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Leg Injury

RomyAndMichelle

RomyAndMichelle

New Born Pup
Joined
Apr 6, 2021
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Location
Manchester
One of my piggies had her paws up on the side of the playpen wheeking for food as usual, and when she jumped back down one of her paws got stuck in the fence. She obviously panicked and probably yanked it as she tried running away. I grabbed her and got her free but now she's holding her little paw to her chest when she walks 😔

Has anyone experienced anything like this before and seen their piggy recover with no damage? I'm hoping she just hurt it a bit and didn't break anything. There's no vets open until Monday and I'm panicking 😔
 
I’m sorry to hear this.
Reluctance to bear weight suggests she is uncomfortable and may need pain relief.
As you are in the UK, even if your regular vet isn’t open, they all have out of hours cover (but it may be at a different practice). You can call your normal vet surgery and their answer machine will provide details of who covers them out of hours. You can then call them for advice.
 
RomyAndMichelle said:
One of my piggies had her paws up on the side of the playpen wheeking for food as usual, and when she jumped back down one of her paws got stuck in the fence. She obviously panicked and probably yanked it as she tried running away. I grabbed her and got her free but now she's holding her little paw to her chest when she walks 😔

Has anyone experienced anything like this before and seen their piggy recover with no damage? I'm hoping she just hurt it a bit and didn't break anything. There's no vets open until Monday and I'm panicking 😔
Click to expand...

Hi

Is is able to put on weight on her foot a little or not at all? When you gently push against the sole of the foot, is there still a little resistance or not? In the second case, you are dealing with a break.

Please contact a vet, especially if she unable to put weight on her leg. Here in the UK we do have out-of-hours vet and weekend/holiday cover. It is more expensive but available for emergencies.
How to contact a vet out of hours
How Soon Should My Guinea Pig See A Vet? - A Quick Guide

All the best.
 
Piggies&buns said:
I’m sorry to hear this.
Reluctance to bear weight suggests she is uncomfortable and may need pain relief.
As you are in the UK, even if your regular vet isn’t open, they all have out of hours cover (but it may be at a different practice). You can call your normal vet surgery and their answer machine will provide details of who covers them out of hours. You can then call them for advice.
Click to expand...
Thank you. I'm in Ireland. They do have an out of hours vet but it's about 200 eur to get there and back in a taxi and about 150 for the consultation alone. We have just paid 400 this week for the other piggy to have an xray and ultrasound due to blood in her urine so I'm completely broke 😔 not having much luck at the moment. I know I will have to find the money somehow though if she needs it. I'm just having a wallow
 
Wiebke said:
Hi

Is is able to put on weight on her foot a little or not at all? When you gently push against the sole of the foot, is there still a little resistance or not? In the second case, you are dealing with a break.

Please contact a vet, especially if she unable to put weight on her leg. Here in the UK we do have out-of-hours vet and weekend/holiday cover. It is more expensive but available for emergencies.
How to contact a vet out of hours
How Soon Should My Guinea Pig See A Vet? - A Quick Guide

All the best.
Click to expand...
She now seems able to put weight on it a little. She was stood with all 4 paws down while I fed her a moment ago. But then when she walked away she was only putting it down very gingerly and when she stands still she holds it up.

What do you mean by resistance when I press her sole?
 
If she can put weight on it that is a good sign. Resistance is if you press gently on the sole and she can resist it... if you imagine a broken bone she would not be able to press back against your finger. I hope it's just a bruise and she recovers... keep a close eye on her because if she starts to get worse time might be very important x
 
RomyAndMichelle said:
She now seems able to put weight on it a little. She was stood with all 4 paws down while I fed her a moment ago. But then when she walked away she was only putting it down very gingerly and when she stands still she holds it up.

What do you mean by resistance when I press her sole?
Click to expand...

Hi

Please take a deep breath; if she can stand on all four feet, then it is definitely not a break.

Try pushing against the sole of a foot of a healthy piggy; you will find that they will push back/there is a resistance. This won't be there in somebody with a broken bone; they would also not be able to put any weight on the foot at all (your pushing against the sole is in essence putting weight on the foot/leg). It is not totally conclusive but a useful little home test when you judge whether it is a see a vet now at any time of the day or night emergency or not.;)

I would still recommend that you see a vet unless the leg is much improved by tomorrow morning but it is not a middle of the night emergency rush for you. It is like just a twist or a sprain.
 
Thank you everyone for your kind and helpful words! I've been keeping a close eye on her and she's still pottering about, just not putting full weight on that paw. I will see if it's any better in the morning. I've closed them both into their cage now for the night (it's usually open 24/7 with the play pen), to try to stop her running or jumping about too much and allow her to rest it to see if that helps. Fingers crossed
 
RomyAndMichelle said:
Thank you everyone for your kind and helpful words! I've been keeping a close eye on her and she's still pottering about, just not putting full weight on that paw. I will see if it's any better in the morning. I've closed them both into their cage now for the night (it's usually open 24/7 with the play pen), to try to stop her running or jumping about too much and allow her to rest it to see if that helps. Fingers crossed
Click to expand...

This behaviour is corresponding to a minor injury, like a sprain or a joint twist and may last several days or at the worst weeks, if it is aggravated again. However, there won't be any lasting damage.
See a vet during regular weektime opening hours if you have concerns.
 
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