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Paralysis in hind legs; 8 weeks old

Beryl Ann

Beryl Ann

New Born Pup
Joined
Jun 17, 2021
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Barnsley
Hi; I am new to this forum; I recently bought a baby female gp to join 4 other young females. Introductions went well and were achieved over a few days. Then suddenly at 8 weeks old she lost the use of her back legs; not completely, but she mostly drags them. No evidence of pain; sensitive spots; still eating, drinking pooing etc. Her diet is good quality hay, good brands of gp food and veggies but she is not a great vegetarian eater like the others. I have seen references to calcium deficiency but all in much older gps. Anyone have any ideas of paralysis with no evidence of pain in such a young gp? I have started her on some vitamin drops + extra vit C in her water.
 
Please do have your piggy seen by a vet.
We don’t recommend adding any supplements to drinking water as it can change the taste and discourage them from drinking altogether. If a piggy requires supplements then it is better to directly syringe them to the piggy upon vet advice
 
Hi and welcome

I agree - back leg paralysis can have many different reasons and needs to be seen promptly by a vet.
How Soon Should My Guinea Pig See A Vet? - A Quick Guide

Please do not DIY diagnose and home treat on spec.
Take the time to read our care guide for guinea pigs with mobility issues; it tells you how you can best look after a guinea pig with mobility issue and minimise the risk of medium term secondary health issues.
Please be aware that we are neither qualified or allowed to replace any necessary vet visit. We can support you during any medical treatment with practical tips and moral support.
Looking after guinea pigs with limited or no mobility
 
Hello and welcome to the forum. I hope a vet can find the cause quickly. Keep us posted.
 
Hope you can get to the bottom of what is causing the paralysis. It's a worrying time. My RB piggy Christian had sudden onset paralysis of his back legs too. I was very worried about him.
 
Betsy said:
Hope you can get to the bottom of what is causing the paralysis. It's a worrying time. My RB piggy Christian had sudden onset paralysis of his back legs too. I was very worried about him.
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Thank you, sorry to hear you had a similar experience. Yes it is worrying and totally unexpected as my other young piggies are all well and healthy. What was the outcome for your gp?
 
Hope a trip to the vets finds out what’s wrong with your little piggie and she quickly recovers x
 
hi! i don’t know how long yours has been going on for, but a couple weeks after i got my seocnd piggy she randomly started limping, dragging her right foot and not using it. she let me touch it and it didn’t seem like it hurt but it definitely freaked me out. i put her to bed and then in the morning she was bearing half weight. the next day she was fine. if it has been going on for more than 3 days then i’d say that’s something to raise concern about, but if it’s been less i would suggest to wait it out before you make calls
 
Followed your advice and took gp to hospital veterinary clinic tonight with what I had been led to understand had exotic vet on duty; vet however was delightful. Reassured me on my main concern that gp had no obvious signs of pain; all vital signs OK and bodily functions working well. Alert and not looking unhappy etc.etc.Could feel her feet but not coordinate them or bear her own weight on them. Vet assessed that xrays would possibly not show anything up. Palpated her organs and hips and felt no problems. So 3-5 days of matacam in case there is some discomfort and for me to restrict her movement. 🤷‍♀️ The cause of a similar lower limb paralysis in a gp she had not so long ago remained a mystery to science but gp recovered. Not to give calcium supplements due to her age but vit drops recommended 👌 So it's a case of watch, care for and see what happens. Thank you for your support 💕
 
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