[Gpdd] HEALTH - Bladder Stones

[Candy G.]

Hello -
I have been reading GPDD for several weeks now and y'all are so knowlegeable 
about so many things.  I am hoping that some of you can help me out with a 
problem that has arisen with my female piggie, Mollie.  Two months ago, we 
discovered that she had a severe bladder infection and bladder stones 
(including one HUGE one) that had stacked into her ureter and had lodged 
there.  She could not expell them, of course, but we were so lucky because 
instead of her having to have surgery, the vet was able to flush the stones 
out.  It took antibiotic injections and a lot of TLC, but she did fine and 
was finally back to her old self.

Today, I took her back to the vet for a "well piggy" check and, on the way 
there, she started peeing pure blood.  She has evidently been masking her 
symptoms because she is eating and drinking just like always and has not 
been whimpering when she pees.  With the last stones, she got to the point 
where she was really crying everytime she peed.  The vet immediately did 
x-rays and she has another stone.  It is still up in her baldder, so it is 
not trying to work its way out at this point, but it is way too big to pass. 
  The vet told me that this is really soon for another stone of that size.  
She said that, usually, when a pig gets another stone that quickly that it 
means that they are going to have successive problems with more stones.

The vet told me that we could put her on meds (antibiotics and 
anti-inflammatories) and that would make her more comfortable, but the stone 
would continue to cause her problems.  She also said that we could do 
surgery and remove the stone but the chances were good that one would come 
back and we would just be faced with the same thing again.  She (the vet) is 
not advising me either way at this point.  We are trying the meds and just 
going to watch her for a while.

I don't want Mollie to suffer in any way.  I worry about the possibility of 
putting her through multiple surgeries because surgeries are so hard on 
little piggies.  But, I don't want her to be in pain and peeing blood with 
the stone in her bladder either.  I think I read in Leah's entry yesterday 
or today something about "Shilintong"?  Could you tell me what this is and 
what it does?  Have any of the rest of you had piggies with repeat stones - 
particularly in such a short time - and, if so, what did you do?  I really, 
really need some help and information.

Sorry this post is so long.  I think I am still sort of in shock.  I thought 
our little girl was home free and now it looks as though we may still lose 
her.  Thank you in advance from all of us -

Candy, Topper and Mollie