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Specialist Kidney stone in male guinea pig

Piggymomma29 said:
I just wanted to thank you all for your responses and give you an update.

I have taken Mickey to another vet this morning for a second opinion. He was of the opinion that euthanasia is not necessary at this point. He believes that the previous stone was not removed correctly as it would take longer than 6 weeks to reform.

He gave Mickey a shot of antibiotics, has prescribed stronger pain relief of Baytril (explaining that the Metacam is basically the equivalent of ibuprofen and not nearly enough) and has said to start giving the potassium citrate again to neutralize his urine. He has asked to see him again on Monday when he will x-ray him and has asked to see the x-ray taken by the previous vet.

He also said that he would be happy to perform another stone removal on Mickey dependant on the results of the x-ray, and for a fraction of a price compared to the previous vet.

He said to stop feeding him nuggets altogether and that as long as he is eating hay and veggies, and drinking plenty (he told me to continue giving extra water in a syringe) that he will be fine.

Mickey already appears to be more comfortable! I am so relieved and so thankful that I listened to my instincts and got a second opinion. It's scary how close it came to putting him to sleep.

I really hope that Mickey has years left of life in him yet.
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Which vet are you using now? Sounds rather like my vets advice, and he's one of the best on the country with small pets
 
Piggymomma29 said:
I just wanted to thank you all for your responses and give you an update.

I have taken Mickey to another vet this morning for a second opinion. He was of the opinion that euthanasia is not necessary at this point. He believes that the previous stone was not removed correctly as it would take longer than 6 weeks to reform.

He gave Mickey a shot of antibiotics, has prescribed stronger pain relief of Baytril (explaining that the Metacam is basically the equivalent of ibuprofen and not nearly enough) and has said to start giving the potassium citrate again to neutralize his urine. He has asked to see him again on Monday when he will x-ray him and has asked to see the x-ray taken by the previous vet.

He also said that he would be happy to perform another stone removal on Mickey dependant on the results of the x-ray, and for a fraction of a price compared to the previous vet.

He said to stop feeding him nuggets altogether and that as long as he is eating hay and veggies, and drinking plenty (he told me to continue giving extra water in a syringe) that he will be fine.

Mickey already appears to be more comfortable! I am so relieved and so thankful that I listened to my instincts and got a second opinion. It's scary how close it came to putting him to sleep.

I really hope that Mickey has years left of life in him yet.
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I really do think you are in with a chance of getting your boy sorted after the next op, just tweak the diet like your vet sais, and ask whatever you need to on here. Nuggets I have basicly stopped, I found a brand that are 100% natural, because I have indoor guine pigs I was concerned where they were going to get vitamin d from, a vitamin that isn't really found in vegetables, and obviously my pigs aren't getting any direct sunlight.
 
SkyPipDotBernie said:
Which vet are you using now? Sounds rather like my vets advice, and he's one of the best on the country with small pets
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I'm just using a little local vet (Vets2Ltd) who has actually been my vet for years. When Mickey was originally suffering I switched vets as I searched for someone who specialised in exotic animals (which obviously didn't work out) so it's just ironic that I've now returned to my original vet who seems to be more helpful (and alot cheaper!)

Unfortunately after what appeared to be a good start yesterday, Mickey still seems to be in a lot of discomfort and pain. I don't think the additional medication is really helping all that much. He now has blood in his urine. It looks like surgery is going to be the only realistic option, and managing his diet thereafter. He deserves one more chance, I'm not willing to give up on him.

Can I ask the name of the natural nuggets that you have switched to? My boys are also indoor piggies and don't have access to much natural sunlight/fresh grass.
 
Piggymomma29 said:
I'm just using a little local vet (Vets2Ltd) who has actually been my vet for years. When Mickey was originally suffering I switched vets as I searched for someone who specialised in exotic animals (which obviously didn't work out) so it's just ironic that I've now returned to my original vet who seems to be more helpful (and alot cheaper!)

Unfortunately after what appeared to be a good start yesterday, Mickey still seems to be in a lot of discomfort and pain. I don't think the additional medication is really helping all that much. It looks like surgery is going to be the only realistic option, and managing his diet thereafter. He deserves one more chance, I'm not willing to give up on him.

Can I ask the name of the natural nuggets that you have switched to?
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What pain medication is he on?
 
Here's Mickey's latest x-ray. You can see that there is a sizable stone so I'm not surprised he is in pain.
 
Piggymomma29 said:
I was under the impression that the Baytril was pain relief, but I must have misunderstood.

He's still on the Metacam and also potassium citrate to neutralize the acid in his urine.
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Baytril is an antibiotic.
That’s good he is still on metacam - that is a pain killer. Is it cat or dog metacam and what dosage and how often is he having it.
Surgery is the only option to remove a bladder stone.

Regarding pellets, I feed haybox pellets, they are made purely from grasses.
 
Piggies&buns said:
Baytril is an antibiotic.
That’s good he is still on metacam - that is a pain killer. Is it cat or dog metacam and what dosage and how often is he having it.
Surgery is the only option to remove a bladder stone.

Regarding pellets, I feed haybox pellets, they are made purely from grasses.
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It's Cat Metacam 0.4ml daily.
 
Piggymomma29 said:
Yes once daily. I think when he was weighted on Monday he was 0.95 kg.
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Ok, so guinea pigs can take slightly higher doses of pain meds and need their pain meds twice a day as they metabolise meds quickly, in around 12 hours. If he is clearly in discomfort, then I’d call the vet and ask them to change the dosage and frequency. I see he is having more x rays done on Monday so you will hopefully know more about next steps then but for now he needs to be kept comfortable.
 
Piggies&buns said:
Ok, so guinea pigs can take slightly higher doses of pain meds and need their pain meds twice a day as they metabolise meds quickly, in around 12 hours. If he is clearly in discomfort, then I’d call the vet and ask them to change the dosage and frequency. I see he is having more x rays done on Monday so you will hopefully know more about next steps then but for now he needs to be kept comfortable.
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Thank you 🙂
 
Piggymomma29 said:
I'm just using a little local vet (Vets2Ltd) who has actually been my vet for years. When Mickey was originally suffering I switched vets as I searched for someone who specialised in exotic animals (which obviously didn't work out) so it's just ironic that I've now returned to my original vet who seems to be more helpful (and alot cheaper!)

Unfortunately after what appeared to be a good start yesterday, Mickey still seems to be in a lot of discomfort and pain. I don't think the additional medication is really helping all that much. He now has blood in his urine. It looks like surgery is going to be the only realistic option, and managing his diet thereafter. He deserves one more chance, I'm not willing to give up on him.

Can I ask the name of the natural nuggets that you have switched to? My boys are also indoor piggies and don't have access to much natural sunlight/fresh grass.
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Naturals meadow menu. But @Piggies&buns has had better luck with haybox pellets online?

Sounds like your boar has a uti with the blood in urine again.
 
SkyPipDotBernie said:
Naturals meadow menu. But @Piggies&buns has had better luck with haybox pellets online?

Sounds like your boar has a uti with the blood in urine again.
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Thanks. I give the boys naturals hay cookies which they love. I'll look into the food.

Yes possibly, or a combination of that and the stone irritating his bladder. I'm told by the vet that this will happen as the stone causes abrasions and irritation to the bladder wall, and bleeding as a result.

He really isn't doing well today. He's off his food again and only drinking water that I give to him by syringe. I'm really worried about him, he appears to have visibility lost more weight and is not as perky today.
 
Piggymomma29 said:
Thanks. I give the boys naturals hay cookies which they love. I'll look into the food.

Yes possibly, or a combination of that and the stone irritating his bladder. I'm told by the vet that this will happen as the stone causes abrasions and irritation to the bladder wall, and bleeding as a result.

He really isn't doing well today. He's off his food again and only drinking water that I give to him by syringe. I'm really worried about him, he appears to have visibility lost more weight and is not as perky today.
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Are you syringe feeding him either mushed up pellets or recovery food?
Can you call the vet again and have him seen sooner than Monday?
 
Piggies&buns said:
Are you syringe feeding him either mushed up pellets or recovery food?
Can you call the vet again and have him seen sooner than Monday?
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I'm hesitant to syringe feed him the pellets as my vet has told me to stop feeding them altogether.

Luckily, he is currently munching on a handful of coriander so he must be feeling slightly better.

Yes I intend on calling the vet again tomorrow.
 
Piggymomma29 said:
I'm hesitant to syringe feed him the pellets as my vet has told me to stop feeding them altogether.

Luckily, he is currently munching on a handful of coriander so he must be feeling slightly better.

Yes I intend on calling the vet again tomorrow.
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You really need fiber going in because that's supposed to be about 80% of the diet. So I'd much nuggets and syringe feed to bridge him until he can see the vet for a 2nd op. The more weight the better, not enough fiber and his gut will stop working gradually. nuggets will be fine to syringe feed, don't forget they will be wet so will flush through.

Good that he's eating coriander though
 
Piggymomma29 said:
I'm hesitant to syringe feed him the pellets as my vet has told me to stop feeding them altogether.

Luckily, he is currently munching on a handful of coriander so he must be feeling slightly better.

Yes I intend on calling the vet again tomorrow.
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Is he eating hay for himself in enough of a quantity to maintain his weight? If not, then he needs to be syringe fed either mushed up pellets or critical care recovery food . I understand about the pellets but if he isn’t eating enough hay then needs to be fed a fibre rich food to keep his gut working. Eating veg isn’t enough as It only make an up 15% of their diet so eating it doesn’t mean much in terms of gut function
 
I’ve just remembered you said he’s been put on baytril. Baytril can affect their appetite. It is recommended to give probiotics, such as fibreplex, when a piggy is on antibiotics as it can help settle the guts.
Better still, if his brother is healthy then if you could collect some of his fresh poops, soak them in water and syringe the liquid to him, then that will replace the good bacteria that he is losing due to the antibiotics
Probiotics, Recovery Foods And Vitamin C: Overview With Product Links
 
Thank you all for your helpful suggestions and ideas these past few days, I appreciate it.

Mickey has been taking the syringe feeds of pellets well which I've spaced out over the last few hours.

I'll try the syringed poop from his brother too.

I've just received a copy of his medical notes from his previous vet. Apparently they also suspect renal disease and chronic cystitis which I was not previously aware of. Needless to say he isn't in a good way, but I'll do everything I can to help him.
 
Just to add; I've also ordered a packet of Oxbow Critical care for herbivores online and requested a vitamin c supplement from my vet.
 
Piggymomma29 said:
Just to add; I've also ordered a packet of Oxbow Critical care for herbivores online and requested a vitamin c supplement from my vet.
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Oxbow critical care I absolutely packed with vit c anyway, but i do like syringe feeding oxbow critical care
 
Piggymomma29 said:
Thank you all for your helpful suggestions and ideas these past few days, I appreciate it.

Mickey has been taking the syringe feeds of pellets well which I've spaced out over the last few hours.

I'll try the syringed poop from his brother too.

I've just received a copy of his medical notes from his previous vet. Apparently they also suspect renal disease and chronic cystitis which I was not previously aware of. Needless to say he isn't in a good way, but I'll do everything I can to help him.
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I think he's in with a shot at getting well again, it's worth a go 👍
 
Just to let you all know; having seen the vet again today, Mickey's dosage of pain meds have been increased to twice daily and I've now got the vitamin c supplements which I'm giving with the mushed pellets until the critical care arrives.

He's booked in for surgery on Monday.
 
Piggymomma29 said:
Just to let you all know; having seen the vet again today, Mickey's dosage of pain meds have been increased to twice daily and I've now got the vitamin c supplements which I'm giving with the mushed pellets until the critical care arrives.

He's booked in for surgery on Monday.
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Hopefully that will make him more comfortable over the weekend.
Best wishes for Monday
 
Piggymomma29 said:
Just to let you all know; having seen the vet again today, Mickey's dosage of pain meds have been increased to twice daily and I've now got the vitamin c supplements which I'm giving with the mushed pellets until the critical care arrives.

He's booked in for surgery on Monday.
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You are doing well, keep going👍 plain oats are good for bit of weight gain aswell
 
Piggymomma29 said:
I've also given him some poop soup. He doesn't look too impressed 😂
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Well done 👍. Keep going with what you are doing until Monday and see if the vet can work his magic. I think if you cna get him stone free once more and adjust the diet you'll be in with a chance of them not returning.
 
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