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Broken Leg

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kennethyau

kennethyau

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My little 7 weeks old guinea pig jumped from my hand earlier today and broke her left hind leg.
I took her to the vet and they offered to euthanise her.
I refused and they've referred me to a specialist and she's hopefully going to get it fixed tomorrow.

What would other owners do in this situation?

I personally feel that if they can get a reasonable realignment even if it's not perfect and the bone heals well then she should manage OK.
 
Oh I'm so sorry to hear about your little piggy.

I'm not very experienced in this sort of thing but I think plenty on here know alot more than me so someone should come along soon!

In my opinion I'd have done the same as you! Hope you're OK x
 
Years ago I had a hamster with a broken leg. My then vet said remove everything from his cage and put food and water near his sleeping area so he moves as little as possible, and keep him warm. As they have a fast metabolism it will heal quickly. Sure enough a week later he was fine and went on to live to the ripe old age of 3. This was in the early 70s when they didn't have the sophistication they have nowadays, i sure she will be ok. Get well soon little piggy.
 
I would say you are right to get a second opinion. I've seen a young piggie with a fractured leg do very well. As long as you maintain on pain relief and give the leg a chance to heal(and piggie is comfy/eating etc)then you should hopefully be ok.

Hope all goes well :)
 
Young animals heal very quickly, and small animals in general heal pretty quickly too due to their high metabolic rate - as you said, if they can get a good alignment (which they should be able to do under GA) the piggy should be fine once its healed. They will be able to advise you with regards to care before, during and after too
 
Hopefully, they are going to put some pins in her leg to stabilise things once they've done the Xray. Only complication would be if the break involves the growth plate and/or the bone is in multiple pieces. IN which case i would probably asked them to splint the leg in a reasonable position and give her painkillers. Hopefully, cos she is young the fracture will heal quickly even if the leg is slightly deformed at the end of it, at least it'll be functional to a certain extent.

I guess euthanasia is probably a cheaper option but i personally don't think it's fair without giving the animal a chance.
 
Wingus-dingus said:
Years ago I had a hamster with a broken leg. My then vet said remove everything from his cage and put food and water near his sleeping area so he moves as little as possible, and keep him warm. As they have a fast metabolism it will heal quickly. Sure enough a week later he was fine and went on to live to the ripe old age of 3. This was in the early 70s when they didn't have the sophistication they have nowadays, i sure she will be ok. Get well soon little piggy.
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Just to clarify I wasn't suggesting no treatment, I was saying that the vets can do wonders nowadays and they heal quickly. Sorry if I gave the wrong impression I didn't mean to.
 
i am right along with you, the poor thing is so young it would be unfair to not give her a second chance. I'm glad that you're going to take her to see a specialist, you obviously have her best interest at heart, and for that i commend you. in the mean time, make sure she is getting adequate vitamin c (when my pig roger hurt his leg, the vet reccomended that we suplement it because itll help healing), and try your best to keep things close to her so she doesnt move excessively (gps hide pain well). if you have others it probably wouldnt be a bad idea to seperate so that they dont accidentally hurt her more. good luck with the specialist, and keep us posted!
 
i am right along with you, the poor thing is so young it would be unfair to not give her a second chance. I'm glad that you're going to take her to see a specialist, you obviously have her best interest at heart, and for that i commend you. in the mean time, make sure she is getting adequate vitamin c (when my pig roger hurt his leg, the vet reccomended that we suplement it because itll help healing), and try your best to keep things close to her so she doesnt move excessively (gps hide pain well). if you have others it probably wouldnt be a bad idea to seperate so that they dont accidentally hurt her more. good luck with the specialist, and keep us posted!
 
I had the same thing happen, years ago, it was a fluke accident aswell. I took the piggie to the vets and they suggested very much what Wingus said. Have the piggie in a much smaller enclosure to temporarily limit how far it's moving, keep piggie comfortable and wait. In the end everything was fine, the bone set back pretty quickly well with good alignment and no mobility was affected. I can't remember if the vet put a splint on or not - but no pins were involved.

Hopefully the specialist can give you some good advice and get that leg fixed! Sending healing vibes!
 
one of my boys broke a rear leg last year, had it amputated he was bouncing around in no time you wouldnt know he lost it
 
She's at the vets now. They're keeping her overnight to give her painkillers and antibiotics and going to xray and hopefully operate tomorrow.

She's not been introduced to the other 2 piggies yet as i only got this one last week. Looks like they won't be meeting for some time now.

When i get her back, I think i'll keep her indoors in the large petcarrier i'd bought to transport them around until she is better. As she's only small at the moment, she'll still be able to move around if she wants to.
 
OH heck i'm sorry to hear about your little piggie :{:(
Best of luck, sending healing wheeeeeeks from my girls to your little one xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
I'm so glad you ignored that other vet and went to someone with compassion and knowledge! :)
 
I would definitely see the specialist and get a second opinion... I wouldn't want to euthanise an animal unless there was extreme pain and no real hope for recovery and good quality of life. With a seven week old with a leg fracture, I would absolutely be looking for some kind of treatment instead. As for pain relief, and if they can ensure that the bone is lined up it will probably heal up pretty quickly. Hope she does well and makes a full recovery!
 
Parsnip had her operation this afternoon. Apparently all went well. She's a bit sleepy so they are keeping her overnight. (this is probably the most dangerous bit for her as things can seem ok and suddenly deteriorate post anaesthesia.

Hopefully she'll be home tomorrow night.
 
sorry about parsnip's leg. Poor girl. Cant believe the vet said to pts what an arse! Hope she's well after her op keep up updated. Pigtures too :-) x
 
I've just got parsnip home. She seems to be doing well and running toomuch round her pet carrier. I'm keeping her in there to limit her movement just now.
SHe is due for a check up next friday so will keep * all updated.

I'll take some pictures as well when she is more settled.

This was her before she broke her leg.

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PiggiePal said:
sorry about parsnip's leg. Poor girl. Cant believe the vet said to pts what an arse! Hope she's well after her op keep up updated. Pigtures too :-) x
Click to expand...

I'm not to bothered about the vet's initial comment about euthanasia. I guess most people wouldn't pay to have it fixed (£250+) and the vet was probably suggesting another solution rather than leaving the animal in pain. The vet did refer me on when I said no to euthanasia as she felt the tiny bones needed to be taken care of in expert hands.
 
Here is parsnip with her broken leg. The pins are on the inside so the picture doesn't show it well. She does look a bit worse for wear at the moment if only she'd keep still in her little cage.

227976_839585657061_61010008_44276874_570658_n.jpg
 
Just seen this thread. She looks so beautiful x). I am glad that she has had her op and seems to be no worse for wear.

Hope she continues to do well and lives life to the full with the others.
 
Oh bless her little heart; I hope she recovers quickly and keeps her little butt still so it heals nicely :) x

P.s. She's gorgeous x)
 
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