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Bladder stone

So sorry that you lost Popi despite everything you did for her.
She was lucky to have had such a loving and caring owner.
Be gentle with yourself as you grieve
 
We made Ziuta a spot on the sofa so she can get some love and attention. We are applying at rescues but COVID-19 has made it even harder. I hope she will find a piggy to love and who will love her
 

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I am a bit worried about the adoption process. Currently we are only answering questions about our current guinea pigs life style and living space, is there a thread where I can get advice?
 
Dorota Kasiak said:
I am a bit worried about the adoption process. Currently we are only answering questions about our current guinea pigs life style and living space, is there a thread where I can get advice?
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You can start a new thread about this but on the basis of the information you’ve provided here, that is the type of questions I would expect rescue centres to be asking of you
 
Will probably make a new thread. I'm just worried that we will get turned down because our cage is small but is set up in a way that Ziuta can jump in and out with 24 hour access to the whole room (with hides scattered for them to explore)
 
This is only a small part of what they have access to. Should I change anything?
 

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Dorota Kasiak said:
Will probably make a new thread. I'm just worried that we will get turned down because our cage is small but is set up in a way that Ziuta can jump in and out with 24 hour access to the whole room (with hides scattered for them to explore)
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Do you ever lock Ziuta in - Over night, when you’re out etc or is the room totally secure and there are no hazards that she might chew (wires etc)? If not, and the room is secure and safe, then I can’t see they would have a problem with that. In fact its nice that she has so much freedom.
 
We locked them in at first, until my dad caught Popi lifting the gate and escaping! We have kept it open since. Sometimes they do somehow get to wires but we will find ways to cover them or hide them
 
Whenever there's a problem, we tend to think through on how to avoid it in the future which is why we had to update the outdoor play pen so many times
 
That’s the thing I can see them questioning over your set up, the security and safety of if it, if there are wires etc.
They may ask you about adjustments etc but they will work with you, they won’t turn you down over something which, if they were to have a problem with something couldn’t be adjusted
 
We try to keep away anything that they can chew through but it hasn't stopped them unfortunately. I don't think there is anything that can cause them serious damage and I am a bit worried about them finding something to chew and hurting themselves. Apparently guinea pigs chew things down quite well so most of the time you shouldn't get worried about them getting something stuck but I don't know if I can trust this information. Either way, I try not to give them access to wires or anything plastic, etc
 
I didn't mention this earlier but Popi had a polyp removed when she had the surgery and we just got a call saying it was cancerous. I don't know how to feel about this. Is it good that she died, having escaped more suffering? My head is in a bit of a weird place right now.
 
Sorry to hear the bad news. Give it time to sink in, and remember you’re still grieving so it will still kind of knock you sideways. Yes it is better she didn’t suffer any more, but I think you wouldn’t have let her.
 
Hi! My 3-year-old pig (Nacho) had two calcium stones in his bladder that were causing him some extreme pain. When we got the x-ray results showing the stones, we thought we'd have to do the risky surgery.
However, we wanted to try a different way. We got one of those water syringes that you can use to clean your wounds after wisdom teeth removal surgery (I have attached a photo of one to this post. It only costs a couple of dollars). We used this syringe to give him one syringe-full of water 1x/day.
A few days later, we actually found the calcium stones in his cage! I'm sure it was painful for him, but he was able to flush them out naturally and now he is perfectly fine. We now continue to syringe water to him once every 2-3 days.

Hope this helps!
 

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jessylovesguineapigs said:
Hi! My 3-year-old pig (Nacho) had two calcium stones in his bladder that were causing him some extreme pain. When we got the x-ray results showing the stones, we thought we'd have to do the risky surgery.
However, we wanted to try a different way. We got one of those water syringes that you can use to clean your wounds after wisdom teeth removal surgery (I have attached a photo of one to this post. It only costs a couple of dollars). We used this syringe to give him one syringe-full of water 1x/day.
A few days later, we actually found the calcium stones in his cage! I'm sure it was painful for him, but he was able to flush them out naturally and now he is perfectly fine. We now continue to syringe water to him once every 2-3 days.

Hope this helps!
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Thanks for the information, might be helpful in the future. I'm just worried now that I made the wrong decision, and that I could have avoided this grief. Thanks for the information anyway
 
Dorota Kasiak said:
Thanks for the information, might be helpful in the future. I'm just worried now that I made the wrong decision, and that I could have avoided this grief. Thanks for the information anyway
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I’m not sure that this is safe advice - flushing it out through forcing water into a piggy could be rather harmful. (for Boars in particular have an angle in their urethra where stones can get caught and completely block the flow of urine resulting in an emergency)
 
Dorota Kasiak said:
Thanks for the information, might be helpful in the future. I'm just worried now that I made the wrong decision, and that I could have avoided this grief. Thanks for the information anyway
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Although on the one hand if we hadn't gone with surgery, we wouldn't have know that she had cancer, and she would have suffered for a long time which may have been even more painful. Miss you PopiIMG-20200215-WA0025.webp
 
Piggies&buns said:
I’m not sure that this is safe advice - flushing it out through forcing water into a piggy could be rather harmful. (for Boars in particular have an angle in their urethra where stones can get caught and completely block the flow of urine resulting in an emergency)
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Thanks for the clarification, are you saying that it might be also be danger
 
jessylovesguineapigs said:
Hi! My 3-year-old pig (Nacho) had two calcium stones in his bladder that were causing him some extreme pain. When we got the x-ray results showing the stones, we thought we'd have to do the risky surgery.
However, we wanted to try a different way. We got one of those water syringes that you can use to clean your wounds after wisdom teeth removal surgery (I have attached a photo of one to this post. It only costs a couple of dollars). We used this syringe to give him one syringe-full of water 1x/day.
A few days later, we actually found the calcium stones in his cage! I'm sure it was painful for him, but he was able to flush them out naturally and now he is perfectly fine. We now continue to syringe water to him once every 2-3 days.

Hope this helps!
Click to expand...
I would probably request a second x ray to see if they were still there as it could have been smaller deposits in the urine and the stones could still be lying in wait. This is certainly not a 'treat at home forum' so please avoid giving medical advice.
 
Dorota Kasiak said:
Thanks for the clarification, are you saying that it might be also be danger
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Some stones can be passed but it would be wrong to assume a blanket ability for it to work. If a stone gets stuck in the uretha while being passed, then it will be painful and emergency surgery will still be required. It is always best to consult a vet on each particular situation
 
Piggies&buns said:
Some stones can be passed but it would be wrong to assume a blanket ability for it to work. If a stone gets stuck in the uretha while being passed, then it will be painful and emergency surgery will still be required. It is always best to consult a vet on each particular situation
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I'm feeling better about my situation now, considering her stone was far too big to pass.
 
Dorota Kasiak said:
I'm feeling better about my situation now, considering her stone was far too big to pass.
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bless you, you did everything you could for your sweet piggie, sometimes these things cannot be prevented or even treated. Big Hugs
 
jessylovesguineapigs said:
Hi! My 3-year-old pig (Nacho) had two calcium stones in his bladder that were causing him some extreme pain. When we got the x-ray results showing the stones, we thought we'd have to do the risky surgery.
However, we wanted to try a different way. We got one of those water syringes that you can use to clean your wounds after wisdom teeth removal surgery (I have attached a photo of one to this post. It only costs a couple of dollars). We used this syringe to give him one syringe-full of water 1x/day.
A few days later, we actually found the calcium stones in his cage! I'm sure it was painful for him, but he was able to flush them out naturally and now he is perfectly fine. We now continue to syringe water to him once every 2-3 days.

Hope this helps!
Click to expand...

Hi and welcome to the forum. I appreciate that you are trying to be helpful but this kind of advice is extremely dangerous. We do not advocate home treatment recommendations on this forum at all and it is in our terms and rules that any animal that is suffering must be encouraged to seek veterinary advice and treatment. If this were both a safe and viable way to resolve bladder stones then knowledgeable piggy vets up and down the country would be giving out the advice. The fact that none have ever given this advice means that it is not the best course of action and, as has already been alluded to, could cause further problems for the piggy.
Even if this method did work there are other complications, e.g.:
- the piggy could be in pain for many days. A piggy in pain can stop eating. A piggy that stops eating can die very quickly.
- a stone can become lodged in the tube. This is an emergency as urine can back up to the kidneys and cause kidney failure. Even if getting the piggy to the vet quickly the surgery becomes much more risky and complicated when the stone is located in the tube rather than the bladder.

Please do not suggest home treatments on the forum, each piggies illness is completely different and just because you were lucky that this worked for your piggy without problems is not to say it will go smoothly for any pig else.
 
Hi, just wanted to write a quick thanks for everyone's support. It's probably too late or unnecessary but this community has helped me a lot. I feel guilty sometimes because I seem to lack so much knowledge, and I now know that it comes with experience, but I wonder how many problems I could've avoided if only I had been more informed. Popi and Ziuta are my first pets, and I couldn't have asked for better, even with some bumps in the road. We are still looking for a friend for Ziuta and have been accepted by two rescues we have contacted (the third didn't respond ) and we may apply for more if we find enough time. Ziuta is doing fine and we are regularly trying our best to entertain her but I hope we can find a piggy soon.
 
VickiA said:
Thanks for that. In all my years on the forum I’ve never heard of a UK vet recommending parsley water for a piggy.
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This is old post but I've heard of barley water not parsley water though for helping Guinea pigs
 
You seem like a very caring person who wants to do the best for your pigs. You took her to a vet, you enquired about the best thing to do and did everything you could. None of us, even those who.have had many pigs for years, can keep them alive forever however much we desperately want to! You are doing the very best for Ziuta now by actively looking for a new friend for her. Dont punish yourself for an illness that you didn't cause. Look forward and keep enjoying your pigs, I'm sure you will have more in the future!
 
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