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Gwen's Sore Feet - Start of Bumblefoot? Heart?

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Oh Laura when i saw you'd updated i thought yay Gwen is getting better, but to my shock i read that this poor little girlie has been thru yet more 8...:...

Whee all send MEGA HEALING WHEEEEEEEEEEEEKS and LOVES for GWEN xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
 
Mummy thought is would be rude if whee added this on in her reply.........yup you guessed Laura she KERPLUNKED when she spied the piccie of Gwen rolleyes:))

JUMP JUMP JUMP......................brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.........................JUMP JUMP JUMP.........................mummy please wakey up!

PUMP PUMP PUMP PUMP........................................PUMP PUMP PUMP PUMP.............-------------------

Just knew it SIGH!
Onyx i need you to start up the machine again!

OK.........give me a mo Velvey..............

PUMP PUMP PUMP PUMP PUMP PUMP PUMP..........................PUMP PUMP PUMP PUMP PUMP................................o.............................PUMP PUMP PUMP ..........feeling woozey again........PUMP PUMP PUMP PUMP...............oh my...................so cute..............so precious............just adorable.........................snoggable ones...................lovely ...................mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

PIGGIE LIPS ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh xoxoxoxoxoxo


WHY HELLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Gwenny girl x)
 
Sorry Glynis, forgot that pic would knock you out!
Thanks for all the well wishes for Gwenny. :)

She is still far from better, but since being moved onto Rimadyl her leg is less swollen, she's moving it and she can bear weight on it. She can stand in a normal position on her back legs for a few seconds before the legs give in. I can move the leg about and touch even the most swollen part, the joint, without a sound from her.

Main task coming up is building the strength in her back legs up, and reducing the stiffness in her hips, which are stiff from having twisted them to drag herself around for the past 5/6 days. Massage pad, hydrotherapy (letting her paddle her back legs in warm water), and physiotherapy (holding her back legs in the correct position as she stands) are all important now.

She is drinking well by herself, but am still giving her SubQs once or twice a day, given she is on a few different meds including the diuretic.

Will keep you all updated. :)
 
We've had a pretty disheartening week with Gwenny to be honest, not the update I wanted to give.

She had been improving steadily. No pain on touching the leg, swelling down a lot, she was starting to be able to stand alone for a few seconds, take a few wobbly steps - all was going fairly good!

And then the pain returned. She's been on 5mg 2x daily of Rimadyl for a week now, and for whatever reason, it's no longer enough. Yesterday I gave 10mg 2x daily and the pain has eased off again.

She did see Vedra again on Monday as I was concerned the pain had returned, Vedra said to try hydrocortisone 1% rubbed into the joint 3x daily, so that's on the shopping list for today. Vedra also said she thought Athrotabs were worth a try - I searched for that but it keeps deferring me to Arthrotabs which look like they offer the right deal, but a few ingredients look a bit iffy (e.g. fish, heparin) so I have chosen not to go down that route, with Gwenny have problems aside from the joint inflammation. So I am trying her with Cystease - and before you ask why, although marketed for bladder problems it contains 125mg glucosamine which is still carried around the body.

I have no idea how this will play out, I will not be surprised if it goes either way. It's just been a difficult week seeing her keeping that swollen leg off the ground again. It is like the last week fo progress never happened.
 
Oh Laura I'm so sorry, give Gwenny a big sloppy piggy kiss from all of us here.

I hope she is comfortable.

Keep smiling if you can x x>>
 
Thanks for the well wishes and for following this rollercoaster with me!

Some improvement last night and this morning, she spent much of yesterday puffed up but at the moment seems more herself. She managed to stand normally for a second, on both back legs, before falling off to one side with a cry. The swelling on the joint is down just a touch, barely noticeable, and there are some very sore spots on the leg which still have her crying out when touched.

I phoned Vedra, who pretty much said there is nothing more I can do. Can't up the Rimadyl dose beyond 10mg 2x daily, because we would risk liver/kidney problems.

To be crystal clear, this is the updated version of what treatments we're doing, categorised so it can be easier followed!

Heart Meds to treat CHF
- Lotensin, 1mg 2x daily, ongoing;
- Vetmedin, 0.3mg 2x daily, ongoing;
- Lasix, 5mg 1x daily (dosage variable depending on condition).

Painkiller/supplements to help Joint problem
- Rimadyl, 10mg 2x daily, ongoing basis;
- Vitapet RA Joint Formula, 0.2ml 1x daily, ongoing;
- Cystease, 125mg 1x daily, ongoing;
- Vitamin C, 100mg 1x daily, ongoing;
- Hydrocortisone 1% cream, applied 3x daily, ongoing.

Physical therapies to help circulation/joint problem
- Massage pad for 20 minutes, 2-3x daily;
- Hydrotherapy for 5 minutes, 2x daily;
- Physiotherapy for 5 minutes, 4x daily.

Quite a long list, in reality it goes very smoothly and is less than it looks in writing, especially with having supplements mixed in alongside medications.

I get that I'm doing pretty much everything there is to do, I just hope we can get her back on her feet.
 
Laura-CCC4 said:
Thanks for the well wishes and for following this rollercoaster with me!

Some improvement last night and this morning, she spent much of yesterday puffed up but at the moment seems more herself. She managed to stand normally for a second, on both back legs, before falling off to one side with a cry. The swelling on the joint is down just a touch, barely noticeable, and there are some very sore spots on the leg which still have her crying out when touched.

I phoned Vedra, who pretty much said there is nothing more I can do. Can't up the Rimadyl dose beyond 10mg 2x daily, because we would risk liver/kidney problems.

To be crystal clear, this is the updated version of what treatments we're doing, categorised so it can be easier followed!

Heart Meds to treat CHF
- Lotensin, 1mg 2x daily, ongoing;
- Vetmedin, 0.3mg 2x daily, ongoing;
- Lasix, 5mg 1x daily (dosage variable depending on condition).

Painkiller/supplements to help Joint problem
- Rimadyl, 10mg 2x daily, ongoing basis;
- Vitapet RA Joint Formula, 0.2ml 1x daily, ongoing;
- Cystease, 125mg 1x daily, ongoing;
- Vitamin C, 100mg 1x daily, ongoing;
- Hydrocortisone 1% cream, applied 3x daily, ongoing.

Physical therapies to help circulation/joint problem
- Massage pad for 20 minutes, 2-3x daily;
- Hydrotherapy for 5 minutes, 2x daily;
- Physiotherapy for 5 minutes, 4x daily.

Quite a long list, in reality it goes very smoothly and is less than it looks in writing, especially with having supplements mixed in alongside medications.

I get that I'm doing pretty much everything there is to do, I just hope we can get her back on her feet.
Click to expand...
I reall hope so too Laura.......

Just thinking aloud here about possibilities..

..is it only recently she was started on vet med? Could she be having a reaction to that or another recently introduced med....(work back a week from first symptoms in her leg)

Secondly Lasix really should be given twice a day if it is to have any real effect as it only works for 6 hours (hence it;s name la....six)....so you might want to halve the dose but give twice daily - it may help the inflammation in the leg - especially if there is also contributory oedema fron the heart condition.

Thirdly, is she on any anitbiotic? Maybe worth considering a couple of injections of long-acting oxytetracycline to eliminate possible infection in the joint.....better penetrating power and less gut problems than oral baytril or septrin.....

Fourthly - what about switching from rimadyl to metacam for a bit to see how she gets on. Although metcam is normally given once daily I found for chronic pain (kidney stones in Fleure's case) it was better giving half the dose twice daily. Rimadyl is metabolised faster than metacam....in 8 hours instead of 24 hours.....pain management/inlfammation might therefore be better over 24 hours on metacam...

Finally how long has she been on lasix - more than 4 months? For info - I have just found a paper in a Canadian journal reporting a side effect of erythematous painful skin condition in a dog on long term lasix. ..i.e. skin not joints........but which disappeared when lasix was withdrawn and substituted with another diuretic.......

Can't offer any more suggestions I'm afraid. Completely understand how worried and frustrated you must feel...and I will carry on trawling the literature.....

x
 
Hi Laura

Whilst reading your posts about your journey with Gwendoline and the nerd you used to treat her I have come to your last post and just want to say how very sorry I am that Gwen has passed. She was a very lucky piggy to have a mum that loved her so much and did absolutely everything possible to give her not only the best life but the best quality of life.
Bless you Laura and run free at Rainbow Bridge little Gwen x
 
Laura - I am so sad to hear this and just want to make a few things clear to anyone following this thread

You have done everything you could for Gwennie...and so have the people you have referred to for advice and treatment.

Your treatment of Gwennie and her problems has really pushed the boundaries of piggie care/knowledge to a new level.... After all, 3 years ago it was generally accepted that piggies did not suffer heart problems ...or lymphoma...and many vets still believe that.

It is testament to
a) dedicated piggie lovers such as yourself,
b) the open-mindedness of the people who you have referred to in order to treat your piggies (and their own knowledge -from experience rather than from a university course) and finally
c) the internet vehicles such as guinea lynx and this forum that enable us to swap info..

... that means we are now where we are in terms of guinea pig health......i.e. far more advanced

You have given her the very best of care...and so has everyone else you have consulted.....and as a result Gwennie has enjoyed many more happy and much loved piggie years that most pigs would be afforded in similar cirumstances.

Sadly, heart disease will take everypig who suffers from it in the end...I am pleased to hear she went so very peacefully.....and surrounded by so much love

x
 
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