renal disease

zootech

Post   » Fri Apr 22, 2011 2:37 pm


Can anyone tell me if renal disease is seen a lot in guinea pigs and what kind of therapy they have used to manage it?

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Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Fri Apr 22, 2011 3:36 pm


It's not uncommon; renal insufficiency (progressing to full renal failure) is often associated with urolithiasis, but can have other causes as well.

General signs can include loss of appetite, weight loss, lethargy, increased (or decreased) water intake, dehydration and gastrointestinal problems. Urinalysis and blood work (to evaluate BUN and creatinine levels) are useful in evaluating kidney function; x-rays can determine kidney size and check for the presence of calculi in the kidneys, ureters or bladder.

Fluid therapy can be very beneficial in improving/prolonging quality of life. Secondary gastrointestinal issues may respond to the use of Reglan, but it's not always well-tolerated. Extreme care also has to be taken with the use of NSAIDs in kidney-compromised guinea pigs; therefore, pain management can be sometimes be tricky.

Do you have a guinea pig with renal disease?

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ElvisTCB

Post   » Sat Apr 23, 2011 11:41 am


My Kona has renal disease, which the vet is still in the process of diagnosing/treating. She had blood work done yesterday, which showed that her potassium is low. Thursday she will have an ultrasound to hopefully find out what is causing the problem. Thus far, the vet has prescribed Renal K. (Anyone have any experience with it?)

If I can muster up the energy, I may start a thread on her once I have the ultasound results.

(Sef: If you happen to read this, I will be getting Creole's record this week if you are still interested in knowing how the vet went about removing the stone from his ureter.)

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Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Sat Apr 23, 2011 4:49 pm


Yes, I'm definitely still interested in learning more about the procedure, ElvisTCB. Thanks for asking.

I'm really sorry about Kona. I've never really heard of using a potassium supplement with rabbits or guinea pigs. How is it dosed? In looking at the drug info for Renal K, it does mention renal failure among the contraindications, so I imagine it would need to be used very judiciously in her case-?

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Sat Apr 23, 2011 5:27 pm


ElvisTCB, I'd like to know about that stone in the ureter procedure also. I'm still having a hard time imagining it being flushed back to the kidney.

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ElvisTCB

Post   » Sat Apr 23, 2011 8:59 pm


I'm not even remotely as educated as you guys on guinea pig anatomy/procedures, so not sure what I've been saying to cause the confusion...but the vet moved the stone from the ureter into the bladder for removal (& I believe Sef wants to know how?). Either way, I will soon have his record to hopefully clear up any confusion.

Sef, all I know thus far on the Renal K is that she will be getting .03 every other day.

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ElvisTCB

Post   » Wed May 11, 2011 3:07 am


Sef, bpatters, here is the procedure. Hope no one minds me posting it here. I also hope you can decipher what is written, as I have no clue.

Image

(PS: Kona had an ultrasound, & it looks like her kidneys are fine. She has an inflamed/thickened bladder wall embedded with stones that the vet wants to biopsy.)

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Wed May 11, 2011 11:10 am


Jeeps. I can't make out anything! Oh, a few words maybe but not enough.

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Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Wed May 11, 2011 11:24 am


This what I've been able to figure out (or think I've figured out) so far:

Caudoventral incision made midline at area of urinary bladder, extending to umbilicus. Abdominal viscus visualized; dilated right ureter; stone isolated at neck of bladder in ureter, several small stones found in distal right calpers [cowpers?] gland. Area[?] packed of w___ _____ gauze, of incision made into bladder near neck, stone gently manipulated forward into bladder for removal. 4-0 PDS _____ and SI to close. Area flushed well. Calpers gland tip with stones _________ and removed. End over sown 4-0 PDS. Pack and ____ changed. .9% NACI flush again. 3-0 PDS to close….

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Wed May 11, 2011 11:26 am


You are GOOD, Sef!

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Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Wed May 11, 2011 11:29 am


I can't really tell what she's saying about the packing material, though, or how she removed the stones in what she refers to as the 'calpers' gland (there is something called a Cowpers gland, but I can't find the other spelling).

From what I gather, the ureteral stone removal wasn't a backflush through the kidney (which is what I was originally thinking); she went in through the bladder and manually manipulated the stone out of the ureter and into the bladder for removal. It looks like maybe the stone was right at the opening of the bladder, and doesn't seem to have adhered to the ureter wall.

Interesting stuff!

Thanks, ElvisTCB, for posting it! :)

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Wed May 11, 2011 12:01 pm


I've got a few words. I think what Sef translated as "viscus" is actually "viscera." The Cowper's gland tip was ligated and removed. The Cowper's glands are small glands at the base of the penis near the urethra.

Like Sef, I see no backflushing of anything. Looks like a straight surgical removal to me, except that the stone was right at the end of the ureter as it attaches to the bladder, and was manipulated out of the ureter and into the bladder.

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