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Osteocare

E

Esstina2

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
Nov 22, 2014
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Location
Cheshire
Please had anyone used this recently to help piggies with poorly back legs. My Speedy is on metacam for arthritis but has gone worse 2 weeks ago.She has seen vet , they checked her legs, and told me to rest her for a few days continuing with the metacam. She perked up for a week but is now bad again, her back legs aren't working. She is 7 and a half eating and drinking fine so she has the will to live still so I don't want to pts yet. I was not impressed with vets so currently looking into a new one, as I don't feel all lines of investigation were done if any at all really. Thought I'd give this osteocare a go but wanted to check the formula is still safe for guinea pigs?thank you
 
My vet also prescribes Gabapentin for the pain caused by arthritis. You can also give 4Joints 0.4ml per day, this is available from Amazon. I currently have two piggies aged 7 years and 6 years with arthritis and both are doing well on these meds.

Not sure where in Cheshire you are but there is a list of recommended vets on the forum.
 
I have used osteocare in the past and it is safe, however is for the treatment of calcium deficiency. It unfortunately won't do anything for arthritis or the pain that comes with it and will likely contribute to bladder stones instead.

For arthritis, pain medications at a suitable dose alongside glucosamine supplements will be your best bet. Dog metacam can be given at far higher doses than previously thought, the trick is to find a vet willing to prescribe it, some of mine are on 0.6ml 2xs a day, towards the end of his life my Gus was bumped up to 0.95ml 2xs a day. A lit of vets are still giving tiny doses that are just not cutting through the pain. Gabapentin is safe and effective to use alongside as well.

I use the extra strength 4joints supplement as well, and cartrophen injections can also be very helpful for the pain and works extremely quickly. When Gus was started on these injections he was walking more comfortably within hours.
 
YvonneBlue said:
My vet also prescribes Gabapentin for the pain caused by arthritis. You can also give 4Joints 0.4ml per day, this is available from Amazon. I currently have two piggies aged 7 years and 6 years with arthritis and both are doing well on these meds.

Not sure where in Cheshire you are but there is a list of recommended vets on the forum.
Click to expand...
Macclesfield area
 
Esstina2 said:
Macclesfield area
Click to expand...
Is this 4 joints
Eriathwen said:
I have used osteocare in the past and it is safe, however is for the treatment of calcium deficiency. It unfortunately won't do anything for arthritis or the pain that comes with it and will likely contribute to bladder stones instead.

For arthritis, pain medications at a suitable dose alongside glucosamine supplements will be your best bet. Dog metacam can be given at far higher doses than previously thought, the trick is to find a vet willing to prescribe it, some of mine are on 0.6ml 2xs a day, towards the end of his life my Gus was bumped up to 0.95ml 2xs a day. A lit of vets are still giving tiny doses that are just not cutting through the pain. Gabapentin is safe and effective to use alongside as well.

I use the extra strength 4joints supplement as well, and cartrophen injections can also be very helpful for the pain and works extremely quickly. When Gus was started on these injections he was walking more comfortably within hours.
Click to expand...
Speedy has 0.7ml of metacam per day it's the dog one
Eriathwen said:
I have used osteocare in the past and it is safe, however is for the treatment of calcium deficiency. It unfortunately won't do anything for arthritis or the pain that comes with it and will likely contribute to bladder stones instead.

For arthritis, pain medications at a suitable dose alongside glucosamine supplements will be your best bet. Dog metacam can be given at far higher doses than previously thought, the trick is to find a vet willing to prescribe it, some of mine are on 0.6ml 2xs a day, towards the end of his life my Gus was bumped up to 0.95ml 2xs a day. A lit of vets are still giving tiny doses that are just not cutting through the pain. Gabapentin is safe and effective to use alongside as well.

I use the extra strength 4joints supplement as well, and cartrophen injections can also be very helpful for the pain and works extremely quickly. When Gus was started on these injections he was walking more comfortably within hours.
Click to expand...
Speedy has 0.7ml per day of dog metacam.i did ask if I could give a bit more but was told not? Iv ordered some 4 joints coming tomo and il get her to a different vet if there's no change. She doesn't appear to be in any pain, she just isn't very mobile. Still enjoying her veges and hay !
 
I found the Gabapentin helped a lot when the Metacam was no longer providing enough pain relief.
 
Apologies, I got the metacam dose wrong, she takes 0.07 ml of metacam. Does anyone know how much 4 joints I should give. It says above 0.4ml which would be almost half a syringe full! Should it be 0.04 ml equivalent of a mouthful? Thank you
 
0.4ml is the correct dosage for 4joints. In a 1ml syringe this would be almost half a syringe. I must say 0.07ml of Metacam is very low dose and will not really be helping her pain at all.

I have 2 piggies with arthritis and they are on 0.6ml and 0.7ml of Metacam twice daily.
 
YvonneBlue said:
0.4ml is the correct dosage for 4joints. In a 1ml syringe this would be almost half a syringe. I must say 0.07ml of Metacam is very low dose and will not really be helping her pain at all.

I have 2 piggies with arthritis and they are on 0.6ml and 0.7ml of Metacam twice daily.
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The bottle is 15ml , it's supposed to last me 5 months and the dosage is definitely only 0.07 ml. How can vets get it so wrong. They weighed her and told me it's correct for her size. Iv seen 3 different vets too!
 
Perhaps the one I have is stronger maybe. On the box it says 1.5mg/ml oral suspension for dogs. Each ml contains 1.5mg melodically and 5.mg of sodium benzoate
 
Esstina2 said:
Perhaps the one I have is stronger maybe. On the box it says 1.5mg/ml oral suspension for dogs. Each ml contains 1.5mg melodically and 5.mg of sodium benzoate
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Dog metacam at 1.5mg/ml is three times stronger than the licensed cat metacam (0,5mg/ml).
Doses are based on the piggy’s weight and the clinical need (there is a sliding scale based on pain level). It is a small dose though - most of us will have been given bigger doses than you have been prescribed as piggies tend to need higher doses to manage their pain. They also need it twice a day due to their faster metabolism.

I can actually see that you have a previous post from December about this same issue.
 
Piggies&buns said:
Dog metacam at 1.5mg/ml is three times stronger than the licensed cat metacam (0,5mg/ml).
Doses are based on the piggy’s weight and the clinical need (there is a sliding scale based on pain level). It is a small dose though - most of us will have been given bigger doses than you have been prescribed as piggies tend to need higher doses to manage their pain. They also need it twice a day due to their faster metabolism.

I can actually see that you have a previous post from December about this same issue.
Click to expand...
Can I thank everyone for all the help. Iv had a chat at great length with a more cavy savy vet and Speedy has now had her dose of metacam increased to 0.18 ml from 0.07. Also got the 4 joint supplement on the way.
 
Eriathwen said:
I have used osteocare in the past and it is safe, however is for the treatment of calcium deficiency. It unfortunately won't do anything for arthritis or the pain that comes with it and will likely contribute to bladder stones instead.

For arthritis, pain medications at a suitable dose alongside glucosamine supplements will be your best bet. Dog metacam can be given at far higher doses than previously thought, the trick is to find a vet willing to prescribe it, some of mine are on 0.6ml 2xs a day, towards the end of his life my Gus was bumped up to 0.95ml 2xs a day. A lit of vets are still giving tiny doses that are just not cutting through the pain. Gabapentin is safe and effective to use alongside as well.

I use the extra strength 4joints supplement as well, and cartrophen injections can also be very helpful for the pain and works extremely quickly. When Gus was started on these injections he was walking more comfortably within hours.
Click to expand...
The 4joints has arrived. Do I give it neat or water it down? Thanks in advance
 
YvonneBlue said:
My vet also prescribes Gabapentin for the pain caused by arthritis. You can also give 4Joints 0.4ml per day, this is available from Amazon. I currently have two piggies aged 7 years and 6 years with arthritis and both are doing well on these meds.

Not sure where in Cheshire you are but there is a list of recommended vets on the forum.
Click to expand...
Speedy isn't keen on the 4joints! She takes a mouthful but is reluctant to take the rest of the syringe. My question is can the 0.4ml be split so she can have 2 doses of 0.2 per day or does she have to have full dose once a day? Thanks in advance
 
I can't see that it would be a problem to give it her in two doses of 0.2ml. x
 
Esstina2 said:
Please had anyone used this recently to help piggies with poorly back legs. My Speedy is on metacam for arthritis but has gone worse 2 weeks ago.She has seen vet , they checked her legs, and told me to rest her for a few days continuing with the metacam. She perked up for a week but is now bad again, her back legs aren't working. She is 7 and a half eating and drinking fine so she has the will to live still so I don't want to pts yet. I was not impressed with vets so currently looking into a new one, as I don't feel all lines of investigation were done if any at all really. Thought I'd give this osteocare a go but wanted to check the formula is still safe for guinea pigs?thank you
Click to expand...

Hi

Osteocare doesn't work for arthritis; it only works for overnight paralysis of the back legs that is caused by a sudden dip of calcium but that generally reverses itself.

Arthritis will need stronger painkillers as it is a progressive illness. What kind of metacam is you piggy getting and what dosage. metacam comes in two strengths - cat metacam at 0.5 mg/ml and dog metacam at 1.5 mg/ml. Cat metacam is unfortunately licensed for guinea pigs but they need such amounts of it that it is often not viable. Many vets therefore use three times stronger dog metacam.

I think before we go into further medication, we need to know which level of metacam your piggy is on.
 
Wiebke said:
Hi

Osteocare doesn't work for arthritis; it only works for overnight paralysis of the back legs that is caused by a sudden dip of calcium but that generally reverses itself.

Arthritis will need stronger painkillers as it is a progressive illness. What kind of metacam is you piggy getting and what dosage. metacam comes in two strengths - cat metacam at 0.5 mg/ml and dog metacam at 1.5 mg/ml. Cat metacam is unfortunately licensed for guinea pigs but they need such amounts of it that it is often not viable. Many vets therefore use three times stronger dog metacam.

I think before we go into further medication, we need to know which level of metacam your piggy is on.
Click to expand...
Dog one 0.07 ml Speedy was on. Iv been back to vet and asked for a review. They rang yesterday and said I could safely give that dose twice daily. In addition I have 4joints from amazon and have given Speedy 0.4 ml as was recommended on here. It's only been 2 days and there is no change, my little girl still isn't mobile.
 
If the 0.4ml of Metacam twice a day isn't showing any signs of improvement after 2 days then it is likely your girl needs something stronger.
You can have a talk about this with your vets, maybe you will try an increased dosage of Metacam or switch to something stronger.

Fingers crossed your girl starts to feel a bit better soon x
 
Last edited:
Esstina2 said:
Dog one 0.07 ml Speedy was on. Iv been back to vet and asked for a review. They rang yesterday and said I could safely give that dose twice daily. In addition I have 4joints from amazon and have given Speedy 0.4 ml as was recommended on here. It's only been 2 days and there is no change, my little girl still isn't mobile.
Click to expand...

Hi

Please have her seen by a vet. We cannot tell you what is going on sight unseen. Back leg paralysis can have a wide number of causes. Sudden onset calcium drop paralysis is just the best known. We do not recommend home treating on spec.

You can find a (not exhaustive) list of possible causes in this guide, as well as lots of practical care tips and a list of possible complications to look out for in piggies with long term decreased mobility: Looking After Guinea Pigs With Limited or No Mobility

4joints glucosamine takes several weeks to build up in the significant areas around the joints and on the walls of the urinary tract to make a real difference but for the long term it is worth it.

If a significant dosage of dog metacam has not made any difference after two days, then there may be another not pain related cause at the bottom of the back leg paralysis. Normally you start out with a sudden worsening of an existing issue.
 
Wiebke said:
Hi

Please have her seen by a vet. We cannot tell you what is going on sight unseen. Back leg paralysis can have a wide number of causes. Sudden onset calcium drop paralysis is just the best known. We do not recommend home treating on spec.

You can find a (not exhaustive) list of possible causes in this guide, as well as lots of practical care tips and a list of possible complications to look out for in piggies with long term decreased mobility: Looking After Guinea Pigs With Limited or No Mobility

4joints glucosamine takes several weeks to build up in the significant areas around the joints and on the walls of the urinary tract to make a real difference but for the long term it is worth it.

If a significant dosage of dog metacam has not made any difference after two days, then there may be another not pain related cause at the bottom of the back leg paralysis. Normally you start out with a sudden worsening of an existing issue.
Click to expand...
Yes that's what's happened. She saw vet last week as her mobility had worsened but at that time they refused to increase her metacam. They only agreed 2 days ago so I wasn't expecting an improvement that quickly . Il give it a couple of days and if there's no improvement take her back. Thanks
 
Esstina2 said:
Yes that's what's happened. She saw vet last week as her mobility had worsened but at that time they refused to increase her metacam. They only agreed 2 days ago so I wasn't expecting an improvement that quickly . Il give it a couple of days and if there's no improvement take her back. Thanks
Click to expand...
All the best.
Here is our list of member recommend vets: Recommended Guinea Pig Vets
 
Esstina2 said:
Thank you so do I!
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Hi, Speedy is now improving with her mobility after having 4 joints and metacam daily . My question is how long should she be on the 4 joints....do I stop it now she's walking a bit or can she continue to have a dose each day? Thanks in advance x
 
Esstina2 said:
Do I keep giving it her for the long term, or is it not suitable to continue with it once she is walking better, thank you?
Click to expand...
I think you continue with it for the long term, it's a supplement to replace what the body is no longer doing fully. Glad it's working for Speedy 🥰
 
Qualcast&Flymo said:
I think you continue with it for the long term, it's a supplement to replace what the body is no longer doing fully. Glad it's working for Speedy 🥰
Click to expand...
Thank you. Yes it's really helped together with more metacam, it's taken 2 weeks though for her to get moving again. She's now a very happy old piggy and I am a happy mummy xx
 
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