Unexplained continued weight loss. Please help!!

ken9876321

Post   » Mon Nov 22, 2021 2:50 pm


Hello everyone, I live in Hong Kong. My Pig, Black Tea, is 3year and 8months baby. He has suffered the stone in the ureter rather than bladder now.
He was around 860 to 890gram in September. However His weight have been dropping from 15 October to 23 Novemeber (850grm to 792gram)

He had a CT scan in 5 Oct, and found some cysts in his liver and very small stone in his bladder(1.5mm). The exotic vet has a blood test recently shows that his liver and kidney still working fine.
  • 17 October, The vet explained the ct report to us. The blood test shows his everything is fine.
    31 October, We went to the vet for body check and the X-ray showing that he has the 6mm stone in the bladder. We changed the diet that day.
    7 November, We went to the vet and do the X-ray showed the stone is 5.9mm. but Black Tea's weight is keeping loss. (820 to 838gram)
    21 November, We went to the vet and do the Ultrasound and Blood test. The Blood test is fine but the vet thinks the 5.9mmstone is located in his ureter that is near the bladder rather than the bladder. The vet believes that the stone shown at the CT scan is gone and the 5.9mm ureter stone is new. Black Tea's lowerest weight was 796gram.
I am very worried and frustrated cus I cant make his weight besing stable and his illness cannot be cured by surgery. I dont know what can I do....

Diet:
Before the 2 October, His diet is at least 1 tbsp Oxbow adult guinea pig pellets, Boiling water(not filtered), 25mg vitamin C tablet, health supplment tablet(3-5mg vitamin C contained), Timothy 1st cut hay(small pet select).
After the 2 October, His diets changed to 2gram pellets per day(Sherwood grain & soy-free choice), Distilled water, 10mg vitamin C, Timothy 1st cut hay(small pet select). 8gram of oxbow critical care per day.

Medicine:
He is eating Potassium citrate, Prazosin, Silymarin now. The vet also changed the Meloxicam to Gabapentin on 21 Novemeber.

Image
Image

User avatar
Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Mon Nov 22, 2021 8:41 pm


It sounds like you are in good hands with your vet. That is an awfully large stone to be in a ureter. Usually there are a string of smaller stones.

I imagine you are increasing fluids? All I know is on the stones page (I put together some research).

I wish I was more knowledgeable and could offer you better advice!

ken9876321

Post   » Tue Nov 23, 2021 3:14 am


Yes, I am increasing his water intake. I am so frustrated .....

User avatar
Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Tue Nov 23, 2021 8:25 am


p.s. when I say that is an awfully large stone to be in a ureter, I actually question if that is the location. It would be a complete blockage (in my opinion) if it was in a ureter. There are two, of course, but one would be blocked.

Staff here have questions about Sherwood pellets and do not recommend them.

User avatar
Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Tue Nov 23, 2021 8:37 am


I thought the same thing, Lynx. Is there any chance your vet also did a frontal view x-ray? The location doesn't seem quite right to me for ureter, and that is indeed a fairly large stone for such a narrow structure.

ken9876321

Post   » Tue Nov 23, 2021 1:12 pm


Image

This is the frontal view x-ray. When the vet was doing the ultrasound, he firstly said the stone locate in the right side of bladder. However, When I back to home, the vet call me and told me that the stone was probably located in the ureter after he watches the ultrasound image again and discussed with their Specialist vet.

User avatar
Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Tue Nov 23, 2021 2:54 pm


That still doesn't look positioned in the right spot for ureters, just in my own (non-veterinary) opinion and from past experience with my Zachary who ended up having multiple stones in both ureters. Is this vet very experienced with exotics like rabbits and guinea pigs? I'm not sure I understand the use of the two drugs/supplements that you mentioned. After Googling them, Prazosin appears to be for high blood pressure (?), and Silymarin is apparently a supplement used to improve liver function. Potassium citrate has been mentioned quite a few times here, and the general consensus is that, as a urine alkalinizer, it is not helpful in treating or preventing bladder stones in guinea pigs as they already have fairly high urine alkalinity and are typically prone to calcium carbonate stones---not calcium oxalate or struvite (the latter being common in acidic bladder environs). Did your vet explain the rationale?

Any chance you could send the x-rays off somewhere for another opinion? If the stone is in fact in the bladder, it would be operable but I'd want someone who has successfully done the surgery with other small animals.

ken9876321

Post   » Tue Nov 23, 2021 9:43 pm


The vet said Prazosin is for relaxation of the urethra and ureters.

This vet have experience with the exotic vet and there is an another vet who is specialist of guinea pig in this hosipital but it is hard to reserved.
I will go to another exotic vet hospital and take the x-ray again this sunday. I also hope it is not the ureters stone

I will also do the ultrasound again two weeks later

ken9876321

Post   » Wed Nov 24, 2021 2:29 pm


Is the Oxbow urinary support useful?

User avatar
ItsaZoo
Supporter in 2023

Post   » Fri Nov 26, 2021 1:45 pm


I would try the Oxbow Urinary Support. It is meant for general health and not a treatment, but there are no harmful side effects or drug interactions. The ingredients are pretty standard for urinary tract health: cranberry, dandelion root, glucosamine.

Talishan
You can quote me

Post   » Sat Nov 27, 2021 8:28 pm


Ditto what others here have said.

My suggestion would be to see if you can possibly schedule with the guinea pig specialist.

My very best wishes and good luck to Black Tea and to you.

Bookfan
For the Love of Pigs

Post   » Sun Nov 28, 2021 12:54 pm


Our vet prescribed diazepam for one of our stone-prone pigs. It's an anti-anxiety drug. She was on it for the rest of her life & I think it helped.

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