Diarrhea + fit

Josephine · Post » Wed May 28, 2003 9:30 pm

I bet it's a urinary tract stone. That would be good, since it isn't usually too difficult to remove and make her feel better again. I hope you're continuing a course of antibiotics as well (I know she had a Baytril injection).

Becky · Post » Wed May 28, 2003 9:32 pm

They can pee past a urinary tract stone, I believe. Cookie had one stuck for quite a while and she passed urine.

Chary, eegads! What a day!

Charybdis · Post » Wed May 28, 2003 9:40 pm

She is continuing on Baytril. She drank a little water on her own.

So re-take the x rays after how long?

And if it remained the solution would be surgical then?

Josephine · Post » Wed May 28, 2003 9:48 pm

On stone pigs we sometimes take a new xray every day to track progress. It seems to be a larger stone. May or may not be surgical. Some sows pass huge stones and some can be manipulated out with a little anesthesia and no incision into the bladder. Just flushing the urethra. If she's still continuing to have problems with bloody urine and not eating, you need to do sx sooner rather than later.

Becky · Post » Wed May 28, 2003 10:02 pm

Cookie's first stone was "plucked" from the urethra since it was so close to the opening. The original plan was to push it back into the bladder and perform surgery.

Luckily, he was able to reach it without any invasive surgery.

Charybdis · Post » Wed May 28, 2003 10:07 pm

Why does my vet have to be out of town at these times?

Charybdis · Post » Thu May 29, 2003 10:51 am

Meg has perked up some, enough to fight me on the hand feeding and give me a few vicous head butts (she is reigning queen of head butts).

She let out a few tiny poops during the night but it was painful for her. They were connected like sausages. But now she has not pooped in several hours. Her urine is still tinged with blood.

I have some questions:

--could it be a mass in the rectum that is causing her difficulty in passing poops?

--if the mass/crystal formation is in the urethra, does it look big enough to be preventing her from pooping as well?

Josephine · Post » Thu May 29, 2003 11:05 am

Yes and yes. Especially pain upon defecation--no matter where the calcification is located. It isn't the largest stone/mass I've seen in a cavy, but it is larger than most. Poor pig.

If she isn't on steroids, pain meds would be nice (NSAIDS). Otherwise continuing the Dex would probably be a good idea every 12 hours for a couple more days. You can't use NSAIDS with steroids due to the possible side effects, which may be irreversible (GIT ulceration).

Charybdis · Post » Thu May 29, 2003 11:08 am

I can get either, although the Dex, at $30 a pop, is expensive.

Would it be better just to have the vet try to remove it or wait to see if it passes? Is it too large to pass?

Josephine · Post » Thu May 29, 2003 1:52 pm

I guess your regular vet would just give you some Dex in a red top tube so you could use it as necessary? I can't believe they are charging you per injection. Dex is cheap and cavies us such a tiny amount! When is your regular vet back? Doing the NSAIDS now are probably a decent choice if she is improved.

It would probably be a good idea to see if the vet can try to remove it through the urethra (don't know about size really--it's hard for me to measure it), and if that doesn't work just take her to surgery. I think it's causing problems, but if this vet is not competent in such surgeries, it can wait a few days if your regular vet will be around. It seems as if she's urinating, so it isn't an emergency yet. The danger is having it completely block the urethra so that no urine will pass. That is a medical emergency. The best thing is to get it taken care of by a competent vet as soon as possible, though.

charandmin · Post » Thu May 29, 2003 2:05 pm

Chary, what about taking her to the Monrovia vet? Or Avian Exotic if you don't trust the LBH vet.

Also how is she doing is she looking worse, better, same?

Charybdis · Post » Thu May 29, 2003 3:27 pm

She had a few tiny poops but they caused her some pain. She is still urinating but that also causes her pain. She ate a little romaine this morning but didn't finish it all.

Dr. R is back today. I called and asked him to look at Meg's x rays. I am hoping that he will be able to help her, and fast. I don't want her to go downhill.

I can't give her any more SQ because she struggles too much. Have to find someone to come hold her.