Lifting Front Leg & Hobbling

[sazmatazz]

Hi everyone,

We have noticed Mabel has started occasionally lifting her front right paw & seems to be reluctant to put weight on it when moving. She does put weight on it when static though.
She is a rescue piggy who we think is around 3yrs old, we've had her since August & she's never done this before.

We've had a really good look, no obvious injuries. Also had a feel and a gentle squeeze, no reaction whatsoever to any manouvre-ing or handling. Her range of motion seems normal and there are no problems with her foot pads or nails. We did cut her nails yesterday & thought it might feel weird for her at first, but she is still doing it today.

Could it be a sprain/muscle strain? She does sometimes jump on the roof of their house so I have swapped it out for their taller one which she definitely can't get on top of.
There's nothing she can get her feet stuck in or anything like that. Feeling it I am positive it isn't broken or fractured, she is a very vocal piggy and she *always* lets you know if she isn't happy with being manhandled.

Does she need pain relief? She isn't making any noises at all when walking on it but she looks a bit awkward.
Can giving pain relief cause other problems for piggies or is it just antibio's that affect their digestion etc?

Thank you

 

[piggyfan]

She needs to see a vet as she must be in pain due to the way she is acting. Guinea pigs hide any signs of pain or illness so it is likely to be worse then it seems. Good luck.

 

[sazmatazz]

I think it most likely is a sprain or similar - we'll get her checked out at the vet. Has anyone else experienced this, what do vets usually advise & how long does it take to heal?
Sadly our usual piggy vet passed away a few months ago & the other vet we saw also left the practice. I think there are still a couple of other vets who have good knowledge about piggies however I always really value advice & experiences from the forum.

(I read a few other threads here & elsewhere which seem similar & it seems vets often can't pinpoint what it is & give out antibiotics, surely it isn't infected if there is nothing visibly wrong with it - it seems a bit of a weird response!)

 

[Wiebke]

As she is still putting weight on her foot, it is likely to be sprain. When checking the leg, don't forget that the sprain can be further up in the ellbow or shoulder joint.

It can disappear again within a few days, at most a few weeks, depending on the severity. Your vet is likely to give you some painkiller and an anti-inflammatory if there is swelling.

 

[gertie grotbags]

hi
we had a piggie which did exactly the same,the vet checked her out and said likely a sprain.we were given metacom,and advised to keep her in cage for a week.this was difficult as she was such a livewire!after a week we went back to the vets and said that we had let her have a little run on the 6th day off cage rest and that she appeared to be fine.after 10 days she was back to her old the self again,the metacom made her a little quiet which made her rest the leg.
good luck

 

[sazmatazz]

Hi everyone just an update on this. Mabel went to the vets and the vet agreed it was most likely a sprain or similar. She had metacam for 5-6 days as it is in anti-inflammatory. She's not had any now for a couple of days and she seems to be using her leg fine, I've not seen her lift it either. Hopefully it has healed up ok. The house that she can jump on top of has officially been confiscated!

 

[piggyfan]

It is great to hear she has recovered.

 

[gertie grotbags]

Hi,I'm so pleased that your piggie is walking a bit better,it is worrying when this happens,Metacom is wonderful stuff as it helps them,my little piggie was so relaxed with it she feel asleep in her food bowl! Hopefully the worst is over,I removed a wire hay ball from the cage as I think she may have caught her front leg in that.xx