Hi everyone,
This is my first post here, so I’m not entirely sure how things work, but I’m very desperate and hoping for advice. It is quite a long post, so if you don't want to read the whole thing I've included a summary at the very end.
Basically, my 5-year-old male guinea pig, Mochi, has been crying occasionally while peeing or pooping, so we took him to a veterinary hospital that claims to have vets specializing in exotic animals. We feared it might be a UTI or kidney stones.
Initially, things seemed to go well. A young vet examined Mochi thoroughly—she checked his belly, weighed him, took his temperature, etc.—and suggested an X-ray to rule out kidney stones. My mom accompanied Mochi during the X-ray and told me he was moving a lot, so the vet had to hold him still. Afterward, the vet reviewed the X-ray and confirmed there were no kidney stones, but she noticed significant gas in his system. However, since Mochi was eating and pooping normally, she attributed the gas to stress (we had trimmed his nails earlier that day, which he finds stressful).
The vet prescribed Buprenorphine (an analgesic) to be given orally every 12 hours and administered the first dose via injection. Both my mom and I had a bad feeling about the injection and expressed our concerns, but the vet assured us it was necessary. When she gave the shot (in the scruff area), Mochi screamed louder than I’ve ever heard—it was heartbreaking. The vet said lethargy and drowsiness were normal side effects, so we brought him home, made sure he ate a little, and let him rest.
The next morning, I noticed Mochi wasn’t moving much and was staying in one corner of his cage. When I tried to make him walk, he was limping and wobbly. My heart sank—he was perfectly active before the vet visit, running, jumping, and playing. We rushed back to the clinic and saw a different vet.
The new vet performed another X-ray, confirming there were no fractures but noting that Mochi still had significant gas. When we insisted the limping and wobbliness were new symptoms, she suggested it might be due to a luxation (or subluxation) caused during the X-ray/handling during the previous appointment, but she didn't seem worried about it at all, she was mostly concerned about the gas. She prescribed Inflacam (an anti-inflammatory) for three days, told us to continue the Buprenorphine for pain, and recommended Aero-Red to help with the gas. When we asked whether the injection could be the cause of his mobility issues, she said it was not possible as per the place he had been injected in.
It’s been two days since then. Mochi is eating more, but only if we place food close to him. He still limps quite badly (not as bad, but still) and only moves when frightened. On top of this, he’s still occasionally crying when pooping/peeing—the original issue that brought us to the vet remains unresolved. However, his poops look normal overall albeit a bit squishy.
We’re syringe-feeding him a mixture of hay, pellets, and water while waiting for Oxbow Critical Care to arrive early next week. I’m terrified he won’t regain his mobility or recover from whatever’s wrong. The vet suggested a follow-up next week, but I’m losing confidence in them. Unfortunately, this is the only clinic in my small area that handles exotic animals.
Has anyone had a similar experience? Do you have any advice or tips? Would you continue with the treatment for a third day? I feel so helpless and just want Mochi to recover.
Thank you so much for reading
TL;DR:
My 5-year-old guinea pig, Mochi, has been occasionally crying while peeing/pooping, so we took him to an exotic animal vet. An X-ray showed no kidney stones but significant gas, likely due to stress. The vet gave him a Buprenorphine injection for pain, but Mochi screamed during it and has since become lethargic, limping, and wobbly—symptoms he didn’t have before.
A follow-up vet visit ruled out fractures but suggested the limping might be due to a luxation or handling during the first appointment, though they’re more concerned about the gas. He’s on anti-inflammatory meds (Inflacam), painkillers (Buprenorphine), and gas relief drops (Aero-Red), but his mobility is still poor, and the original crying issue remains unresolved. His poop remains normal overall (albeit a bit squishy)
We’re syringe-feeding him (although he eats quite well if we put food close to him) and waiting for Oxbow Critical Care to arrive, but I’m losing trust in the vet and fear he won’t recover his mobility. Any advice or similar experiences? Should we continue the treatment for a third day?
This is my first post here, so I’m not entirely sure how things work, but I’m very desperate and hoping for advice. It is quite a long post, so if you don't want to read the whole thing I've included a summary at the very end.
Basically, my 5-year-old male guinea pig, Mochi, has been crying occasionally while peeing or pooping, so we took him to a veterinary hospital that claims to have vets specializing in exotic animals. We feared it might be a UTI or kidney stones.
Initially, things seemed to go well. A young vet examined Mochi thoroughly—she checked his belly, weighed him, took his temperature, etc.—and suggested an X-ray to rule out kidney stones. My mom accompanied Mochi during the X-ray and told me he was moving a lot, so the vet had to hold him still. Afterward, the vet reviewed the X-ray and confirmed there were no kidney stones, but she noticed significant gas in his system. However, since Mochi was eating and pooping normally, she attributed the gas to stress (we had trimmed his nails earlier that day, which he finds stressful).
The vet prescribed Buprenorphine (an analgesic) to be given orally every 12 hours and administered the first dose via injection. Both my mom and I had a bad feeling about the injection and expressed our concerns, but the vet assured us it was necessary. When she gave the shot (in the scruff area), Mochi screamed louder than I’ve ever heard—it was heartbreaking. The vet said lethargy and drowsiness were normal side effects, so we brought him home, made sure he ate a little, and let him rest.
The next morning, I noticed Mochi wasn’t moving much and was staying in one corner of his cage. When I tried to make him walk, he was limping and wobbly. My heart sank—he was perfectly active before the vet visit, running, jumping, and playing. We rushed back to the clinic and saw a different vet.
The new vet performed another X-ray, confirming there were no fractures but noting that Mochi still had significant gas. When we insisted the limping and wobbliness were new symptoms, she suggested it might be due to a luxation (or subluxation) caused during the X-ray/handling during the previous appointment, but she didn't seem worried about it at all, she was mostly concerned about the gas. She prescribed Inflacam (an anti-inflammatory) for three days, told us to continue the Buprenorphine for pain, and recommended Aero-Red to help with the gas. When we asked whether the injection could be the cause of his mobility issues, she said it was not possible as per the place he had been injected in.
It’s been two days since then. Mochi is eating more, but only if we place food close to him. He still limps quite badly (not as bad, but still) and only moves when frightened. On top of this, he’s still occasionally crying when pooping/peeing—the original issue that brought us to the vet remains unresolved. However, his poops look normal overall albeit a bit squishy.
We’re syringe-feeding him a mixture of hay, pellets, and water while waiting for Oxbow Critical Care to arrive early next week. I’m terrified he won’t regain his mobility or recover from whatever’s wrong. The vet suggested a follow-up next week, but I’m losing confidence in them. Unfortunately, this is the only clinic in my small area that handles exotic animals.
Has anyone had a similar experience? Do you have any advice or tips? Would you continue with the treatment for a third day? I feel so helpless and just want Mochi to recover.
Thank you so much for reading
TL;DR:
My 5-year-old guinea pig, Mochi, has been occasionally crying while peeing/pooping, so we took him to an exotic animal vet. An X-ray showed no kidney stones but significant gas, likely due to stress. The vet gave him a Buprenorphine injection for pain, but Mochi screamed during it and has since become lethargic, limping, and wobbly—symptoms he didn’t have before.
A follow-up vet visit ruled out fractures but suggested the limping might be due to a luxation or handling during the first appointment, though they’re more concerned about the gas. He’s on anti-inflammatory meds (Inflacam), painkillers (Buprenorphine), and gas relief drops (Aero-Red), but his mobility is still poor, and the original crying issue remains unresolved. His poop remains normal overall (albeit a bit squishy)
We’re syringe-feeding him (although he eats quite well if we put food close to him) and waiting for Oxbow Critical Care to arrive, but I’m losing trust in the vet and fear he won’t recover his mobility. Any advice or similar experiences? Should we continue the treatment for a third day?