[Gpdd] RAINBOW BRIDGE: Daisy

pat schuett bunzella at yahoo.ca
Tue Oct 7 12:00:00 EDT 2014


Dear Mieke,

I was so very sorry to read the sad end of your saga with Daisy.  I know what wonderful care you take of your piggies, and after reading the first two installments of your story, it's obvious you did everything possible to help your little girl.  Sometimes the happy ending is just not to be.

My little herd has had many bladder stones --- five or six, at least ---- but so far we have escaped the necessity of surgery.  Until this year, all the stones were in my sows and the vet was able to scoop them out with a tiny device she says is normally used for arthroscopic knee surgery in dogs.  

Last spring, my boar Horatio developed one, which was actually stuck in his penis almost completely blocking the flow of urine before he showed any sign of discomfort.  The vet advised me that this time, surgery was the only option and even that might not work.  Then, as she prepared for surgery. with sedation, pain control and a muscle relaxant administered to Horatio, she began trying to work the stone backwards into the bladder and realized that for some reason, it moved forward more easily than backward.  By some miracle, she was able to work it forwards bit by bit until it could be expelled from his penis without the surgery after all.  I had always heard that this was impossible with a boar, especially after the stone was already lodged in the penis, and I could scarcely believe it when she called to tell me what had happened --- in fact, when she phoned me only half an hour after I had left Horatio at the clinic, I was expecting the worst since I
 knew it wasn't long enough for her to have finished the surgery.

Neither the vet nor all of my research about bladder stones has given me a clear answer as to why my piggies keep getting them.  Since the first one was diagnosed, I've changed almost everything about their diet and water; they have been drinking only distilled water with a bit of apple cider vinegar added (at Ann Evan's suggestion) for the past few years.  They are getting fewer stones than before, but this year, in addition to Horatio's stone, Apple had her third one removed so I have not solved the problem yet.  Stones are a horrible scourge for piggies.

Again, my most sincere condolences --- Daisy was a famous character on the GPDD and will be missed by all of us.

Pat & the Prairie Pigs


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