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Depressed boris?

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KingBoris&HisFollowers

KingBoris&HisFollowers

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hi i need help with Boris.He is showing signs of being depressed and very quiet and dull.He also has white flaky skin and his hair keeps on falling out.I have asked the vet and the vet didnt think much of it.Boris's only excitement is when i give him food that is also his source of water because he won't drink so cucumber has hydrated him for 4 weeks now.The **** is that food,cuddles,playtime with other piggys,hay none of it is making him very happy anymore any ideas?
 
Poor Boris :( Like I said in my your other thread, all you can do really is give him plenty of TLC and cuddles. Hopefully, when the splint is taken off in 2 weeks, the other piggies will accept him again. He is probably like us humans. One summer a couple of years back, my mum broke her knee and was in plaster for 10 weeks or more. Because she was restricted, she became board and sad. Have you tried to give him home made toys like toilet roll tubes stuffed with hay to occupy him? Paper bags filled with hay is also another good idea. I am thinking of you both and Eleanor and Eliza send healing wheeks his way xx
 
Do you take him outdoors at all? I'm wondering if time in the garden - in a run on the grass if possible, or even just on your knee for a bit - might be enough to bring him out of his depression.
 
hi yeah he has the flakes and hair loss on the top of his neck and head that isn't really near his splint so i think it may be fungal. so i don't think there is much i can do i feel like i can't ease any of this for him :(
 
well it has been raining for around a week here and the vet said not to get splint wet e said even damp grass is bad so i haven't been able to take him out:(and he isnt really allowed to walk around not even in a run he is meant to be still i think thats part of the **** he is a basket full of mishaps right now he also has enlarged lumps on the bottom of his feet it looks like photo's i have seen of bumble foot:{
 
The trouble is with the splint itself, and the length of time he's had to be in it. It's no surprise he's got other problems starting to develop now. Bumblefoot is quite probable, as is a fungal infection. Unfortunately, until the splint is off, not much is going to improve. It's movement, interacting, and basically being a guinea pig again that is going to cheer him up and improve his health the most.
 
You could help with the bumblefoot to a degree, but inactivity is part of what has caused it, so there is only so much you can do. In any case, bumblefoot is notoriously difficult to cure, but it can often be managed very well.

Bepanthen will be of use again - hopefully you have kept hold of the tube you had for the sores on his legs a while back!
If you have a shallow dish big enough to sit Boris on, you can fill in with a little bit of saline/salt water, just deep enough to soak his feet for a couple of minutes, then dry them well and apply the Bepanthen. Aim to do this twice a day at least.

Whether it is bumblefoot or a similar problem, if the feet are swollen and have sores or redness on, this routine should at least soothe them and keep them clean. Is it his front or back feet/hocks that are sore?

If you are able to put an order in to Gorgeous Guineas (www.gorgeousguineas.com), they do two creams that could help a lot. Happy Soles is formulated for bumblefoot, and Perfect Paws is ideal for pretty much any foot problems. GG do ship to Australia, it usually takes about a week though. I have used both Bepanthen and both the GG products, and in terms of foot troubles, I do prefer the GG stuff. Bepanthen will be just fine if it is all you have got/can get.
 
hi yes i do have bepanthen from last time i brought a big tube so I'm set.i will do the salt water to ill do anything to help him be a little more comfortable.the front feet have the big red lumps on them and the soles of his back feet have scabs on them i will order the cream from gorgeousguineas its worth it even if it takes a while to arrive. x
 
how much longer does Boris have to be in the splint? Is his back healing OK?

When our Bertie is under the weather, I do try to get him to have some fresh air, which usually helps. We sometimes go on his old pal's grave to talk to him (well, it's me talking to a potted chrysanthemum, really, the neighbours must think I'm bonkers) and we finish with a long cuddle inside his blankie where he'll doze off after a while. Just something you may want to try...
 
he has 2 weeks in his splint then another two weeks of limited movement after that i will try take him outside on my lap it might help lol yes Pepsi and Sprite are buried at a really nice lookout so they can watch the world i thought it was appropriate considering I'm renting and didnt want to leave them behind when i moved i go talk to them too;)
 
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