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Surgery for Bladder stone in urethra

CTWC said:
Hopefully someone will be here soon to advise on med levels. Also please give time for the side effects of the opiates to subside 💕
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Thankyou I’ve never had a pig have surgery or opiates, she had bupe injection Friday and Saturday so I’m hoping she is still feeling the effects and will improve
 
Tory93 said:
Hiya, I have found opiates in pigs absolutely wipes them out (we have been given Bupe in the past) which then does look like a break in progress but in my experience it was because they have just been totally knocked out with the pain meds.

My 5 year old piggie had bladder stone surgery 3 weeks ago, she was on 0.24ml of dog metacam twice a day and she was okayish but not making huge amounts of progress (not a huge amount of poops, not eating much on her own) so having spoken to someone on here and my vet I increased to 0.4ml dog metacam twice a day (my pig is 1.2kg) for a week and the progress was virtually instant (definitely over night). I would phone the vets and ask if you can increase the dose of the metacam by quite a significant but safe amount, hopefully that helps with pain without knocking her out, which may make her feel more comfy to eat by herself.

Is she on antibiotics? I have had bad experiences with baytril so we have a tablet when we have antibiotics, if she is on antibiotics may also be ask worthing to change?

Fingers crossed for your little buba x
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Thankyou she had a bupe injection Friday and Saturday I’ve no experience in this so I don’t know if her symptoms are to do with that. She isn’t on antibiotics, but she hasn’t pooped much at all they are very mucus-y and she won’t eat without syringe feeding
 
When my piggies have had an opioid injection they’ve been zombified. One just stared and could barely even swallow - I had to rub her jaw to remind her to swallow the syringe feed. Cat loxicom is very much weaker than dog metacam and tbh .23 is unlikely to be touching her pain. You can safely give much more over a short period of time. It may be worth just increasing the dose to see how she goes.
 
VickiA said:
When my piggies have had an opioid injection they’ve been zombified. One just stared and could barely even swallow - I had to rub her jaw to remind her to swallow the syringe feed. Cat loxicom is very much weaker than dog metacam and tbh .23 is unlikely to be touching her pain. You can safely give much more over a short period of time. It may be worth just increasing the dose to see how she goes.
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That’s what she is like but had the last opiate injection over 16 hours ago and still hasn’t moved or shown any interest in eating or anything. I’m assuming it’s because she is in pain, I’ve gave her more than the .23 dose and I’m making an appointment at the vets tomorrow where hopefully I get the dog strength
 
I'm so sorry that she's gone downhill. You're doing everything you can for her and I hope she makes some improvement soon 🩷 Fingers crossed the vet gives her stronger pain relief so she can feel less sore ❤️
 
I would keep on with syringe feeding little and often and offer very tiny amount of water too quite regularly to help flush out the opiates. If you think of the gut as an escalator which has stopped (while she had her operation) it needs to start working again and delivering poop, the more you can get on that escalator the more it should push that old dry stale poop off the other end.

Like Vicky says, increase that Cat Loxicom quite significantly too, Dog Loxicom is 1.5 mg in strength while Cat is 0.5 mg so you have plenty of room for manoeuvre
Keep going, don’t lose hope x
 
Bill & Ted said:
I would keep on with syringe feeding little and often and offer very tiny amount of water too quite regularly to help flush out the opiates. If you think of the gut as an escalator which has stopped (while she had her operation) it needs to start working again and delivering poop, the more you can get on that escalator the more it should push that old dry stale poop off the other end.

Like Vicky says, increase that Cat Loxicom quite significantly too, Dog Loxicom is 1.5 mg in strength while Cat is 0.5 mg so you have plenty of room for manoeuvre
Keep going, don’t lose hope x
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Thankyou this was really helpful I’ve just had some more emeraid syringe food arrive so will be trying her on that. I’ve been syringing water about 0.1ml letting it trickle in her mouth a few times every 2 hours in between feeds. I didn’t realise the dog loxicom was 3 times the strength. When my girl rolo had a bad uti she was on 0.63 of dog loxicom so I’m not sure why cherry is on such a low dose of cat loxicom.
 
Burns360 said:
Thankyou she had a bupe injection Friday and Saturday I’ve no experience in this so I don’t know if her symptoms are to do with that. She isn’t on antibiotics, but she hasn’t pooped much at all they are very mucus-y and she won’t eat without syringe feeding
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Bless her heart, I have experienced bupe in pigs and bunnies and it really truly does wipe them out. They are so out of it they don't usually get up and eat by themselves because of how zonko they are, as Cherry has had a dose 2 days in a row it might take a little time to come to.

Definitely increase the loxicom dose as I feel comfortable saying that 0.25ml of cat loxicom is most definitely not even putting a dent in it. 0.24ml of dog metacam wasn't really helping my girl so a dose 3 times less probably isn't doing an great deal if anything.

Hold on to hope, I am sure as soon as her med levels get sorted she will perk up quite quickly, as I say my piggie improved over night when I went from 0.24 to 0.4ml dog metacam.

On the poop front, whilst my piggie was on the lower dose of metacam she wasn't eating a huge amount by herself and I had to supplement her feeding and her poops were mucusy and coming out in small bits rather than normal formation, this improved significantly after the dose was increased.

If you have access to fresh grass, I found that my piggie never turned that down and it's got a higher water content than hay.

This is the first time one of my pigs have had this surgery and I was scared witless so I understand how you feel. Keep doing what you're doing and try and push for some dog loxicom at a higher dose.

Good luck x
 
Tory93 said:
Bless her heart, I have experienced bupe in pigs and bunnies and it really truly does wipe them out. They are so out of it they don't usually get up and eat by themselves because of how zonko they are, as Cherry has had a dose 2 days in a row it might take a little time to come to.

Definitely increase the loxicom dose as I feel comfortable saying that 0.25ml of cat loxicom is most definitely not even putting a dent in it. 0.24ml of dog metacam wasn't really helping my girl so a dose 3 times less probably isn't doing an great deal if anything.

Hold on to hope, I am sure as soon as her med levels get sorted she will perk up quite quickly, as I say my piggie improved over night when I went from 0.24 to 0.4ml dog metacam.

On the poop front, whilst my piggie was on the lower dose of metacam she wasn't eating a huge amount by herself and I had to supplement her feeding and her poops were mucusy and coming out in small bits rather than normal formation, this improved significantly after the dose was increased.

If you have access to fresh grass, I found that my piggie never turned that down and it's got a higher water content than hay.

This is the first time one of my pigs have had this surgery and I was scared witless so I understand how you feel. Keep doing what you're doing and try and push for some dog loxicom at a higher dose.

Good luck x
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Thanks I tried to give her some more painkillers but she wouldn’t swallow them properly, she is still just laying in the same spot she has been since her surgery. She has done another weird poo but she is peeing, I just can’t stop convincing myself that she is dying 😞 she wouldn’t even touch any grass that I tried her with
 
When Bert had opiates he was out of it for 4 days. Barely moving or pooping. Gradually he started eating a little veg and grass (plus critical care) before regaining his appetite for hay. Thinking of you and Cherry x
 
Cherry has taken another 8.5ml of critical care ( the most she was taking before was 3ml at a time) and her 1ml of Emeprid. it’s still a struggle but she did a big wee afterwards and a few more mucus poops, praying she can keep going till we see a vet tomorrow
 
Burns360 said:
Cherry has taken another 8.5ml of critical care ( the most she was taking before was 3ml at a time) and her 1ml of Emeprid. it’s still a struggle but she did a big wee afterwards and a few more mucus poops, praying she can keep going till we see a vet tomorrow
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Keep in mind that the mucussy poops are the result of the previous day or two; they usually signify dehydration so ensure that you are also getting some water in. With a little luck this is a turning point. Hang on in there and persist.
 
Wiebke said:
Keep in mind that the mucussy poops are the result of the previous day or two; they usually signify dehydration so ensure that you are also getting some water in. With a little luck this is a turning point. Hang on in there and persist.
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I don’t think she was getting enough water the vets said she had been on fluids too. How much water should I be aiming for? I’ve been just doing 0.1ml at a time in between feeds
 
I offer a syringe of water after every 2-3 syringe of feed. You can make the syringe feed a little more watery, too to get a bit more fluid in. Please just hang in there. It’s promising that she’s taking larger amounts. Probably the opioid injection is starting to wear off and she’s recognising hunger and that you are trying to help her.
 
cherry has been back to the vets she has had some fluids and more Metacam prescribed but they cannot prescribe the dog strength as it’s not licenced in Guinea pigs but I can massively increase the cat dose. She has also had some smelly wee with blood which I thought was normal after bladder surgery but the vets think it may be an infection want her on antibiotics which I’m worried will just hinder her eating and recovering even more 😩
 
Sending Cherry healing vibes. I hope she starts to feel better soon. You are doing everything you can.
 
Poor Cherry 🙁 I'm so sorry it's not better news, but I hope the increased dose really helps 🩷
 
My vet gives 0.4ml per kg of dog metacam twice a day. I do think it makes a difference if you are able to ask your vet for that. Its seen us through 5 operations including a bladder stone op and it definitely helps. I do find Bupa makes them too out of it. Hope you get on good at the vets.
 
Piggies2023 said:
My vet gives 0.4ml per kg of dog metacam twice a day. I do think it makes a difference if you are able to ask your vet for that. Its seen us through 5 operations including a bladder stone op and it definitely helps. I do find Bupa makes them too out of it. Hope you get on good at the vets.
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I did my best to get it but they wouldn’t prescribe as it’s not licensed in Guinea pigs and they aren’t legally allowed they said, hopefully the higher cat dose helps. She has had about 37ml or critical care since 10pm last night which is a massive step up as she wouldn’t take hardly any. She has nibbled a pepper and seems to acknowledge and attempt to eat veg/grass but then stops and doesn’t. So fingers crossed she starts eating soon
 
Burns360 said:
I did my best to get it but they wouldn’t prescribe as it’s not licensed in Guinea pigs and they aren’t legally allowed they said, hopefully the higher cat dose helps. She has had about 37ml or critical care since 10pm last night which is a massive step up as she wouldn’t take hardly any. She has nibbled a pepper and seems to acknowledge and attempt to eat veg/grass but then stops and doesn’t. So fingers crossed she starts eating soon
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Some vets aren't keen to prescribe off licence. That is good that you are getting a higher dose of cat metacam. My Pumpkin wouldn't eat when I got her back home from bladder stone surgery and it was definitely due to pain until she could have her metacam. So hopefully the increased metacam will help.
 
It’s a shame that your vet will not prescribe off licence. However, a significant increase in cat Metacom will really help with her pain. Well done for getting her to eat so much critical care every little helps during the recovery phase. Just hang in there. Sending you and Cherry much Support at this time.
 
You’re doing so well in very difficult circumstances. Just wanted to send support to you and the lovely Cherry.
 
hang in there, it all sounds like you are moving in the right direction. I don’t understand why some vets won’t, prescribe off licence meds. My vet is happy to, I just sign a form to say I know it’s off licence for guinea pigs, I suppose it covers them. my other vet routinely prescribes off licence without any question
 
CTWC said:
All sounding positive really so what have they said you can up the cat dosage by? 🤔
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1 ml twice a day from 0.23 twice a day but she still seems in pain, she keeps going to nibble veggies but then stops. I really hope she improves. I’ve got another appointment on Wednesday with the vet I usually see and who did her surgery so maybe they will prescribe me the dog strength 🤞
 
Burns360 said:
1 ml twice a day from 0.23 twice a day but she still seems in pain, she keeps going to nibble veggies but then stops. I really hope she improves. I’ve got another appointment on Wednesday with the vet I usually see and who did her surgery so maybe they will prescribe me the dog strength 🤞
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I hope they can prescribe you dog strength 🤞🏻
 
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