• Discussions taking place within this forum are intended for the purpose of assisting you in discussing options with your vet. Any other use of advice given here is done so at your risk, is solely your responsibility and not that of this forum or its owner. Before posting it is your responsibility you abide by this Statement

4 Week Old Dragging Rear Legs

Status
Not open for further replies.
J

joo

New Born Pup
Joined
Mar 8, 2017
Messages
5
Reaction score
2
Points
55
Hi I have a four week old male guinea pig who overnight is dragging his back legs. I took him straight to the vets and they said he must have been injured himself however I don't think this is the case. he was prescribed metacam for cats to help reduce any swelling he might have. I have read of other guinea pigs going off their back legs and heard it may be a calcium deficiency. The vet said if he doesn't get any better in 7 days it might be better to PTS but I want to try and help him the best I can. Has anyone had any experience of this in such a young piggy? Thanks
 
@helen105281 @Adelle Tagging in the hope of being able to help.

May I ask do you know much about the baby's background? I don't know what information the other members would require, but it may possibly be helpful if you know when he was weaned, what diet he has been on, if any of his siblings or parents have experienced health issues.

Metacam is good, it is also a pain killer as well as an anti-inflammatory. Please try to give him water little and often if he is struggling to reach his bottle, you can also give small amounts of juicy veg such as pepper or cucumber to quench his thirst. Make sure he is kept dry as he may find it hard to move away from his pee, and may not even feel that he is wet. Do you know if he has feelings in his toes or legs?

The poor little love, I hope it is resolved for him x
 
Critter said:
@helen105281 @Adelle Tagging in the hope of being able to help.

May I ask do you know much about the baby's background? I don't know what information the other members would require, but it may possibly be helpful if you know when he was weaned, what diet he has been on, if any of his siblings or parents have experienced health issues.

Metacam is good, it is also a pain killer as well as an anti-inflammatory. Please try to give him water little and often if he is struggling to reach his bottle, you can also give small amounts of juicy veg such as pepper or cucumber to quench his thirst. Make sure he is kept dry as he may find it hard to move away from his pee, and may not even feel that he is wet. Do you know if he has feelings in his toes or legs?

The poor little love, I hope it is resolved for him x
Click to expand...

Hi thanks for your reply. I rehomed 3 females off a lady who wanted them gone asap, so i took them in not knowing that all three were pregnant. 2 of the females gave birth to 5 pigs each and all where fine, and now have been separated into male and females. The third female gave birth to five babies and four died and so did the mother. The other two females took this little guinea pig under their wing and was nursing it. I feed them fresh hay every day and veggies such as cucumber, pepper and greens and they eat burgess guinea pig pellets. Other than the back leg problem he is very alert and eating and drinking. i have been monitoring him and he is weeing and pooping fine and also as you mentioned i have been cleaning him as he is sitting in his wee. The vet said she could feel that he had reflex but I'm really worried.
 
Thanks for the background information, I hope this helps others to advise you. Good on you for taking them in and for caring for all of those unexpected arrivals. It sounds like you are doing all the right things. It's very sad that one of the Mums and some of the pups didn't make it, I imagine that's very much likely to be a result of how they were kept before finding their way to you.
All I can do now is firmly cross my fingers for the little guy and watch the thread for updates :hug:
 
Definitely monitor him to see how things go.

In some cases it all depends on how much time and money we're willing spend on them. A friend of mine adopted a boar who had injured his back when someone dropped him, and the vet wanted him to be PTS. With lots of time and effort he regained the ability to walk.

I've also seen people use something called a 'roxy roller' which is like a set of wheels for them so they can get around.

If he's pooping and peeing then that's a very positive sign as he can control his muscles!
 
I think it really depends on the reason for the back leg paralysis what the prognosis is. My Ellie had it but unfortunately did not regain the use of her legs and had to be PTS. As he is young though I think as long as he is pooing and peeing and you are stopping him getting urine scald it is ok to keep going for now. The Metacam should kick in if it is an injury. Other options you could ask your vet about are vitamin deficiencies or calcium crash like you have mentioned but he is young for that.
 
Thanks for the help guys, he doesn't seem to have improved at all in 24 hrs i know it will take time and i will do my best for him. I have booked him in to see the vets again in six days and I'm hoping there is going to be an improvement as the vet said the only other option is PTS and i only want to do this as a very last resort. Praying he pulls through.
 
joo said:
Hi I have a four week old male guinea pig who overnight is dragging his back legs. I took him straight to the vets and they said he must have been injured himself however I don't think this is the case. he was prescribed metacam for cats to help reduce any swelling he might have. I have read of other guinea pigs going off their back legs and heard it may be a calcium deficiency. The vet said if he doesn't get any better in 7 days it might be better to PTS but I want to try and help him the best I can. Has anyone had any experience of this in such a young piggy? Thanks
Click to expand...

Hi! Has your vet taken an x-ray to check for any injury to the spine? That is the most common cause for back leg problems in young guinea pigs.

Overnight back leg paralysis due to a sudden slump in calcium happens typically in older guinea pigs and always needs to be checked because there is often another issue that is causing the loss of mobility.
 
Hi, no he hasn't had an X-ray yet but I'm thinking of taking him back as he's not improving. To be honest I don't feel totally happy with the vets but don't know what else to do. Its so upsetting seeing him likes this. One good thing is he does seem very alert and is still very keen to get to the food bowl first.
 
Aww bless him! Good for you for pursuing this and please keep him going whilst he's an eager little thing!
 
Just wanted to let you all to know that Tiny passed away during the night.
 
I am so sorry for your loss, you tried hard to keep him alive & that's all you could do.
Sleep tight little one
Popcorn free over the rainbow bridge.
 
Oh I'm really sorry, that's so sad. You did what you could for him.
Be free at the Bridge sweet Tiny xx
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top