Persistent Ear Infection

tms8

Post   » Wed Jun 05, 2019 7:10 pm


Also, If anyone has a spreadsheet or feeding chart for guinea pigs on a hay/vegetable only diet I would appreciate the help!

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Wed Jun 05, 2019 7:52 pm


He needs pellets less than he needs any other food. He'll do fine on hay and veggies, but make sure it's mostly hay, and that he gets some colored veggies, as they're more nutritious.

I wouldn't do a multi-vitamin tablet every day. Some of those vitamins are fat soluble, and guinea pigs are mostly fat! You could give one every third day or so.

User avatar
Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Wed Jun 05, 2019 9:29 pm


You could also try Zupreem brand pellets. They're an alfalfa-timothy mix, but do not contain calcium carbonate -- an ingredient that could be problematic for stone-prone pigs. I used Zupreem for quite a while before Oxbow changed their formula and after KMS changed ownership, and they were well-liked.

tms8

Post   » Mon Jun 10, 2019 3:54 pm


Update:

I rushed Golgi to the ER last night because he was crying in pain while defecating. As I suspected he had two bladder stones and is in surgery today. His litter mate died from an obstructive stone. I am paying $3-3.5k for the surgery in addition to what I've already spent on the ear infection. Since stone re-occurrence is common I was wondering if anyone has been quoted a lower price for stone removal along the east coast (as far north as Maine, as far south as Philadelphia). The price seems astronomically high compared to what I have been reading.

User avatar
Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Mon Jun 10, 2019 6:25 pm


Ouch. That does seem steep. I can't really offer much in the way of a comparison price, though. I'm in the Midwest and have typically paid around $500 for the procedure.

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Sat Jun 15, 2019 9:15 pm


I paid $400 for one stone surgery, and I think $650 for the second.

tms8

Post   » Sat Jun 15, 2019 11:23 pm


It ended up being $2.5k. Do you know if it's normal following surgery for there to still be pain and vocalization when urinating/defecating? I'd say since I brought him home 2-3 days post-op (operation was on the 10th) he still has stomach pain and pain while urinating/defecating. Is it possible he's already formed another stone? The vet said some amount of inflammation is expected and as long as he's urinating and defecating it's not an emergency. I was wondering if the pain is normal a week post-op?

User avatar
Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Sat Jun 15, 2019 11:41 pm


It can be. It depends on how extensive the surgery was, and how much irritation/inflammation to the bladder wall the stone had caused. I've had pigs who continued to have blood in his urine and discomfort while urinating/defecating for several days post-op. Were you given anything for pain, such as Tramadol or Metacam?

tms8

Post   » Sat Jun 15, 2019 11:50 pm


Yes he is on both. The blood in his urine is gone, but he's still having painful urination/painful abdomen which worries me. I know in addition to removing the bladder stones, they flushed out his urethra. I'm not sure if this could be the cause of his discomfort.

User avatar
Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Sat Jun 15, 2019 11:59 pm


I would say it's quite likely. How much Metacam are you giving him?

tms8

Post   » Sun Jun 16, 2019 12:04 am


He's getting 0.08mL (1.5mg/mL) of Metacam and 0.4mL (10mg/mL) of Tramadol.

User avatar
Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Sun Jun 16, 2019 8:13 am


What is his weight? If it were me, I'd be inclined to bump the Metacam up slightly (unless he's severely underweight) and see if that helps.

Post Reply