Naturally Passing Bladder Stones

[xL4n1x]

So my rabbit was recently diagnosed with GI Stasis, which he is now completly over. He was also diagnosed with Bladder Stones. I’m having a hard time finicially keeping up with the vet bills also the vet and I want to try to avoid surgury if at all possible.

 

 

So what I’ve been doing:

 

• Making sure he’s getting at least 100 Milliters of water a day. I mixed cranberry juice into his water but he doesn’t seem at all interested. He also has his plain old water.
• I’ve increased the amount of veggies and decreased his calcium intake.
• Started to give him 60mg of Vitimin C in the morning and night.
• Increased amount of exercise

 

I read that cranberry juice and vitimin C helps with bladder problems. I read he should get 25 to 50 mg of vitamin C per pound but I’m not sure how much cranberry juice I should be giving him.

All these things I started to do after a little research online about Bladder Stones. Are there things that I should modify or add with my current plan to help him pass the stones on his own? He weighs around 5 lbs.

[MoveDiagonally]

It looks like there is no way around getting it removed. I would discontinue home treatment and contact your vet and try to work out a payment plan or use CareCredit. Not doing so is putting your rabbit at risk of continued/more health problems which could end up being even more expensive.

Dana Krempels, PhD:

Bladder stone (urolith)
Diagnosed via radiography, a bladder stone is a mass of calcium and/or oxalate salts that has precipitated into a solid mass. Like sludge, a urolith can cause urinary incontinence and dribbling. Unfortunately, the only viable treatment at this time is surgical removal.
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/urinary.html

From the HRS:

Treatment in a patient with actual bladder stones will necessitate having the stones removed, as they frequently do not pass on their own and there is no known way to dissolve them. If these calculi are left unattended, they will continue to enlarge and will irritate and damage the bladder wall, allowing chronic infection and inflammation of the bladder (cystitis) to make the rabbit seriously ill.
http://www.rabbit.org/journal/3-5/bladder-disease.html

[Beka27]

I agree with MoveDiagonally. I don’t think there is a way to get around having them removed. Water intake may be able to help prevent them from returning, but once they’re there, they have to be removed.

[jerseygirl]

I’m sorry you and bun are facing this.

Were the bladder stone confirmed with an X-ray?

I remember BinkyBunny’s rabbit Jack had a bladder stone. From memory he had it removed and she modified diet to prevent it reoccurring.
One thing used was Polycitra which is a potassium citrate solution. You could ask your vet whether something like that would help, regardless of whether your bunny has surgery or not.

Stones vary in what they’re made up of so Polycitra may or may not help. My thinking is it wouldn’t hurt to try but I do not know if there are side effects. Best ask the vet on that.

On a side note, GI Stasis can come on as a result of pain. Is your rabbit currently on pain medication?
Not opting for surgery has the potential of be becoming equally expensive, especially if stasis recurs and hospitalization is needed. Please be aware of this. I absolutely do understand your reluctance to put him through surgery though.
I agree about looking into finance options. It would help for any health concerns with your rabbit in the future also.

[xL4n1x]

I never said that I wasn’t going to do the surgery if it became necessary, I said that I want to avoid it. My vet wants to avoid surgery if possible too because the stress of it could possibly kill him or he could develop GI Stasis again. They want to see him back in about a week to do more testing and to decided the next course of actions. He was on pain medication but I stopped as directed. All I’m doing is taking extra steps to help him possibly pass the stones.

As far as the finicial situation, my current car is about to become unusable and if I have no transportation (There are no buses, trains, etc in my area and carpooling is not an option) then I will not have a job which means I can’t pay for my own living situation let alone my bunnies. I also just paid for college out of my own pocket before he was diagnosed with all this. Being able to afford this on a part time minimum wage job is way out my budget at the moment. Luckily I save my money for emergencies and my family is able to help out. So anyone wondering why I want to avoid surgury this is another big reason why.

[jerseygirl]

My apologies xL4n1x. I didn’t mean to come across as judgemental.

I am curious to know if your vet had done an X-ray. Or is this something they’ll in your next visit?

[xL4n1x]

 

Posted By jerseygirl on 09/21/2013 07:24 PM 
My apologies xL4n1x. I didn’t mean to come across as judgemental. 

I am curious to know if your vet had done an X-ray. Or is this something they’ll in your next visit? 

No worries. =) Well I initially brought him in for GI Statsis, when they did the x-ray they seen he also had Bladder Stones. Next visit they want to do a urinanalyse and an ultrasound. In the x-ray it is unclear whether they need to perform surgury because it could be a cluster of little stones or it could be a big stone.

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