Hi I am sorry you are in this situation, I would get quotes from other vets but I think vet costs in the US are higher than they are here.
Over the years I have had experiences of piggies with bladder stones. And while genetics can be a factor there are still steps that can be taken to help prevent a reoccurrence, should you go ahead with surgery.
Reducing pellets to no more than a tablespoon a day or eliminating them all together from the diet I would say is the most important change to make. Eliminating them alltogether is the option I prefer. Also avoiding or limiting high calcium veg such as parsley can help while also increasing veg with a high water content but low calcium such as cucumber and romaine lettuce. But changes to diet should be done gradually and there should always be a plentiful supply of hay available. If you have access to fresh grass then this is also ideal to feed as it is what they evolved to eat and has the correct balance of nutrients for them.
The first piggy I had with a bladder stone, Harvey, was getting on for 20 years ago. He developed one when age 2, which was removed and changes made to his diet. He had no further issues for 4 years but did have a reoccurrence when age 6, again it was removed but sadly reoccurred within 2 weeks so I opted to have him euthanized.
More recently my piggy Arthur developed a stone in the summer of 2022, when aged about four or five (I don't know his exact age) it was removed and I stopped feeding him pellets. He was fine for a year but in the summer of 2023 started to show signs of discomfort when weeing. A scan showed he was starting to develop some tiny stones again but at a stage too small to operate on, so my vet prescribed potassium citrate (alongside a NSAI) to try to dissolve the stones. He showed no more signs of discomfort and a revisit and scan in late December revealed they had disappeared! My understanding is that potassium citrate is not going to be effective on larger stones tho, meaning surgery is the only option. But it might be something to discuss with your vet as an aid to preventing reoccurrence.
Sadly it is not advisable to leave bladder stones for long as, apart from the damage they will cause to the bladder lining, there is the risk of them blocking the bladder, which would be extremely painful and fatal.
I dont have advise on how you can finance the surgery other than asking friends or family for help but if it is simply not possible then the kindest thing to do, although difficult, may be to have him put to sleep. Again I would discuss this option with your vet.
I hope you are able to find a solution.
