In a way, we were shocked but we also were suspecting that because of his progressively worse squealing and crying, he had stones (if it were a UTI, the sulfatrim would've already knocked it dead). Our stance is that we will not get surgery for the pigs for several reasons. I personally wouldn't want to put any of these beloved little guys through that and emerge from the whole ordeal not even knowing or being given an absolute 100% guarantee that they will be completely repaired and restored when all's said and done. So alternatively the vet put Truffle on a course of potassium citrate tablets and told us we need to give it to all our other pigs too, since in guinea pigs, it is frequently the diet itself that contributes to stones. (Although it can be and sometimes is completely genetic and no matter what you do to curb the calcium intake in their daily diets, it just doesn't do jack. 'Scuse the crudeness but the issue of stones is very frustrating and I've read that even vets do not understand completely why it happens! ARRRGH!!!!)
Since May 18, Truffle has been taking 1/4 of a potassium citrate tablet per day. As have Omelet and Dumbo. Omelet is funny, he tries to lick the stuff as it's coming out of the syringe. You'll keep seeing his adorable pink tongue pop in and out over and over. Hello, Omelet!!! It's not ice cream you're eating! However, these tablets are intended for dogs and so they are roast beef and liver flavored. (gag) Our poor vegan piggies. But they seem to like it anyway....
Truffle was also put on a 2-3x per week course of subcue injections (in his neck area) of lactated ringers (potassium chloride and other Gatorade-for-animals esque contents). Aside from abundantly hydrating him, it's supposed to help (WE ARE HOPING) flush out his stones IF he can pass them on his own. The standard line when it comes to guinea pigs and this HORRID HORRID HORRID subject of urinary stones is that "Guinea pigs are not able to pass stones on their own" (visit www.guinealynx.info and you will see so yourself). BUT it HAS happened to other pigs (again, please visit www.guinealynx.info) and if you click on the "Forums" tab in the upper right side of the screen when the site comes up, you'll see random accounts of "my pig just passed a stone?!" success stories posted. It's trickier though when it comes to a boy pig versus a girl pig for obvious anatomical reasons (ouchie!!). Yes, so this lactated ringer, we've done 2x on our own since 5/18 because Truffle fights like crazy every time he gets it and the last time most likely has bruised him up real badly (he shakes our hands off when we try to pet his head, which he has never ever done). :(( :X We decided to give him a break from it to let his subcued region heal up a bit before we attempt another. Sigh... raising pigs is challenging in itself. Trying to nurse an unwell pig (READ: a pig with stones) back to health? It's like trying to move mountains. This we have learned the hard (i.e., hands-on) way.
We (Billye and I) met up with Laura from Helping All Little Things (HALT) rescue who are based in South Jersey yesterday morning (more on why in a separate post). She is super knowledgeable and informed (!!) about guinea pigs, having had them as her own pets. She takes her pigs to the Center for Avian and Exotic Medicine (where Tommy went last fall right before he passed on) and raved about one Dr. Alexandra Wilson there ... and also suggested to us using the Chinese herb Shilintong. We later printed out a photo of one brand of Shilintong and took it down to Chinatown to see if any of the herbal stores there carried it. After combing through at least three or four stores, we found the pot of gold (or Shilintong anyway)!!! With the help of a really nice man from the last herbal place we visited. Guinea Lynx recommends administering 1/2 tablet in a CC of water 2x a day. I'm not sure exactly how this herb ("Snowbell leaf ticklover herb") is supposed to work or what it does but some pig owners have apparently experienced positive results with this herb. So now Truffle has swung the pendulum from Western to Eastern medicine, woohoo!! XD I feel like he's becoming a guinea pig in the proverbial sense of the word and not the actual (does that make sense?).
So we'll see how the Shilintong treats Truffle. It supposedly reduces pain and inflammation and is used (in humans) to promote urinary tract health (according to what I've read from other people's accounts on Guinea Lynx/other g pig websites and on the packaging I have in front of me). Laura (from the HALT rescue) said it helps relax the muscles "down there" so the pig can pass the stone. I've also seen an anecdote where the poster said with the help of an X-ray, she saw that the size of the stone in her pig had actually DECREASED whereas these blasted awful pieces of complete and utter uselessness are supposed to grow and grow and just keep growing... so I for one have my fingers crossed that Shilintong will do only good and positive things for those three stones in Truffle's body right now.
Speaking of X-ray...
This is Truffle's X-ray, which Dr. Sara Neuman was very kind to give Billye on a disc. If you click on the photo to enlarge, you'll see three distinct white spots. Those are his stones. According to Billye, Dr. Neuman said they're the size of pencil tips (at the time the X-ray was taken). That is, according to her, really small since most pigs with stones have really big ones by comparison at the time they get admitted for examination. Laura from the rescue, for example, had one pig whose stones were the size of her pinky nail. The potassium citrate tabs he (and Omelet and Duimbo) are taking are supposed to help prevent future calcium stones from forming and help keep more calcium from adding to his current stones.
My one qualm about this whole process is this: guinea pig stones are usually (more times than not) composed of calcium CARBONATE and less commonly calcium OXALATE (or other compositions). The potassium citrate bottle labeling says those tablets work in helping to prevent calcium OXALATE from forming (in dogs and, in our case, Truffle...?). Therefore, *how* would it be effective for treating calcium carbonate if it's not meant to work on that? Gah!!! Might we just be ramming our heads into a brick wall here? This is something that needs to be mentioned to the vet. Laura from the rescue says the tablets will not work in doing anything for the current stones except to prevent more calcium from adding to it (and letting it grow). So it is good in that sense, but I'm doubtful about the CARBONATE side of the story. :X :O
In other (positive) news, Truffle does seem like he's more active and energetic. He seems to be eating on his own although we still give him Critical Care by syringe 2x or so a day. We've been trying to wean him off the CC feedings. The bad news is when I weighed him this morning, he was down to 2 lbs. 9 3/4 (or 7/8 - the scale couldn't make up its mind) oz. That's down a bit from his regular 2 lbs. 11 (or sometimes 12) oz. or so. Gah!!! (for the trillionth time) I'm just hoping the reason for this is because he is pooping out the food he is eating or because he is more active since Billye expanded all of their cages Saturday morning.
OK, that's it for now. Oh, and yes, one more post to make directly after this one...
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