Sick guinea - dragging leg, soft poops

[Chloe21]

Hope all goes well for your girl at the vets tomorrow! Nine is a great age!

Thanks so much! she is such a little fighter honestly, she's really struggling with her back legs but heard the sound of food and pulled herself up. I really hope they can help her tomorrow, she's bounced back so much and been healthy her whole life so trying to keep the faith that she could recover unlike my other piggies

 

[Piggies&buns]

Thanks so much! she is such a little fighter honestly, she's really struggling with her back legs but heard the sound of food and pulled herself up. I really hope they can help her tomorrow, she's bounced back so much and been healthy her whole life so trying to keep the faith that she could recover unlike my other piggies

Let us know how you get on at the vet

 

[MMasters]

First, you need to handfeed your guinea pigs. Secondly, get Osteocare and give her 1 ml in the morning and 1 ml in the evening for 3 days. Give it orally using a 1ml syring (no needle). Dragging the hind legs can be a sign of paralysis, which is very rare. Peter Gurney found that Osteocare can cure the problem and I've used it successfully on 2 guinea pigs in the last 20 years. Osteocare has calcium, magnesium, zinc, and vitamin D in the proper amounts. Scientific research into hind leg paralysis in guinea pigs is scarce and the cause for this condition is unknown. Osteocare is safe and you want to get the original formula. Hand-feeding will also help get rid of soft poo because a guinea pig with hind leg paralysis might not be eating enough hay. Look for Oxbow Critical Care because it is the top product available. You can also ask the pharmacist if there is a anti-diarhea medicine for dogs and cats containing Attapulgite and pectin, (or similar ingredients). The one I buy is a tablet and I give a guinea pig 1/8 of a tablet twice a day. Finally, since you aren't too happy with your veterinarian, ask a local guinea pig rescue **edited by moderator**to recommend a vet near you. ***edited by moderator***

BUT FIRST GET THE OSTEOCARE!

 

[Chloe21]

Let us know how you get on at the vet

Thank you! I will! Getting her ready to go now, wondering what would be best to take. I'm thinking put her on a towel and take some nugget mush and water because she's drinking now would that be best?

 

[Piggies&buns]

Thank you! I will! Getting her ready to go now, wondering what would be best to take. I'm thinking put her on a towel and take some nugget mush and water because she's drinking now would that be best?

How long is the journey?

Yes put a towel or something absorbent in the bottom of the carrier.
I would definitely put hay in the carrier also. You can certainly take some nugget mash and a water bottle with you

 

[Chloe21]

How long is the journey?

Yes put a towel or something absorbent in the bottom of the carrier.
I would definitely put hay in the carrier also. You can certainly take some nugget mash and a water bottle with you

It's about 15, okay will do! She's very thirsty now but can't walk with her back legs it seems :/

 

[VickiA]

First, you need to handfeed your guinea pigs. Secondly, get Osteocare and give her 1 ml in the morning and 1 ml in the evening for 3 days. Give it orally using a 1ml syring (no needle). Dragging the hind legs can be a sign of paralysis, which is very rare. Peter Gurney found that Osteocare can cure the problem and I've used it successfully on 2 guinea pigs in the last 20 years. Osteocare has calcium, magnesium, zinc, and vitamin D in the proper amounts. Scientific research into hind leg paralysis in guinea pigs is scarce and the cause for this condition is unknown. Osteocare is safe and you want to get the original formula. Hand-feeding will also help get rid of soft poo because a guinea pig with hind leg paralysis might not be eating enough hay. Look for Oxbow Critical Care because it is the top product available. You can also ask the pharmacist if there is a anti-diarhea medicine for dogs and cats containing Attapulgite and pectin, (or similar ingredients). The one I buy is a tablet and I give a guinea pig 1/8 of a tablet twice a day. Finally, since you aren't too happy with your veterinarian, ask a local guinea pig rescue or look up a breeder in the UK guinea pig association to recommend a vet near you. As for the association breeders, these are people who raise purebred to show and they love guinea pigs their guinea pigs as much as you do. They are not unscrupulous backyard breeders!. It is the very rare situation where a breeder does not take good care of guinea pigs and the last occurrence I knew of was many years ago in Australia. Some of the breeders are judges. You can find most of them on Facebook, so if you find one near you, send him or her a FB message or call on your phone. I know some of them personally and most of them have lots of experience with very good knowledge about how to care for sick or injured guinea pigs.

BUT FIRST GET THE OSTEOCARE!

I have commented on another of your posts on another thread.
Please do not use shouty capitals.
This forum is entirely pro rescue and anti intentional breeding and showing. Please do not make recommendations to seek out breeders for any purpose.

 

[Chloe21]

Update!

Have been to the vets and Ginger was given some solution to hydrate her along with some recovery liquid feed and medicine for her tummy that I will give her. Have given her a bum bath to clean up all the messy runny poops and some fresh bedding.

I asked the vet for dietary advice and she said she didn't know all going well what veg should I slowly reintroduce in the future? I read red pepper is okay?

She's a little tired and not as bright as she was earlier but it's been a lot today!

 

[Piggies&buns]

Update!

Have been to the vets and Ginger was given some solution to hydrate her along with some recovery liquid feed and medicine for her tummy that I will give her. Have given her a bum bath to clean up all the messy runny poops and some fresh bedding.

I asked the vet for dietary advice and she said she didn't know all going well what veg should I slowly reintroduce in the future? I read red pepper is okay?

She's a little tired and not as bright as she was earlier but it's been a lot today!

Any indication as to why she wasn’t walking?
Does she appear to be in any pain - I see painkillers were not prescribed.
I assume the medicine for her tummy is a gut stimulant.

Have you been able to weigh her yet today?

When you reintroduce veg you do it slowly and only after poops have normalised and been normal for 24 hours.
It’s best to start with herbs as they are milder on the digestion. Give one or two sprigs of coriander for a few days, then introduce a small amount of something else for a few days; then something else etc before building quantities back to the recommended cup of veg per day.

Safe daily veggies are lettuce, cucumber, coriander and bell pepper.

Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

 

[Chloe21]

She said maybe because of the stomach problems she is uncomfortable and wanting to lie down but she didn't know. She was squeaking a lot when the vet examined her so I would have thought she is in pain but no painkillers prescribed.

Yes it is a gut stimulant, have given her some of it. The vet weighed her and said she's a little under what she would like. I may have to get some scales as mine are broken!

That's very helpful! Thank you so much!

 

[Piggies&buns]

She said maybe because of the stomach problems she is uncomfortable and wanting to lie down but she didn't know. She was squeaking a lot when the vet examined her so I would have thought she is in pain but no painkillers prescribed.

Yes it is a gut stimulant, have given her some of it. The vet weighed her and said she's a little under what she would like. I may have to get some scales as mine are broken!

That's very helpful! Thank you so much!

If she has an uncomfortable gut (bloat?) and it is that which is causing her to not walk, then I am surprised she has not been given any painkillers. Bloat, for example, is incredibly painful and pain meds are always prescribed.
A piggy in pain will not want to eat so it all has a knock on effect.

You definitely need scales. She needs to be weighed weekly as a routine part of care but when a piggy is unwell and being syringe fed weight checks need to be daily otherwise you won’t know you are giving enough syringe feed.

 

[Chloe21]

Yeah good point, the vet didn't say anything at all about it. I might have to give them a call back.

Okay thank you!

 

[Chloe21]

Hello,

Has anyone had a guinea that has had problems with their back legs and they have recovered?

The vet doesn't know what the cause is and she has quite a good appetite and is very thirsty although she cannot walk. She was able to stand before but I don't want to pick her up and put her through anymore discomfort to check.

 

[Chloe21]

Hello all,

I have made a previous thread regarding my poorly guinea pig called Ginger. I got lots of helpful advice.

I have taken her to the vets today as she has not been eating or drinking well and struggling to walk. She has been up and down with the food and drink though as she will now take a lot of water and accepts syringe feeding and is eating hay and some nuggets. She cannot move her back legs though, she reaches and moves her head to get to food but can't move her body properly, she is now bobbing her head which I know isn't a good sign.

Please if anyone has experienced the same or has any advice can you share x

Thank you!

 

[Piggies&buns]

All we can really suggest is for you to contact a vet (out of hours if needs be) if she is getting worse or if you are worried.
As I said earlier, I am surprised no pain medication was prescribed. For her age, there could be any number of causes behind this inability to move and dealing with any potential pain issue, I would have thought and expected, would be one of the first things to do.

I have merged your new post with your original thread. We do ask that members keep to the same thread for the same topic so that all the relevant information is together.

 

[Chloe21]

All we can really suggest is for you to contact a vet (out of hours if needs be) if she is getting worse or if you are worried.
As I said earlier, I am surprised no pain medication was prescribed. For her age, there could be any number of causes behind this inability to move and dealing with any potential pain issue, I would have thought and expected, would be one of the first things to do.

I have merged your new post with your original thread. We do ask that members keep to the same thread for the same topic so that all the relevant information is together.

Yeah I have spoken to the vet that treated her on the phone again and she is giving me some pain relief for her to pick up tomorrow. I cannot take her for another out of hours appointment, I can't afford another £159 for her to tell me the same things, she doesn't even know what food to suggest, she instructed me to ask on forums as I have been doing. I'm doing all I realistically can, I don't have a specialist vet for guinea pigs near me and I don't have 100s of pounds for multiple visits.

Thank you for doing that for me, I apologise I didn't know that was what I had to do, I thought if it was a different symptom I should start a new thread.

Thanks again x

 

[Piggies&buns]

I can fully appreciate the cost of it.
I'm glad you are getting her some pain relief.

All you can do as home care, aside from giving the medications are prescribed, are syringe feeds and daily weight checks. You will have to see if she makes any improvement on pain medication (i don’t suppose you know what dosage it will be - there is a cat version and a dog version of metacam. The cat version being three times weaker. Piggies also need their pain meds twice a day) and take it from there.

 

[Swissgreys]

The pain relief should also have an anti inflammatory effect, so you may find this helps with her mobility.
If she has some kind of injury or inflammation then she has a good chance to improve with the medication.

I agree it is difficult when you are working with a vet who doesn't really have experience with guinea pigs.
I know you said the Forum recommended specialist was about an hour away, but you could also try calling others local vets in your area and asking if any of them have experience with guinea pigs.
The list is not exhaustive, and there may be an experienced vets that is closer to you.

 

[Chloe21]

I can fully appreciate the cost of it.
I'm glad you are getting her some pain relief.

All you can do as home care, aside from giving the medications are prescribed, are syringe feeds and daily weight checks. You will have to see if she makes any improvement on pain medication (i don’t suppose you know what dosage it will be - there is a cat version and a dog version of metacam. The cat version being three times weaker. Piggies also need their pain meds twice a day) and take it from there.

Yeah I'm hoping it will help, she is eating and drinking and for one of my guinea pigs in the past they gave me the cat version so I'm presuming it will be the same?

 

[Chloe21]

The pain relief should also have an anti inflammatory effect, so you may find this helps with her mobility.
If she has some kind of injury or inflammation then she has a good chance to improve with the medication.

I agree it is difficult when you are working with a vet who doesn't really have experience with guinea pigs.
I know you said the Forum recommended specialist was about an hour away, but you could also try calling others local vets in your area and asking if any of them have experience with guinea pigs.
The list is not exhaustive, and there may be an experienced vets that is closer to you.

Hi,

Yeah the vet did mention the anti-inflammatory effect.

I don't drive or have the money for so much travel and appointments unfortunately. Ideally I would love to speak to a vet who knows all things guinea, I can try calling other places. I have the medication and food to give her so will have to see how that goes and get in touch with the vets if anything changes.

 

[Chloe21]

Hi all,

Ginger is still not able to move, I can see she wants to and has an appetite still. With her not being able to eat the poops that they need for nutrients should I be giving her a supplement for that? I'm going to get fleece bedding for her to lie on as she is getting dirty a lot and requires a lot of cleaning. Her poops are not runny anymore though, is there anything else I can be doing?

 

[piggl]

What painkiller is she on and what dosage.

They do not "need" poops but they can be beneficial, did you ever get the fibreplex I think I mentioned earlier. Things like that should help with such, but there is not always a need for supplementing that especially if her stomach is doing better.
Did you manage to get her an appointment at an exotic vet at all?
I have never had any experience with mobility lose and arthritis etc. so I am not sure what else you can do, but hopefully someone else will!

 

[Piggies&buns]

If she is being

Hi all,

Ginger is still not able to move, I can see she wants to and has an appetite still. With her not being able to eat the poops that they need for nutrients should I be giving her a supplement for that? I'm going to get fleece bedding for her to lie on as she is getting dirty a lot and requires a lot of cleaning. Her poops are not runny anymore though, is there anything else I can be doing?

What dosage of pain meds is she on?
On a decent dose of pain meds, if it is a pain issue, then she may start to be able to move again hit given we don’t know the cause we obviously can’t know the prognosis.

No you don’t need to supplement the caecotrophs.

Aside from the daily weight checks and syringe feeding and general daily care, there isn’t much else you can do (other than stay in contact with your vet)

 

[Chloe21]

What painkiller is she on and what dosage.

They do not "need" poops but they can be beneficial, did you ever get the fibreplex I think I mentioned earlier. Things like that should help with such, but there is not always a need for supplementing that especially if her stomach is doing better.
Did you manage to get her an appointment at an exotic vet at all?
I have never had any experience with mobility lose and arthritis etc. so I am not sure what else you can do, but hopefully someone else will!

She is on metacam 0.15 ml, sorry what is the fibreplex? Been looking at so many different things and information, brain overload! I will be contacting my usual vets at lunch time (went to an out of hours one obviously at the weekend). I don't have a specialist guinea pig vets near me, I can't get anywhere far away, the best I can do is ask which vet has the most experience at the one I'm with as I wasn't impressed with the vet from the our of hours surgery who didn't even know what a guinea pig should eat, nor did she mention any of the illnesses she could have like many of the people on this forum seem to know about but a trained vet doesn't. She didn't check her ears or comment on her eyes and nose being crusty.

Thank you for taking the time to reply!

 

[Chloe21]

If she is being

What dosage of pain meds is she on?
On a decent dose of pain meds, if it is a pain issue, then she may start to be able to move again hit given we don’t know the cause we obviously can’t know the prognosis.

No you don’t need to supplement the caecotrophs.

Aside from the daily weight checks and syringe feeding and general daily care, there isn’t much else you can do (other than stay in contact with your vet)

She is on 0.15 ml of metacam, okay thank you!

 

[piggl]

She is on metacam 0.15 ml, sorry what is the fibreplex? Been looking at so many different things and information, brain overload! I will be contacting my usual vets at lunch time (went to an out of hours one obviously at the weekend). I don't have a specialist guinea pig vets near me, I can't get anywhere far away, the best I can do is ask which vet has the most experience at the one I'm with as I wasn't impressed with the vet from the our of hours surgery who didn't even know what a guinea pig should eat, nor did she mention any of the illnesses she could have like many of the people on this forum seem to know about but a trained vet doesn't. She didn't check her ears or comment on her eyes and nose being crusty.

Thank you for taking the time to reply!

Is that dog or cat metacam? As dog metacam is a higher solution, meaning it is stronger, also is that once or twice a day?

Fibreplex is a high fibre medication used to help keep/get guts moving, which you do not really need if your girls stomach is doing better, it was just a suggestion as you were worried about supplementing which as said above is not really needed.

Here is the link to the forums probiotic guide, I do not believe your girl needs anything supplemented unless advised by a vet but it is nice to have a look through - Probiotics, Recovery Foods And Vitamin C: Overview With Product Links

 

[Chloe21]

Is that dog or cat metacam? As dog metacam is a higher solution, meaning it is stronger, also is that once or twice a day?

Fibreplex is a high fibre medication used to help keep/get guts moving, which you do not really need if your girls stomach is doing better, it was just a suggestion as you were worried about supplementing which as said above is not really needed.

Here is the link to the forums probiotic guide, I do not believe your girl needs anything supplemented unless advised by a vet but it is nice to have a look through - Probiotics, Recovery Foods And Vitamin C: Overview With Product Links

It is the cat one and only once a day.

I do have some medication for her gut as well, okay I understand!

Thanks for that, will have a look. I just wish I knew what route to take in regard to helping her being able to move or if it's not possible I don't know, the vet doesn't know.. what am I meant to do :/ in your experience does the pain relief take affect quite quickly? I've not noticed any improvement so far which obviously may be due to other issues going on with her...

 

[piggl]

It is the cat one and only once a day.

I do have some medication for her gut as well, okay I understand!

Thanks for that, will have a look. I just wish I knew what route to take in regard to helping her being able to move or if it's not possible I don't know, the vet doesn't know.. what am I meant to do :/ in your experience does the pain relief take affect quite quickly? I've not noticed any improvement so far which obviously may be due to other issues going on with her...

It is really tough, especially when you can not get to a vet with a more specialist understanding. I wonder if there is any chance you can have an online call with an exotic vet and get a better understanding of what is going on, although they may not be able to add much without a hands on assessment.

Unfortunately that seems like way too little painkillers for her situation, I would think even if that was dog Metacam I would be asking for it twice a day.
I think you should bring this up with your vet, because whatever is affecting her back legs is likely quite painful.
Painkillers kick in quickly, like a human paracetamol, they would kick in between 30 minutes to an 1 hour. And as said above guinea pigs metabolize their medication really quickly around 12 hours, which is why you will see people suggesting you give painkillers twice a day.
I have not had any experience with loss of mobility, so I would not know how this would affect her mobility from experience, but I have read about piggies that get a serious amount of painkillers are able to move around more once they have some pain relief/anti-inflammatory in them.

You are doing great for your girl x

 

[Chloe21]

It is really tough, especially when you can not get to a vet with a more specialist understanding. I wonder if there is any chance you can have an online call with an exotic vet and get a better understanding of what is going on, although they may not be able to add much without a hands on assessment.

Unfortunately that seems like way too little painkillers for her situation, I would think even if that was dog Metacam I would be asking for it twice a day.
I think you should bring this up with your vet, because whatever is affecting her back legs is likely quite painful.
Painkillers kick in quickly, like a human paracetamol, they would kick in between 30 minutes to an 1 hour. And as said above guinea pigs metabolize their medication really quickly around 12 hours, which is why you will see people suggesting you give painkillers twice a day.
I have not had any experience with loss of mobility, so I would not know how this would affect her mobility from experience, but I have read about piggies that get a serious amount of painkillers are able to move around more once they have some pain relief/anti-inflammatory in them.

You are doing great for your girl x

Thanks so much that really helps, I'm very gratefully for the advice. I wish I knew a vets that would definitely be able to help and id gone there first so I could afford anything further :/ Yes I thought it wasn't a lot as well, the vet said she was unsure to prescribe it as it could worsen her stomach but she was happy to prescribe when I called back and asked if I could get some for her. I saw online that it is normally twice a day so I was expecting that to be the case, I will ask my vet about this. Thank you x

 

[Piggies&buns]

Definitely an incredibly low dose and probably won’t help any pain.
If it is going to work, it works within hours.
Metacam won’t worsen her tummy