Guinea Pigs Legs Not Working

[nicolecorrine]

I just took my guinea pig to the emergency vet because she was wobbling around yesterday and then was unable to move her legs this morning. She was eating and drinking well, however, she was diagnosed with GI stasis at the vet. Something that doesn’t make sense to my vet and I is that she was eating on the way to the vet, but the xray showed there was nothing in her stomach. He also said the problem with her legs most likely has to do with her gut stasis and she will get better if she gets rid of the gut stasis. $700 later, and I’m still confused. I can’t find anywhere online that says gut stasis can cause paralysis, any opinions about this? Also, how is her stomach empty in the X-ray but she just ate? Side note about her legs: they are not cold to the touch and it doesn’t seem to be hurting her.

 

[nicolecorrine]

Here are the X-rays

 

[eileen]

I'm sorry i cannot answer any of your questions,but i send my support,i hope your piggie gets better soon.

 

[nicolecorrine]

I'm sorry i cannot answer any of your questions,but i send my support,i hope your piggie gets better soon.

thank you

 

[Wiebke]

Here are the X-raysView attachment 243036View attachment 243037View attachment 243038

Hi and welcome

Her lower gut (the fermentation chambers) are looking very gassy indeed; you won't see any food in there. What nobody knows at this stage is what is causing the back leg paralysis and the bloating; it could even be something outside the lower gut (like an intense source of pain) that is causing both issues. I have had both together in that context. I am however not a vet and not trained to read x-rays.

Please step in with feeding support. The first victim of severe bloating is usually hay, which makes over three quarters of what a piggy is eating - and which you cannot control by eye.

Here is some very practical information you may find helpful in looking after your poorly piggy:
Digestive Disorders: Not Eating - Diarrhea - Bloat - GI Stasis (No Gut Movement)
Looking After Guinea Pigs With Limited or No Mobility

My fingers are very firmly crossed for you and your piggy.

 

[nicolecorrine]

Hi and welcome

Her lower gut (the fermentation chambers) are looking very gassy indeed; you won't see any food in there. What nobody knows at this stage is what is causing the back leg paralysis and the bloating; it could even be something outside the lower gut (like an intense source of pain) that is causing both issues. I have had both together in that context. I am however not a vet and not trained to read x-rays.

Please step in with feeding support. The first victim of severe bloating is usually hay, which makes over three quarters of what a piggy is eating - and which you cannot control by eye.

Here is some very practical information you may find helpful in looking after your poorly piggy:
Digestive Disorders: Not Eating - Diarrhea - Bloat - GI Stasis (No Gut Movement)
Looking After Guinea Pigs With Limited or No Mobility

My fingers are very firmly crossed for you and your piggy.

Thank you for the help. The vet advised me to do 34 mL of CC daily, so I am starting that today. I was previously doing critical care for her while she had a URI, but she started eating on her own so I stopped. There must have been a time in between when she didn't eat enough which started this. Thank you for your help and your kind words.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Thank you for the help. The vet advised me to do 34 mL of CC daily, so I am starting that today. I was previously doing critical care for her while she had a URI, but she started eating on her own so I stopped. There must have been a time in between when she didn't eat enough which started this. Thank you for your help and your kind words.

Please weigh her every morning so you can adjust the amount of syringe feed you give accordingly to keep her weight stable each day.

40ml is the lowest amount for survival. A minimum of 60ml up to around 100ml could be needed to keep her weight stable each day.

 

[nicolecorrine]

Please weigh her every morning so you can adjust the amount of syringe feed you give accordingly to keep her weight stable each day.

40ml is the lowest amount for survival. A minimum of 60ml up to around 100ml could be needed to keep her weight stable each day.

Thanks, I'm not sure why my vet said differently. I am going to do 60 mL because she is underweight and I don't want to overfeed her.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Thanks, I'm not sure why my vet said differently. I am going to do 60 mL because she is underweight and I don't want to overfeed her.

You can’t over feed her, she will refuse the syringe when she has had enough at each sitting.

Syringe feeding is about stopping further weight loss rather than putting weight on her

 

[nicolecorrine]

You can’t over feed her, she will refuse the syringe when she has had enough at each sitting.

Syringe feeding is about stopping further weight loss rather than putting weight on her

but because she has an enlarged stomach from the GI stasis, a lot of times she thinks she’s full but she’s really not. On her worst day, she refused hay and critical care and I had to force feed it to her.

 

[Piggies&buns]

but because she has an enlarged stomach from the GI stasis, a lot of times she thinks she’s full but she’s really not. On her worst day, she refused hay and critical care and I had to force feed it to her.

Please read the guides. You should never be forcing but feeding little and often as much as she will take at each sitting. A very poorly piggy won’t take much at each time - soThe less she takes at each with sitting the more sittings you need to do.

 

[nicolecorrine]

Please read the guides. You should never be forcing but feeding little and often as much as she will take at each sitting. A very poorly piggy won’t take much at each time - soThe less she takes at each with sitting the more sittings you need to do.

She wasn’t eating it at all, not even a little at a time. There was no other choice but to force feed it (I should have done even more then, considering she now has GI stasis). However, she is eating really well now and I did 5 feedings today. I scaled the amount to her weight based on the package. Thank you for your help!

 

[Piggies&buns]

She wasn’t eating it at all, not even a little at a time. There was no other choice but to force feed it (I should have done even more then, considering she now has GI stasis). However, she is eating really well now and I did 5 feedings today. I scaled the amount to her weight based on the package. Thank you for your help!

I’m glad she is eating now.

Use her daily weight checks to tell you whether she is getting enough. If her weight is stable each morning then she’s getting the right amount. If she loses weight, then it’s not enough etc.