Male with bladder stone--need a good vet
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- Supporter in '13
A strange development...
Dr. Voss x-rayed Peppi this morning and found no evidence of a stone! Because we were concerned that it could be hidden, he decided to do an ultrasound, and said he was unable to find anything there either. he thinks that what we might have seen on the x-ray at the emergency vets was a blob of sludge. What we saw on the x-ray wasn't huge, but it looked pretty solid to me, so I was sure it was a stone.
He did not see them, so I'm going to get the original x-rays from the E. vet and drop them off with Dr. Voss, then pick up Peppi. After he analyzes them, he'll decide if we should make a new appointment for surgery. He's concerned about putting him through all the stress of surgery without knowing for sure what's going on.
I'm really worried; I swear I read on here a while back that someone had a piggy with a stone that everyone had thought passed but it had moved in the bladder and was not visible in any further x-rays?
Peppi hasn't lost any more weight since the 30th, but I can tell he isn't feeling his normal self. He usually eats a ton. We have been supplementing what he does eat syringing him Critical Care.
Has anyone else had this happen?
Off to get the other x-rays now! Ugh.
Dr. Voss x-rayed Peppi this morning and found no evidence of a stone! Because we were concerned that it could be hidden, he decided to do an ultrasound, and said he was unable to find anything there either. he thinks that what we might have seen on the x-ray at the emergency vets was a blob of sludge. What we saw on the x-ray wasn't huge, but it looked pretty solid to me, so I was sure it was a stone.
He did not see them, so I'm going to get the original x-rays from the E. vet and drop them off with Dr. Voss, then pick up Peppi. After he analyzes them, he'll decide if we should make a new appointment for surgery. He's concerned about putting him through all the stress of surgery without knowing for sure what's going on.
I'm really worried; I swear I read on here a while back that someone had a piggy with a stone that everyone had thought passed but it had moved in the bladder and was not visible in any further x-rays?
Peppi hasn't lost any more weight since the 30th, but I can tell he isn't feeling his normal self. He usually eats a ton. We have been supplementing what he does eat syringing him Critical Care.
Has anyone else had this happen?
Off to get the other x-rays now! Ugh.
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- Supporter in '13
Peppi is back home, no surgery. I brought the original x-rays to the vet, and while he agreed it looked like a stone, 2 different side views taken at 2 different times yesterday afternoon showed no more evidence of one. I didn't see the ultrasound, but they were very thorough and I can't believe it could have been missed with everything that was done.
We're guessing it was just a collection of sludge or crystals that he passed that first night, which would explain why there is no more blood in his pee or screaming while he's peeing. We may take him back in for another x-ray in a couple weeks and see if anything new has formed. We've been following Becky's diet for the majority of their veggies, so if he keeps having trouble we'll have to try something else, like SQs or polycitra.
I still have concerns though, because Peppi isn't totally back to normal. Possibilities?:
1) He's still having tummy trouble from antibiotic intolerance. We decided to stop Bactrim after his Monday morning dose because he was barely eating. He's eating more now, but not as well as usual. I'm also seeing very few poops. Yesterday I noticed he was eating them all.
2) Maybe he needs more antibiotics due to irritation of the bladder and still feels crummy. He only had Bactrim for about 3 days, and I know that's not enough to clear up an infection if he has one. What antibiotic could we switch him to? I thought Baytril was tougher on their system. Is Doxycylene worth a try?
3) On the x-rays the vet noticed he has some arthritis in his hips and back legs. He doesn't bunny hop or hobble, and he still stands on the bars of his cage, but this could be bothering him, maybe?
4) Teeth? Lately he's been chewing on the towel in his cage a lot, and ripping up the paper grocery bags we line the cage with before we dump in the Carefresh. But he has no trouble eating when we watch him, and he eats his veggies so fast he always runs over and steals from Chester! He's such a bully!
I think we may take him in for another overall check-up to try to get to the bottom of this. Sorry for the long post! I'm so worried about this guy. He's been sleeping a lot lately. I hope this isn't "just old age."
We're guessing it was just a collection of sludge or crystals that he passed that first night, which would explain why there is no more blood in his pee or screaming while he's peeing. We may take him back in for another x-ray in a couple weeks and see if anything new has formed. We've been following Becky's diet for the majority of their veggies, so if he keeps having trouble we'll have to try something else, like SQs or polycitra.
I still have concerns though, because Peppi isn't totally back to normal. Possibilities?:
1) He's still having tummy trouble from antibiotic intolerance. We decided to stop Bactrim after his Monday morning dose because he was barely eating. He's eating more now, but not as well as usual. I'm also seeing very few poops. Yesterday I noticed he was eating them all.
2) Maybe he needs more antibiotics due to irritation of the bladder and still feels crummy. He only had Bactrim for about 3 days, and I know that's not enough to clear up an infection if he has one. What antibiotic could we switch him to? I thought Baytril was tougher on their system. Is Doxycylene worth a try?
3) On the x-rays the vet noticed he has some arthritis in his hips and back legs. He doesn't bunny hop or hobble, and he still stands on the bars of his cage, but this could be bothering him, maybe?
4) Teeth? Lately he's been chewing on the towel in his cage a lot, and ripping up the paper grocery bags we line the cage with before we dump in the Carefresh. But he has no trouble eating when we watch him, and he eats his veggies so fast he always runs over and steals from Chester! He's such a bully!
I think we may take him in for another overall check-up to try to get to the bottom of this. Sorry for the long post! I'm so worried about this guy. He's been sleeping a lot lately. I hope this isn't "just old age."
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- Supporter in '13
Thanks to everyone for all the suggestions. We have an appointment on Monday and I'll be sure to ask about SQs and Rimadyl.
Peppi is feeling much better since yesterday! We talked with the vet and found out the culture the emergency vets had taken last weekend was negative. So he advised not to worry about continuing antibiotics, and that he thought it still sounded like Peppi's system was still messed up from the few days we had him on Bactrim. We had been giving some acidophilus powder on his veggies, but we also started to syringe him a whole bunch dissolved in water, and it seemed to help him get his appetite back. He's finally back to his old habits!
Peppi is feeling much better since yesterday! We talked with the vet and found out the culture the emergency vets had taken last weekend was negative. So he advised not to worry about continuing antibiotics, and that he thought it still sounded like Peppi's system was still messed up from the few days we had him on Bactrim. We had been giving some acidophilus powder on his veggies, but we also started to syringe him a whole bunch dissolved in water, and it seemed to help him get his appetite back. He's finally back to his old habits!
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- Supporter in '13
Back again to this thread, over a year later. Please note, we no longer "need a good vet!"
On Monday, Peppi (now 6-7 years old) was taken to the vet for blood in his urine. He had an x-ray, and has a rather large stone in his bladder, luckily not close to the urethra. He has not had an x-ray since the last stone scare, so we have no idea how long this had been here. Currently we have him on Bactrim, since the vet thought the stone had begun to irritate his bladder and cause infection. We're also giving Metacam as needed.
Peppi is scheduled for stone removal surgery on Monday the 14th. Now here is our dilemma: the reason his surgery is so far off, is we're going on a business trip next week that we can't cancel. He seems to be doing ok for now, but we're really concerned about waiting so long, and he still has blood in his urine, and occassional crying while peeing. The surgeon may be able to squeeze him in tomorrow, but I'm worried that the 5 days we'll have for his aftercare before we go out of town will be too short. Either way, we will be leaving him with someone who will take good care of him, but I hate to think of the added burden of caring for a recovering pig.
So what I really need is expert advice! Should we get the surgery tomorrow and only have the 5 days to give him the proper aftercare ourselves, or wait until the 14th, when we'll have as much time as needed to aid his recovery?
On Monday, Peppi (now 6-7 years old) was taken to the vet for blood in his urine. He had an x-ray, and has a rather large stone in his bladder, luckily not close to the urethra. He has not had an x-ray since the last stone scare, so we have no idea how long this had been here. Currently we have him on Bactrim, since the vet thought the stone had begun to irritate his bladder and cause infection. We're also giving Metacam as needed.
Peppi is scheduled for stone removal surgery on Monday the 14th. Now here is our dilemma: the reason his surgery is so far off, is we're going on a business trip next week that we can't cancel. He seems to be doing ok for now, but we're really concerned about waiting so long, and he still has blood in his urine, and occassional crying while peeing. The surgeon may be able to squeeze him in tomorrow, but I'm worried that the 5 days we'll have for his aftercare before we go out of town will be too short. Either way, we will be leaving him with someone who will take good care of him, but I hate to think of the added burden of caring for a recovering pig.
So what I really need is expert advice! Should we get the surgery tomorrow and only have the 5 days to give him the proper aftercare ourselves, or wait until the 14th, when we'll have as much time as needed to aid his recovery?