Post op recovery advice please...

[Dabudesu]

Hello all,

Our little lad Little John had an operation to remove a bladder stone on Monday last week (30th May).

He is now looking much happier, eating fresh food, nuggets and hay and drinking water. He is weeing and pooing regularly and the poo seems normal. We stopped giving him Baytrill on Friday at the advice of the vet but have continued with the anti inflam and pain relief med called lexicon.

I am concerned as he is eeking when he is pooing and seems to be in pain. We are booked back in at the vet on Tuesday this week but would appreciate any thoughts or advice people can give.

Is this normal for a 6 days post op guinea pig or should we be doing something for him?

 

[Piggies&buns]

Could you please tell us his dose of loxicom, whether it is cat or dog version and whether it is once or twice a day.

Tips For Post-operative Care

 

[Dabudesu]

It's the dog version, once a day, 0.29ml.

 

[Wiebke]

It's the dog version, once a day, 0.29ml.

You can safely give this amount every 12 hours to a 1 kg piggy or above in obvious pain. Guinea pigs have a much faster metabolism.

All the best at your vets. You may want to discuss with whether glucosamine (which is classed as a food supplement and not as a medication) may help with the discomfort from potential bladder trauma where a stone as scratched the the insulating natural glucosamine layer of the urinary tract when it got banged into the walls with every pee they have made. It will however take several weeks to build up fully but can help with long term comfort.

You may also want to consider making dietary changes for the longer term to prevent another bladder stone. Again, it is not a quick fix and will need time to work its way through the body. The first few weeks after a bladder stone op are always the trickiest as it depends on how much/little the stones relate on dietary issues or not. Please be aware that much more calcium is coming into the diet via unfiltered water and pellets (even no added calcium pellets still contain noticeably more calcium weight by weight than the veg highest in it, kale). Some fresh food groups should also be cut out because they can contribute to stone formation (high in oxalates). That is something many owners are not aware of.
Our general diet (which looks at diet as a whole and at every possible food group in practical detail) and our special diet advice (see chapter on piggies with urinary tract problems) will help you in this respect. Here is the link: Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

All the best.

 

[Dabudesu]

Thanks for the advice. We went to the vet last Monday who checked John over (great exotic vet, would recommend!).
The vet changed his medication from lexicom to gabapentin for a week. He now isn't eeking as he wees.
He also suggested potassium citrate to help manage the build up of calcium. Vet says its not an absolute proven management diet addition but it can't hurt.
We asked about glucosamine and the vet recommended oxbow urinary support biscuits which contain glucosamine as well as other good stuff so we are trying that too.
Thanks for the dietary advice, we thought we were doing the correct things but have tweaked their diet further still.
Fingers crossed now!

 

[Merab]

Hoping for a speedy recovery

 

[Free Ranger]

Good luck John. You made it through your op and the post-op period which is never a given, so we know you're a little battler!