Bladder stone

[Black piggies]

5 year old Shadow's x-ray showed a bladder stone. A new problem to me and her. She has been an interstitial cystitis piggy. The vet said it was small and would pass out, and to give loxicom twice daily and to go back on Thursday. Does that seem OK?
She's good apart from that, no arthritis or ovarian cysts, teeth good. Should I put her on Oxbow urinary support or anything?
Is she a little plump?

 

[My Piggies]

Poor Shadow. I hope she feels better soon

 

[weepweeps]

I’ve no experience of stones but I wish her a speedy recovery.

 

[Viennese Furbabies]

All the best!
I hope the stone passes quickly.

 

[Free Ranger]

It is better if she an pass it herself and it looks right near the exit so I would be hopeful. I've had two sows in a slightly more complicated position and the vets took two different approaches:

1. A firm hold, a little lubricant and a pair of fine forceps - they pulled a whopping stone that was all spikes out of my poor girl's urethra where it had stuck, and she was pretty upset about the whole thing but no GA or opioid to space her out and it was over very quickly! She was back home and eating straight away although she gave me a right stinky look.
2. A smoother looking stone at the exit of the bladder (top of urethra) - they gave this girl an opioid injection and a large fluid injection under the skin of her back/shoulder - must have been about 10ml - which made a huge lump and would otherwise have caused great discomfort. The body quickly absorbed the fluid: consequently she was totally stoned but peed like a tap and her next x-ray was clear. It was, however, very upsetting to se her swaying slightly with her head down and she couldn't eat for hours which really worried me. Then in the evening she suddenly shook herself and wobbled over to the pellets, thank goodness.

I'd say if it's wedged they'll go for option one as they could probably fish that out with little trouble but she may well pass it herself well before then so be hopeful. I can't comment on her weight - pleasantly plump is fine for an older girl. I mean, I can't imagine what I'd look like on x-ray!

 

[Black piggies]

It is better if she an pass it herself and it looks right near the exit so I would be hopeful. I've had two sows in a slightly more complicated position and the vets took two different approaches:

1. A firm hold, a little lubricant and a pair of fine forceps - they pulled a whopping stone that was all spikes out of my poor girl's urethra where it had stuck, and she was pretty upset about the whole thing but no GA or opioid to space her out and it was over very quickly! She was back home and eating straight away although she gave me a right stinky look.
2. A smoother looking stone at the exit of the bladder (top of urethra) - they gave this girl an opioid injection and a large fluid injection under the skin of her back/shoulder - must have been about 10ml - which made a huge lump and would otherwise have caused great discomfort. The body quickly absorbed the fluid: consequently she was totally stoned but peed like a tap and her next x-ray was clear. It was, however, very upsetting to se her swaying slightly with her head down and she couldn't eat for hours which really worried me. Then in the evening she suddenly shook herself and wobbled over to the pellets, thank goodness.

I'd say if it's wedged they'll go for option one as they could probably fish that out with little trouble but she may well pass it herself well before then so be hopeful. I can't comment on her weight - pleasantly plump is fine for an older girl. I mean, I can't imagine what I'd look like on x-ray!

OK thanks. Sounds like a worrying day involved with option 2. Glad they both came out. Ahem yes, I might be trying to avoid an x-ray myself in the future

 

[PigglePuggle]

Best of luck, if the vet thinks the stone is small enough to pass herself and is checking her regularly that's obviously the best option! Maybe give a bit more watery veg to try help flush it through? Just keep a close eye in case it gets stuck, that would need emergency vet intervention of course.
Hard to tell without a hands on heft check if she is a bit too chubby, but the chub looks to be in the right places for a healthy piggy- you judge heft by fat over the ribs/if you can feel the ribs, and her front end looks quite slim (could still wear a crop top if she paired it with harem pants lol)

 

[Black piggies]

Best of luck, if the vet thinks the stone is small enough to pass herself and is checking her regularly that's obviously the best option! Maybe give a bit more watery veg to try help flush it through? Just keep a close eye in case it gets stuck, that would need emergency vet intervention of course.
Hard to tell without a hands on heft check if she is a bit too chubby, but the chub looks to be in the right places for a healthy piggy- you judge heft by fat over the ribs/if you can feel the ribs, and her front end looks quite slim (could still wear a crop top if she paired it with harem pants lol)

OK will do, Shadow will be delighted at the extra watery veg. The belly dancing outfit maybe not so Very helpful description though! She's getting 0.4 ml dog loxicom am and pm and she's about 1.275kg.

 

[Claire W]

Poor Shadow I hope she can pass it. My late Enoch had a bladder stone that was the size of a pin head and he managed to pass that

 

[Wiebke]

Best of luck!

It doesn't look like too much of a problem.

This is the mahoosive urethral stone 5 years old Teggy presented me (and my not very pleased vet) with in the middle of the second Lockdown last year. It turned into quite a tricky operation because it had so firmly wedged in that a small cut and a little manipulation was never an option. It was a miracle that it actually got down the urethra all the way without blocking it! Teggy has made a fully recovery and is going nearly a year on.


I've had the odd smaller urethral stone/mineral accretion in sows of mine over the years but it was never a big issue to get them out. As operations go, it is not really invasive - a small cut is generally all it needs because urethral stones in sows generally just fetch up by the opening, held in by the ring of muscles. This also means that any time under GA is very short. If you are lucky, she'll pass it on her own.

Just as a heads up!

 

[Black piggies]

Best of luck!

It doesn't look like too much of a problem.

This is the mahoosive urethral stone 5 years old Teggy presented me (and my not very pleased vet) with in the middle of the second Lockdown last year. It turned into quite a tricky operation because it had so firmly wedged in that a small cut and a little manipulation was never an option. It was a miracle that it actually got down the urethra all the way without blocking it! Teggy has made a fully recovery and is going nearly a year on.
View attachment 184780

I've had the odd smaller urethral stone/mineral accretion in sows of mine over the years but it was never a big issue to get them out. As operations go, it is not really invasive - a small cut is generally all it needs because urethral stones in sows generally just fetch up by the opening, held in by the ring of muscles. This also means that any time under GA is very short. If you are lucky, she'll pass it on her own.

Just as a heads up!

Ouch, poor Teggy! Thanks, that's reassuring. Shadow's stone looks tiny in comparison.

 

[Scooter Pie]

Reading all the threads on stones. I think my girl must have one. Only, we can’t get in at the vet anytime soon, unless she can be fit in as a drop off. She’s had UTIs and probably IC for the past year.

She’s making awful painful sounds and rearing up. Seems to be straining. Her pee is not bloody, which I can’t understand, but she has been on antibiotics for a week now.

I wish we had access to a vet! She is on meloxicam .21ml once a day.

 

[Wiebke]

Reading all the threads on stones. I think my girl must have one. Only, we can’t get in at the vet anytime soon, unless she can be fit in as a drop off. She’s had UTIs and probably IC for the past year.

She’s making awful painful sounds and rearing up. Seems to be straining. Her pee is not bloody, which I can’t understand, but she has been on antibiotics for a week now.

I wish we had access to a vet! She is on meloxicam .21ml once a day.

Hi!

It could be a bad sterile IC flare, so I would not fixate too much on stones. The symptoms you are mentioning cover that possibility as well.

If it is sterile IC (i.e. a non-bacterial recurring inflammation of the urinary tract that particularly affects the natural glucosamine layer that prevents highly corrosive urine from coming into very painful contact with raw tissue) , then management with glucosamine is key in order to support and supplement the affected coating. Glucosamine is classed as a food supplement and not as a medication, so vets generally don't prescribe it but it widely available. It will however take several weeks to build up enough to make a difference. Glucosamine will also help with the pain/discomfort bladder damage/trauma from a stone as it is banged into the bladder walls and scratches them with every pee your piggy makes.

All the best! Please let us know how you get on. An x-ray should bring clarity as to what is going on, so you can treat more targeted from now on.

 

[Scooter Pie]

Thank you. This has been eating at me all day. I'm giving the cystease a try again. She had a full capsule last night and one this morning, and am planning on doing that twice a day for a few days as you’ve recommended.

I'm also hoping the vet emails me back tonight about increasing her metacam (dog). Currently she takes .21ml once a day.