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Help for 8 year old guinea

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redheadfroki

Hi all,
I'm new here,so I hope I've placed this thread in the right place.:)
We have two lovely guinea pigs. The one in the photo is Oki,nearly 8 Year old,which we found quite amazing.
Recently however she seems to have problems walking,limping a bit and not putting all the weight on the hind leg and she sleeps a lot as well.
We went to the vet,got some cream and injections as well and she definetely perked up and still going strong and most importantly does not seem to be in pain.
We changed the bedding to newspaper shredding and only a thin layer of sawdust to keep her cleaner as she is lying down more often .

Any more suggestions for this maybe ?

Thanks, Frauke
 
Wow thats great she's reached 8! Bless her! You can buy a fleecey material called vetbed. Its meant to be for sick dogs but it works well for pigs instead of the usual bedding like shavings because any wee drains through the bottom and the top stays dry which would be great for your piggy if she isnt moving much. You just put it in the washing machine to clean it :) You can get it from P@H or ebay do it cheaper. Profleece is similar so that would work too. Hope that help!
x
 
Hiya and welcome. I use fleece too but just fleece blankets. Vet bed or profleece is fab! :)

Did the vet say what the problem was? Google calcium deficincy in guinea pigs or search posts on here we have had a couple of pigs here like this and that is what the problem was. :)

8 years is a great age. :)
 
thanks again :)
the vet said it's quite hard to say really what it is..the leg does not seem to be broken ,it might be just age related. We put some Vitamins in the water as well..however not really drinking a lot,but we try to compensate that with cucumbers which they love
 
Just noticed your on the Wirral, I'm in Liverpool there are a few posters in this neck of the woods. :)

Green Pepper is good for vit c they only need 1/8th a a green pepper per day to get their requirements. All my pigs are 1 year and under so I am yet to face this. Mine love cucumber too, I wish they were cheaper though! :)
 
Have you tried her on watered down cranberry juice? Apparently if you buy the tiniest sized bottle and half fill it with unsweetened cranberry juice and fill it up with water, sometimes this will start them drinking and they enjoy it. It also helps their waterworks.

Definately think of a fleece and towel combo for bedding, she needs lots of comfort as she's about 85 in human years!

My beloved hamster Joseph died earlier this year, he was three years old and lost the use of his back legs. It's horrible for an owner to see. My thoughts are with you. Joey never seemed unhappy or in pain, it was just uncomfortable for him. Bless him, I think it was artheritus or something simular. x
 
eldery piggy

welcome to the forums from me and the girls from south oz:)p:)p:)p
hoping you have fun, learn heaps and make lots of friends. could not see any photo, wow 8 years old, we thought we did great when our late rosie lived to 6.
you could perhaps massage her leg as it might be arthritis, some people try swimming therapy.
here is a link from the peter gurney site on old age in piggies and hoping it helps you. good luck and welcome:rose:rose:rose
http://www.oginet.com/pgurney/oldage.htm
we do have a memeber on here maryh who was a good friend of peter gurney's and she is an absolute gemx>>x>>
 
Hi there
Welcome! 8 is a fab age and she is probably suffering from a bit of arthritis. Get some Potters Tabritis tablets and crush one and dissolve in a little water and syringe to her once a day or she may even chew on if you pop it on her back teeth.

If you give a vit C supplement, rather get Oxbow GT tablets as they are formulated for GPs and taste nice too, half a tablet a day should be fine if she needs it.
 
wow ,I'm quite overwhelmed by the warm welcome of you all,thanks so much!

So many advises from you all. Will write a shopping list and pamper my old furry friend as much as I can.
Regarding the Photo, I see it on my profile in the edit my picture section,but I'm not able to add it here to my posts..something with BB code..or maybe the moderators need to accept it first..will read my way through the FAQ 8:)
Until yesterday I had no idea a Guinea forum exist..but I was not looking for one either ,but I'm already enjoying it lots.

Cheers ,Frauke :rose
 
wow what a grand little lady she must be eight years is brillant hope her leg feels better soonxx>>>
 
I agree with Lavender Jade. My piggie had arthritis of the spine and back legs and she lived until 8 but when things got a bit uncomfortable for her I gave her the Potters Tabritis tablets and it helped with stiffness. Also I massaged her legs 2 or 3 times daily and kept her feet covered with hay as her circulation was very poor. I also purchased a vetbed which helped keep her snug and warm. Hope this helps.
 
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