Does anyone know what this noise means?

[Wheekallweek]

I'd definitely make a complaint! Poor Bobby

 

[Free Ranger]

Oh what a shame. If the stone is very obvious in the first vet's x-ray I think I'd have to give them some sort of feedback. I'm not the sort to go in and rant but I would hope they could at least use it as a learning experience. I mean, if it's there and they didn't see it as a stone, what did they think it was?
For now your focus has to be on Bobby though. Since he's had all these antibiotics has his pee cleared of pink tint or is it still there? And is he still squeaking the same? Or has it gotten louder or more frequent...

George was an old boy to have an op at 6 and a few things came up as important - although your vet will probably have given you lots of tips already.
We try to get them in as good condition as we can for the op, so if they're losing weight start to supplement the diet with syringe food so they can maintain it. Daily weighing can help monitor this in the run up to Wednesday. Any vet should stock syringe food to sell over the counter. Mine stocks 'Recovery' but we also bought Critical Care online (Papaya flavour) as we knew this was popular with George. We used a little 1ml syringe to offer him water and you may find - as we did - that he seems to drink a lot more than usual with the stone. If you can encourage drinking he might be able to pass some of the crystals and sludge... but don't oblige him to drink it. If he has fluid squirted into his mouth unexpectedly he risks inhaling it. George is now quite fond of syringes and the little 1ml has a rubber bit which means you can only dribble stuff out of it. We used the syringe we got for the baytril but boy did I rinse it well first!

You also need this sort of thing for after the operation too - as they may not want to eat straight away. George was very zoned out on an opioid painkiller (buprenorphine) and didn't eat very much at all until this wore off. He's old, and he had a big dose, so that was actually about 24 hours for him, although it can be just a few hours for some. So I was syringing him during that period to keep his guts moving or gut stasis is a real risk. He also had emeprid gut stimulant for after as well as his usual metacam (for George that was about 0.4ml of 1.5mg/ml twice a day) and precautionary baytril twice a day. The op is obvs sterile conditions but the wound is between piggy's tummy and the floor - not much room there! And bacteria can cling to a stone very stubbornly.
They'll presumably have given you septrin to make sure he's as 'sterile' as possible in the bladder before they start?

Piggies are generally not fasted before ops, they can eat right up to the line. George had a gas anaesthetic which seemed to be regarded as more gentle. He came round quite quickly after but as I said, the opioid affected him very much. But on the plus side he didn't seem to have any pain... and considering he still had to be turned over twice a day and dis-impacted that was quite something!

Our vet also x-rayed just before the op and saw that George's tubes and kidneys were clear... this was in his favour. The stone was big but it was round and not embedded anywhere - another plus.

They say to send them in with a little packed lunch of favourite veggies but we also sent a big syringe of recovery food made to his usual recipe. He was too stoned to argue much about that at the vets but I thought that even if he was worried being handled by strangers at least the taste would be familiar.

George had his op early in the day so he had all day to try and come round. This was better for him but also better for us. I topped him up at 11pm, fed him some bits at 4am, then gave him more syringe at breakfast. Some vets will keep them in overnight but they knew George would fare better at home in familiar surroundings. If you're travelling it's worth thinking about a plan when they give you a time for the op.

They need to be on dust-free bedding when they recover. We have George on fleece with a snuggle tunnel. His hay was just put into one corner of the cage so he wouldn't run over it but for the first few days he was mainly in the tunnel. When he was properly zonked out I had to actually turn him round every now and again so he wasn't lying in his own pee too much. Clean towels will also do - regularly changed out to keep piggy clean and dry. Here's the patient relaxing with his feet out in his tunnel:

We'll be thinking about you this week. Getting the news is a terrific shock, but it's all do-able and it sounds like this vet is really on the ball which will give him a good chance to get through it. Good luck x

 

[lauryn1289]

Oh what a shame. If the stone is very obvious in the first vet's x-ray I think I'd have to give them some sort of feedback. I'm not the sort to go in and rant but I would hope they could at least use it as a learning experience. I mean, if it's there and they didn't see it as a stone, what did they think it was?
For now your focus has to be on Bobby though. Since he's had all these antibiotics has his pee cleared of pink tint or is it still there? And is he still squeaking the same? Or has it gotten louder or more frequent...

George was an old boy to have an op at 6 and a few things came up as important - although your vet will probably have given you lots of tips already.
We try to get them in as good condition as we can for the op, so if they're losing weight start to supplement the diet with syringe food so they can maintain it. Daily weighing can help monitor this in the run up to Wednesday. Any vet should stock syringe food to sell over the counter. Mine stocks 'Recovery' but we also bought Critical Care online (Papaya flavour) as we knew this was popular with George. We used a little 1ml syringe to offer him water and you may find - as we did - that he seems to drink a lot more than usual with the stone. If you can encourage drinking he might be able to pass some of the crystals and sludge... but don't oblige him to drink it. If he has fluid squirted into his mouth unexpectedly he risks inhaling it. George is now quite fond of syringes and the little 1ml has a rubber bit which means you can only dribble stuff out of it. We used the syringe we got for the baytril but boy did I rinse it well first!

You also need this sort of thing for after the operation too - as they may not want to eat straight away. George was very zoned out on an opioid painkiller (buprenorphine) and didn't eat very much at all until this wore off. He's old, and he had a big dose, so that was actually about 24 hours for him, although it can be just a few hours for some. So I was syringing him during that period to keep his guts moving or gut stasis is a real risk. He also had emeprid gut stimulant for after as well as his usual metacam (for George that was about 0.4ml of 1.5mg/ml twice a day) and precautionary baytril twice a day. The op is obvs sterile conditions but the wound is between piggy's tummy and the floor - not much room there! And bacteria can cling to a stone very stubbornly.
They'll presumably have given you septrin to make sure he's as 'sterile' as possible in the bladder before they start?

Piggies are generally not fasted before ops, they can eat right up to the line. George had a gas anaesthetic which seemed to be regarded as more gentle. He came round quite quickly after but as I said, the opioid affected him very much. But on the plus side he didn't seem to have any pain... and considering he still had to be turned over twice a day and dis-impacted that was quite something!

Our vet also x-rayed just before the op and saw that George's tubes and kidneys were clear... this was in his favour. The stone was big but it was round and not embedded anywhere - another plus.

They say to send them in with a little packed lunch of favourite veggies but we also sent a big syringe of recovery food made to his usual recipe. He was too stoned to argue much about that at the vets but I thought that even if he was worried being handled by strangers at least the taste would be familiar.

George had his op early in the day so he had all day to try and come round. This was better for him but also better for us. I topped him up at 11pm, fed him some bits at 4am, then gave him more syringe at breakfast. Some vets will keep them in overnight but they knew George would fare better at home in familiar surroundings. If you're travelling it's worth thinking about a plan when they give you a time for the op.

They need to be on dust-free bedding when they recover. We have George on fleece with a snuggle tunnel. His hay was just put into one corner of the cage so he wouldn't run over it but for the first few days he was mainly in the tunnel. When he was properly zonked out I had to actually turn him round every now and again so he wasn't lying in his own pee too much. Clean towels will also do - regularly changed out to keep piggy clean and dry. Here's the patient relaxing with his feet out in his tunnel:
View attachment 217906
We'll be thinking about you this week. Getting the news is a terrific shock, but it's all do-able and it sounds like this vet is really on the ball which will give him a good chance to get through it. Good luck x

His pee is still pink unfortunately, seems like Baytil and Doxycycline didn’t do anything at all. He has a week of Septrin so hopefully that helps, she said it’s difficult to tell if the blood is from the stone itself or a secondary infection. He hasn’t been squeaking today, but he’s been under anaesthesia, had buprenorphine at the vet, and is on gabapentin so perhaps that’s why! I’m actually noticing less pee right now but maybe because he’s been on so many meds or feels a bit conked out from meds he’s not going as much. His blankets are white for that reason and maybe the blood volume is lower so I’m not visibly seeing as much urine. I honestly haven’t a clue which scenario it is yet but tomorrow I’ll look a bit more closely at his urine, I’m conscious of bothering him today after the long stressful day he’s had. But yes he is on Septrin pre his operation!

One of the veterinary nurses did say it’s possible gabapentin could possibly help him pass a stone or some crystals, ideally but not banking on that of course.

I actually have a heap of Critical Care and another bag coming tomorrow, I was already considering giving him a good bit of it daily until then irregardless of how much he’s eating just to make sure he’s meeting his needs. Will also keep a close eye on his weight too! Would you happen to know what might be a good dosage of Critical Care throughout the day if he is eating otherwise?

The vets have actually already planned on keeping him for a couple of days post-op to make sure he has fluids and to watch how he’s doing which I’m not 100% sure about The bill estimate has already included a 2 day stay if I remember right, I felt rude bringing it up then and there and didn’t want them to think I was questioning their expertise at all but I really hate the idea of leaving him there for a couple of days afterwards but I do wonder if it’s for the best? I have a lot to think about with that specifically. I’d rather him here and comfy at home I’m worried he’ll be stressed and uncomfortable being away from home but I do also have to consider if leaving him in their care would be wiser. Really torn on this bit!

Your little George is so brave having a surgery at that age! What a sweetheart. Thank you so much for all the information and good wishes, it was definitely a shock to hear but fingers crossed

 

[lauryn1289]

Oh what a shame. If the stone is very obvious in the first vet's x-ray I think I'd have to give them some sort of feedback. I'm not the sort to go in and rant but I would hope they could at least use it as a learning experience. I mean, if it's there and they didn't see it as a stone, what did they think it was?
For now your focus has to be on Bobby though. Since he's had all these antibiotics has his pee cleared of pink tint or is it still there? And is he still squeaking the same? Or has it gotten louder or more frequent...

George was an old boy to have an op at 6 and a few things came up as important - although your vet will probably have given you lots of tips already.
We try to get them in as good condition as we can for the op, so if they're losing weight start to supplement the diet with syringe food so they can maintain it. Daily weighing can help monitor this in the run up to Wednesday. Any vet should stock syringe food to sell over the counter. Mine stocks 'Recovery' but we also bought Critical Care online (Papaya flavour) as we knew this was popular with George. We used a little 1ml syringe to offer him water and you may find - as we did - that he seems to drink a lot more than usual with the stone. If you can encourage drinking he might be able to pass some of the crystals and sludge... but don't oblige him to drink it. If he has fluid squirted into his mouth unexpectedly he risks inhaling it. George is now quite fond of syringes and the little 1ml has a rubber bit which means you can only dribble stuff out of it. We used the syringe we got for the baytril but boy did I rinse it well first!

You also need this sort of thing for after the operation too - as they may not want to eat straight away. George was very zoned out on an opioid painkiller (buprenorphine) and didn't eat very much at all until this wore off. He's old, and he had a big dose, so that was actually about 24 hours for him, although it can be just a few hours for some. So I was syringing him during that period to keep his guts moving or gut stasis is a real risk. He also had emeprid gut stimulant for after as well as his usual metacam (for George that was about 0.4ml of 1.5mg/ml twice a day) and precautionary baytril twice a day. The op is obvs sterile conditions but the wound is between piggy's tummy and the floor - not much room there! And bacteria can cling to a stone very stubbornly.
They'll presumably have given you septrin to make sure he's as 'sterile' as possible in the bladder before they start?

Piggies are generally not fasted before ops, they can eat right up to the line. George had a gas anaesthetic which seemed to be regarded as more gentle. He came round quite quickly after but as I said, the opioid affected him very much. But on the plus side he didn't seem to have any pain... and considering he still had to be turned over twice a day and dis-impacted that was quite something!

Our vet also x-rayed just before the op and saw that George's tubes and kidneys were clear... this was in his favour. The stone was big but it was round and not embedded anywhere - another plus.

They say to send them in with a little packed lunch of favourite veggies but we also sent a big syringe of recovery food made to his usual recipe. He was too stoned to argue much about that at the vets but I thought that even if he was worried being handled by strangers at least the taste would be familiar.

George had his op early in the day so he had all day to try and come round. This was better for him but also better for us. I topped him up at 11pm, fed him some bits at 4am, then gave him more syringe at breakfast. Some vets will keep them in overnight but they knew George would fare better at home in familiar surroundings. If you're travelling it's worth thinking about a plan when they give you a time for the op.

They need to be on dust-free bedding when they recover. We have George on fleece with a snuggle tunnel. His hay was just put into one corner of the cage so he wouldn't run over it but for the first few days he was mainly in the tunnel. When he was properly zonked out I had to actually turn him round every now and again so he wasn't lying in his own pee too much. Clean towels will also do - regularly changed out to keep piggy clean and dry. Here's the patient relaxing with his feet out in his tunnel:
View attachment 217906
We'll be thinking about you this week. Getting the news is a terrific shock, but it's all do-able and it sounds like this vet is really on the ball which will give him a good chance to get through it. Good luck x

He also somehow has a swollen toe bone which the vets are absolutely flabbergasted by, they can’t really understand what could’ve happened at all to cause that since it wasn’t always like that and he wasn’t born with a deformity. They’re considering just taking that toe off when he’s already going for surgery which is another thing to consider too! Hard to gauge how necessary it is because we can’t really tell if it’s causing him pain seeing as he’s not limping with it and his walking isn’t impacted.

 

[Free Ranger]

He has a week of Septrin so hopefully that helps, she said it’s difficult to tell if the blood is from the stone itself or a secondary infection.

I know that with George the blood-tinted pee was from his protracted UTI. However his stone turned out to be round as a marble so although it must have banged about in there it wasn't pointy. One was once pulled out of one of my girls that was all spiky - that stands much more chance of damaging soft tissues. When George started Septrin he picked up within a day or so and the squeaking when peeing was much less, but he didn't clear the blood tint from his pee until day 5 - that's quite a long time after starting effective ABs. It happened this was both times - the first time we didn't have a long enough course so the infection came back. It was 5 days each time to clear pee... whether it was the type of bug or whether the stone complicated things (or both!) I don't know.

Would you happen to know what might be a good dosage of Critical Care throughout the day if he is eating otherwise?

George was eating veg, grass and pellets but not much hay. I tried to give 15ml CC a day. A healthy pig will gobble it until they pop, a poorly pig is less keen. I gave George 5 or 6 ml in the morning with his meds to try and cushion the blow of his antibiotic dose. Then it was min 10ml in the afternoon... but sometimes he wanted 15 or 20 even. I made up an excess, added his probiotic, and kept it for a max of 24 hours on a cool windowsill. I was worried about chilling his tummy so it was basically at room temp next to the cage. I went along with George. He was about 930g at that point and that's where he seemed to maintain until his op.

Can't help with the toe... sorry x

 

[Free Ranger]

Hi again - just popping between threads. Hope you're managing OK as he comes round from his anaesthetic.
Did they do anything about that toe or did they leave it?