A Suddenly Sad Piggy! :(

[kaz91]

Hi, all thank you all so much for your lovely comments, it really does mean the world

The vet said he was quite tender along his spine and said we could do an xray but she would also be happy to let us go with painkillers and see how he got on. Would never have forgiven myself if there was an issue so plumped for the xray and an opioid injection and so glad I went with my gut. The scan showed spondylitis in his last two vertebrae, arthritis in his left knee and a fracture in the cartilage around his pelvis. Chester has always fancied himself as a gymnast so not surprised but still a shock.

We are home with gabapentin, metacam and paracetamol for the next 14 days, and I will start him on some Johnson's 4joints too.

Possibly one of the better outcomes could have hoped for but in bits, maybe just the 40+ sleepless hours catching up with me, but the guilt of it all is terrible. I have removed any areas he could jump from and spread out food and water for ease of access - is there anything else I should be doing?

K xx

 

[Wiebke]

Hi, all thank you all so much for your lovely comments, it really does mean the world

The vet said he was quite tender along his spine and said we could do an xray but she would also be happy to let us go with painkillers and see how he got on. Would never have forgiven myself if there was an issue so plumped for the xray and an opioid injection and so glad I went with my gut. The scan showed spondylitis in his last two vertebrae, arthritis in his left knee and a fracture in the cartilage around his pelvis. Chester has always fancied himself as a gymnast so not surprised but still a shock.

We are home with gabapentin, metacam and paracetamol for the next 14 days, and I will start him on some Johnson's 4joints too.

Possibly one of the better outcomes could have hoped for but in bits, maybe just the 40+ sleepless hours catching up with me, but the guilt of it all is terrible. I have removed any areas he could jump from and spread out food and water for ease of access - is there anything else I should be doing?

K xx

Hi

Please don't feel guilty for allowing Chester to have the happiest of boar lives but at least now you know what his pain problem is. It was just his bad luck that he likes the high life with a bad back - which you didn't and couldn't know and therefore couldn't prevent.

As owners we can only ever do our best but we are not the Almighty who sees and foresees everything. Even he cannot prevent everything - just look at the state of the world.
Stuff happens. It's not your fault. Just deal with the fallout as best as you can and try not to shoulder the woes of the world as well, just for the sheer sake of it.

Try not to feel instantly bad about everything that is not foreseeable and out of your control and rather concentrate on giving him as normal a life as possible with appropriate enrichment - that is very much within your control and much appreciated by Chester!

He won't be jumping on anything anymore after such a bad landing but he will hopefully feel a bit better again once his break has healed. The painkillers will kick in soon and will hopefully help him to be more himself again. Good that you went with your gut feeling. Nothing wrong with you in that department.

Here is our care guide for piggies with mobility issues which you may find helpful: Looking After Guinea Pigs With Limited or No Mobility

 

[Roselina]

Dear Kaz91
As @Wiebke says don’t feel bad …you have an adventurous piggy that was doing just what he wanted !
You couldn’t have foreseen that. It’s really good that you went with your gut and that your Vet diagnosed the problems
Hopefully as the meds kick in he will get back to usual self altho not the jumping climbing piggy !
I’ve used Johnson’s 4joints ( for dogs) for over a year for my 6 year old boy - he quite happily takes it everyday
( it’s 0.4ml for a piggy over 1kg) I’ve seen a big improvement in his mobility p

 

[CTWC]

Morning I am glad you now know what has been the matter with Chester and that it is something that can be treated and managed