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Chipy is acting strange, keeps laying down

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PingandChipy

PingandChipy

Teenage Guinea Pig
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I'm really confused. I went out and fed the pigs and Chipy came out really fast to eat and snatched a brussell sprout and then I put in some of his favorite shredded carrots which he was eating as fast as he could.

But the weird thing is that he keeps laying down and switching sides like he is uncomfortable. I picked up and had a look he didn't mind. Doesn't seem to be in pain. He is 7 years old and I don't know if this is just old age?

He wasn't doing this yesterday. Every chance he gets he lays on his side, not favoring any partcular side and he keeps eating... any ideas?
 
oh and one more thing. He is also biting his back time to time almost like a pinched nerve or something. Any ideas?
 
Good that he keeps eating. Do you think it might be a skin issue? Mites can make them very uncomfortable and chew their back. But I should not really guess - could you pop him to the vet for a check up?
 
I"m pretty sure it's not mites but that is good advice. I don't think the Vet would be able to tell anything at this point. It's a behaviour thing and he hides it when he is scared. But if anything changes I will definitley take him in.

It just seems strange that all of a sudden he wants to lie down and yet he is totally eating and perky. And he can walk/run when he wants to.
 
A joint problem, perhaps? Arthritis or something similar that is painful for him to put his weight on his legs? I would imagine his legs would be sore to touch though too.

Sorry, that's not much help.
 
Jerrybelly said:
A joint problem, perhaps? Arthritis or something similar that is painful for him to put his weight on his legs? I would imagine his legs would be sore to touch though too.

Sorry, that's not much help.
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Hi thanks actually that was what I was just thinking. He is quite wobbly this morning, cranky and when I picked him up he was obviously distressed. Normally he doesn't protest about being held but he definitley did not want to be held today. I'm calling the vets now to make an appt.

Thanks again! Perhaps, he just needs some pain meds?
 
If it is arthritis then he would need painkillers, yes. Usually some anti-inflammatories too. Something like Metacam, I would suspect.

It also sounds a little like scurvy. http://www.guinealynx.info/scurvy.html

He definitely needs to be seen by the vet for a proper diagnosis. It's great that he's eating as normal at the moment, but a piggy in pain can very quickly stop eating (which obviously causes all sorts of other problems then too)

Good luck at the vets, and please keep us updated.
 
oh bless him. He is allowed to get cranky at his age. Hope the vets went OK. xx
 
Jerrybelly said:
If it is arthritis then he would need painkillers, yes. Usually some anti-inflammatories too. Something like Metacam, I would suspect.

It also sounds a little like scurvy. http://www.guinealynx.info/scurvy.html

He definitely needs to be seen by the vet for a proper diagnosis. It's great that he's eating as normal at the moment, but a piggy in pain can very quickly stop eating (which obviously causes all sorts of other problems then too)

Good luck at the vets, and please keep us updated.
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I doubt it would be scurvy only because of the amount of veggies they get everyday. Unless in his old age he isn't absorbing it properly. He eats:
Parsley
kale
carrots
brussel sprouts
Green and red pepper
romaine lettuce
green leaf lettuce
cilantro
brocolli

They get two types of these twice a day.

He is very wobbly but still eating. I just got home from work. His appt isn't until Wednesday unfortuantely.

Thanks and I will keep you all updated for sure.
 
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If he's feeling his age and has aches and pains he could have a mite flare-up as already mentioned, it can happen when they're feeling run down so don't rule that out either even if you don't think that's the problem, it's worth checking. Hope he's feeling a bit better soon, hopefully some painkillers from the vets will help. xx
 
Chipy's Update

I took Chipy to the Vet's today and she wasn't able to find any reason for his pain but has prescribed Metcam to help with the pain and inflammation if it is arthritis. She also took a urine sample as he peed on the scale and it looked slightly red. So we'll see if he has an infection.

He was not in a good mood and acting strangely at the Vets as though he's in pain but was walking normally. All very confusing.

We did find out that his molars have again grown and his tongue is trapped. So a dental surgery will be required once we rule out infection. We don't want him going under anesthetic with an infection.

Good news is that he loves his medicine and wanted more than I was able to give. So it will be easy to administer it thank goodness.

I will update tomorrow when we get the results back from his urine analysis.
 
Poor boy sounds like he's in a lot of pain. I do hope the vet sorts his teeth out a.s.a.p that's not something to be put off. Poor chap. :laluot_29::laluot_29::laluot_29:
 
AndreaJane said:
Poor boy sounds like he's in a lot of pain. I do hope the vet sorts his teeth out a.s.a.p that's not something to be put off. Poor chap. :laluot_29::laluot_29::laluot_29:
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Awe thank you. I know I feel so bad for him and not being able to tell exactly where the pain is coming from. I wish I could take him right now to get his teeth done as I worry he's going to start losing more weight. At least we will get the urine results back today and then hopefully it will be fine and I can go ahead and book his teeth surgery. I hate leaving it. sigh.

He is a really special little pig. He is the one in my avatar. When we were at the vets she got him to walk around the floor so we could see if he was limping, etc. and he looked fine. I called him and he stopped and you could tell he was listening and then he ran super fast to me! Made my heart so happy!

Love this little boy so much!x)
 
piggyfan said:
Aww how cute he ran to you!
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I know! I was so surprised and happy! Usually he's running away when I want to pick him up! LOL. And he didn't do it just once but a few times. The first time I was in shock. I love him so much. I can't believe he is so old now. He is 7 years old and I still remember when I adopted him and he was such a fat happy boy!
 
I started a new thread to get some advice about bladder stones. The Vet suspects Chipy has one. :(
He is booked to get his teeth done tomorrow and when he is under they are taking xrays. There was a lot of blood and crystals in his urine. :(
 
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