Broken femur, overwhelmed with how to help.

[twolittlegirlypigs]

Hi everyone,

Our little girl jumped out of my daughters arms yesterday when she took her out of her cage and she's sadly broken her femur. We went straight to emergency vets last night and she has been pescribed metacam. The emergency vet basically said we should PTS, which we a absolutely don't want to do. We took her back home. Shes eating/drinking well.

My vets have been very positive today. They are optimistic that she will recover from it. She's had a GA and xrays taken, they have contacted the orthopedic team and 2 other vets, one being an exotic vets.

It's a clean break and she thinks we should look to get it pinned. Total costs around £1000, already spent £600 despite everyone I know saying we are silly to waste our money I don't see it as a waste she's our pet, I'd do the same for any of our pets. Admittedly our cat/dog are insured so is a lot cheaper to help them! We have saved since we got them to prepare in case.

She's 6 months old and the most loving/chilled piggy I've owned. I've no experience with this none of my other piggies have had any breaks.

Monday I will be chasing up and hopefully getting some advice on how we can help her. I'm absolutely overwhelmed by everything (I'm autistic) and trying to process how to make the best choice, my daughter is an incredible piggy owner and I want to make sure we are as informed as possible come Monday.

Thanks in advance.

 

[weepweeps]

Hello and welcome to the forum. I’m so sorry this has happened. I too live in Wiltshire. I’m in Swindon. I have two boys called Pebble and Patrick. I hope she is ok.

 

[twolittlegirlypigs]

Hello and welcome to the forum. I’m so sorry this has happened. I too live in Wiltshire. I’m in Swindon. I have two boys called Pebble and Patrick. I hope she is ok.

Thank you, I'm gutted. One of the vets they have emailed is the exotic one in Swindon I believe, really hope we hear from one of them soon. She seems happy in herself I really hope we can help her.

 

[Wiebke]

Hi everyone,

Our little girl jumped out of my daughters arms yesterday when she took her out of her cage and she's sadly broken her femur. We went straight to emergency vets last night and she has been pescribed metacam. The emergency vet basically said we should PTS, which we a absolutely don't want to do. We took her back home. Shes eating/drinking well.

My vets have been very positive today. They are optimistic that she will recover from it. She's had a GA and xrays taken, they have contacted the orthopedic team and 2 other vets, one being an exotic vets.

It's a clean break and she thinks we should look to get it pinned. Total costs around £1000, already spent £600 despite everyone I know saying we are silly to waste our money I don't see it as a waste she's our pet, I'd do the same for any of our pets. Admittedly our cat/dog are insured so is a lot cheaper to help them! We have saved since we got them to prepare in case.

She's 6 months old and the most loving/chilled piggy I've owned. I've no experience with this none of my other piggies have had any breaks.

Monday I will be chasing up and hopefully getting some advice on how we can help her. I'm absolutely overwhelmed by everything (I'm autistic) and trying to process how to make the best choice, my daughter is an incredible piggy owner and I want to make sure we are as informed as possible come Monday.

Thanks in advance.

Hi

HUGS

I am ever so sorry about the freak jump.

I am very sorry for the mssive cost. If the break can be operated on in such a young piggy, then that would be great. It is not a common operation; rescues deal much more often with the results of untreated/badly healed breaks which can end up with bad arthritis, or even requiring an amputation. A femur is thankfully one of the largest and thickest bones and as such it hs more of a chance.

What no vet (or human surgeon) can ever give you is a 100% guarantee but the treating vet sounds pretty positive. Sadly vet cost have been spiralling out of control in recent years.

Tips For Post-operative Care

 

[twolittlegirlypigs]

Hi

HUGS

I am ever so sorry about the freak jump.

I am very sorry for the mssive cost. If the break can be operated on in such a young piggy, then that would be great. It is not a common operation; rescues deal much more often with the results of untreated/badly healed breaks which can end up with bad arthritis, or even requiring an amputation. A femur is thankfully one of the largest and thickest bones and as such it hs more of a chance.

What no vet (or human surgeon) can ever give you is a 100% guarantee but the treating vet sounds pretty positive. Sadly vet cost have been spiralling out of control in recent years.

Tips For Post-operative Care

Thank you, and thanks for the link I've bookmarked it to read tomorrow.

Yeah I absolutely get that it's not success guaranteed but I hope we can try. We won't be able to if it's over £1000 though so I really hope it's doable for us. My vets don't do payment plans either so will have to pay in one go.

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you, and thanks for the link I've bookmarked it to read tomorrow.

Yeah I absolutely get that it's not success guaranteed but I hope we can try. We won't be able to if it's over £1000 though so I really hope it's doable for us. My vets don't do payment plans either so will have to pay in one go.

OUCH!

I am very sorry that your vets are not doing any payment plans. What a bummer. Unfortunately, you do need a vet with experience with fiddly small animals for something like this. It is not an operation that would be attempted by any vet.

We are here for moral support and practical care tips for any questions. Please just keep everything to this one thread; it makes it easier for us to provide ongoing personalised support for as long as needed. You may want to bookmark this thread so you can pick it up easily again.

 

[Posyrose]

Sorry to hear about your piggy's broken leg.

I can't advise, but I had this happen with a piggy quite a long time ago. Her rear leg was successfully pinned and she walked a little stiffly afterwards ( she was an elderly piggy) but it healed well. The vet who did it was the orthopaedic specialist but this was his first experience of pinning a piggy's leg.

 

[weepweeps]

Good luck.

 

[fluffysal]

Welcome to the forum, I'm sorry it's in these circumstances.

 

[twolittlegirlypigs]

OUCH!

I am very sorry that your vets are not doing any payment plans. What a bummer. Unfortunately, you do need a vet with experience with fiddly small animals for something like this. It is not an operation that would be attempted by any vet.

We are here for moral support and practical care tips for any questions. Please just keep everything to this one thread; it makes it easier for us to provide ongoing personalised support for as long as needed. You may want to bookmark this thread so you can pick it up easily again.

The vet said the orthopedic team are pretty experienced with GPs but I'll question them as soon as I get chance to Monday.

Thanks so much, I appreciate it, yes I will, wouldn't know how to go about moving rhe conversation to a different thread anyway

 

[twolittlegirlypigs]

Sorry to hear about your piggy's broken leg.

I can't advise, but I had this happen with a piggy quite a long time ago. Her rear leg was successfully pinned and she walked a little stiffly afterwards ( she was an elderly piggy) but it healed well. The vet who did it was the orthopaedic specialist but this was his first experience of pinning a piggy's leg.

Thank you, I'm so sad for her although she's been walking about dragging her lil leg like she's all good, bless her. That's special good to hear that it healed well. I'm really hoping we can help chutney

 

[twolittlegirlypigs]

Welcome to the forum, I'm sorry it's in these circumstances.

Yes me too, I've kept meaning to join and absolutely need the support right now as so many people think that we're mad for spending so much on a small pet and I can't explain how much we love them! You all get it I'm sure. I feel grateful we have some cash stashed as otherwise we wouldn't be able to be considering surgery.

 

[piggieminder]

Hello and welcome to the forum. I'm so sorry you have joined us under such sad circumstances.
I have heard the exotics vets are very good in Swindon, they were recommended to me by a general vet here for a tricky stone surgery. I didn't actually use them as we have an excellent exotics up the road who I had used before and was happy with.

 

[twolittlegirlypigs]

Hello and welcome to the forum. I'm so sorry you have joined us under such sad circumstances.
I have heard the exotics vets are very good in Swindon, they were recommended to me by a general vet here for a tricky stone surgery. I didn't actually use them as we have an excellent exotics up the road who I had used before and was happy with.

Thanks, that's really good to know. The vet seems to think the orthopedic team will be the best and lower cost option as they do it at my vets but I feel like they're probably going to be biased in that case. I'll see what the exotic vets so too.

I'm just so very conscious that she's in pain and don't want to leave it too long before surgery so feel very time pressured.

 

[Piggies&buns]

I’m so sorry to hear this.

Make sure she is eating hay by keeping up with her weight checks - of course being careful that moving her isn’t hurting her leg.
Is she on a good dose of metacam twice a day? Dog or cat version?

 

[twolittlegirlypigs]

I’m so sorry to hear this.

Make sure she is eating hay by keeping up with her weight checks - of course being careful that moving her isn’t hurting her leg.
Is she on a good dose of metacam twice a day? Dog or cat version?

Yes I need to weigh her again today.

Dog version. 0.27ml twice a day. She's so bright today. Took me a while to get her for her meds, she wanted to get to the hay instead their cage is in the living room so very easy to keep an eye on her.

 

[Wiebke]

Hi

Your little girl will hopefully make a full and problem-free recovery and go on to enjoy a happy life.

You may also find this guide here helpful; it contains all the practical advice and tips for looking after a piggy with reduced mobility; including how to rearrange access to hay (which makes over three quarters of what a piggy eats in a day) and water.
Looking After Guinea Pigs With Limited or No Mobility

Here is our weight management guide; we recommend to weigh first thing in the morning when the daily weight swing is at its lowest for best day to day comparison when looking after a piggy with health issues. In your case it is not loss of appetite but access and potential pain so it shouldn't become a real issue - or one you cannot sort out with a bowl of mushed pellets as a top up if needed.
Weight Monitoring and Management

This method also works to prevent freak jumps: How To Pick Up And Weigh Your Guinea Pigs Safely (videos)

 

[twolittlegirlypigs]

Hi

Your little girl will hopefully make a full and problem-free recovery and go on to enjoy a happy life.

You may also find this guide here helpful; it contains all the practical advice and tips for looking after a piggy with reduced mobility; including how to rearrange access to hay (which makes over three quarters of what a piggy eats in a day) and water.
Looking After Guinea Pigs With Limited or No Mobility

Here is our weight management guide; we recommend to weigh first thing in the morning when the daily weight swing is at its lowest for best day to day comparison when looking after a piggy with health issues. In your case it is not loss of appetite but access and potential pain so it shouldn't become a real issue - or one you cannot sort out with a bowl of mushed pellets as a top up if needed.
Weight Monitoring and Management

This method also works to prevent freak jumps: How To Pick Up And Weigh Your Guinea Pigs Safely (videos)

Thank you, yeah she's all set up so it's accessible for her. Thanks for all the information

 

[Wheekallweek]

Chutney is an awesome name
I hope it all goes well for her and she's on the mend in no time.
It always irritates me how people think animals like piggies, bunnies, hamsters etc "aren't worth spending the money on" simply because they are small and don't cost much to "buy"

 

[twolittlegirlypigs]

Chutney is an awesome name
I hope it all goes well for her and she's on the mend in no time.
It always irritates me how people think animals like piggies, bunnies, hamsters etc "aren't worth spending the money on" simply because they are small and don't cost much to "buy"

Thank you, Brie and Chutney they're such lovely girls. So friendly and popcorny.

Yeah I totally agree, it's basically what everyone has said, let her go it's too much money for a small pet with me being autistic I sometimes worry that I'm not understanding things properly as everyone else is saying it's silly, but my gut says try our best to save her, I am worried it's going to be more than a grand though and that scares me as I want to save her but don't want to be struggling for the next few months money wise

 

[twolittlegirlypigs]

It also doesn't help that my husband thinks we should pet her go. So that's an added stress

 

[twolittlegirlypigs]

One vets have come back to us and they've said they wouldn't feel confident doing it but if they did it would be £1500-£2000 or amputation at about £1000 but they think this will cause many issues in the future. I was at the petrol station when I got the call and starting balling my eyes out. Will wait to hear from the exotic vets in Swindon on Monday and we will have some tricky decisions to make.

 

[twolittlegirlypigs]

Sweetest girl will let you know how Monday goes

 

[Wiebke]

Wishing you both the best! Fingers very firmly crossed.

 

[Wheekallweek]

Oh she's so gorgeous! I hope something can be done for her.
We had a pig called Bugsy at the rescue who had very limited use of his back legs after being kicked by a rabbit.
It's not the same as an amputation I know, but he lived a long, happy life - and went to a fabulous new home to live with a piggy with three legs!

 

[furryfriends (TEAS)]

Is she able to move around? Many years ago my rabbit broke her leg. The vets pinned it and she passed away two days after surgery. The vet I have now said he would've amputated it, as the success rate was much higher and rabbits manage fine with three legs, especially if it is a back leg that they lose. I know piggies are different, but I have heard of guinea pigs managing really well with three legs. We used to have a piggy who came to us with a dislocated back leg. It stuck out and she couldn't use it at all, but she could move around just fine.

 

[twolittlegirlypigs]

Yep she's moving around with a limp but it's absolutely not stopping her but I expect the meds are helping massively there. Sorry about your rabbit. It's always SO hard losing a pet.

 

[twolittlegirlypigs]

Is she able to move around? Many years ago my rabbit broke her leg. The vets pinned it and she passed away two days after surgery. The vet I have now said he would've amputated it, as the success rate was much higher and rabbits manage fine with three legs, especially if it is a back leg that they lose. I know piggies are different, but I have heard of guinea pigs managing really well with three legs. We used to have a piggy who came to us with a dislocated back leg. It stuck out and she couldn't use it at all, but she could move around just fine.

Yep she's moving around with a limp but it's absolutely not stopping her, I expect the meds are helping massively there. Sorry about your rabbit. It's always SO hard losing a pet.

 

[furryfriends (TEAS)]

Yep she's moving around with a limp but it's absolutely not stopping her but I expect the meds are helping massively there. Sorry about your rabbit. It's always SO hard losing a pet.

It was a long time ago, but I wish I’d known my current vet back then. I’m actually wondering what he’d advise you for your piggy.

I go to Simon Maddock, who is an amazing guinea pig vet. He’s a fantastic surgeon but he would be much cheaper than an exotic vet. Just a thought! He’s based in Northampton.

 

[twolittlegirlypigs]

It was a long time ago, but I wish I’d known my current vet back then. I’m actually wondering what he’d advise you for your piggy.

I go to Simon Maddock, who is an amazing guinea pig vet. He’s a fantastic surgeon but he would be much cheaper than an exotic vet. Just a thought! He’s based in Northampton.

I mean I could always contact them. It's a fair way from here I think. The regular vet gave the above quote so god only knows what the exotic vets quote will be then