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Arthritis signs? How can I tell?

Babble

Babble

Junior Guinea Pig
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Apr 2, 2024
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Hi all, I have 2 sets of girl pairs, one set is alot older than the others. One, Pepper, has slowly becoming more weak over this year, only recently she has been showing signs of weakness and/or minimal movement in hind legs when walking, she's still happy to eat but I'm really not sure what it could be. Some times, as of right now I'm writing this, she shows very limited movement, not wanting to move our of her spot, she'll still take food happily out of my hand, she just seems out of it and not wanting to move her behind that much at all. This generally lasts about 10-15mins maybe less, she'll go back to moving about not perfectly but she willingly and moving those back feet.
Overall, I'm not sure if its a sign of arthritis or muscle wastage (her back legs do feel fairly thin compered to here cage mate), she is on pain meds currently, i truly wonder if its vet worthy or just old age. Sorry if this isn't best written, but any advice is appreciated.
 
Hi, this definitely warrants a vet trip. My older girl has arthritis in her spine and lost a lot of weight until I took her to the vet and she was diagnosed. She now gets a small amount of painkiller twice a day and she’s back to her normal self, running around and pain-free! Your piggy’s current painkiller dose may need adjusting to help her move more freely but only the vet can advise on this.
 
Hi there never apologise on here.
It's lovely that you are concerned I would always recommend a vet visit for any concerns and also a lot of us use Johnsons for Joints liquid for our older guineas it's not a quick fix but over time eases joint discomfort and seems very popular in the guinea pig world 💐
 
Babble said:
Hi all, I have 2 sets of girl pairs, one set is alot older than the others. One, Pepper, has slowly becoming more weak over this year, only recently she has been showing signs of weakness and/or minimal movement in hind legs when walking, she's still happy to eat but I'm really not sure what it could be. Some times, as of right now I'm writing this, she shows very limited movement, not wanting to move our of her spot, she'll still take food happily out of my hand, she just seems out of it and not wanting to move her behind that much at all. This generally lasts about 10-15mins maybe less, she'll go back to moving about not perfectly but she willingly and moving those back feet.
Overall, I'm not sure if its a sign of arthritis or muscle wastage (her back legs do feel fairly thin compered to here cage mate), she is on pain meds currently, i truly wonder if its vet worthy or just old age. Sorry if this isn't best written, but any advice is appreciated.
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Hi

This really needs to be seen by a vet since it requires a hands-on diagnosis. All we can do is guess but we are neither qualified nor legally allowed to replace a vet visit.

We can support you with practical home care advice but if it is arthritis, she will need long term metacam (plus non-prescription joint supplement); pain relief may also be needed depending on what else could be causing the lack of strength at the back.
It is clearly NOT a simple overnight back leg paralysis caused by a sudden drop in calcium, unfortunately.

I am very sorry for the bad news.

Here are our very practical care tips for guinea pigs with mobility issues, including avoiding or minimising the occurrance of secondary complications arising from the lack of mobility and lying/sitting in their own faeces all the time.
Looking After Guinea Pigs With Limited or No Mobility

Wishing you all the best. Please let us know what you are dealing with so we can help you with more targeted advice and care tips.
 
Thank you all! I'll see if we can get a vet visit this coming week to find out what's causing this issue. I do wonder, if arthritis is on the worry list, how the vets would double check? I am sadly on the low side for money these past few months, only a little bit saved in my piggy savings. though my vets are lovely and understand how limited my money can be, often lessening costs etc if the pigs are being too troublesome for a test.
I do hope its something that can be fixed with a slight increase of her painkiller dose, and to hope my vets can figure it out. I shall come back to this thread on any diagnoses we get!
 
Vets can tell when some joints are stiff and/or painful.

I've had older piggies on arthritis care for several years and medication and supplements really improved their quality of life. It's not the worst news you could have.
 
Babble said:
Thank you all! I'll see if we can get a vet visit this coming week to find out what's causing this issue. I do wonder, if arthritis is on the worry list, how the vets would double check? I am sadly on the low side for money these past few months, only a little bit saved in my piggy savings. though my vets are lovely and understand how limited my money can be, often lessening costs etc if the pigs are being too troublesome for a test.
I do hope its something that can be fixed with a slight increase of her painkiller dose, and to hope my vets can figure it out. I shall come back to this thread on any diagnoses we get!
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I sympathise - vet bills are extortionate nowadays. Hope you get to the bottom of what’s going on. Good luck!
 
thewheakybeans said:
I sympathise - vet bills are extortionate nowadays. Hope you get to the bottom of what’s going on. Good luck!
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I agree, vets bills have shot up in price - I was several thousand pounds down by the end of last year. I hope it something that isn't too expensive. Have you looked into getting painkillers on line with a vet prescription. It worked out much, much cheaper for me.
 
Currently, my vets charge about £48 for a check up, and metacam costs the same on a prescription, I can happily afford this, just worried about any other procedure or even medicine they might provide during said appointment. I can always make it work, but again these couple of months I've been very low on money :(
 
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