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Advice Needed

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Finlou

Finlou

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Hello everyone.
I have been searching for help and came across this wonderful forum. Hoping that one of you wonderful people may have some helpful advice.

I have two little piggies 5 months old. Three days ago little cherry back leg swelled up. Not weight baring and dragging it behind. I took her immediately to the vets after x rays they confirmed the leg wasn't broken but looked like infection inside a trauma to the joint.
She is on baytril and metacam for 7 to 10 days to see if she gets any better.
She is very small compared to her sister and the vets also suggested she is blind in one eye.
I have been syringe feeding her alongside her eating a little to ensure she has some food with her antibotics.
Cherry is very bright and wants to run about. She is in a small cage so limited movement and not with her sister but next to her.
I guess my question is where do we go from here? The vets have said that after a week if she is no better then to consider amputation or guinea pig heaven.
Why would they amputate a leg if it's not broken? Would a longer dose of antibotics help?
I am totally smitten with this little girl and want the best praying everyday that the swelling will reduce.
Any advice would be great.
Thank you
 
Hi it must be a worrying time and I hope the antibiotics and metacam do work for little Cherry. The only thing I can think of them suggesting amputation is to prevent the infection spreading perhaps? Are your vets cavy savy? Obviously it's up to you to determine (if that really is the right choice and best way to go- perhaps see another vet) if you want the leg removed baring in mind her welfare. However, I've heard of piggies having amputations and living as close to a normal life as possible and also piggies who can't use their back legs at all.
 
Jesse's pigs said:
Hi it must be a worrying time and I hope the antibiotics and metacam do work for little Cherry. The only thing I can think of them suggesting amputation is to prevent the infection spreading perhaps? Are your vets cavy savy? Obviously it's up to you to determine (if that really is the right choice and best way to go- perhaps see another vet) if you want the leg removed baring in mind her welfare. However, I've heard of piggies having amputations and living as close to a normal life as possible and also piggies who can't use their back legs at all.
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Thankyou for your reply.
The vets seem to be OK they have specialists in each animal type. I have used them for years.
They want to avoid any major trauma to her as do I. Just don't understand how the infection got there and why she is so well. It's very hard knowing that I am caring for her knowing that ultimately it may be kinder to euthanase.
 
Would your vet consider a different antibiotic? Baytril tends to be the go to antibiotic as it is the only one licensed for guinea pigs but there are many they could use, my vet uses Zithromax when something stronger is needed.
 
I don't trust vets who think of euthanasia so soon and "only" for a swollen leg or a blind eye. Sorry, but it seems as if the vet is considering your piggie as a nature mistake (underweight, blind, crippled). I am NOT against euthanasia (also for humans), but I wonder if this vet is really a cavy savvy one... What about consulting another vet also in another city?
 
Have you seen any improvement at all since she started the treatment?
Joint infections can be pretty stubborn, and chances are it might respond better to a stronger antibiotic.
I certainly wouldn't consider euthanasia if she is still happy, eating, etc. as there are lots of alternatives to try before that.
 
Thanks for all your advice.
I have booked an appointment with an exotic vet for a second opinion. It's a little way to travel but at least I feel I will be reassured about cherry's future.
Just can't believe how much everything costs
Thanks again will keep you updated x
 
Update

Hi
Cherry went to see exotic vet yesterday they have changed antibotics to a stronger dose but prognosis isn't great.
She has partial sight and seems to have suffered some neurological damage. The infection in the bone might not go on its own and to be told that she could lose the leg and it might come back someone else has made any decision really difficult.
I will have to syringe feed her for the rest of her life if we manage to control/get rid of the infection.
But what should I do....operate on a piggy that has suffered some brain damage or let her drift off to piggy heaven?. It's so difficult she is so bright and mischievous.
 
I would go on syringing her for a certain time, then I would let the nature make its course and if the pig is not in pain I would use money in paonkillers, not in euthanasia. It might happen the same happened to a friend of mine who did not send his (too) little baby cats to the heaven, let the nature do its course, despite the vet's advice, and now the cats are healthy and without the neurologic damages diagnosed (?) but the cat-savvy vet. Also the lady of the rescue where I adopted my piggies had a piggie with a bad URI who was about to die... he was weak and stopped eating. The lady stopped all the treatments and even the food; only water. And the piggie recovered... a sort of a miracle of course. I would just wait... doing what is in my best, letting the piggie running and living his/her life until he is able to live a natural life.
 
its a very difficult decision you are facing here. I could not guess how I would manage the situation. You know your piggy best and I truly believe you will know when their quality of life goes downhill. After having two piggies euthanised as an emergency and having two go naturally I would definitely say better a day too soon than a day too late but then knowing when that day too late is going to arrive is like trying to pick the winning lottery numbers.

I would probably have Cherry home pottering about for a couple of weeks and note any questions down that come to mind. Chances of success with the operation, how losing the back leg will affect her quality of life, probability of the infection coming back elsewhere in the body, prognosis if it does come back elsewhere. Is she actually underweight or just a small piggy? Fully grown pigs can vary widely in weight and I had a very healthy adult pig who died naturally but only ever reached 850g at her prime because she was so small, she wasn't classed as underweight and was otherwise healthy only needing to visit a vet twice in her 5.5 years.
 
Did she manage okay on all four legs when she didn't have an infection?

I had a pig a few years ago who I had euthanised instead of having his leg amputated. He's had a neurological issue about 7 months before and he struggled on his 4 legs so he would have had no chance on 3.

You know your pig best and the decision is always different for each pig. One of my current boys has hurt his back leg. He doesn't need surgery but if he did I would opt for it with him as he's doing okay getting around on 3 at the moment.
 
Lady Kelly said:
its a very difficult decision you are facing here. I could not guess how I would manage the situation. You know your piggy best and I truly believe you will know when their quality of life goes downhill. After having two piggies euthanised as an emergency and having two go naturally I would definitely say better a day too soon than a day too late but then knowing when that day too late is going to arrive is like trying to pick the winning lottery numbers.

I would probably have Cherry home pottering about for a couple of weeks and note any questions down that come to mind. Chances of success with the operation, how losing the back leg will affect her quality of life, probability of the infection coming back elsewhere in the body, prognosis if it does come back elsewhere. Is she actually underweight or just a small piggy? Fully grown pigs can vary widely in weight and I had a very healthy adult pig who died naturally but only ever reached 850g at her prime because she was so small, she wasn't classed as underweight and was otherwise healthy only needing to visit a vet twice in her 5.5 years.
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the first vet I saw made me feel awful saying how small she was and that they would expect a piggy of her age to be double (which her sister is) she weighed 312g on Monday.
the exotic pet said she had good body conditions and was just small but had gained weight she was 327g on the Friday.
 
Jaycey said:
Did she manage okay on all four legs when she didn't have an infection?

I had a pig a few years ago who I had euthanised instead of having his leg amputated. He's had a neurological issue about 7 months before and he struggled on his 4 legs so he would have had no chance on 3.

You know your pig best and the decision is always different for each pig. One of my current boys has hurt his back leg. He doesn't need surgery but if he did I would opt for it with him as he's doing okay getting around on 3 at the moment.
Click to expand...
Jaycey said:
Did she manage okay on all four legs when she didn't have an infection?

I had a pig a few years ago who I had euthanised instead of having his leg amputated. He's had a neurological issue about 7 months before and he struggled on his 4 legs so he would have had no chance on 3.

You know your pig best and the decision is always different for each pig. One of my current boys has hurt his back leg. He doesn't need surgery but if he did I would opt for it with him as he's doing okay getting around on 3 at the moment.
Click to expand...
there had been no prior issue leading up to last Sunday. normal guinea pig running around and interacting well. her eyes remained the same from when I brought her. she mus
 
Hi, I'd just like to say, one of my past piggies had to have a back leg amputated due to an infected wound, and he lived on happily for another year. The vets had tried antibiotics to get rid of the infection, and also draining the swelling, but those didn't work, so the only alternatives were amputation or pts. The vet admitted she had only amputated one rabbit's leg before but she did a really neat job on Badger and he made an excellent recovery. He looked a bit lopsided bouncing around his cage on one back leg, but it didn't really make any other difference to his life. So if you are worried about losing a leg affecting your Cherry's quality of life, I don't think you need to be, so long as you have confidence in the vet doing the op.
 
I can't believe it this morning I got cherry out of her cage to give her breakfast and medicine and the swelling has reduced by half she has also started to use it a little. I almost cried.
I know she has a long way to go but the fact that she is more mobile must be a plus x
 
looks like a false hope. she has developed a swollen toe on the good back leg.
bathed all four legs in saline tonight but can't see any cuts or scabs. Maybe more infection :(
 
any advice?

cherry has started to use her back leg in shirt bursts. Guess still very painful. the swelling has halved and she is very lively. her medication has run out this morning. do I ask for more? will it ever clear completely? do I have to make the decision now? so many things to think about.
her back toe is very swollen on the good foot. I have been bathing it in salt water that also looks so sore. on the plus size her weight is now 342g and when she begun being ill was 312g.
thank you
 
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