Boar limping

[Raymond92]

Hello, my 1 year old boar Solomon has started limping. It appears as though he cant put any weight on his front left paw. His paws look slightly swollen so I was worried it was scurvy. Took him to the vets and they weren't concerned. They said his limbs arent swollen, teeth are not in bad condition and typically could not see him limp! They didnt think it was scurvy but gave him a small dose of metacam to take for a week to see how he goes.
He has got a bit better but it still limping slightly. It doesnt hurt to me to touch his paw or front leg. I'd be really grateful for any ideas

 

[RosieLily]

Hi,

My Lily has limped a few times in the past - she is a very active little piggie and popcorns like crazy. It's all been mild sprains, most likely due to bad landings when flying down the ramp. She got a daily dose of Metacam and usually healed within 3-4 days. I made sure she had easy access to hay, water etc.

So good you took your boy to the vet, if it is not swollen and you cannot see anything concerning, it is probably a sprain. How many days has it been?

This is my experience with limping, I am sure people will be here shortly with more info

 

[Bradshaw Piggies]

See how he gets on with the Metacam and continue to monitor him. if he is still limping or you have any other concerns, give the vet another call.

Hope he feels better soon!

 

[Raymond92]

Thanks for your replies! @RosieLily Yes Solomon could have had a sprain. He also has a ramp that we try and encourage him to use but he prefers to hop out the cage! He is also very active just like your Lily (is she in your profile pic? They are both gorgeous!)
He has made an improvement and can put a bit of weight on his paw but he has been hobbling for nearly a week now! I'm going to give him a bit longer on the metacam and might just take him in again.

 

[Raymond92]

@Bradshaw Piggies thank you! Fingers crossed!

 

[Piggies&buns]

Scurvy/vitamin c deficiency is rather uncommon given hay contains vitamin c as well as their pellets being fortified with it and with a good balance of veg on top, we don’t see scurvy often. Mostly it crops up because of routine supplementing of vitamin c which is not necessary and causes the body to become accustomed to higher than required levels.

My Dexter started limping and it was simply down to a sprain. When he got to the vet the limp magically disappeared. He, as a prey animal, was hiding his injury in the unusual environment of the vet consulting room. As soon as he got home, he no longer felt he had to hide his injury so began limping again the moment I put him back in his cage. A week of pain relief and he was just fine!

 

[Wiebke]

Hello, my 1 year old boar Solomon has started limping. It appears as though he cant put any weight on his front left paw. His paws look slightly swollen so I was worried it was scurvy. Took him to the vets and they weren't concerned. They said his limbs arent swollen, teeth are not in bad condition and typically could not see him limp! They didnt think it was scurvy but gave him a small dose of metacam to take for a week to see how he goes.
He has got a bit better but it still limping slightly. It doesnt hurt to me to touch his paw or front leg. I'd be really grateful for any ideas

Hi!

Sprains, twisted joints and pulled muscles are not at all uncommon in especially lifely younger piggies. Please keep in mind that they can happen in any part of the leg from the shoulder/hip downward and that the problem is not necessary situated in the foot.

The symptoms of scurvy related limping are different from those where the hopping is caused by pain in one foot and the back legs have to compensate by acting as propelling springs like they would in a piggy galopp.
With a good grass hay/fresh grass based (ca. 80% of the daily food intake) general diet, which includes mostly green leaves and herbs (which are a great source of vitamin C and other trace elements) to replace the natural wild forage supplementary part (ca. 15%) and some watery veg as well as 1 tablespoon of vitamin C reinforced pellets ca. 5%), your piggies won't be at risk of scurvy. It is generally a result of malnutrition (often rabbit, hamster or bird feed or a totally incorrect diet) or ironically from overdosing on vitamin C supplements, which can cause scurvy symptoms whenever the high level drops - even though the actual level of vitamin C is still higher than normal. None of our regular long term members ever had a scurvy problem and the few true scurvy cases we have seen over the years were mostly caused by over-supplementing.
If you have any worries, please check our diet guide since a good general diet can add 1-2 years to the average healthy life span and take your piggies from the lower end to the upper end and even beyond. It is the best thing ever you can do for your piggies after company of their own kind and will also allay any worries about potential scurvy.
Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

We have got lots more practical and very useful information in our New Owners guide collection, which you may want to bookmark, browse, read and re-read at need. It is currently one of the most comprehensive ones around: Getting Started - New Owners' Most Helpful Guides

 

[Raymond92]

@Wiebke that is so helpful, thanks for the information! I'll have a look through the guidance, I'll do anything if it means extending their life!
Good to know that it's unlikely to be scurvy.
We give our piggies alot of hay, few pellets and lots of veg. We've had to be a bit careful as our other piggie had problems with too much calcium causing him bladder problems.
Thank you very much. This forum is so helpful, and I'm really grateful to everyone who has responded to this thread.
Chloe

 

[Wiebke]

@Wiebke that is so helpful, thanks for the information! I'll have a look through the guidance, I'll do anything if it means extending their life!
Good to know that it's unlikely to be scurvy.
We give our piggies alot of hay, few pellets and lots of veg. We've had to be a bit careful as our other piggie had problems with too much calcium causing him bladder problems.
Thank you very much. This forum is so helpful, and I'm really grateful to everyone who has responded to this thread.
Chloe

PLEASE reduce the amount of veg to which guinea pig guts and teeth are not laid out for - especially any high sugar and starch veg; filter your water and reduce your pellets as that is where most of the calcium in the diet comes from and also have a look at our special diet advice for piggies with urinary tract problems, which contains a very few extra tweaks to the general diet.

Our diet guide is as comprehensive and practical as we can make it; it looks at diet as a whole and the role which every food group plays in it as well as at every food group in detail. We have also included diet advice on some special areas where it can make a difference for piggies with certain health problems.

Our guide collection contains a chapter on life-long health monitoring; please also take the time to read this and especially the weight guide. The information in there will also help you with long term health and illness management.

You may also want to bookmark our one stop Emergency, crisis and bridging care information collection (you can find it in the general guide, too) as it comes in handy when you are in panic to have all the necessary information, practical advice and care tips easily available at any time of the day or night: Emergency, Crisis and Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment

Our hot weather management guide can save lives, as summer temperatures are now on the rise very quickly and guinea pigs are not a species that can deal well with, nor are UK citizens experienced in dealing with these kinds of conditions: Hot Weather Management, Heat Strokes and Fly Strike