Management of bladder stones

[Pigglemama]

Hi all if you’ve read any of my previous posts you’ll know about poor Muffin and his bladder stone issues ( 2 ops in 8 weeks). I am pretty sure that despite all our efforts with him ( his human fam and MIkel our amazing vet) he has them back. He still squeaks when urinating and there is blood in his urine on and off. I don’t think at this point it’s fair to put him through surgery and as we’ve seen there is such a high risk of them coming back so I wanted to ask if anyone has managed as opposed to removed bladder stones. Apart from weight loss due to diet change he is a happy boy. I am so so guilty though that he is in pain but he is fine apart from his pain when urinating. Can anyone tell me of a similar experience? Thanks so much x

 

[weepweeps]

I’m so sorry you and Muffin are going through this. I don’t have any experience of managing bladder stones. Only operating on them with a bad outcome

Good luck I hope Muffin is ok.

 

[piggieminder]

I am sorry you and Muffin are going through this, stones are so difficult to treat, the only way to get rid of them is surgery. I am sorry I can't tell you a happier tale in the case of repeated stones.

Bracken had a stone removal operation and had stones return 2 weeks later. We managed his pain for about 3 months but then sadly had to let him go as the pain was no longer manageable. Second time round the stones were in his kidneys as well as his bladder so were not operable.
Rusty who had a stone removal operation, he didn't get another stone and died 2 years later aged 5 from something unrelated.

 

[Pigglemama]

I am sorry you and Muffin are going through this, stones are so difficult to treat, the only way to get rid of them is surgery. I am sorry I can't tell you a happier tale in the case of repeated stones.

Bracken had a stone removal operation and had stones return 2 weeks later. We managed his pain for about 3 months but then sadly had to let him go as the pain was no longer manageable. Second time round the stones were in his kidneys as well as his bladder so were not operable.
Rusty who had a stone removal operation, he didn't get another stone and died 2 years later aged 5 from something unrelated.

Thanks for you reply. I am heartbroken really because I want to hold on to him as we all love him so so much. He is peeing so much blood today and seems in pain. His tummy is wet too. Here are some pics of his urine.

 

[piggieminder]

I am so sorry it's such a horrible situation to be in. A talk with your vet about what your options are may be helpful, it's what I did.

 

[Pigglemama]

Update- I took Muffin to the emergency vets yesterday as his bladder was swollen and hot. The vet was lovely and gave him a lab injection of Buprelieve and Baytril. The vet thinks it is a UTI. The Buprelieve has really knocked him out and he isn’t eating much. How much critical care do you recommend I syringe him and how frequently? His tummy is also saturated with wee

 

[Piggies&buns]

Update- I took Muffin to the emergency vets yesterday as his bladder was swollen and hot. The vet was lovely and gave him a lab injection of Buprelieve and Baytril. The vet thinks it is a UTI. The Buprelieve has really knocked him out and he isn’t eating much. How much critical care do you recommend I syringe him and how frequently? His tummy is also saturated with wee

Hopefully it is an easily treated UTI rather than another stone
You need to syringe feed as much as is necessary to keep his weight stable at each daily weight check.
Feed every two hours as as much as he can take in each sitting.

The guide below explains further

All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures

Is he awake enough to syringe feed?

Wipe him with a damp cloth and ensure you change bedding frequently so he isn’t sitting in a wet area.

Have they finds you antibiotics to give at home?
As well as painkillers; once the buprelieve wears off?

 

[Pigglemama]

yes he will take it from the syringe and has had a bit of lettuce too. He is on 0.4 ml Baytril and 0.06ml of horse Metacam x

 

[Pigglemama]

Do you think it’s worth giving him some Cisapride that I have as a gut stimulant? X

 

[Pigglemama]

Our beautiful Muffin grew his wings this morning. Thank you all for your messages and help x

 

[piggieminder]

I am so sorry. Sending you my very best wishes at such a sad time.

 

[weepweeps]

I’m so sorry. Fly high Muffin

 

[piggl]

I am so sorry to hear of your loss.

You did so well for him through all his battles, he was very lucky to have found you.

Be kind to yourself as you grieve x

 

[Pigglemama]

I am so sorry to hear of your loss.

You did so well for him through all his battles, he was very lucky to have found you.

Be kind to yourself as you grieve x

Thanks so much we are all heartbroken

 

[RobertBlumen]

Hi all if you’ve read any of my previous posts you’ll know about poor Muffin and his bladder stone issues ( 2 ops in 8 weeks). I am pretty sure that despite all our efforts with him ( his human fam and MIkel our amazing vet) he has them back. He still squeaks when urinating and there is blood in his urine on and off. I don’t think at this point it’s fair to put him through surgery and as we’ve seen there is such a high risk of them coming back so I wanted to ask if anyone has managed as opposed to removed bladder stones. Apart from weight loss due to diet change he is a happy boy. I am so so guilty though that he is in pain but he is fine apart from his pain when urinating. Can anyone tell me of a similar experience? Thanks so much

Our pig has bladder stones. Our vets said that these have something to do with mineral metabolism in guinea pigs and other rodents. Prevention is the best strategy. Some things they have told us are:

• (USA) tap water tends to be over-mineralized. Distilled water is under-mineralized. The vet told us to buy water in the store that is labelled as purified, but not spring water and not "mineral added"
• The vet told us that the food pellets are over-mineralized and to reduce their pellet intake to 3g per day
• The other vet told us that recent research suggests that food and vegetables that are high in nitrates contribute to the problem. The vet gave us a handout that said "Nitrates, and not calcium or oxalates as previously thought, have been linked to bladder stone formation."