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Spinal Injury

A

ajramsay

New Born Pup
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My daughters' lil piggy Coco was not moving and in alot of pain yesterday.
We took him to the emergency vet, who advised he has a spinal injury (we are not sure how or when).
She gave him a injection of pain relief and anti inflammatory.
Advised to give him lots of TLC and to bring him back if he is still in a lot of pain.
She also advised that he may become paralyzed and will need to be euthanized if that is the case.
He won't eat or drink (trying to give him water in a syringe and feed him) he is still in a lot of pain. Won't move just lays there.
Can anyone offer me advice?
Shall I keep him away from his brother, who ran over his head just before causing him to squeak.
Heart breaking as he is our very lively piggy.
 
ajramsay said:
My daughters' lil piggy Coco was not moving and in alot of pain yesterday.
We took him to the emergency vet, who advised he has a spinal injury (we are not sure how or when).
She gave him a injection of pain relief and anti inflammatory.
Advised to give him lots of TLC and to bring him back if he is still in a lot of pain.
She also advised that he may become paralyzed and will need to be euthanized if that is the case.
He won't eat or drink (trying to give him water in a syringe and feed him) he is still in a lot of pain. Won't move just lays there.
Can anyone offer me advice?
Shall I keep him away from his brother, who ran over his head just before causing him to squeak.
Heart breaking as he is our very lively piggy.
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Hi and welcome

I am very sorry.

Please separate his very upset and confused companion under the circumstances. Contact the emergency vet again as the painkiller has clearly run out after 24 hours and you haven't got any to give at home. General vets often underestimate how much they can give to a guinea pig.

Please consider letting your boy go if he is in such an amount of pain and put his short- and longer term welfare and quality of life before your own instinctive desire of making good for injury if that is not going to happen. There is sadly not always a happy outcome thanks to your determination. You boy may actually already be dying if the injury has impacted on organs or is too severe. :(

Here is some very helpful practical information for you:
Not Eating, Weight Loss And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre
Emergency, Crisis and Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment
Looking after guinea pigs with limited or no mobility

HUGS
A Practical and Sensitive Guide to Dying, Terminal Illness and Euthanasia in Guinea Pigs
 
Hello and welcome to the forum. I’m so sorry your piggy is so poorly. Did the vets give you pain killer to give at home?
 
weepweeps said:
Hello and welcome to the forum. I’m so sorry your piggy is so poorly. Did the vets give you pain killer to give at home?
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No they didn't. They did say they could repeat pain killers if need.
 
Sometimes piggies can fall from a ramp or try to climb up cage bars and fall. Sometimes, it must be said, people will want to cuddle piggy and when piggy tries to get back to the safety of their cage accidents happen. Pigs who seem content to be carried from room to room will see their home and make a sudden panicky leap. It's not always a family member - sometimes friends of little children who have come round to play. One of my older pigs suddenly lost all movement from the waist down. I'd taken her in for her retirement from a lively home where boys had their friends round to play a lot in the garden so my best guess for my girl was that a previous injury had flared up. However, she had no pain (or indeed any sensation at all).

I'm so sorry Coco is in pain 😢 We get something here called meloxicam (brands are metacam / loxicom... ideally the stronger 1.5 mg/ml product rather than the 0.5 version) which can be given orally at home. Your vet might have been hoping that by reducing any swelling there might be some change for the better. But quality of life is his immediate problem so more pain relief would be my first priority. I think you must be guided by your vet. Sometimes vets think people cannot feel as attached to pigs as they do to cats or dogs - but if you are a piggy-person tell them straight and they will give you the best advice they can. One thing I will say is that I once had a pig who had a pain-killing opioid injection. This was very effective as pain relief but she was totally stoned and didn't eat or drink anything until several hours later when it wore off. She really wasn't herself - she just stood and rocked. So it might be worth just checking that when he "just lays there" it's not because he's stoned on the painkiller. I hope you can get him the help he needs, one way or the other, and I'm so very sorry for the situation you are all in x
 
Please call the vets and discuss further pain relief. If they are in less pain then they may start to improve. I’d not then unfortunately it may be time to help him over the rainbow bridge. But at least you will know you tried. If he’s not eating for himself then start syringe feeding to keep his guts moving. Good luck.
 
ajramsay said:
No they didn't. They did say they could repeat pain killers if need.
Click to expand...

Hi!

Have you been able to contact the vets during your day (and our night)?
Thinking of you and your poorly piggy.
 
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