[Stones] Doris' Mum Needs Help

[pat schuett]

Hi there,

I joined this list a few months ago shortly before my
piggie Guinevere died of complications related to
bladder issues (first diagnosed as a stone, but later
"downgraded" to sludge or gravel).  As of an
ultrasound and x-ray today, a second one of my
piggies, Doris, appears to have a stone or stones as
well.

She has not been indicating any pain while urinating
but I noticed this morning that some of her urine was
pink and took her in to the vet.  The vet, who is NOT
very experienced with guinea pigs, showed me the x-ray
which does show some shadowy forms in Doris' bladder
which she (the vet) thinks are stones.  (I expected
they would show up whiter on the x-ray, similar to
bones, but these are not nearly that dense-looking.)
The vet is sending the x-ray to the veterinary college
200 miles north of here to have a more experienced
exotics vet look at it and see if they agree.  

In the meantime, Doris is on antibiotics and metacam
(she was treated for a bladder infection about three
months ago and has seemed fine since then, but I am
now wondering if the stones were already there then
--- only an ultrasound was done that time and the vet
thought it showed only a bit of sludge in the
bladder).

Now I really need to get the benefit of your
collective experience.  Of those of you who have had
stone surgery done on your piggies, how many had a
recurrence of the stones and how soon after the
original surgery did that happen?  I also lost a
guinea pig to a uterine tumor this spring, far
advanced by the time it was discovered, but to avoid
that with Doris and her pal Audrey, I was already
planning to take them to the aforementioned veterinary
college to have them both spayed sometime this summer
(there are no local vets who do guinea pig surgery),
and *could* have the stone surgery done on Doris up
there as well.  

I've just read so many accounts from people who had
that done and then the stone was back in a month or
so, though, that I would like to get a sense of how
much time I would likely be buying for her by doing
that (I know there are no guarantees either way, of
course).

I'd also like to hear about people's success, or lack
of it, with shillintong or polycitra.  After I posted
messages about Guinevere a few months back, a very
kind list member sent me a supply of shillintong which
I didn't have a chance to try on Guinnie; I know that
some piggies either stop eating with that, or it
doesn't appear to help them at all, so I'd like to get
a sense of the general experience with it if I can. 
(I have less information about polycitra but have
heard some indications that it has worked to prevent
stone formation or reduce existing stones in some
piggies.)

Thanks for reading this far and I would really
appreciate any information you can give me about your
own experiences treating and managing stones...

                                          Pat S.




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