Christmas miracle? ....Or something else?

[Libby]

Okay so- Harry had a bladder stone. He started showing symptoms on Friday Dec. 21st (his pee was diluted blood, he squealed when trying to go to the bathroom, he sat hunched in a corner for hours, and he didn’t feel like eating or playing) and I made an early appointment with an exotics vet for Saturday.

They did an xray and we reviewed it- the bladder stone was pretty big and was said impossible for him to pass on his own. He needed surgery- but the vet said due to the holidays, his practice was going to be closed for the following week and so he wouldn’t be able to operate until next Friday. He gave me an estimate for the operation and I left, feeling awful because my poor boy was suffering and I didn’t want to wait until the holidays were over to get him some relief. I also was worried because the operation was very costly- nearly $2,000! I just don’t have that sort of money, even with the payment plan the vet tried to sign me up for.

The vet gave Harry some Metacam to get him through the week. I was to give him .23 mL everyday until his operation. As soon as I got home, I gave him his dose and put him back in with the girls and called my usual vet. I scheduled an appointment with them for that afternoon and had the exotics vet transfer Harry’s files and xray to the facility.

When I got to my regular vet’s office, he looked at the x-ray that was emailed to him and told me everything the other vet said- it was a bladder stone- a pretty big one- the Metacam should be helping with the pain but he wouldn’t be able to pass it himself and needed surgery. I didn’t want to have to euthanize my guinea pig so I asked how much the operation would cost and he told me about $500. This was more in my price range so I booked an appointment for Monday, Dec. 24.

I kept giving Harry his Metacam as prescribed. For the first day or so I didn’t notice much change in his behavior but by Sunday and Monday, he was eating more and hopping around and chasing the girls. He was his old self~

I brought him in for his surgery today, Dec. 24 at 8 AM and got a call from the vet at around 12 PM.

He said Harry was doing well, he was eating and walking around but he said something went funny during the surgery- there wasn’t a bladder stone. We both saw the x-ray, there WAS a bladder stone there. He said he and his wife (they both are vets at the same facility, his wife was the one who neutered Harry when I got him in May) both looked inside him and saw no bladder stone. They did two extra xrays and the bladder stone was gone. He said he has no words to explain what happened, the Metacam couldn’t have broken it up because it was only three days ago that he was prescribed the medicine and it usually takes months for something like that to work in cats and dogs. He said the stone was also too big for Harry to push out on his own. They scrapped part of his bladder and sent it out for testing to see if there could be another possible solution for Harry’s symptoms.

I was of course as stunned as they were- I knew a bladder stone couldn’t vanish like that and was curious if they overlooked it during the procedure but the new xrays showed nothing unusual. Where the bladder stone was before was totally empty.

So now Harry is home, he is taking the Metacam still and some Baytril. He has a follow up appointment in 2 weeks and I am monitoring him to make sure he is okay. Because they scrapped his bladder, the vet said he would continue to pee blood- which frightens me. How do I know if he is okay or not? What if he bleeds out?

I have him separated from the girls, he is on fleece bedding with a wooden house, a water bottle, a pile of hay, and his pellet trough- I hung everything low for easy access. I just am worried about him bleeding like that- does anyone have any ideas? Is there more that I can do to monitor him and make him comfortable and safe?

Everyone keeps saying it is a Christmas miracle but I am a little more skeptical. I personally think something was overlooked or the first vet used Timmy's xrays and tried to con me into an operation (of course, Harry DID show symptoms of a bladder stone.) I just want to make sure Harry is okay and stay safe. I don't know what happened- did the first vet use Timmy's xrays? Did the second vet miss something? Will Harry bleed to death? Is the stone still there but hiding? Is there something worse that I need to worry about?

I'm just so flustered right now. It is the strangest thing...

[jolovespiggies]

I think it may well be divine intervention love but will probably be something more scientific. I hope the little chap is feeling better. Please keep us informed.

Love and hugs

Jo xxx

[3piggles]

That is so wonderful! I've used barley water to coat the bladder walls. Don't know if it really works, but the pigs love the barley water. A friend in CA is using Shi Lin Tong Pian to break up the stones his pig keeps getting. He said it worked really well. I hope Harry doesn't get another stone, and continues to be your miracle piggy!

[Teebers]

Please give us an update Libby! How did the followup visit go? Did the biopsy reveal anything significant? Inquiring minds want to know!

[margaret6]

Hi I'm new to the forum but noticed you live in Melbourne. My brother and his family live in Melbourne and I've been to Australia three times. I probably would emigrate if I was younger, just to get away from all the Scottish rain. How do your piggies do in all that heat?

[Teebers]

Hi margaet6! Small world isn't it? Unfortunately I don't have any pigs these days however in the past they would get plenty of veggies and frozen bottles of water on hot days.

[3piggles]

Talk about having too much time on my hands! I did a study in bottles of frozen water. If you use a gallon/metric equivalent, it should have ice in it for at least 16 hours. While it's easier to put the drinks bottles around in the cage, they melt quickly. If the pigs are going to be alone for a whole work/school day, get the big one. 2/3 full of water freezes to a full bottle of ice. Just wrap a tea towel around it to keep the pigs from getting right against it, and put it where it can help lower the ambient temperature in the cage.