How to Diagnose Bladder Stones in Guinea Pigs
How Do I Know If My Guinea Has Bladder Stones?
Bladder stones are a common condition in guinea pigs and are found to be quite painful in most cases. Bladder stones are small masses of minerals that the body wasn’t unable to absorb which led them to crystallising in the urinary tract. They can be found in any part of the urinary tract, starting at the kidneys and all the way down to the urethra.
If you suspect your furry friend has guinea pig bladder stones, then there are some key signs to look out for. Typically, a piggy suffering from bladder stones will be urinating less frequently, have blood in the urine, will be lethargic and may start grinding their teeth while urinating. If you notice any of these signs, it is advised to get them to a vet as soon as possible.
How Can I Help My Guinea Pig Pass a Bladder Stone?
In most instances, bladder stones will need some assistance from a vet to remove, especially if they have grown to a larger size. However, there are a few steps you can take to aid in passing them naturally.
When looking into bladder stone causes, research suggests a diet containing high levels of calcium increases the probability of developing guinea pig bladder stones. Guinea pigs remove excess calcium through their urine, which would explain why they tend to develop them more frequently than other small mammals.
To prevent a build up of calcium in the bladder, it would be recommended to provide your piggy a low calcium diet. This would mean avoiding any veggies that are high in calcium. Another method of preventing bladder stones, or at least helping them pass smoother is ensuring your piggies are drinking plenty of clean water every day.
A guinea pig drinking water from a bowl
How Do Vets Diagnose Bladder Stones in Guinea Pigs?
Luckily, the process of diagnosing guinea pig bladder stones is super straightforward. Just as they would with any issues, a vet would take a look at the health history of your piggy. This is to see if there’s previous health concerns or any lifestyle changes that may have led to bladder stones.
Once satisfied, the vet would take a urine sample from your piggy and send them off for an x-ray of their urinary tract. The x-ray will make it easy to find any bladder stones within your piggy and determine their location. The urine sample can allow them to check for any calcium containing crystals and determine if your piggy is experiencing a urinary tract infection. UTIs share the same symptoms as bladder stones, so it’s always safe to check to prevent any confusion. In severe cases of guinea pig bladder stones, a UTI may develop alongside them and will need to be treated too.
How to Treat Bladder Stones in Guinea Pigs
For the majority of bladder stone cases, surgery is the only resolution. A cystotomy would be performed, and this is where the veterinary surgeon would cut open the bladder and remove the stones manually. If the stones have formed within the urethra, they would first administer a liquid to flush them back into the bladder for removal.
If your female guinea pig has developed bladder stones, they may be a little more fortunate and can avoid the surgery option. Female guinea pigs have significantly shorter urethras than males, so any stones in this location may be removed non-surgically with specialised equipment. Of course, this only works if the stone is found in the urethra, if your female piggy has stones in any other part of the urinary tract, then surgery is their only option too.
A guinea pig x-ray showing a large bladder stone
Guinea Pig Sludge
Your vet may throw around the word ‘sludge’, which can be a little strange to hear when referring to your piggy’s health. However, sludge is just the beginning process of guinea pig bladder stone formation. Sludge refers to tiny crystals of minerals gathering in the bladder before they have developed into full stones. To remove the sludge, the vet will push fluid into the bladder and drain the fluid and sludge mixture out through a catheter. This process is referred to as bladder flushing. If this is successful, then your piggy has been lucky to avoid surgery. If this is unsuccessful, then surgery will still be on the table.
