[Gpdd] Health: Re: Stones or UTI?

[Leah McNeil]

Jenni,
Oh my God, I'm so sorry to hear about
your Sweetie, Beethoven. There is nothing
scarier than seeing your piggie in pain.
I don't want to criticize your Rattie Vet,
but I do think that he should have done
both a Urinalysis AND X-rays. Beethoven
could have blood in his urine, but his
urine may not actually be 'red' or 'pinkish'
in color. Yes, I learned this the hard way.
I'm a worry wort (as you know), so I bought
those dipstick tests--the kind a diabetic
would use--so I can test Brownie Bear's
urine periodically. Plus, at some point,
I was paying $30 a pop every time I had
an Urinalysis done at my local Vet (which
was pretty frequent there for a while).
Note: Those dipstick tests can be Very
$Expensive$, so if you (or any Slave) is
interested in them, I can send you a website
that sells a generic brand for much, much cheaper.

Moving on, Beethoven needs X-rays because
I'm pretty sure that would be the only way
a Vet could verify whether or not a piggie
has stones. Also, a Urinalysis is in order
because a Vet would need to analysis the
consistency to determine whether or not there
are cystals present. B-Bear's Vet (Dr. Campbell
in Purceville, VA--I recommend her 100% to all
of you Northern Va. Slaves) will even show you
the crystals under the microscope.

Yes, you are absolutely Correct in that if
Beethoven has crystals, that he wouldn't
necessarily need to go on Antibiotics. However,
being that his bladder may be upset by the crystals,
they can actually cause infection down there
(i.e. a UTI). So, Brownie has been on Baytril
and the Baytril did seem to make things better.
And I have to admit that Baytril (and most
antibiotics) can upset the gut flora and therefore,
a probiotic may be in order. (But, NOT Yogurt,
since yogurt is high in Calcium) Of course, I never
gave B-Bear a probiotic because her body seems
to do well on antiobics. I would only have given
it to her if her poops were mushy/irregular and that
only happened for a day with her and then things
went back to normal.

I have read about some of the alternative treatments
for Piggies with bladder stone problems and yes,
Polycitra syrup is one of them. My Vet said that
the syrup seems to work for some piggies and not
for others and that I could give that a try if
I wanted to. However, Polycitra is a preventative
tool and is not going to break-up stones, from what
I understand. Now, I was very reluctant to give
Brownie Bear one of the alternative treatments, but
when BB started whining while peeing again (and I
was seeing a little blood), I decided that I had to
do Something. Because I NEVER want to put her through
bladder stone surgery again (if I can help it). Plus,
she's getting older now (she's 2 years/9 months old)
and I know that surgery is much harder for the older
piggies. So, I decided to give her the Chinese herb
called Shilintong because I had read that some of
the other Stone Piggies had had a good experience
with it. And it's doing something Good for B-Bear
because I rarely hear her whine when she urinates
now. And she seems to be more Active and Playful
and she's drinking water more too. So, I know in
my Heart that it's making her feel better. Oh,
here's the website where I bought it:

http://www.fareastginseng.com

It cost me $6.00 for 100 tablets and it was $6.50
for shipping/handling. Total cost was $12.50. I
crush up 2 tablets and mix with water and syringe
it to her (some Slaves only crush 1 tablet, but
I waste some, so that's why I crush 2 tablets).

I've never given BB Peter Gurney's "barley water"
treatment, so I don't know much about that (If any
Slaves have given that to your Pigs, please write
about it in the Digest cuz I've love to hear your
experience with it).

And I think that's it's an Excellent idea to go ahead
and order some Critical Care, just to be on the safe
side. I buy some every 6-8 months or so, just to have
some 'fresh stuff' on hand. But, Thank God I've never
had to use it. Better safe than sorry though.

Please let me know how Beethoven is doing and I
hope that you are able to get an appointment with
your Vet this wheeeeeek. It really sucks that they
don't seem to be enough experienced Exotics Vets
out there (which I guess is why I drive almost 2
hours one way to see one).

Please send Beethoven some Healing Wheeeeeeeeeeeks
from Brownie Bear and me and also some Extra Piggie
Kisses and let us know how that Little Fella is
doing...

     Love 'n Wheeeeeeeeeeeps,
        Leah...Slave to Brownie Bear :-)


		
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