladder pain and problems is less of a risk than surgery, especially by a vet who doesnt feel confident in performing the surgery.
But here you have an operable condition, that many vets would operate on immediately- so I would urge you to seek a second vet opinion before making any firm decisions!
 
i dont want to bug the vet too and I'm not a millionaire. if i see any problems i will check if yarmouth is taking any new pets, but if they aren't i have to stick with falmouth, after that i will decide. i was holding him earlier and he had no blood in his pee. sometimes he does, others he doesnt... idk. :hmm:
 
How old is your piggy?

There is nothing that can be done for an existing stone (surgical removal is the only way to get rid of the current one) but to help prevent more forming in any of your piggies, the best you can do is ensure their diet is not too high in calcium. They of course do need calcium in their diet and too low can cause problems also, but the best we can do as owners is to ensure their drinking water is filtered, that pellets are low calcium and kept limited to just one tablespoon per pig per day and that high calcium veggies (kale, parsley, spinach) are kept limited to one small amount and fed only once per week.
 
brutus is almost 3 we got him from the guinea pig sanctuary in mass just a few days ago so idk what he was fed
 
thomasmuffinsRgood said:
brutus is almost 3 we got him from the guinea pig sanctuary in mass just a few days ago so idk what he was fed
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If you just got him a few days ago any chance you could ask the sanctuary if they can help with vet care?
 
My guinea pig recently had a bladder stone surgery and pulled through well, he just needed syringe feeding for a week or so after the op whilst he was a bit sore. My vet who is a specialist said that bladder stone surgery for a vet is very straight forward if they do them regularly and depending on where the stone is (not the case if it’s in the kidneys or the stuck in their urethra). She recommended immediate removal as it’s so uncomfortable and can get stuck as like other members have already said, he had his op the following day. I would definitely recommend getting another opinion if you’re able! Sending healing vibes to your piggy ☺️
 
DougalandDiego said:
My guinea pig recently had a bladder stone surgery and pulled through well, he just needed syringe feeding for a week or so after the op whilst he was a bit sore. My vet who is a specialist said that bladder stone surgery for a vet is very straight forward if they do them regularly and depending on where the stone is (not the case if it’s in the kidneys or the stuck in their urethra). She recommended immediate removal as it’s so uncomfortable and can get stuck as like other members have already said, he had his op the following day. I would definitely recommend getting another opinion if you’re able! Sending healing vibes to your piggy ☺️
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Hope4gem said:
If you just got him a few days ago any chance you could ask the sanctuary if they can help with vet care?
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Well so when you adopt a guinea pig they give you a free check up, but that is not gonna cover cost of surgery. I don’t have 400+ dollars right now and there’s a good chance he doesn’t make it off the table
 
Yes I can imagine you’re in a difficult situation financially and the concern of your guinea pig making it through the op. Like the other members have said, can you speak to the charity about the stone? They might have a vet they use at a reduced cost/fee? Or they might be able to give you some funds to help pay for the op?
 
DougalandDiego said:
Yes I can imagine you’re in a difficult situation financially and the concern of your guinea pig making it through the op. Like the other members have said, can you speak to the charity about the stone? They might have a vet they use at a reduced cost/fee? Or they might be able to give you some funds to help pay for the op?
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I will definitely call them but I don’t think they have any extra money. They have so many guinea pigs that if you have already purchased there the rest are free. People keep abandoning their guinea pigs so the sanctuary doesn’t get paid. People are sick
 
yeah there is no way they can fund anything for surgery. they give you a free certificate for a normal checkup. i hope he can live his life normally with the bladder stone :(
 
I'm sorry to hear that you find yourself in this situation. How is your piggy doing right now? Would it be possible for you to start putting aside a bit of money now to save up for the future in case they need any care down the line?
 
Hope4gem said:
I'm sorry to hear that you find yourself in this situation. How is your piggy doing right now? Would it be possible for you to start putting aside a bit of money now to save up for the future in case they need any care down the line?
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He seems to be doing fine, no painful squeaks. I held him yesterday and he peed normal on me with no blood. I think sometimes he owes blood (just a drop( and pees normally the rest
 
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