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Think my old boy has had a stroke?

Twinkle

Twinkle

Junior Guinea Pig
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Hi all


Haven’t posted (I think) since my boys were gifted to me as babies over 7 years ago.

So I have just one left, the other having died a couple of months ago and us making the tough decision to get off the piggie train and not get any more.

My boy, Bertie, has always been very healthy. Very docile but always happy and healthy even after his best friend died a couple of months ago. He’s old now (7.5 years) but always seemed happy enough until today.

Today he, all of a sudden, can’t seem to move very well. His back end is dragging behind him(he’s not injured) and he only eats food if it’s handed to him. TBH he’s not moving about much at all. He is still drinking his water but not from his bottle, only from a bowl we’ve given him. He does seem quite sad also.

Does it sound like he’s had a stroke? Or something else? I’ve googled and they seem to think strokes in GPs are rare but I thought you guys might have a better input. I am loath to put him through the stress of going to the vet in this heat if there’s nothing they can do for him but at the same time I hate the thought he might be in pain and needs me to make a horrible decision for him. Please help :(
 
Sorry to hear about this.
Your story reminded me of Lara, who dragged her lower half, stopped eating or drinking. I took Lara in from a friend who didn’t want her over 4 years ago so I was never certain of her age. Lara was old, around 6 years of age or older. She died quietly over night a couple of months ago. I wanted her to be with us, so I buried her in the backyard with her favorite blanket, toy, and hay.
 
It's possible, but it's also possible that it's some sort of arthritis flare-up which is affecting him. My old boy has it but not so bad (the vet could feel his 'creaky' knees!) and a combination of daily metacam and a glucosamine supplement (oxbow joint support) has set him right. Other posters have had piggies with varying degrees of immobility, from 'bunny-hopping' back legs to literally dragging about, and manage the condition with pain relief and other things like laser therapy treatments (where piggy had to wear little goggles!)

I think you'll need to see that vet but even though he's an old boy now it's not necessarily his final journey. He might just need a bit of tlc to make him comfortable. What you said about the water bottle would ring true for other arthritis piggies as they can't lift their heads easily because of stiffness and inflammation. He might also struggle to move out of his own wee so keep an eye on the bedding and help him stay clean at the back. If he's an outdoor boy he'll need to be brought in from the approaching heatwave too.

And if he's got a soft surface to lie on in the meantime I'm sure he'll appreciate it - whatever the problem turns out to be. Good luck Bertie x
Zara snoozing in the heat.webp
 
Its a tough call especially if you intend your old boy to pass peacefully at home, but maybe he isnt quite at the end yet and the vet can help make him more comfortable or even improve things further with some pain relief and maybe it is something treatable.
I have had an older lady pig pass from a stroke, she sort of kept tipping forwards like she couldnt feel her front paws, and her face didnt work on one side suddenly. She survived 24 hours but then was pretty far gone, paralysed and barely conscious, having seizures, and I took her to be PTS which I still wonder if it was the right thing or if it would have been better to let her go more slowly but more naturally at home.
A week ago though I thought my old girl Clover was about to pass away, she was sleepy and lethargic and cold and disorientated and uninterested in food and I was sure it was the end... but then she survived the night and went to the emergency vet the next morning and was diagnosed with gut stasis and got treated and is now ok. But who knows how long for when they are elderly?
I think its a good idea to make sure your old boy has enough pain relief, and also digestive support and syringe feeding, even if he is near the end of his life- after this its up to him really...
There are no right answers here, whatever decision you make is yours alone and will be made out of love for your piggy and respect for his comfort and dignity at the end of his life x
 
Hi all

Thanks for all your replies to this.

The vet saw him yesterday and said that he may have had a stroke but thought more likely he had a tumour in his spine. She said that his back end was pretty much paralysed and that there wasn’t anything they could do. She also said that because he’s become incontinent with it, fly strike has become extremely likely if we just left him.

So a couple of hours ago we took him back to see them and he’s now crossed the rainbow bridge. I’m quite upset that they wouldn’t let me stay with him (I’ve never had to put a GP to sleep before so didn’t know the procedure) but I am happy he’s not suffering anymore and is now with his two brothers x
 
I'm very sorry for your loss :( He's at peace now.

Yes, not being allowed to stay with them can be quite destressing but it's because vets use gas to sedate them before giving the final injection so most vets don't let us stay due to health and safety :( When my Ellen was pts in 2020, we had to hand her over in the carpark as we wasn't allowed in to the building at that time due to Covid :(
 
Twinkle said:
Hi all


Haven’t posted (I think) since my boys were gifted to me as babies over 7 years ago.

So I have just one left, the other having died a couple of months ago and us making the tough decision to get off the piggie train and not get any more.

My boy, Bertie, has always been very healthy. Very docile but always happy and healthy even after his best friend died a couple of months ago. He’s old now (7.5 years) but always seemed happy enough until today.

Today he, all of a sudden, can’t seem to move very well. His back end is dragging behind him(he’s not injured) and he only eats food if it’s handed to him. TBH he’s not moving about much at all. He is still drinking his water but not from his bottle, only from a bowl we’ve given him. He does seem quite sad also.

Does it sound like he’s had a stroke? Or something else? I’ve googled and they seem to think strokes in GPs are rare but I thought you guys might have a better input. I am loath to put him through the stress of going to the vet in this heat if there’s nothing they can do for him but at the same time I hate the thought he might be in pain and needs me to make a horrible decision for him. Please help :(
Click to expand...

Hi

Please contact a vet asap in case the problem is heat related (heat stroke rather than real stroke) and you are not losing your piggy to a potentially curable problem.

More information on heat strokes and support care (please step in asap):
Hot Weather Management, Heat Strokes and Fly Strike
All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures
Looking After Guinea Pigs With Limited or No Mobility

Strokes are not all that rare. I've lost a couple of my own piggies to strokes. But dragging both feet is not a typical stroke symptom; strokes are one sided (i.e. they affect only one side of the brain and the opposite side on the body); they are not both sided.
CBS (Calcified Bulla Syndrome) and Neurological Problems - Symptoms and Care (see chapter on strokes)
 
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