Piggies Choice high calcium pellet to prevent kidney stones?

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Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Wed Nov 20, 2019 9:50 am


Thank you for the update. I'm sorry (I guess) that they won't eat the Sherwood product.

Also without reading back through, but have you tried KMS pellets? I have been having recent discussions with both KMS and with Oxbow over calcium content. Of the two, KMS has the lower amount with a narrower range between min/max percentages. My guys don't like the larger pellet size, but I've been tempted to try them on it again.

Oxbow is a good company with a proven track record (unlike Sherwood), but 0.75% max calcium is still awfully high.

JJGiebz
Make Good Choices

Post   » Wed Nov 20, 2019 10:54 pm


Lynx - My sow, Peppa, has interstitial cystitis that I originally feared was pyometra. She has a medical thread - she used to have bleeding/screaming episodes, and shilintong has been the only thing that really provides her relief/prevents those. My boar has sludgy and frequently bloody urine from what seems to just be irritation. A vet recently decided to refer to his issues as I/C as well, though his symptoms are very different and metacam seems to provide him the most relief. Neither has ever had a stone (they are 3ish and 2 respectively).

I usually syringe them extra water with their shilintong in the evenings, but I will give the soaked hay a shot! They get second cut Timothy hay from small pet select. The only fresh veggies they get are some green leaf lettuce in the AM and red pepper in the PM, with the occasional carrot or blueberry treat. They here and there get a small piece of broccoli or some cucumber if I’m cooking with either.

Sef - I haven’t tried KMS, Oxbow is the only pellet I’ve used prior to this adventure. They ate about half of the Sherwood today, but Gus is still losing weight. Granted he has it to lose - when he was 950g post-neuter the vet was ok with it for his size. He’s been holding steady at 1260 for about a year though, so to see it flying off (today he was down another oz to 1190g) is causing ME anxiety! Even though he is otherwise acting normally and I’m sure he’s fine. I think Peppa is doing most of the Sherwood sampling - her weight has been average for her this week.

I should look into KMS to at least have gone the whole hog (ha!) on the lower calcium diet. I haven’t ordered anything from KMS as yet. Is it just the pellet size your guys are not into? Gus might be ok with that, he loves food and provably has a bigger-is-better attitude ;)

User avatar
Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Thu Nov 21, 2019 9:43 pm


It's a large pellet. I did contact KMS recently to ask if they have given any thought to manufacturing a smaller size (used to be quite a bit smaller under the previous owner) and the response back was that they would do so if they felt there was a need to do so.

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Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Sun Nov 24, 2019 8:26 pm


Just noticed that Sherwood's timothy pellet is quite high in calcium. It's hard to read the label, but if you zoom into the image of the back of the bag, the calcium range is 0.4% to 0.9%:
https://store.sherwoodpethealth.com/adu ... hy-pellet/

I'm also not sure I understand the vitamin C content, which looks ridiculously high if I'm reading it correctly at 2,000 mg/kg. Oxbow Essentials is listed at 250 mg/kg.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Sun Nov 24, 2019 11:28 pm


Yes, it does look higher than most (some listed in an old topic):
https://www.guinealynx.info/forums/viewt ... f=3&t=3748

If anyone can weigh a couple tablespoons of pellets, we could calculate the amount per day for a guinea pig.

User avatar
Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Mon Dec 02, 2019 11:47 am


Interesting. Looks like the video has been removed-?

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Mon Dec 02, 2019 12:16 pm


I bet there was some push back on some of the inaccuracies cited.

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M1dn1ght

Post   » Tue Dec 10, 2019 1:41 pm


@ItsaZoo - I use the Oxbow urinary support cookies with my boys. My first cavy died after developing a bladder stone, and his vet recommended them.

I was concerned that the stone built up after long-term consumption of hard water, but this vet (who is an extremely well respected cavy specialist) told me that there is no evidence to suggest that hard water contributes to bladder stones. I switched everyone to filtered water anyway because I'm concerned about PFAS in my tap water.

My boars love the cookies and they seem to be doing a great job. I use them more as a preventive than anything else, so I can't be sure if they really work.

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ItsaZoo
Supporter in 2023

Post   » Tue Dec 10, 2019 10:06 pm


I bought a pack of the Oxbow urinary tract support and my piggy doesn’t like them. She just finished 2 weeks of antibiotic for what we think was a UTI so I thought a little prevention would be good. I’ll keep trying and maybe she’ll change her mind.

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Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Tue Dec 10, 2019 10:13 pm


They're very hard, aren't they?

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Tue Dec 10, 2019 10:17 pm


Would softening them a bit help at all? Are they pill sized?

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ItsaZoo
Supporter in 2023

Post   » Tue Dec 10, 2019 11:40 pm


They are the same size and density as the vitamin C tabs, which she eats most of the time. She also likes the other baked treats that are really hard. She has the barley ones right now. So I think it’s the cranberry or the herbs. Anything herbal she can smell right away, takes one sniff, backs up and gives me the stink eye like, “Who do you think you’re foolin’?”

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