My 5 year old male had surgery a month ago to remove a bladder stone and he already has a new one. The vet said it's not safe to remove it so soon after so he is on pain medication and antibiotics until his follow up in a few weeks. Does anyone have any advice besides watery vegetables, increasing water intake, and limiting pellets? I read glucosamine can help, has anyone tried that? What about softening his water? Any advice is appreciated!
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Guinea pig has third bladder stone shortly after surgery
- Thread starter Corduroy
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Our vet often prescribes the diuretic bendrofluazide, following bladder stone removal, as it helps keep the bladder flushed through and stops the formation of another bladder stone.
Hi
You may also be interested in our longer term diet recommendations. Unfortunately, they take several weeks through the body and are not a quick fix but they are crucial for the future: Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets (see chapter special diets)
Unfortunately, any changes are not quick ones so the most dangerous time are the weeks immediately after the operation. The calcium absortion process is a complex one and quite a few things can go wrong that we cannot influence directly.
Glucosamine is used to replenish the natural coating of the walls of the urinary tract to prevent the very corrosive urine from coming into direct contact with soft tissue. It has a use when the bladder is badly damaged and inflamed after bladder stones or with sterile interstitial cystitis (IC), with which the glucosamine coating in the urinary tract is specifically affected - the latter is not the case with your piggy.
All the best!
You may also be interested in our longer term diet recommendations. Unfortunately, they take several weeks through the body and are not a quick fix but they are crucial for the future: Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets (see chapter special diets)
Unfortunately, any changes are not quick ones so the most dangerous time are the weeks immediately after the operation. The calcium absortion process is a complex one and quite a few things can go wrong that we cannot influence directly.
Glucosamine is used to replenish the natural coating of the walls of the urinary tract to prevent the very corrosive urine from coming into direct contact with soft tissue. It has a use when the bladder is badly damaged and inflamed after bladder stones or with sterile interstitial cystitis (IC), with which the glucosamine coating in the urinary tract is specifically affected - the latter is not the case with your piggy.
All the best!
Free Ranger
Forum Donator 2023/24
Many people on the forum filter water to remove calcium or use low calcium bottled water but check the Ca (mg/L) in your tap water... it might already be low. Glucosamine has been used by people for bladder support if the bladder is inflamed - it is certainly recommended for piggies with SIC (sterile interstitial cystitis) which is where I have seen it mentioned most frequently.
I'm so sorry for your old boy's trouble. It's great that he came through surgery. He's done well to get to this age without any trouble from stones - I don't know if one has appeared because of any age-related metabolic changes...? Stones can be very cruel. I lost a middle-aged boar hours after a stone surgery - he just couldn't recover. I was warned by my vet at the time that stones can recur within weeks even if one is successfully removed. The vet had an old boar herself that she did not think would make it through surgery so he was on painkillers to live out his life with his stone. My boy was in constant pain and surgery was his only chance - I was so sad about his end but at the same time I couldn't have felt justified in pts without giving surgery a chance. I think all you can do at this stage is make sure he is comfortable while you consider his future options and maybe discuss with your vet. Good luck - our thoughts will be with you x
I'm so sorry for your old boy's trouble. It's great that he came through surgery. He's done well to get to this age without any trouble from stones - I don't know if one has appeared because of any age-related metabolic changes...? Stones can be very cruel. I lost a middle-aged boar hours after a stone surgery - he just couldn't recover. I was warned by my vet at the time that stones can recur within weeks even if one is successfully removed. The vet had an old boar herself that she did not think would make it through surgery so he was on painkillers to live out his life with his stone. My boy was in constant pain and surgery was his only chance - I was so sad about his end but at the same time I couldn't have felt justified in pts without giving surgery a chance. I think all you can do at this stage is make sure he is comfortable while you consider his future options and maybe discuss with your vet. Good luck - our thoughts will be with you x