• Discussions taking place within this forum are intended for the purpose of assisting you in discussing options with your vet. Any other use of advice given here is done so at your risk, is solely your responsibility and not that of this forum or its owner. Before posting it is your responsibility you abide by this Statement

Chubby new piggy is limping?

PigglePuggle

PigglePuggle

Senior Guinea Pig
Joined
Apr 20, 2018
Messages
10,510
Reaction score
40,109
Points
2,175
Location
Liverpool
So now I have my new chubsters moving around the playpen, I noticed that Clover has a limp. It took me a while to watch her and make sure because she waddles anyway, but her back left foot is going out to the side and she's walking just on the heel not the toes.
She doesnt seem in any pain and is happily limping/waddling around learning about hay and playpens, and we have a vet check booked for thursday morning anyway, but is this more urgent than that? Might she have an old injury her previous owner didnt spot because she didnt get exercise time?
As soon as I met these chubby piggies I could see a future of vet bills looming... but I brought them home anyway because I'm a sucker for piggies!
 
PigglePuggle said:
So now I have my new chubsters moving around the playpen, I noticed that Clover has a limp. It took me a while to watch her and make sure because she waddles anyway, but her back left foot is going out to the side and she's walking just on the heel not the toes.
She doesnt seem in any pain and is happily limping/waddling around learning about hay and playpens, and we have a vet check booked for thursday morning anyway, but is this more urgent than that? Might she have an old injury her previous owner didnt spot because she didnt get exercise time?
As soon as I met these chubby piggies I could see a future of vet bills looming... but I brought them home anyway because I'm a sucker for piggies!
Click to expand...

It would be good if you had them vet checked to see what is down to overweight or whether it may be due to an old injury/sprain and weak back muscles due to restricted movement.

My recently adopted Dylan has also been kept for two years in a hamster cage and has ended up with an atrophied back and weak back legs. I am giving him daily roaming to help strengthen them and to build them up over time. He is making noticeable progress.
 
We're booked in at the vets 10am thursday, it was the first double appointment they had to get both piggies a health check. She keeps stretching the leg so maybe it has just been damaged and cramped up by lack of movement and too much weight? The previous owner said she was shy and rarely left the sleeping compartment, which in an 80cm cage is about 15cm wide and not big enough for an adult piggy to lie down :(
She doesnt seem noticeably shy today though these fatties do seem to get tired very quickly and it took them a while to figure out that they are supposed to eat the hay I spread out on the floor if they are hungry!
 
My new fatties Jezebel and Clover just had their vet check. A lovely vet who is good at piggy whispering and persuaded them to let him check their back teeth!
Teeth eyes and ears were fine, nails brittle and overgrown but now clipped, breathing and hearts... ok but what you might expect for fatties who never had any exercise for 2 years. The vet agreed "lots and lots of belly fat!" while feeling those enormous piggy tummy ripples. Definitely fat, not pregnant or bloated. Stay off the pellets and the carrots and eat more hay and get lots of exercise, which is pretty much what we thought.
Poor Clover's leg is an old injury that has healed badly so she cant straighten her leg and her foot is twisted. Probably permanent and she'll always limp and hop but meloxicam might help, as might diet and exercise. The vet is sure she isnt in any pain though, she let him feel the leg and test the range of motion in all the joints without complaining- so I guess I've just got a hoppalong disabled guinea pig... could be worse!
The vet recommended introducing all the piggies straight away so the fatties can get chased around a bit and get in the big C&C cage where they'll have to walk 6ft to get their dinner :)
 
Glad all went well at the vets, they'll soon get that weight down!
 
Claire W said:
Glad all went well at the vets although I’m sorry about the leg injury.

Diet and exercise here we come!
Click to expand...
The fatties are slimming down and Clover is much happier now she has daily metacam and vetfleece soft flooring to walk on in the cage (their previous owner used those hard paper cat litter pellets which cant have been very comfortable, they didnt even have hay on top). She's currently in the hay cube and didnt even get her bum stuck today so she must be getting slimmer!
 
Only just caught up with this thread! How come I missed it?:doh: Pleased to hear that Clover is feeling better. How's Jezabel doing?
 
Jezebel is fantastic, much slimmer, very lively, preferring hay to pellets, and best friends with Piggle (took her a while to get used to Piggle always licking her ears and bum but she's fine with that now). Puggle and Theo like Jezebel too, she talks hapoy piggy chuckles all the time and has stopped running away from the other piggies when they groom and barber her irresistably floofy behind :)
 
PigglePuggle said:
Jezebel is fantastic, much slimmer, very lively, preferring hay to pellets, and best friends with Piggle (took her a while to get used to Piggle always licking her ears and bum but she's fine with that now). Puggle and Theo like Jezebel too, she talks hapoy piggy chuckles all the time and has stopped running away from the other piggies when they groom and barber her irresistably floofy behind :)
Click to expand...
Here's a cheeky Jezebel selfie pic
 

Attachments

  • 20180809_144818.webp
    20180809_144818.webp
    10.9 KB · Views: 6
Thanks, I just hope the fairly happy herd bonds last once we add little boar Theo!
And Clover has the vets again this Thursday to see if the metacam has helped, which it has- do some piggies take metacam long term? I think there will be no fixing her leg without major surgery but she's happy enough hopping and limping along, just much less bad tempered with her medication (no teeth chattering now when the other piggies want to play with her).
 
PigglePuggle said:
My new fatties Jezebel and Clover just had their vet check. A lovely vet who is good at piggy whispering and persuaded them to let him check their back teeth!
Teeth eyes and ears were fine, nails brittle and overgrown but now clipped, breathing and hearts... ok but what you might expect for fatties who never had any exercise for 2 years. The vet agreed "lots and lots of belly fat!" while feeling those enormous piggy tummy ripples. Definitely fat, not pregnant or bloated. Stay off the pellets and the carrots and eat more hay and get lots of exercise, which is pretty much what we thought.
Poor Clover's leg is an old injury that has healed badly so she cant straighten her leg and her foot is twisted. Probably permanent and she'll always limp and hop but meloxicam might help, as might diet and exercise. The vet is sure she isnt in any pain though, she let him feel the leg and test the range of motion in all the joints without complaining- so I guess I've just got a hoppalong disabled guinea pig... could be worse!
The vet recommended introducing all the piggies straight away so the fatties can get chased around a bit and get in the big C&C cage where they'll have to walk 6ft to get their dinner :)
Click to expand...

Ooooh. I like the idea of bonding as a workout class for piggies….I think your vet has got something there. lol
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top