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Senior guinea pig has lost her balance

Update:
Pip has bald patches on her sides from ovarian cysts but she also has a bald patch underneath her in between her front legs. She’s has had a small patch there for a few months but more recently it’s seems to be more noticeable. The vets didn‘t say anything about it when checking Pip over and I completely forgot to flag it up with her. 🤦‍♀️ I thought it could be because she’s in pain or stressed but she’s been on metacam for about 2 weeks now. She is on a very low dose because when she was on metacam a few months ago she had a higher dose and didn’t respond well to it, she stopped eating as much and was very quiet. Once the metacam had stopped she was back to normal, so I’m not sure if I need to speak to the vet again about upping the dosage or just keep an eye on her for now.

She absolutely hates her medicine, whenever she sees the bottle or can smell the medicine, she runs a mile and puts up a fuss when I give her the medicine. Ever since her appointment last Thursday she’s been rather moody and doesn’t seem to trust me as much anymore and is more skittish, which I think could be due to having the medicine and having to be held still and wrapped in a towel to have her ears checked at the vets (she’s HATES her ears being touched). She’s normally very trusting and not skittish but since the meds she’s changed a bit.
 
Sorry to hear that Pip is going through such a difficult time. It is so worrying for us when our piggies are sick. Sending a big virtual hug. xx
 
Free Ranger said:
She does look wobbly but she's also eating well and still appears alert. I would certainly have her checked for ear infection but I had an older boy who was diagnosed with some sort of growth in the brain and he was fine for a few months before he got to the point where we had to pts. He wobbled around but still enjoyed life. In the end though he began to have fits one evening and I took him in.

In the video she wobbled when she stretched up. Make sure her bottles/bowls are low enough that she can reach without too much of a stretch so she doesn't get dehydrated. Apart from that all I can say is good luck. It might not be the end yet just because she's older 💕
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Hello Free Ranger- I’ve seen your posts about the older boy you had who sadly had to be pts. We’ve been searching for answers for our 1 year old PSL (Pumpkin Spice Latte). Two vets later- we’ve done the dewormer just incase (inside piggy only), antibiotics (not sure how much of them she got down because she was still quite squiggly at the time, ear drops, and a round of steroids—all at different times). She had periods of seeming okay, but lately she’s not been doing well. She is always hungry and eats, cant use her water bottle so we syringe her water to ensure she’s getting it, and a lower food bowl. She just sits in the same spot in her cage. Doesn’t move around. When you take her out of her cage she desperately tries to move around but has progressed to what you described—head tilt, relies on leaning against things to walk or we hold her up on one side, falls over if not supported. The vets have said she physically looks good otherwise and it’s either an inner ear issue unresolved that they can’t see or neurological. She’s so young and it breaks my heart! I’m assuming with your boy, despite still eating and appearing happy, you eventually just made the call on quality of life? How quickly did he go downhill before you had to make the decision? Thanks for sharing! Your comments are the first I’ve been able to find that match our piggies symptoms almost exactly. 😞
 
PSL said:
Hello Free Ranger- I’ve seen your posts about the older boy you had who sadly had to be pts. We’ve been searching for answers for our 1 year old PSL (Pumpkin Spice Latte). Two vets later- we’ve done the dewormer just incase (inside piggy only), antibiotics (not sure how much of them she got down because she was still quite squiggly at the time, ear drops, and a round of steroids—all at different times). She had periods of seeming okay, but lately she’s not been doing well. She is always hungry and eats, cant use her water bottle so we syringe her water to ensure she’s getting it, and a lower food bowl. She just sits in the same spot in her cage. Doesn’t move around. When you take her out of her cage she desperately tries to move around but has progressed to what you described—head tilt, relies on leaning against things to walk or we hold her up on one side, falls over if not supported. The vets have said she physically looks good otherwise and it’s either an inner ear issue unresolved that they can’t see or neurological. She’s so young and it breaks my heart! I’m assuming with your boy, despite still eating and appearing happy, you eventually just made the call on quality of life? How quickly did he go downhill before you had to make the decision? Thanks for sharing! Your comments are the first I’ve been able to find that match our piggies symptoms almost exactly. 😞
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Hi PSL and I'm so sorry for the situation you are in.

I had pigs as a child but Casper and Harvey were my first 'grown up' piggies. We got them from rescue and they were about 3 but they didn't know for sure. They were cheerful, bustling lads but we were warned at the time that Harvey (or Hungry Harvey as he quickly became) had health issues. He was blind in one eye from an untreated haypoke and he had a slight head tilt at that time. He had been thoroughly vet checked before they were put up for adoption and what we were told was that they could find no reason for the tilt so it was either something minor to do with his sight loss (like, he's just trying to see all round with one eye) or that it was neurological. If the former it would either stay the same or resolve itself as he got used to having one working eye, but if it got worse it was most likely a growth in the brain and there would be nothing we could do. Now you might see why they had ended up waiting for adoption for a while. They boys had apparently been kept outdoors on concrete which was hosed down to clean them but their feet were in pretty good shape and they certainly had plenty of hair and buckets of character!

Poor Harvey didn't last the year but was happy in himself right till the end. He was always delighted to see more food coming. He was the dominant at first and the boys didn't fight when they got here but as his illness progressed Casper started to assert himself and pick on Harvey so unfortunately they had to be split. By that time the head-tilt was affecting his balance and he was leaning on the smooth correx sides of the cage as he moved around. But his weight was still good, he was still cheerful in himself, and he and Casper used to eat together at the bars and lie near each other. This is actually when we started to 'free range' the pigs as there was not enough room for Casper once we had catered to Harvey's needs so I just took a grid off and let him come in and out as he pleased for exercise. Harvey couldn't walk without leaning on a support.

One thing I couldn't know was whether he had just lost his balance or whether he felt dizzy when he was sitting still. I really hope he didn't because that must be awful to have the whirlies all the time. He didn't seem to be suffering though. I also regret not taking him for a second opinion as deep in my heart I wonder whether it might have been something treatable but maybe they just didn't treat it right... However, these were my first piggies as I said, and I hadn't been to a vet about anything before so I just accepted what was told to me. Harvey seemed fine in himself until one night when I heard a noise and found him in the cage on his side. I assumed he'd fallen and couldn't get up but actually he'd started fitting. I picked him up and put him in my lap until he stopped struggling and then righted him and offered a bit of veg. He seemed more confused than anything but after 5 minutes or so was back to normal... and then he had another one. Even then I was wondering whether this was the end but within the next 20 minutes he had one more and that was when I made the call. The lovely vet examined him very carefully all over and we basically waited for a bit to see if he'd have another - he didn't - but she said that it probably wouldn't be getting any better on it's own and he was pts. So actually, thinking about it, she must have not seen anything wrong with his ears because she did examine them when I'd said he had balance issues. My poor lad - sometimes it's just a bad hand of genes and there's nothing we can do about it 😢

Over here vets don't typically treat piggies for worms as they're not common at all. We don't get steroids routinely either - they're not really recommended for pigs (although tbh I've forgotten why). When ever I've had antibiotics they've always been oral which means the whole system is treated. Sometimes people get a gut problem on the back of oral antibiotics but my pigs have been fine. The thing about eardrops is that they've got to be the right antibiotic and they've got to reach their target which isn't easy with all the fighting and head-shaking! Your girl is very young (Harvey was older and had had a tough life) and I would personally be trying to get in fast to see a vet that knows a bit about pigs and that would prescribe (1) oral antibiotics so I could be sure that any infection was being tackled, and (2) some sort of meloxicam (brand names here are metacam/loxicom) which is a painkiller/anti-inflammatory. If PSL did have a stubborn inner ear infection that is getting worse she can't be comfortable and I'd hope vets that understand that would offer pain relief as a matter of course. Antibiotics usually make a difference in 2 or 3 days if bacterial infection is the problem (although the course prescribed can be for much longer to get rid of all of it). If this makes no difference to her and she's not happy then I would be then be considering whether it's neuro and whether we should pts. Harvey's fits let us know that he was getting worse but as I said he showed no signs of pain or discomfort and looked cheerful apart from being off-balance. Your description of PSL sounds like she's not happy in herself. But Harvey was past 3 - the point at which things can start to go wrong with the piggy body, and his 'growth' might have been growing for some years. PSL is so young - it's heartbreaking. If she does have brain problems there is nothing you can do but I really would be double-checking and then checking again that it couldn't be a treatable infection first.

I don't know if that helps but we'll be thinking of you and praying for her. Let us know how you get on 💕

PS it was definitely antibiotic eardrops was it, and not something to treat ear mites? Because they wouldn't have been antibiotics...
 
Thank you so much for sharing your story. It’s difficult to watch them struggle in any way. I realized after posting to you I really should have posted my own thread, which I did as well. We’ve been to 2 vets so far, the first a specialist with pigs and the second a more general vet. Both experiences have felt like an expensive guessing game, throwing various medications at the situation, with no improvements. If anything, more decline. 😢 Like your Harvey, PSL eats alot and with joy. Drinking water not so much. I have to syringe feed as even a low bowl she’s not interested. She’s always been an indoor pig, so I do feel like the dewormer seemed a stretch but we tried whatever was recommended. Here I’m the US in my area very few vets even see Guinea pigs. It’s sad, really. The ear medicine is actually a gel like substance and like you said, I can’t imagine it is reaching its inner ear where the problem may be. As you stated, I think of her possibly having the whirlies all the time and I sure hope that isn’t the case bc that would be an awful way to exist, but you would think if they did they wouldn’t even show interest in eating so let’s hope that’s not the case. PSL leans to one side and I’ve noticed her eye on that side also looks a little poorly than the other side, and her little paw on that same side also seems to lack strength….which has me seeing why they could think it’s possible neurological all impacting one side. Hopefully they put more research into this health issue and some answers are provided. But I guess for now I’ll see if I can find a 3rd vet even out of town to make one more attempt. It will be so difficult to make the decision to pts if we reach that, especially with her being so young. Thanks again for sharing your story. I’m so very sorry for your experiences and loss of Harvey. Here’s a cute pic of PSL eating wrapped in my child’s sweatshirt (for stability and comfort).
 
Ooh what a beauty 🥰 Hang in there PSL...
Thanks for your sympathies. It's hard when any of them go but when you're thinking "maybe if I'd just..." it's even harder.
It's possible that an ear infection could affect the eye on the same side - even if she's just squinting a bit because everything feels swollen. The paw I don't know though. I can very much appreciate the 'expensive guessing game' as I've had other piggies that have had extensive treatments to try and identify their problem and it's no fun. And your vets in the US are even pricier than over here!
One thing I've done personally when looking around for a vet is phoned rescues near me and asked which vets they use for piggies. Over here it's quite a good tactic, especially if people want their piggy neutered for instance - you know that rescue vet will have had lots of experience. The only other thing to suggest is checking out the Guinea Lynx website to see if any of the vets listed there are near you Guinea Lynx :: GL's Vet List
Good luck x
 
Free Ranger said:
Ooh what a beauty 🥰 Hang in there PSL...
Thanks for your sympathies. It's hard when any of them go but when you're thinking "maybe if I'd just..." it's even harder.
It's possible that an ear infection could affect the eye on the same side - even if she's just squinting a bit because everything feels swollen. The paw I don't know though. I can very much appreciate the 'expensive guessing game' as I've had other piggies that have had extensive treatments to try and identify their problem and it's no fun. And your vets in the US are even pricier than over here!
One thing I've done personally when looking around for a vet is phoned rescues near me and asked which vets they use for piggies. Over here it's quite a good tactic, especially if people want their piggy neutered for instance - you know that rescue vet will have had lots of experience. The only other thing to suggest is checking out the Guinea Lynx website to see if any of the vets listed there are near you Guinea Lynx :: GL's Vet List
Good luck x
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Thank you for your kindness Free Ranger. We made the difficult decision to euthanize PSL today. She continued to get progressively worse and just like your sweet pig, even though she could eat, she wasn’t able to walk and I suspect she was having silent mini seizures. The euthanizing also didn’t go well—the vet only did one injection into the chest. Didn’t even put her to sleep beforehand. I held her while she drifted away. It was awful. Hopefully they made progress researching what we experienced. I’m so sad that Guinea pigs are treated as “less than” by some vets when they should have equal the care and attention.
 
I'm so sorry for your loss of precious PSL, and that you had such an awful experience with the vet 😔
She had an amazing life and would have known how much she was loved.
Sleep tight gorgeous girl 💕🌈
 
So sorry that you had made to make that tough decision.
It was made out of love for PSL

Be gentle with yourself as you grieve now
 
I'm so sorry it didn't work out for you and little PSL... and I'm even more sorry you didn't have a good vet experience. If she couldn't move about at all it sounds like she was just getting worse and you do reach a point where you're thinking, "well what else am I waiting for?" At least she was with someone familiar who she knew loved her. When I've had piggies pts they've always had a whiff of gas before the final injection but they have always been taken away from me for this to happen which would also have made them fret. They know their loving owner so be comforted by that, as she would have been comforted by your presence 💕You did everything you possibly could to make her final days comfortable, and if she could speak she would have thanked you for it. It is so hard when they go. Take care of yourself x
 
PSL said:
Thank you for your kindness Free Ranger. We made the difficult decision to euthanize PSL today. She continued to get progressively worse and just like your sweet pig, even though she could eat, she wasn’t able to walk and I suspect she was having silent mini seizures. The euthanizing also didn’t go well—the vet only did one injection into the chest. Didn’t even put her to sleep beforehand. I held her while she drifted away. It was awful. Hopefully they made progress researching what we experienced. I’m so sad that Guinea pigs are treated as “less than” by some vets when they should have equal the care and attention.
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Sorry for your loss ❤️🌈
 
Just thought I would give an update on Pip as it’s been a while. Pip‘s doing pretty well and not had anymore loss of balance or other problems. She’s still on metacam and will be forever as we aren’t going to be removing her ovarian cysts, the vet has agreed with me that we are just going keep her pain free and comfortable. She utterly HATES her medicine and runs away once she’s finished her veg as she knows I give her medicine after her evening veg. The sides of her tummy are quite bald which is sad because her hair used to be so thick. 😢 I’m weighing her daily and her weight does seem to fluctuate a bit. I feel grateful to have had her another month as it really wasn’t looking good when she lost her balance.🤍

(I really hope I don’t come across insensitive by posting an update after @PSL has spoken about their sweet pig passing, I didn’t want to make another thread to update as I had already updated on here. I apologise if it comes across as rude) xx
 
I quite understand and thanks for letting us know how Pip's getting on. I bet she's appreciating fleece this weather if she's loses patches of her fur. I hear you have snow up there!

What dose of metacam did she end up on and what strength? (0.5 cat or 1.5 dog) I ask because most of mine love it, but when George went on it long term for his arthritis we changed doses a few times - and of course it is weight dependent. 1.4 kilo George always liked metacam and didn't mind 0.4ml of dog strength twice a day but when we tried 0.6ml he went off it. He would take the morning dose but not the evening and that's when he has his 'tidy up' (hair cleaned from his teeth and rear end unbunged!) so we wanted to try and keep things easy for him. He's now on 0.8 ml once per day - in the evening after his teeth are checked - and he pounces on that, so I hope that keeps him comfy through the night at least. I don't know if asking the vet about tweaking Pip's dose might help if you have a review coming up? George has to be reviewed every 3 months. Good luck little Pip 💕
 
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