Easing discomfort while waiting for a vet visit?

[bettascape]

My poor little girl is limping on one of her back legs, and the only vet near me that'll look at a piggy can't get us in until at least Monday - three days from now! Maybe even Tuesday! It's immensely stressful, I feel awfully powerless in not having access to any way to help her. There's no obvious redness or swelling as far as I can tell, and she doesn't have a ramp she could have fallen off or anything so I doubt it's a break. Still, she's clearly very uncomfortable and I'm so worried about her. I hate to see her uncomfortable at all, it's breaking my heart. Is there any way I can make her more comfortable or ease her pain at all in between now and her vet visit? I've got hay in her little hide and she's eating normally, but she's even more skittish than usual (she's always been a more timid pig) so I don't want to overcrowd her with attention or anything.

 

[Wiebke]

My poor little girl is limping on one of her back legs, and the only vet near me that'll look at a piggy can't get us in until at least Monday - three days from now! Maybe even Tuesday! It's immensely stressful, I feel awfully powerless in not having access to any way to help her. There's no obvious redness or swelling as far as I can tell, and she doesn't have a ramp she could have fallen off or anything so I doubt it's a break. Still, she's clearly very uncomfortable and I'm so worried about her. I hate to see her uncomfortable at all, it's breaking my heart. Is there any way I can make her more comfortable or ease her pain at all in between now and her vet visit? I've got hay in her little hide and she's eating normally, but she's even more skittish than usual (she's always been a more timid pig) so I don't want to overcrowd her with attention or anything.

Hi

Is your girl still able to put a little weight on her leg and is pushing back when you put a little gentle pressure on the sole of the foot? In this case, it is likely just a sprain - not at all uncommon in guinea pigs. Please take a deep breath. If she is still out and about and just feeling a little sorry for herself, then it is not all that serious.

Please keep in mind that sprains can happen in any joint from the shoulder/hip downward and are often not located in the foot itself. You will limp just as much if you have hurt your hip or twisted your knee as with a twisted ankle or a bad toe... and it takes about the same time to settle for a piggy, depending where and how badly she has twisted her leg, likely on a bad landing from a popcorn or jump.

I would however recommend to close the ramp if needed for the time being.

 

[bettascape]

Hi

Is your girl still able to put a little weight on her leg and is pushing back when you put a little gentle pressure on the sole of the foot? In this case, it is likely just a sprain - not at all uncommon in guinea pigs. Please take a deep breath. If she is still out and about and just feeling a little sorry for herself, then it is not all that serious.

Please keep in mind that sprains can happen in any joint from the shoulder/hip downward and are often not located in the foot itself. You will limp just as much if you have hurt your hip or twisted your knee as with a twisted ankle or a bad toe... and it takes about the same time to settle for a piggy, depending where and how badly she has twisted her leg, likely on a bad landing from a popcorn or jump.

I would however recommend to close the ramp if needed for the time being.

She is! She walks normally sometimes, and only when she seems to step wrong does she start limping again. That's the leg she likes to scratch with and she's been doing that too. Even went skittering about when a dog started barking, nearly gave me a heart attack. She probably hurt herself sometime during her full-speed 3am laps around her cage, but I wasn't awake to see it. She's never had any health issues or injuries before so I'm just all out of sorts seeing her so pathetic and grouchy :,(

Thank you so much for your kind words, I've been working myself up quite a bit about this! Never dealt with a leg injury on a pig before.

 

[Wiebke]

She is! She walks normally sometimes, and only when she seems to step wrong does she start limping again. That's the leg she likes to scratch with and she's been doing that too. Even went skittering about when a dog started barking, nearly gave me a heart attack. She probably hurt herself sometime during her full-speed 3am laps around her cage, but I wasn't awake to see it. She's never had any health issues or injuries before so I'm just all out of sorts seeing her so pathetic and grouchy :,(

Thank you so much for your kind words, I've been working myself up quite a bit about this! Never dealt with a leg injury on a pig before.

Please take a deep breath! It sounds pretty minor; just a bit of a sprain. As I have said, they are not at all uncommon in especially younger, active piggies.

She may jar it again if she forgets and then will limp a bit afterwards - the same as you see with small children...