American guinea pig unable to walk on back of her legs

[nyo]

Hi ! My american guinea pig is about 5 - 6 years old. She once had a cancerous tumor on her belly and it went away on its on due to not risking a a surgery. Recently, she hasn't been able to walk properly where one of her back legs isnt supporting her enough. I also realized she has a bump on the side of her belly, I assumed it was a tumor again as her tumors come and go. We did go to the doctor but the doctor unfortunately isn't able to do much.

Though her behvaiour hasn't change, she still walks whenever and eats well enough. She just struggles to walk far distances.
Is it cause she is getting old?

 

[Truffolo]

She is getting to be quite an old girl in guinea pig terms. Weighing her every morning will help you to determine whether she is deteriorating or not as she may gain weight inconsistently if the tumour is increasing in size, or lose weight if she has a condition that is affecting her ability to eat and digest her food. Poor girl I would look for a vet who specialises in guinea pigs and other exotic small animals, ie not only cats and dogs, but has lots of experience dealing with piggies, rabbits, hamsters, reptiles and the like. You may need to consult more than one vet for a definite answer to your question. She probably needs to have pain meds and anti inflammatory meds prescribed for her by a vet who is experienced in dealing with guinea pigs. I hope things work out for you, sending healing vibes

 

[nyo]

She weighs normal and she eats very well still. The tumour is off and on sadly it gets smaller on its own. Though i went to several vets who specializes in guinea pigs and exotic animals. They all say its a tumour and they are unable to do surgery due to the high risk of them not making it . All I can do is spend more time with her if this is the case. She had surgery once but the next one the vet mentioned the chance is higher..

 

[Piggies&buns]

I’m sorry to hear that.

Weigh her regularly so you can ensure she is still eating enough hay.

Is she in daily pain relief?

 

[weepweeps]

Hello and welcome to the forum. I’m sorry your piggy is poorly. I agree daily pain medication would help her feel more comfortable.

 

[Wiebke]

Hi and welcome

HUGS

I am very sorry about the cancer. It is much more likely that the cancer continues to spread through the body and is impacting on your piggy's mobility. Please make sure that she is on daily pain medication - her regained quality of life and her renewed zest of life will contribute more to a longer life span than any other concerns. I have had several arthritic oldies of mine on long term higher dosage dog strength (1.5 mg/ml) metacam (meloxicam) so they could enjoy life for over a year longer without any of them ever developing kidney problems.

Sadly, cancer in guinea pigs has become a lot more common in recent years but it is generally not treatable unless it is a still encapsulated small lump that is easy to remove. Once it has started seeding around and spreading through the body, there is nothing you and your vet can do apart from pain relief. Guinea pigs have a much faster metabolism than humans, so it all happens on fast forward.

The fact that your piggy has reached a good normal life span is testament to your good care, and your love is shining clearly through. We can sadly never choose what happens in terms of health and in which way the end comes beyond our normal good care.

You may find these very useful guide links below helpful. They contain lots of very practical tips on how you can make your piggy's life more comfortable and adapt to their developing needs. Even little changes can make a big impact.

The advice in this link will help you with the increasing mobility issues, including easy access to food and especially water, potential follow-on problems and what you can do in terms of enrichment to still bring little joys into your piggy's life.
Looking After Guinea Pigs With Limited or No Mobility

Health monitoring explained: what the various methods do and don't and when you need to step in with the appropriate level of feeding support.
Weight and Weight Loss Explained: BMI, Weighing, Poos and Feeding Support

All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures

These guides below are for the case that your beloved little one is suddenly taking a turn for the worst. I am never happy to link them into a thread but since you are in a considerably different time zone to where our forum is based, it means that you have at least easy access to any necessary information so you are hopefully not going to feel so badly overwhelmed and helpless when you are in a panic.
Emergency and Crisis Care as well as Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment

A Practical and Sensitive Guide to Dying, Terminal Illness and Euthanasia in Guinea Pigs

We have also got a dedicated End of Life and Bereavement section which offers ongoing community support to owners for all the little and large questions and the huge and not necessarily expected emotions that will arise along the way.

My thoughts are with you in this difficult time.

 

[nyo]

I’m sorry to hear that.

Weigh her regularly so you can ensure she is still eating enough hay.

Is she in daily pain relief?

She was on medication but the vet gave for a limited time to use. But other than that she is perfectly fine with eating, she still tries to go around and walk and eats very well. Shes still capable of asking me for food infront of her plateso that sign was an OK for me.

 

[nyo]

Thank you so much all for the help I really appreciate it a lot as I was so worried that something went wrong