Mr. Miso - Bladder Stone

Post Reply
cadrhys

Post   » Sun Jul 15, 2018 6:26 pm


Hi all,

So yesterday evening I noticed that one of my two guinea pigs, Miso, was wheeking loudly while arching his back and grunting. It looked like he was trying to poop or pee and was struggling to do so. I checked their bedding and there seemed to be blood on the fleece, so I pulled him out and set him on a towel to see if he would pee on it. After a couple of rounds of struggling with only 1 poop coming out, I decided to bring him to Angell (MSPCA in Boston) to their ER to get checked out as I couldn't tell if it was GI or Urine related.

Baba, his cagemate, came along for moral support, and after 4 hours in the ER and some imaging, they were able to confirm that Miso does, in fact, have a bladder stone. They were reluctant to have me take him back home as I wouldn't have been able to monitor him today (I couldn't take the time off of work), and they have scheduled his surgery for tomorrow.

The updates from the vets today have been OK - he was peeing very little this morning and his bladder was enlarged - he finally peed a large volume this afternoon though they did notice an off odor, so they started him on antibiotics both for the odor and to get ahead of the surgery. He's still alert and interested in food though!

According to the doctor, they're 98% sure that surgery will be tomorrow as long as he seems strong enough in the morning and that there aren't any other major emergencies that would jump the line at Angell.

I've looked through the post-op guide here and my question is - when I do pick him up from the hospital (hoping!! hoping!) - how long should I keep him separated from his cagemate? and when I do get them back together, will I have to do a cautious reintroduction?

These are my first two piggies and this is the first time either of them have gotten sick since I adopted them 2 years ago, so any thoughts or advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Sun Jul 15, 2018 6:58 pm


Sorry you're dealing with stones. They're a pain in the rear, for both the pig and the owner.

What I'd do is separate him in a small area in one end of the cage so he can't move around much for the first few days, gradually moving the fence so that his area is enlarged a little each day.

And yes, you'll have to do full reintroductions, I'm sorry to say. I tried putting two sows back together after that kind of separation, and it didn't go well. I think it would be worse with boars. But if you keep them where they can see and interact with each other (I put all food and hay right at the fence on both sides so they'd have to come to the shared area to eat and drink), it shouldn't be as bad as if they were in separate cages.

You should be able to put them back in the same area in 5-7 days. Don't let the vet talk you into putting them into separate cages that aren't anywhere close to each other.

cadrhys

Post   » Mon Jul 16, 2018 4:50 pm


Thanks for the advice! I'll keep that in mind once I get him home. Unfortunately he got bumped down the surgery list as there were more pressing cases at the MSPCA and he's urinating regularly at the moment.

They did say he was first on the list tomorrow morning so he should be out of surgery by 10 am. The vet had said that they would keep him there for another 24 - 48 hours to make sure he's eating on his own and pooping. Is this normal for this type of surgery? All in all he's going to be at the vet's for 3.5 days at the shortest.

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Mon Jul 16, 2018 5:49 pm


I wouldn't leave mine overnight at the vet. I'd take him home as soon as he was awake after the surgery.

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

cadrhys

Post   » Wed Jul 18, 2018 5:56 pm


Unfortunately, I had to make the decision to euthanize Mr. Miso. The vet had called and said that the stone had moved into the urethra and they were unable to get it back into the bladder. I decided that the risky surgery (the vet had mentioned a 30% success rate) plus the long recovery of surgically removing the stone from his urethra was not worth it and we had to say goodbye. Baba's going to be a solo pig for a bit and we'll consider getting him another friend soon...

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Wed Jul 18, 2018 6:50 pm


I'm very sorry you lost him.

User avatar
Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Wed Jul 18, 2018 10:03 pm


I am so sorry, cadrhys.

Bookfan
For the Love of Pigs

Post   » Fri Jul 27, 2018 10:45 am


I'm so sorry. Stones are terrible.

Post Reply