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Guniea Pig Dragging Her Back Legs

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Khoa Vo

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May or may not take to the vet, parents didn't want it I guess :/

She's still eating fine, drinking fine, fed her lots of grass and hay, sometimes banana treats, and lettuce.
She's been lacking sunlight lately so ill put her to suntan tomorrow for some Vitamin D.
I don't feed them pellets because in the past they just didnt eat it anyways?

Not sure what to do, She still purrs if you pet her and eats anything i feed her. But she's not jumping around in her cage anymore, appears low energy.

I think this is the right place to post this? sorry if its not.
 
Hi welcome to the forum. So do you mean the piggy is always dragging back legs? Has she always done this? Is she a healthy weight? I have read that piggies can be kept on a diet where pellets are not given but I've always given mine some. Do you give hay everyday and refill/change it? Hay takes up 80% of a piggies diet. And is lettuce the only veg you give her because piggies need to get vitamin C from fruit and veg as they can't make it themselves. Bell peppers for example are great at this and can be fed quite regularly. I would advise seeing a vet if you can as it is a professional who can give you a real answer. Dragging legs could be anything from a spinal injury or it could just be a birth defect. I'll tag @Wiebke @Flutterby @sport_billy
 
I'm not sure whats a healthy weight for a guniea pig, though i can give you a weight if you need one. And no she hasnt always dragged them only for the past few days or so, she normally jumps and hops around in her cage. Ill try bell peppers then!
 
Yeah a weight her breed(or a picture) and her age would help determine whether she's overweight or skinny.
 
Also, how old is she?

Is there any chance that she could have been injured somehow?

We need to know how much she weighs now, and whether she has lost any weight over the past few weeks.

I would ask your parents to take her to the vet. She could be in pain and so need medication to help her.
 
Okay, a few thoughts... first of all, is she getting enough vitamin C (it's vitamin C that pigs are unable to manufacture.) Like humans, guinea pigs do not make their own vitamin C. It needs to come from dietary sources. Without vitamin C, pigs can develop scurvy, which can cause a variety of symptoms, including paralysis/mobility issues. If she is not eating pellets (which are fortified with vitamin C) and she is not eating enough veggies that are high in vitamin C, she may be deficient and have developed scurvy. I would begin supplementing her vitamin C, both through diet rich in vitamin C and through supplementation. Pet stores do sell drops that can be added to water and can also be given directly to ill pigs via syringe. One of mine is actually on vitamin C now as a dietary supplement, as she is recovering from a respiratory infection. You would have to look at the dosing instructions, but the droplet she is on allows you to add to water OR to give 50 mg daily in a syringe, which is what we have been giving her.

Secondly, any change of injury to her back or legs? Any falls? Any exercise wheels (these are bad for the back, guinea pigs are not that flexible.) Any injuries of the back legs? Really, this is something that requires a vet assessment. Just like any other animal, pigs can injure tendons, break bones, etc. This will need to be assessed by someone who knows what to look for. She is potentially in pain, which should be treated for the sake of being humane to the animal. I know that if you're a minor, you're at the mercy of your parents... I'm a parent too and get how unexpected vet bills can take a bite out of the budget unexpectedly. But really, if you take on a pet you owe them proper care, including veterinary care, so I hope your parents are able to see that not treating an animal with an obvious medical issue is pretty irresponsible.

Finally, is your pig eating? Ill or with pain, guinea pigs may go off their food. Weigh and observe your pig to see that he is eating/eliminating normally. A guinea pig that is not eating is an emergency. They are constant grazers by nature, going off their food can lead to death from bloat or gastrointestinal stoppage. There are stickies on the page about syringe-feeding and supplementing a pig who has stopped eating, so I would go over those to have the info handy in case it's needed.

Really, a vet visit is warranted here, and I hope that is able to happen for your pig! Best of luck to you!
 
Thanks for all your replies! I think ill get some supplements for her, and also here are some pics. I wasnt able to get an accurate representation of her weight because my scale is in pounds and she doesnt even weigh 1 pound, which is good i suppose.
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/202579826920521748/295612812061966348/20170326_133819.jpg
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/202579826920521748/295612825689391104/20170326_133825.jpg
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/202579826920521748/295612844030951434/20170326_133829.jpg
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/202579826920521748/295612857440010241/20170326_133841.jpg
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/202579826920521748/295612884459847680/20170326_133846.jpg

here are some images.
She is also maybe a little over 1 year old. when i got her last summer she was already 6 months?
 
If you have any kitchen scales these will be much more useful at getting a weight as obviously bathroom scales are designed for a much larger animal :)
 
Dragging of the back legs can also mean a calcium deficiency. I sucessfully treated one of my pigs with osteocare, which is a human supplement available form the chemist. I would get her checked out by a guinea-savvy vet though to be sure it's not an injury.
 
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