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Guinea Pig Arthritis

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Gem789

Gem789

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Hi everyone, Sam my Guinea pig was finally diagnosed with really bad arthritis in his knees today.I just wondered if anyone else has any experience with this?Is there anything I can give him apart from the metacam to make him more comfortable?Hes still in pain with his stomach and the vet said it was inflamed so he's obviously not feeling good at all.Any advice would be appreciated
 
Was it Kim you saw? did she suggest any supplements? vegan glucosamine would be an option?
 
Just read your other thread and caught up. The Glucosamine would also help with the inflamed bladder.

Did Simon say what was wrong with the feet? is it Bumblefoot?
 
helen105281 said:
Just read your other thread and caught up. The Glucosamine would also help with the inflamed bladder.

Did Simon say what was wrong with the feet? is it Bumblefoot?
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Thanks for your reply, where could I get glucosamine from? and Simon didn't mention bumblefoot.When I took Sam to my local vets a couple of months ago I asked if it was bumblefoot and they said it wasn't,they told me to just use newspaper instead of wood shavings but when I went to my other local when the problem hadn't gone away, they said I should be using woodshavings.I bought a vet bed today and put it in the cage so I'm hoping that will help.Yes it was Kim I saw today but she didn't mention anything about supplements.
 
You can either ask Kim or Simon about a product called Cystease or Cystophan, both of which contain glucosamine. They are bladder products so would help with the inflmmation but the glucosamine in them may help with the arthritis. Alternatively you can buy vegan glucosamine online, I use this one:

http://www.shopvegan.co.uk/productdetail.asp?ItemRef=70

I dose quite high at 250mg a day for my Amy who has Interstitial Cystitis but I worked up to that dose from 125mg. I believe some vets start on 62.5mg though.
 
helen105281 said:
You can either ask Kim or Simon about a product called Cystease or Cystophan, both of which contain glucosamine. They are bladder products so would help with the inflmmation but the glucosamine in them may help with the arthritis. Alternatively you can buy vegan glucosamine online, I use this one:

Deva Vegan Glucosamine

I dose quite high at 250mg a day for my Amy who has Interstitial Cystitis but I worked up to that dose from 125mg. I believe some vets start on 62.5mg though.
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Ok thank you I will order some and see if that helps and I will start on a low dose.
 
Hi @Gem789 , how is Sam doing?

My sweet Estee had quite bad arthritis on her front legs and spine and was on a daily metacam. It did help her cope. I also gave her glucosamine as a supplement. I've used the same as @helen105281 posted above and for variety I also gave her the Joint Support Supplement tablet from Oxbow. She loved these, although I had to soak the tab in water for a little bit as they are quite hard.

Did you have a chance to ask Simon and the bladder inflammation issues and Kim's assessment?

(Sorry I didn't ask after Sam before, I'm having quite a rough time health wise with my piggies)
 
MrsSuzy said:
Hi @Gem789 , how is Sam doing?

My sweet Estee had quite bad arthritis on her front legs and spine and was on a daily metacam. It did help her cope. I also gave her glucosamine as a supplement. I've used the same as @helen105281 posted above and for variety I also gave her the Joint Support Supplement tablet from Oxbow. She loved these, although I had to soak the tab in water for a little bit as they are quite hard.

Did you have a chance to ask Simon and the bladder inflammation issues and Kim's assessment?

(Sorry I didn't ask after Sam before, I'm having quite a rough time health wise with my piggies)
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It's ok, I realise you must be not feeling your best at the moment.I'm gonna ask when I go back in just under 2 weeks if his bladder still seems to be giving him pain.Simon did say to keep him on the septrim and c if that helps.if not I'm gonna ask about cystease to c if that might help.Thanks for your suggestions, I will have a look online for the oxbow tablets and will get some glucosamine tablets also.How many Guinea pigs do u have?Sorry to hear you're having health issues xx
 
Gem789 said:
It's ok, I realise you must be not feeling your best at the moment.I'm gonna ask when I go back in just under 2 weeks if his bladder still seems to be giving him pain.Simon did say to keep him on the septrim and c if that helps.if not I'm gonna ask about cystease to c if that might help.Thanks for your suggestions, I will have a look online for the oxbow tablets and will get some glucosamine tablets also.How many Guinea pigs do you have?Sorry to hear you're having health issues xx
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That sounds like a good plan :)

I have 6 piggies! I lost Estee, who was almost 9 yrs old 3 weeks ago and then Bitsy due to lymphoma. I seem to be having some cosmic bad luck at the moment as Lola, who lived with Estee and is 6yrs old, developed quite bad diarrhoea overnight on Friday/Saturday and stopped eating. She's been at the vets since Saturday morning and still fighting it. It's just been a bit overwhelming all happening at the same time.
 
MrsSuzy said:
That sounds like a good plan :)

I have 6 piggies! I lost Estee, who was almost 9 yrs old 3 weeks ago and then Bitsy due to lymphoma. I seem to be having some cosmic bad luck at the moment as Lola, who lived with Estee and is 6yrs old, developed quite bad diarrhoea overnight on Friday/Saturday and stopped eating. She's been at the vets since Saturday morning and still fighting it. It's just been a bit overwhelming all happening at the same time.
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I'm so sorry to hear that,9 years is a great age though.none of mine have lived past 5 years due to illness.Ive got 4 pigs, 3 who I had off a lady who developed an allergy to them.ive got mummy pig and baby pig( not a baby anymore lol) in one cage.I couldn't think of any cool names so just called them by what they were and I've got Sam living with Georgie who is mummy pigs son.Id love some more though.I really hope lola gets better soon xx

Here's a pic of Georgie sitting on my mums lap taken near Christmas

image.webp
 
My Nerys has got arthritis in her legs. She is on metacam and glucosamine, too.
I would strongly recommend the glucosamine or glucosamine-based cystease/cystophan for all ongoing bladder issues, as guinea pig bladder walls are naturally coated with glucosamine, which is under pressure in an irritated bladder.

Sadly, I had to pts a stroke foster piggy of mine yesterday, so am just now catching up with everything.
 
Wiebke said:
My Nerys has got arthritis in her legs. She is on metacam and glucosamine, too.
I would strongly recommend the glucosamine or glucosamine-based cystease/cystophan for all ongoing bladder issues, as guinea pig bladder walls are naturally coated with glucosamine, which is under pressure in an irritated bladder.

Sadly, I had to pts a stroke foster piggy of mine yesterday, so am just now catching up with everything.
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I'm really sorry to hear that, it's been a crap week with all the bad luck people have had with their pigs this week.I have bought some glucosamine tablets today, how exactly do I administer them to my pig? And if they don't seem to help I will ask for cystease from the vets.Sorry again for your loss xx
 
Gem789 said:
I'm really sorry to hear that, it's been a crap week with all the bad luck people have had with their pigs this week.I have bought some glucosamine tablets today, how exactly do I administer them to my pig? And if they don't seem to help I will ask for cystease from the vets.Sorry again for your loss xx
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@helen105281 will know the exact dosage and preparation as she is using the same product.
 
Could you let me know the mg in the tablets you have please? are they vegan ones?
 
Ok, if you want to dose at 125mg it will be a quarter of a tablet. For 62.5mg it will be 1/8th of a tablet. I dose once a day. My partner makes up a mix which we keep in the fridge where he uses so many tablets and so many mls of water. If you would prefer that method let me know and I will message you, save confusing everyone else on the forum.
 
helen105281 said:
Ok, if you want to dose at 125mg it will be a quarter of a tablet. For 62.5mg it will be 1/8th of a tablet. I dose once a day. My partner makes up a mix which we keep in the fridge where he uses so many tablets and so many mls of water. If you would prefer that method let me know and I will message you, save confusing everyone else on the forum.
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Yes that sounds good if you could message me, thanks.
 
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