Guinea pig with splayed legs

[alice0]

Hello,
I have two guinea pigs, one of whom sits oddly, with her legs out as though she's doing the splits. She also cannot run very well compared to the other guinea pig and walks a bit like a frog with her legs splayed out. She hasn't always done it, only from the age of about 2. I have taken her to the vet who had never seen anything like it and couldn't explain it and prescribed Loxicom which she has been taking for the last month or so and she seems quite content and not in to be in any pain or anything. I was just wondering if anyone else had seen this before or knows what it might be?
Thanks!

 

[alice0]

I should also note that it hasn't deteriorated at all since it started and she eats and drinks fine and seems completely unfazed by it all.

 

[Siikibam]

Can you think of anything that happened when you noticed her behaving like this? What did the vet check and was it palpating or x rays? And did she show any signs of pain?

I’ve not seen this before so will tag @PigglePuggle @Piggies&buns @Swissgreys

 

[Piggies&buns]

I’ve not come across anything like this either but I know PigglePuggle has a piggy with problematic back legs so she may have some ideas

 

[alice0]

Can you think of anything that happened when you noticed her behaving like this? What did the vet check and was it palpating or x rays? And did she show any signs of pain?

I’ve not seen this before so will tag @PigglePuggle @Piggies&buns @Swissgreys

The only thing I can think is that maybe she got injured as I have a cage with two levels and she doesn't go to the upper floor. But she never showed any signs of pain. She just doesn't run around for very long as she struggles to run at all. I also wondered if it was a breeding issue as the other guinea pig had some issues with her teeth when I first got them. The vet just checked her hips, weight and her walking by and it was just palpating.

 

[PigglePuggle]

Hi! My piggy Ollie also does the splits and has a very funny walk, but he has always been like that. The vet suspected hip dysplasia, where the legs aren't quite attached to the hips properly- but actually he has a deformed pelvis.
An xray is pretty essential to see what's going on- sometimes hip dysplasia doesnt show up right away, and sometimes- which is what sounds to maybe be going on here- it is only partial, the hip socket is too shallow to hold the ball joint at the top of the femur as securely as it should- so the legs dislocate very easily and with very little soft tissue damage.
Piggies are actually small and light enough to walk round with dislocated back legs, especially as their front legs bear most of their weight- they just bunny hop or ice-skate.
I would definitely get an xray if your vet can do that without anaesthesia, just to see what's going on.

 

[Free Ranger]

I have cages with little shelves and some pigs haven't ever used them whereas some favour being high up... esp when the veggies are coming because they're nearer! As long as everything she needs is on 'her' level I wouldn't worry too much if she doesn't use the top level. Some perfectly able pigs just don't like ramps anyway. When the forum calculates the recommended space for piggies it's only the ground level space that is counted (hope I got that right!)

Sometimes people have reported a piggy that has been fine for years but then a leg starts to splay further and further. It's not always noticed straight away! This can be caused by something like a growth somewhere just making it uncomfortable to walk in the normal way - but this sort of thing typically gets worse over time whereas your girl has always been like that and vets poking her didn't cause any pain. She might have just been born that way but I think that if you can get an x-ray without GA (because it would be a shame to put her through that) it would answer a lot of questions and give an idea of what to expect in the future. There was a recent poster from New Zealand whose pig was x-rayed just sitting in a little plastic box! Link is Blood in Urine or Pink Tinge? I'd not seen this before and thought it was pretty cool as you can see them sitting in a natural position - obvs the vet will know best though!