Bladder stones and mass around kidney

RKelly

Post   » Thu Mar 21, 2019 10:26 pm


Took RKelly to the vet this morning because his urine was dark and he squeeked once while going. He has stones and a mass surrounding one kidney. Vet ordered a medication that may help dissolve stones. Is this even possible? The local gp rescue uses her so I assume she knows what she's doing but I don't want to get my hopes up. Not that they can get too high with mass. She also ordered pain meds that need to be compounded. Any idea what it might be? He's not a good candidate for surgery due to age. Is there anything I can do to make him comfortable until meds get here? He's only squeeked once since we got home but it's killing me not being able to do anything.

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Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Thu Mar 21, 2019 11:03 pm


How old is he? Unfortunately, if he has calcium carbonate stones, there is nothing known to dissolve them. I'll be very interested to know what this vet has ordered.

Also not sure what pain med she is prescribing. Metacam is the safest and generally most effective analgesic, but there are other NSAIDs in the same class that could also be used--none of which need to be compounded as far as I know. There are heavier duty pain meds in the opioid class, though. Maybe she is thinking along those lines.

Can you post a follow up when you find out what these medications are?

Talishan
You can quote me

Post   » Thu Mar 21, 2019 11:16 pm


The compounded med is likely a mild narcotic like Tramadol. This is stronger than an NSAID, but will not hammer them as hard as the stronger opioids.

An NSAID like Metacam might give some relief until the compounded med arrives.

How large are the stones?

Since he is male, the biggest danger is that one of the stones travels into the urethra and blocks his urine flow. (This can happen to females, too, but since the tubing is larger, the danger is a little less.) Keep an eye out for this. If it happens you'll know. He will be in agony and he will let you know.

All that said, if the stones are tiny he may pass them; if they're too large to get into the urethra, they may make him vaguely uncomfortable from time to time but not unmanageable. We had one who lived for nearly two years with a very large but slow-growing stone (also not a good surgical candidate).

Ask the vet if you can get some Metacam until the compound shows up. Also consider making him some barley water. I'll see if I can find the thread on it.

Talishan
You can quote me

Post   » Thu Mar 21, 2019 11:21 pm


This is a long read but worth the time:

https://www.guinealynx.info/forums/viewt ... =2&t=62698

Good luck and blessings to him and to you.

User avatar
Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Fri Mar 22, 2019 5:50 am


Thanks for posting that link, Talishan.

RKelly, is there any chance you could get a copy of the xrays and post them here? I am also wondering if the vet was able to get a urine sample. You mentioned the dark urine (is it bloody?). Urinary tract infection is often a secondary issue with a stone; the antibiotic Bactrim would be a good choice to help deal with that and hopefully make him a little more comfortable, along with Metacam.

Also see:
https://www.guinealynx.info/stones.html
https://www.guinealynx.info/uti.html

Bookfan
For the Love of Pigs

Post   » Fri Mar 22, 2019 12:01 pm


We had a pig who had a mass on her kidney (along with a bunch of other problems) and she lived to be 8. Her death had nothing to do with the kidney.

RKelly

Post   » Fri Mar 22, 2019 9:43 pm


Thanks so much guys. You've given me some realistic hope. I'll see about getting x rays and more info from vet asap. His urine did have blood in it according to test. Believe vet said they were small. I did not handle the news well. Pretty much lost it when I talked to her on the phone. A friend had to pick him up since I had a doctor appointment I couldn't miss. My head is back on so I hope she's ready for a lot of questions.He doesn't seem to be in much discomfort. Still being his normal demanding self. Still popcorning at 5.5y. My main goal right now is to deal with the stones and keep him comfortable. He's the only gp I've had so I have no idea what I'm doing. I will definitely ask about metacam while we wait. As to antibiotics should I ask about getting a culture done to make sure it's needed or just try to get them? I'm willing to try anything including voodoo if anyone knows someone.

User avatar
Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Fri Mar 22, 2019 11:44 pm


You can ask the vet if urinalysis could be done to check for signs of infection/secondary UTI, but she may say to go ahead and put him on Bactrim for 10-14 days just to be on the safe side.

What is his diet?

Bookfan
For the Love of Pigs

Post   » Sat Mar 23, 2019 1:07 pm


This post is from 2006 so I don't know if these people are still practicing. These recommendations are from Guinea Lynx members. A second opinion might be helpful. Sorry if I missed this - do you know of any exotics vets near you who treat gp's besides the current vet?

https://www.guinealynx.info/records/view ... f=76&t=276

RKelly

Post   » Sun Mar 24, 2019 8:56 am


Right now he's eating small pet select third cut timothy, oxbow adult, green leaf lettuce, cucumber, one small baby carrot per day. Those are the main veg. I rotate others like green pepper (he'll eat those for a couple days then won't for a week), endive, red leaf lettuce, raddiocchio, parsley, cilantro, weird lettuce like oak leaf, blueberry, strawberry, bite of banana. I try to give him variety while feeding high calcium stuff as more of a treat situation. He was on kms hay and pellets but I got nervous about the issues some people were having after they changed hands. He seems to be feeling okay. He's running around the house making his bubble noise. Played a long game of hide and seek Fri night, if he can't see me I can't see him. He's back to telling me when he feels it's my bedtime. As to a second opinion there's two other exotics vets around. I went with this one because she's who the gp rescue uses and they've had some really touch and go surrenders who made it under her care. Unfortunately people around here buy pet store pigs for the kids and when they get sick don't get care. Why spend $300 on some x rays and office visit when you only paid $40 for the gp. Cheaper to buy another. One more reason why I dislike people. Other than googling reviews of other vets I don't know how to find out if others are even worth trying. Hopefully I can get x rays, etc tomorrow or Tues at the latest. I have to have a procedure tomorrow morning so I'm not sure if I'll be able to get them tomorrow. How do I go about posting them on here? Even though I've never met any of you I trust your experience. It's scary when you don't know what you're doing and a tiny critter depends on you to make the best decisions.

User avatar
Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Sun Mar 24, 2019 9:26 am


I'd stick with this vet for now and see what she comes up with as far as meds. If she'll email you the x-rays, you can either send them to me (shoot me a note through the mailer here, and I'll send you my email address) and I'll post them for you, or you can open a photo hosting account somewhere like Imgur. You'll just copy the image URLs and post here between opening and closing "img" tags. Lynx may also allow you to send her the images and she can host them here, since they are relevant to what's going on with your little guy.

With bladder stones, I'd cut out the parsley entirely. Everything else sounds good, and I'm glad to hear he is still active and eating. I'd be curious to know if he does have a secondary UTI and, if so, if the blood in his urine and the crying stops or at least improves once that gets cleared up. Is he still vocalizing quite a bit? Any straining when he eliminates?

ETA: As others mentioned, do be vigilant for any signs at all that he's in distress. If one or more of the small stones get stuck in his urethra, it can quickly become an emergency situation. Not to scare you, but it can and does happen. Does this vet have an after-hours number where she could be reached if necessary?

RKelly

Post   » Sun Mar 24, 2019 7:27 pm


In emergency he has to go to the vet school clinic. Definitely no more parsley. That was a few sprigs a month treat anyway so he won't miss it. He's pretty perky. Had to be away from home overnight and he woke up the sitter in the middle of the night for veggies. He isn't making noise now or straining to go.

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