Male Guinea Pig with Bladder Stone

[lil_dani]

Hello!
My name is Dani, I have a male guinea pig (his name is Tommy) that is about 4 years or older. Weeks ago we got the devasting news that Tommy has a bladder stone in his bladder. I went to the urgent care for Tommy. This office prescribed Tommy Critical Care and Metacam to be given 0.35ml a day. They stated that only surgery is the option to go. This was on the 22th of July. I scheduled Tommy with a vet clinic that sees and does surgeries for guinea pigs. Tommy was examined at this clinic on the 29th of July. They said they would prescribe him antibiotics just in case he had an infection. They stated the office would call to schedule surgery but that at the moment Tommy was going to be in discomfort. This week on the 8th I took Tommy once again as I had ran out of pain medication as well as Tommy was acting strange and just became very lethargic quickly. In all honesty I thought if maybe Euthanasia is the best route as he was very weak. The vet examined him, took x-rays. The Doctor said that the stone was still in his bladder and that he was being lethargic because Tommy isnt eating enough. He was prescribed meloxicam (0.35 once a day) and Gabapentin (0.35) Twice a day. They also recommended feeding him through a syringe such as critical care as well as baby food. Now I am not entirely educated but I got baby food that didnt have any added sugars. I made sure they only were that ingredient for example they had this apple, spinach, and kale baby food that only contained these three ingredients. But Tommy seems to be not there and almost always sleepy and just very limp. He's scheduled for surgery next Thursday. The reason being because the vet explained that Tommy needed to gain a little more weight because he had lost some weight. I want to know if you guys think Tommy is going to make it until next Thursday given that he's been with this bladder stone for who knows how long. He has a re-check appt next Tuesday before his surgery. I am simply lost because we keep feeding him (every two hours) , we give him enough water, and hay if he chooses to munch. I just don't know why it seems like he is very weak. He's not moving much, he can't even keep his head up. He does eat when we feed him. I just don't want him to suffer. I would like your opinions on this situation and any tips that may help please and thank you.

-Thank you from me and Tommy.

 

[Piggies&buns]

I’m sorry to hear this.

Are you only giving him baby food? Or is he getting a proper recovery feed such as oxbow critical care or emeraid (or even the emergency alternative of mushed pellets) as his main syringe feed?
If he is getting both then what proportion of recovery feed to veg is he getting?

Guinea pigs need need fibre going through their system constantly. Syringe feeding is replacing their hay intake (which is three quarters of what a piggy needs to eat in a day) so he needs to be syringe fed a fibre rich recovery feed such as Oxbow critical care or you can use his normal guinea pig pellets mushed with warm water. He does not actually need baby food.
However a very tiny amount of veg baby food can be added to the critical care to make it more palatable but it must only be a tiny dot of it as he needs to be being syringe fed 100% recovery feed to keep his gut functioning and maintain his weight.
If he is only getting veg and no fibre then that could be a reason for lethargy and any continued weight loss.

He will need to be syringe fed mushed pellets or critical care recovery feed every two hours around the clock.

He will also need to be weighed once every day (in the morning). This is so you can adjust the amount of recovery feed he gets each day to keep his weight stable and stop any further loss.
He needs to be fed a minimum of 40-60ml per day but it could be as much as 100ml to stop weight loss - it depends what his weight checks tell you each day.
He is unlikely to gain weight in the time before surgery is planned, the point of syringe feeding is to stop weight loss. Regaining lost weight, particularly if the weight loss is significant, can take weeks.

How much weight has he lost?

Also importantly, kale and spinach are high calcium and contribute to the formation of bladder stones. Even healthy guinea pigs should not eat these veg items regularly but you particularly would not want a piggy with a bladder stone to eat them.
Apple is too high in sugar for him to eat also and too much sugar will cause tummy upsets.

Read the guides below as they help with further information about syringe feeding.
We can help guide you through.

He currently sounds to be very weak, it would be a good idea to discuss with your vet whether he can be made strong enough to withstand anaesthetic and surgery or whether he is in too much discomfort at the moment.

Not Eating, Weight Loss And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre
All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures

 

[lil_dani]

I’m sorry to hear this.

Are you only giving him baby food? Or is he getting a proper recovery feed such as oxbow critical care or emeraid (or even the emergency alternative of mushed pellets) as his main syringe feed?
If he is getting both then what proportion of recovery feed to veg is he getting?

Guinea pigs need need fibre going through their system constantly. Syringe feeding is replacing their hay intake (which is three quarters of what a piggy needs to eat in a day) so he needs to be syringe fed a fibre rich recovery feed such as Oxbow critical care or you can use his normal guinea pig pellets mushed with warm water. He does not actually need baby food.
However a very tiny amount of veg baby food can be added to the critical care to make it more palatable but it must only be a tiny dot of it as he needs to be being syringe fed 100% recovery feed to keep his gut functioning and maintain his weight.
If he is only getting veg and no fibre then that could be a reason for lethargy and any continued weight loss.

He will need to be syringe fed mushed pellets or critical care recovery feed every two hours around the clock.

He will also need to be weighed once every day (in the morning). This is so you can adjust the amount of recovery feed he gets each day to keep his weight stable and stop any further loss.
He needs to be fed a minimum of 40-60ml per day but it could be as much as 100ml to stop weight loss - it depends what his weight checks tell you each day.
He is unlikely to gain weight in the time before surgery is planned, the point of syringe feeding is to stop weight loss. Regaining lost weight, particularly if the weight loss is significant, can take weeks.

How much weight has he lost?

Also importantly, kale and spinach are high calcium and contribute to the formation of bladder stones. Even healthy guinea pigs should not eat these veg items regularly but you particularly would not want a piggy with a bladder stone to eat them.
Apple is too high in sugar for him to eat also and too much sugar will cause tummy upsets.

Read the guides below as they help with further information about syringe feeding.
We can help guide you through.

He currently sounds to be very weak, it would be a good idea to discuss with your vet whether he can be made strong enough to withstand anaesthetic and surgery or whether he is in too much discomfort at the moment.

Not Eating, Weight Loss And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre
All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures

Thank you so much for the information and for the time you put into replying I truly appreciate the feedback. Unfortunately Tommy passed yesterday morning at 5:30am. Once again thank you for the feed back!

 

[VickiA]

I am so very sorry for your loss.

 

[weepweeps]

I’m so sorry you lost Tommy. Popcorn high over the bridge. Take care