Guinea pig getting worse on Baytril

[Free Ranger]

Yes, a few years ago when we had a stone surgery on a boy it was quoted as between £500 and £600.
Good luck with your preparations x

 

[posthistorytocome]

Yes, a few years ago when we had a stone surgery on a boy it was quoted as between £500 and £600.
Good luck with your preparations x

thanks! £500 would have been much more what I expected.

He is up 30g on yesterday afternoon (after several days of twice daily weighing and being pretty solidly the same weight - hopefully not just pee!) so I'm taking that as a good sign of the Cystease possibly easing pain, though it seems too soon really? Heard much less squealing last night and he's also very chirpy this morning, following me round and sticking his nose into everything as usual as I cleaned the enclosure. He is just too cute

My slight worry is that his brother will be alone for most of the day while we're out for the surgery. My partner will pop home from work at some point to give him a cuddle but can't stay long. I'm now very conscious of what stress can do to them! Do you think he'll be ok?

 

[Free Ranger]

If they live together normally would your vet consider them both going in together? This is what I did with my girls when one was going in for a tooth operation. They both stay at the vet while the patient comes round and gets ready to come home. You could ask your vet whether this is normal practice for them. You obviously label very clearly which piggy is the patient - I had stickers with 'the brown one' all over my cat box!

 

[posthistorytocome]

If they live together normally would your vet consider them both going in together? This is what I did with my girls when one was going in for a tooth operation. They both stay at the vet while the patient comes round and gets ready to come home. You could ask your vet whether this is normal practice for them. You obviously label very clearly which piggy is the patient - I had stickers with 'the brown one' all over my cat box!

That is a good idea, thanks, I'll see if they can accommodate that. I just hope they will be gentle and attentive with him (the brother) as he is more jumpy and well, a little neurotic, in the nicest possible way. It would be a long day for him though, involving trains and taxis.
Haha definitely would have to make sure they get the right pig! Thankfully they're like chalk and cheese.

 

[posthistorytocome]

Both pigs are currently at the vets, I'm waiting nearby. The vet himself seemed nice but it's quite a noisy place with loud voices and banging doors. Disgraced myself by having a little cry in the pub when I arrived at the thought of having left my more sensitive boy there. At least GP1 will be sedated! I hope they will give him his hidey and all the food I brought and just generally look in on him. They were eating hay right up to me leaving them so hopefully not too stressed by the journey.

Does anyone know how long the surgery will take - i.e. one hour for surgery, two hours for the anaesthetic to wear off?

 

[Pound Shilling & Pig]

Hope all is going well. Its probably too soon to have heard anything yet xx

 

[posthistorytocome]

Miraculously, the vet was able to find a non-surgical solution and so we are now in the train home, both guins eating and moving around!
I don't think it's a commonly used procedure and I'm hugely thankful to the vet. The stone had moved to the urethra since the last xray so I believe we were on risky ground. So, so pleased to have avoided surgery. If anyone is looking for a piggy savvy vet who thinks out of the box and charges reasonable rates please do private message me, as I'd be more than happy to recommend this one (though tbh I probably outed myself long ago!).

Thank you to everyone who posted for your advice and encouragement - it really helped. Will fastidiously stick to a low-calcium diet from now on.

 

[Pound Shilling & Pig]

Glad to hear all went well, you must be relieved!

 

[posthistorytocome]

I really am he is glad to be home, judging from the excited chatter and scurrying around.
Thoughts go out to everyone on the board still having a hard time with ill pigs.

 

[Free Ranger]

Wow that's great news!
Do you know how he did it? I thought once in the urethra it was very tricky for the boys. My little sow once had a huge one removed from hers with forceps (ouch!) and another was given an opioid painkiller (which stoned her out) and a huge fluid bolus under the skin and she managed to pee one out, but the girls urethras are more straight, and I think a bit bigger. Boys generally have a much harder time.

 

[posthistorytocome]

Wow that's great news!
Do you know how he did it? I thought once in the urethra it was very tricky for the boys. My little sow once had a huge one removed from hers with forceps (ouch!) and another was given an opioid painkiller (which stoned her out) and a huge fluid bolus under the skin and she managed to pee one out, but the girls urethras are more straight, and I think a bit bigger. Boys generally have a much harder time.

Thanks yes, he did it with an ultrasound probe, apparently - the first time he's done it with a boar. So the probe either broke it up a bit or persuaded it to come out (which was painful for the pig and he did bleed, but it did the trick). It's quite small, pretty much pinhead size. I now have to give him the stronger version (1.5 mg/ml) of metacam for a few days.
Forceps doesn't sound fun at all!

 

[Free Ranger]

The stone was a huge spiky ninja death star. About 3-4 mm wide and longer in the other direction. All corners and rock hard. I should have taken a pic because I seriously couldn't believe it had come out of her or how she'd managed to pee round it. The vet had felt the lump straight away upon examination - I don't think they even x-rayed as I'd remember seeing that on a scan! She was normally a bold girl but she was pretty traumatised that day and nervy back at home for the next couple (presumably she thought she was going back to the vet again whenever I came over!) but she was physically back to normal and had avoided the GA so I was grateful.

I lost a big boar immediately following a stone surgery so I was really keeping everything crossed for you. He was an older rescue boy so we don't know his circumstances but I felt we barely got time to know him. His stone was large and painful though, so there wasn't any other option. I'm so glad you managed to avoid the op. Well done boys -we're all happy you're home again!

When you're really how about a piccy of them together?!

 

[posthistorytocome]

The stone was a huge spiky ninja death star. About 3-4 mm wide and longer in the other direction. All corners and rock hard. I should have taken a pic because I seriously couldn't believe it had come out of her or how she'd managed to pee round it. The vet had felt the lump straight away upon examination - I don't think they even x-rayed as I'd remember seeing that on a scan! She was normally a bold girl but she was pretty traumatised that day and nervy back at home for the next couple (presumably she thought she was going back to the vet again whenever I came over!) but she was physically back to normal and had avoided the GA so I was grateful.

I lost a big boar immediately following a stone surgery so I was really keeping everything crossed for you. He was an older rescue boy so we don't know his circumstances but I felt we barely got time to know him. His stone was large and painful though, so there wasn't any other option. I'm so glad you managed to avoid the op. Well done boys -we're all happy you're home again!

When you're really how about a piccy of them together?!

Thank you, that's so sweet and so sorry about your boar. Hopefully in ten years this will be one of those standard ops that we don't blink an eye at. Or maybe there will be a surefire way to dissolve the stone!
Is your brave lady still with you?

I just saw that the vet also did his nails, presumably while he was under. What a star!
He's like a new pig this evening - bounding all over the place.

And I can never resist an opportunity to show my boys, thank you here they are inc. GP2 with a rather rakeish glint in his eye (am judiciously avoiding more recent ones with less than flattering summer hairdos, GP2 now has some grey to his coat)

 

[Free Ranger]

How lovely! And they snuggle! I've never really had snugglers unless one was poorly. I've never seen hair like that either - that's glamour
My little girl passed at about 5 (we never really know as they're all rescue) but I've been piggy keeping for about 10 years so they all have a special place in my heart whether we have them for a short or long time. We were lucky enough to have her for nearly 4 years.

It must be nice to wake up with a pedi. I went in for an op (abdominal) myself earlier this year and came back home the same day. It wasn't until that night I realised my pants were on inside out which was a bit unnerving. I would have been happier about having my toe nails trimmed!

 

[posthistorytocome]

How lovely! And they snuggle! I've never really had snugglers unless one was poorly. I've never seen hair like that either - that's glamour
My little girl passed at about 5 (we never really know as they're all rescue) but I've been piggy keeping for about 10 years so they all have a special place in my heart whether we have them for a short or long time. We were lucky enough to have her for nearly 4 years.

It must be nice to wake up with a pedi. I went in for an op (abdominal) myself earlier this year and came back home the same day. It wasn't until that night I realised my pants were on inside out which was a bit unnerving. I would have been happier about having my toe nails trimmed!

Yes, they get on really well! But are still two totally distinct characters. 5 years is a good age! How many do you have now?

Oh christ, that definitely would have unnerved me too! Hope you're doing ok now. GP1 is totally oblivious re: his recent beautification - though currently sporting a lovely orange Fibreplex goatee. Glamour isn't totally useless, though - he's been working on the art of sharply turning his head at the last minue so that the syringe contents disappear into his magnificent mutton chops. Who knows what else is in there...

 

[Free Ranger]

Louise, George and Flora bringing up the rear...

 

[posthistorytocome]

Louise, George and Flora bringing up the rear...
View attachment 208107

Adorable and I like their names and colouring! My boys have a cushion but won't use it (I had visions of them popcorning off it). I must look into getting them one of those hay cubes...