"...Calcium does NOT cause kidney stones
"In fact it is the total opposite. To prevent kidney stones we need to feed MORE calcium"
A high calcium pellet (currently only available through this California rescue) is recommended supposedly to prevent the formation of kidney stones in guinea pigs:
Piggies Choice Guinea Pig Pellets
Ingredients:
Organic sun-dried alfalfa, organic oats, organic peas, organic wheat millrun, organic stabilized rice bran, organic sunflower seeds, organic flaxseed, organic coconut flour, organic kelp meal, diatomaceous earth, monocalcium, phosphate, Redmond salt, redmond conditioner (clay), limestone, Zeolite, hydrolized yeast & yeast extract, organic yucca schidigera, mineral & vitamin premix, organic garlic, organic thyme, organic anise oil, organic cinnnamon [sic], organic anise, organic rosemary oil
There is no breakdown of crude protein, fat, fiber, moisture, calcium (max & min), phosphorus, vitamins etc. in percentages that might help us evaluate the product. Pet manufacturers routinely include a more complete list so one can determine the suitability of the product. I expect a mill may have been used to mix the product and information is available somewhere.
Note that the calcium in the pellets comes primarily from alfalfa and limestone.
The narrator appears to have gotten most of her information from human studies.
It is claimed:
"oxalate can become kidney stones".
"Now the calcium binds...with oxalate...and it goes out through the intestines...if there's not enough calcium, the oxalate is going to stick around and form stones..." [an off-camera participant asks: "so are you saying we should be feeding more calcium?"] "yes"
There are a number of ways this makes no sense.
Most guinea pig stones are bladder stones, not kidney stones, though stones will occasionally be found in the kidneys, ureter, and urethra.
Guinea pig stones are primarily calcium carbonate, not primarily calcium oxalate (see the stones page for reference).
How calcium carbonate stones would form is not explained since the claim is that calcium and oxalate bind and are excreted, leaving no calcium and excess oxalate to form oxalate stones.
No scientific study that I know of has thoroughly explored the reasons why guinea pigs develop stones. On the stones page here, I make no claims to have the answers. But the narrator offers nothing of substance to support her claims. Any scientific information on this particular product that would provide sound evidence it would be any better for the average adult guinea pig is missing.
Most importantly, if you read the ingredient list, one ingredient uniquely vital to guinea pig health is missing. Ascorbic acid (vitamin C), an essential vitamin.
Keep in mind, people who try to cut back on the amount of calcium in the diet will never be able to eliminate it. Calcium is an essential mineral. While milky pee may be "normal", it is not likely that pasty urinary excretions are normal.
I find the claims made poorly supported.