Stones What do I need to know about bladder stone surgery?

Piggy15 · Apr 24, 2016

Hi everyone, my girl zoe has had a wet and stinky bum all week. I researched the condition and thought it was due to eating too many greens so I limited greens for a few days but she did not improve. We went to the vet yesterday and had an ultrasound and was diagnosed with a bladder stone. She is taking antibiotic and is scheduled for surgery to remove the stone on Thursday. What advice do you have or what should I ask the vet about the procedure, aftercare, and how to prevent future stones? Also, the vet is 50 miles away, is it alright to take her in a small pet carrier instead of taking her cage in the car?

bpatters · Apr 24, 2016

It's fine to take her in a pet carrier.

See https://www.guinealynx.info/postop.html for aftercare.

Is this an exotic vet? Many vets don't know anything about guinea pig anesthesia/surgery, and you need an exotic vet with some surgical experience.

You may or may not be able to prevent future stones. Some pigs never have them, some have multiple recurrences. What exactly do you feed your guinea pigs? What kind of hay, and how much? What veggies, and how many of each? What pellets, and how many?

Piggy15 · Apr 24, 2016

Yes it is an exotic vet. I called around 10 clinics that said no before finding this one. The clinic has excellent reviews online so I went with them.
She has oxbow Timothy hay at all times and oxbow pellets. Green leaf lettuce I'd say 1/2 cup morning and night along with one "treat" such as bell pepper, a small portion of tomato, 1 baby carrot, 2-3 pieces of parsley, or a slice of apple. She is picky and does not eat broccoli, celery, cucumber, orange, banana, grape,or butternut squash. I use a filter on the kitchen sink for her water.

pigger123 · Apr 24, 2016

Bladder stones can sometimes be prevented by feeding as little calcium as possible. Orchard grass or bluegrass have a little less calcium than timothy hay. For pellets, KMS is the only brand I know of that doesn't use limestone, so it's your best bet if you can get it instead of Oxbow. Some pigs that are prone to bladder stones do best with no pellets at all. I would cut out the parsley too.

bpatters · Apr 24, 2016

You don't want to feed as little calcium as possible. It's possible to almost totally cut calcium out of the diet, but that's a dangerous thing to do. The best thing to do is to aim for a diet of about .4% calcium.

Bell pepper shouldn't be an occasional treat, but a daily staple. It's the best source of vitamin C. I'd cut out the parsley.

The Oxbow pellets may (or may not) have contributed. They've had calcium carbonate in them. Oxbow is removing it, but we don't know when. It can contribute to bladder sludge/stones.

Where People & Piggies Thrive

Newbie or Guinea Guru? Popcorn in!

Stones What do I need to know about bladder stone surgery?

Piggy15

New Member

bpatters

Moderator

Piggy15

New Member

pigger123

Well-known Member

bpatters

Moderator

Similar threads

Share this Page

Newest members

Online statistics

Key Resources

Members online