How do you dissolve bladder stones in guinea pigs?
The bladder stones of guinea pigs cannot be dissolved with special medications or diets. In order to reduce the risk of bladder stones, make sure your guinea pig drinks plenty of water. Provide bottled drinking water (without a vitamin C additive) low in mineral content if you live in areas with hard water.
Provide water at all times through multiple sources. Giving your guinea pig wet vegetables and spraying veggies with water can also help. Exercise: Your guinea pig should get sufficient exercise and play time. The activity may help keep the urine in the bladder moving so that crystals don't settle and form into stones.
The worst possible outcome is when the stone becomes lodged in the urethra. This can lead to acute kidney failure, sepsis, and hyperkalemia (elevated blood potassium levels). Death will then follow within just a few days.
The only potentially effective medical treatment for bladder calculi is urinary alkalization for the dissolution of uric acid stones. Stone dissolution may be possible if the urinary pH can be raised to 6.5 or higher. Potassium citrate 60 mEq/day is the treatment of choice.
Drinking lots of water may help a small stone pass naturally. However, because bladder stones are often caused by difficulty emptying your bladder completely, extra water may not be enough to make the stone pass. Most of the time, you'll need to have the stones removed.
Treatment. Most guinea pigs cannot pass bladder stones on their own and require surgery to remove them. Bladder stones in the urethra can sometimes be plucked from the urethra if close to the opening.
You can feed him live culture yogurt or lactobacilli acidophilus capsules dissolved into water. Always give your guinea pig the acidophilus supplements at least an hour before you give him an antibiotic so that the supplemental bacteria will not be eliminated.
Urinary Tract: Bladder infections or stones can occur in your guinea pig. Signs include blood in the urine, straining or crying when urinating, weight loss, lethargy, or lack of appetite. An x-ray and urine collection by your veterinarian may be necessary to diagnose this problem.
Rabbit and guinea pigs are prone to bladder problems such as bladder sludge and stones. Bladder sludge is urine that has thickened due to the presence of large amounts of calcium – it can be sandy and toothpaste-like in consistency.
Dissolves and Softens</h3
The acidic nature of apple cider vinegar helps in reducing the size and breaking down kidney stones over time. Once the size is considerably reduced, they can easily pass through the urinary tract. This makes it effective to use apple cider vinegar for kidney stones.
What foods dissolve bladder stones?
This means consuming plenty of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy, and lean sources of protein like poultry and fish. Your diet should also be high in fiber, which can be obtained from whole grains and fruits and vegetables. You should consume plenty of water, as it can help flush out your bladder.
Apple cider vinegar contains acetic acid which helps dissolve kidney stones. In addition to flushing out the kidneys, apple cider vinegar can also decrease any pain caused by the stones.
Untreated bladder stones can cause long-term urinary difficulties, such as pain or frequent urination. Bladder stones can also lodge in the opening where urine exits the bladder into the urethra and block the flow of urine. Urinary tract infections.
Look for teas with hydrangea root, gravel root, marshmallow root, and rose hip. As an added benefit, these teas can dissolve uric acid formation in joints. Drink cranberry juice. Cranberry juice raises your urine's acidity level which helps prevent bacterial growth in your bladder.
Cranberry juice has been thought to help with kidney stones, but research suggests that it may actually increase kidney stones formation — especially calcium oxalate stones, which are the most common kidney stones. Ideally, you should try to limit your juice intake to around one cup (236 mL) or less per day.
Give your pig a variety of reduced calcium foods.
For example, carrots are high in oxalate, a buildup of which can cause bladder stones. If you feed your pig carrots every day there is a risk of inducing oxalate bladder stones.
Urinary Stones and Sludge in Guinea Pigs and Rabbits. The development of uroliths (urinary stones) and urinary sludge is a common health problem seen in guinea pigs and rabbits. These conditions often develop when there is a collection of excess calcium which builds up in the urinary tract.
Stones in guinea pigs appear to universally be calcium containing salts; these can include calcium oxalate, calcium phosphate or calcium carbonate. In my experience calcium oxalate seems to be the most prevalent. Efforts have been made to reduce the occurrence of bladder stones by dietary management.
The malic and acetic acid in apple cider vinegar have antimicrobial properties which makes it useful to feed if a rabbit or guinea pig is off colour. Nutritionally it is good source of minerals, although not much else, and it does not contain sugar.
Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, chloramphenicol, and enrofloxacin can be used in guinea pigs.
What can I give my guinea pig for a UTI?
UTIs are generally treated with a safe and effective antibiotic like Bactrim (trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole) for two or more weeks. Many guinea pigs require longer treatment to clear up the infection and allow the bladder walls time to heal. Call your vet immediately if bleeding recurs after antibiotics are stopped.
Broad spectrum antibiotics (tetracyclines, trimethoprim sulphas, fluorquinolones) are often needed cephalosporins, penicillin, ampicillin and amoxicillin have the propensity to be excreted by the kidneys and are effective in alkaline conditions, but not against E. coli.
Recipe #2: Guinea Pig Pellets and Cranberry Juice
Another helpful emergency feed is to create a vegetable, pellet mixture. Cranberry juice can not only help soften the pellets, but also provide a tastier mixture with it's natural properties.
Listen out for unusual noises: If your guinea pig cries out when it performs normal bodily functions such as peeing or pooping, this could point to urinary tract infections or bowel problems → Go to the vet within 24 hours!
- Increasing fluid intake to lower urine concentration (2-3 liters a day)
- Regular emptying of the bladder.
- Double voiding to increasing emptying of urine from the bladder.
- Using laxatives to avoid constipation.
In some cases they may start to suffer from urine scalding, urinating in unusual places, a scruffy coat or even gut stasis. As the kidney function gradually reduces more obvious signs generally become apparent and your rabbit or guinea pig may start to drink and urinate a lot more than they did previously.
Potassium citrate may help reduce potential reformation. Reproductive disease is another important differential diagnosis in female guinea pigs for hematuria. A mass effect may be identified from ovarian cysts or an enlarged uterus. Ovarian cysts can be functional (follicular) or non-functional (serous).
Lettuce also contains a pretty moderate amount of calcium. In a 100 g portion, romaine contains 33 mg, red leaf has 33 mg, butterhead contains 35 mg, and green leaf has 36 mg. Calcium is necessary in a guinea pig's diet, but in controlled amounts to minimize risks when it comes to their urinary tract.
Your piggy should have constant access to fresh water. Be careful to only feed your guinea pig calcium-rich veggies such as kale or spinach two to three times a week only. As spinach leaves often come in mixed salad bags, save a few of the leaves for your guinea pig but only serve them once or twice a week as a treat.
They can be fed occasionally to your Guinea Pig, once or twice a week. Watercress can be fed occasionally. It's good for your Guinea Pig and contains high amounts of vitamin C. Red cabbage contains high amounts of vitamin C, and a hint of calcium.
How can I help my guinea pig pass?
A dying guinea pig will become very weak and unable to feed or water himself as his death approaches. You can make his passing less uncomfortable by offering him water from a spoon, syringe, or water bottle. Blend or mix a guinea pig "smoothie" that contains hay, water and ground up pellets and feed it to him.
If you don't have anywhere to bury your beloved pet or you want to keep the ashes in some kind of keepsake such as jewellery or an urn, cremation is the best option. Your vet may offer a cremation service but ask them about what this entails as you also have the option of going to a specialist pet crematorium.
If you are an experienced bunny or guinea pig owner, and you notice stasis very early on, you may be able to treat it at home. Using a supplemental food such as Oxbow Critical Care, in combination with supplemental water, may allow your pet's intestines to start moving normally again.
If your small pet is unwell, euthanasia is often used to end their suffering if: they have an inoperable or untreatable condition. treatment is not working as well as the vet might like and recovery is unlikely. treatment may be possible, but it may be kinder to let them go to prevent suffering.
It can take between one and three days for a guinea pig to die, and though it is important to carefully monitor them during this period, handling is not necessary.
- teeth grinding.
- hunched appearance.
- squinting eyes.
- drooling.
- weight loss.
- fast breathing.
- reluctance to move.
- squeaking in pain.
If one of your guinea pigs sadly dies, leaving a single guinea pig left alone then yes, your remaining guinea pig will be very lonely and needs a companion. If you have more than two guinea pigs and one dies, then it's not absolutely necessary to get another, but if you want to buy or adopt more then go right ahead.
Pneumonia. Pneumonia is actually the leading cause of death in Guinea pigs. It is generally caused by a bacterial infection. Some of the symptoms of pneumonia include wheezing, trouble breathing, discharge from the nose or mouth, weight loss, reddish eyes, and depression.
Heart attack (and stroke) are, sadly, very common causes of sudden death in guinea pigs, a.k.a. cavies. Cavies are very sensitive to their environment, particularly changes in temperature. Being unable to rest peacefully also causes stress that affects their system.
Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, chloramphenicol, and enrofloxacin can be used in guinea pigs.
How do I know if my pig has a blockage?
Clinical signs include inappetence, lethargy, dysuria, dribbling, straining and abdominal “pumping”. Some pigs may show no signs relating to urinary obstruction. Diagnosis is made on abdominal ultrasound. The bladder may be severely distended and may contain several liters of urine.
If the pig does not defecate in 72 hours, see a vet.
Gentle Lax Pak® is a combination of natural laxative ingredients for gilts, sows and boars, engineered to be palatable with a gentle, natural stool-softening action. Gentle Lax Pak® can be fed top-dressed at 1 to 3 oz./sow/day or mix in the diet at a rate of 10 to 30 lbs./ton of feed.
