• 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

Floppy guinea pig

Status
Not open for further replies.
video of my poorly girl

=http://s1248.photobucket.com/albums/hh499/pippinskyblue/?action=view&current=lolabrownie029-1.mp4]
th_lolabrownie029-1.jpg
[/URL]
 
Unable to watch it, but she does look really poorly, I have tears in my eyes here, Please cuddle her for me, she needs that right now. Poor Poor Brownie.
 
sharonS said:
Unable to watch it, but she does look really poorly, I have tears in my eyes here, Please cuddle her for me, she needs that right now. Poor Poor Brownie.
Click to expand...


Do you know why you cant watch it? Did you copy and paste the link above the photos - that should take you to it on photobucket I really would like as many people as possible to view it and would like some honest opinions. try copy and pasting this into your web browser http://s1248.photobucket.com/albums/hh499/pippinskyblue/?action=view&current=lolabrownie029-1.mp4]
 
oh heck ive watched it, its so hard to say, i certainly dont think she has given up yet do you?

She is so pretty
 
doglovinpiggylover said:
oh heck ive watched it, its so hard to say, i certainly dont think she has given up yet do you?

She is so pretty
Click to expand...

Thank you she is a very pretty girl..... I just dont know what to think, I just wish she would get up and move! She hasnt given up I'm sure, but she cant stay like that for the rest of her days...... Her little feet are constantly cold, ive wrapped her up and her feet are still cold.
 
one thing i would say, if she does make it through today/tonight i would try to get her into the vets asap tomorrow and not wait until Tuesday?

Just a thought x

You havent got a snugglesafe heatpad you could put her on to keep her warm have you? or maybe a hot water bottle wrapped in a towel?
 
What's she like when she's on her other side? (I don't know if the video showed it, but I'm at work and it decided to stop playing!)

To me, it certainly looks neurological. It looks too extreme to be ear related to me, as she doesn't seem to be using her legs properly?

I don't know if anyone has suggested it, but living in Warwickshire, you're less than an hour away from a highly recommended guinea pig vet in Northampton http://www.catandrabbit.co.uk/

I appreciate you want to give her a chance, but like you say, she hasn't improved on the antibiotics, so IMO the best chance you can give her is to book her in to see Simon on Monday and see if anything can be done.

In the meantime, keep her warm, keep getting food into her if she's not eating for herself, keep her hydrated. If she will tolerate being on her other side, it might be a good idea to switch sides every now and again.

I cannot stress enough how much she should see a vet again, ASAP really.
 
Oh my god I am so sorry to hear she is not doing well. Maybe the critical care will perk her up and give her some nutrients. What an awful situation for you to be in.
 
oh no! just catching up on this thread! poor Brownie! Really hope she keeps that fighting spirit up and pulls through whatever this is. Best wheeky wishes.
 
Hi,

What an awful situation for you x

In your position if I could I would go to Simon - lots of people on here have been helped by him. At least as an expert he might be able to give you a definitive answer?

If not at least go to your vet tomorrow. Even if she is still eating I can't think she understands what has happened to her. I think the fact that she can't seem to lay on her other side would suggest it is a neurologcial problem. of course this is just my take on the situation. I hope it is an infection and perhaps a different anti biotic would work?

Nothing worse with pets when they are ill and you don't know what is going on. I do really feel for you.

thinking of you

x
 
Last edited:
Amanda1801 said:
What's she like when she's on her other side? (I don't know if the video showed it, but I'm at work and it decided to stop playing!)

To me, it certainly looks neurological. It looks too extreme to be ear related to me, as she doesn't seem to be using her legs properly?

I don't know if anyone has suggested it, but living in Warwickshire, you're less than an hour away from a highly recommended guinea pig vet in Northampton http://www.catandrabbit.co.uk/

I appreciate you want to give her a chance, but like you say, she hasn't improved on the antibiotics, so IMO the best chance you can give her is to book her in to see Simon on Monday and see if anything can be done.

In the meantime, keep her warm, keep getting food into her if she's not eating for herself, keep her hydrated. If she will tolerate being on her other side, it might be a good idea to switch sides every now and again.

I cannot stress enough how much she should see a vet again, ASAP really.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately she wont lay on her other side, if i put her on it she struggles to flip herself over. Also I dont drive so getting her to Northampton is impossible. I am trying to keep her warm, but she wriggles out of the blankets i wrap her in. I'm sure have a small hot water bottle somewhere, I'm going to look for it in a minute. I will get her in to the vet asap. Shes no worse than when she was last seen by the vet now, she wasnt too good this morning but has perked up, if anything she is slightly better than she was on thursday evening.... but yes she is a very poorly piggy.
 
Oh no I just watched the video. She seems so unwell. :( On one hand she seems to have fight in her though. I wish she could be seen by somebody right now as she seems so unwell.
 
piggyfan said:
Oh no I just watched the video. She seems so unwell. :( On one hand she seems to have fight in her though. I wish she could be seen by somebody right now as she seems so unwell.
Click to expand...

She was slightly worse than this when the vet first saw her, although \i thought this morning she had gone down hill, when I finally coaxed her into eating she perked up..... I'm thinking and fearing the worse now thou as she still not standing, if it is a brain problem she cant stay like this she would have no quality of life......... I'm dreading the outcome
 
I am really sorry to see her like this. Poor little baby. When are you taking her to the vet?
 
piggyfan said:
I am really sorry to see her like this. Poor little baby. When are you taking her to the vet?
Click to expand...

She has an appointment for tuesday but I'm going to try n get her in tomorrow instead, shes enjoying her critical care though and she just eaten some red pepper, carrot and a few pellets, my daughter is giving her a drink now water with added guinea pig vits.....we are doing our best for her
 
awww poor little baby, she does look like she is trying to move her legs, and like you said, she is eating and drinking, maybe try and get her back at vets tomorrow, see if there is anything more they can do for her. She does'nt look in pain but like you said, if she don't start moving she cant live the rest of her life laid down. maybe see what vets suggest.
my heart really does go out to you, its a horrible situation :(:(:(
 
You are doing everything you can for her and this is wonderful but I feel Tuesday is very far away. Is there no way she can be seen today by an emergency vet?
 
Hmmm Sorry she is so poorly. Her legs seem to twitch a lot? is that all the time? She doesn't seem to have much control over them if that makes sense? is that right, so they are strong but not really controlled, other than the lying on that one side?
Could you raise her up slightly on one side by rolling something under the cushion? I don't know if you think being upright hurts her or not? perhaps not all the time if you think it is painful for her, but it might help her stay upright if she is unable to?
Am pretty sure one of my mums pigs had something similar. I "think" she had an abscess and I think it affected her brain (was very close to it and did work it's way out). If I recall correctly the poor piggie did not make it, sorry to say. That said, the abscess did become quite noticeable, so hopefully this is not the case for Brownie. I do know my mum made her piggie comfortable as I suggested (rolled up towel). (Will phone my mum to ask the details as this was a fair while ago)

Poor thing, I hope she makes a turn for the better soon.
 
pippinskyblue said:
She has an appointment for tuesday but I'm going to try n get her in tomorrow instead, shes enjoying her critical care though and she just eaten some red pepper, carrot and a few pellets, my daughter is giving her a drink now water with added guinea pig vits.....we are doing our best for her
Click to expand...

Does your vet have much rodent experience? If not (most don't despite being small animal vets) if you want to give her the best chance, it would really be an idea if you can, to take her to someone with more experience.
 
edited to add, mum says the floppy GP we had didn't have an absess but it had hydroceaphalus (water on the brain). Eventually it began fitting :( I think the one with the absess put up a really good fight tho with anitbiotics etc.

sorry not to be able to be more positive. But when i saw the viedo, having not thought of it before, I nstantly recalled one f my mum's pigs.
 
Oh dear I am sorry, if I lived nearer I would take you to see Simon in Northampton.

It does look like she's had a stroke, there doesn't seem to be much movement going on in her left legs at all. The reason why she is flopping over is that her "good" side legs when she tries to stand are tipping her over all the time :(

I know it sounds cruel, but have you tried to give either of her left legs a little squeeze or tickle at all, or even tried to trim her nails that side? If there is no response then it looks like she's had a stroke. That probably means she's had a bleed in the right side of her brain, as you may know the affected side of the brain then affects the opposite side of the body in strokes.

You said one of her ears was mucky looking? Which side was it? There is a chance she has an abscess maybe in her ear that is causing this, but really you need x-rays done or a CT to determine the cause.

I am so sorry she is going through this, it must be awful for you & your family right now :(
 
piggyfan said:
You are doing everything you can for her and this is wonderful but I feel Tuesday is very far away. Is there no way she can be seen today by an emergency vet?
Click to expand...

I have spoken to my vet today and she has said if shes no worse than she was yesterday and shes eating, drinking and pooping then not to worry too much, if however she stops ating, drinking or pooping then thats a real emergency.... the vet also said I was doing everything I could possibly do for her and they couldnt do anymore for her than I am, the only difference would be that she would be in their care and not mine.
 
jammybaby said:
awww poor little baby, she does look like she is trying to move her legs, and like you said, she is eating and drinking, maybe try and get her back at vets tomorrow, see if there is anything more they can do for her. She does'nt look in pain but like you said, if she don't start moving she cant live the rest of her life laid down. maybe see what vets suggest.
my heart really does go out to you, its a horrible situation :(:(:(
Click to expand...

Shes snugled on a hot water bottle wrapped in a fleece atm, sheshad some more CC and she munching on a bit of yellow pepper now. She can move her fron legs really rapidly, her back ones are a little slower, I have been giving her a bit of physio, moving her back legs for her, just trying to gt her little feet warm. if I put her on her right saide she reallt scrambles to turn herself onto her left!
 
Little Hobbitsis said:
Hmmm Sorry she is so poorly. Her legs seem to twitch a lot? is that all the time? She doesn't seem to have much control over them if that makes sense? is that right, so they are strong but not really controlled, other than the lying on that one side?
Could you raise her up slightly on one side by rolling something under the cushion? I don't know if you think being upright hurts her or not? perhaps not all the time if you think it is painful for her, but it might help her stay upright if she is unable to?
Am pretty sure one of my mums pigs had something similar. I "think" she had an abscess and I think it affected her brain (was very close to it and did work it's way out). If I recall correctly the poor piggie did not make it, sorry to say. That said, the abscess did become quite noticeable, so hopefully this is not the case for Brownie. I do know my mum made her piggie comfortable as I suggested (rolled up towel). (Will phone my mum to ask the details as this was a fair while ago)
.

Poor thing, I hope she makes a turn for the better soon.
Click to expand...

Thank you that would be helpful, Yes I have propped her up with a rolled up blanket after a while she fidgets back down again. Her legs dont twitch all the time, i thinkits probably more when she uncomfortable, I moved her earlier and her little front legs were like she was running they were going so fast.
 
Amanda1801 said:
Does your vet have much rodent experience? If not (most don't despite being small animal vets) if you want to give her the best chance, it would really be an idea if you can, to take her to someone with more experience.
Click to expand...

Hi yes luckily my vets are very good, and have done wonders with my little piggies in the past, so I do have a lot of confidence in them..... They saved 3 of my piggies from poisoning when the girl next door decided to feed them flowers!! I thought I was going to lose them all, but luckily my vet pulled them through.
 
Poppy'sMum said:
Oh dear I am sorry, if I lived nearer I would take you to see Simon in Northampton.

It does look like she's had a stroke, there doesn't seem to be much movement going on in her left legs at all. The reason why she is flopping over is that her "good" side legs when she tries to stand are tipping her over all the time :(

I know it sounds cruel, but have you tried to give either of her left legs a little squeeze or tickle at all, or even tried to trim her nails that side? If there is no response then it looks like she's had a stroke. That probably means she's had a bleed in the right side of her brain, as you may know the affected side of the brain then affects the opposite side of the body in strokes.

You said one of her ears was mucky looking? Which side was it? There is a chance she has an abscess maybe in her ear that is causing this, but really you need x-rays done or a CT to determine the cause.

I am so sorry she is going through this, it must be awful for you & your family right now :(
Click to expand...


She definatley hasnt had a stroke and she does have movemnet in all of her 4 legs, when I put my hands on her feet and push my palm against her feet she pushes back really hard..... It is definately more of a balance thing, i moved her earlier and her little front legs were going so fast it was like she was running. Her backones however a little slower. Its her left side that had the gunky ear, the side she prefers to lay on. I'm pretty sure now its more of a neurological problem.....
 
If your vet is at a lost as to what it is, could he contact Simon Maddox and get his opinion, maybe even show him the video too. She is bright enough in herself and is eating, such a shame to see her like this. Hope your vet visit goes well tomorrow and something can be sorted out for her.
 
pippinskyblue said:
She definatley hasnt had a stroke and she does have movemnet in all of her 4 legs, when I put my hands on her feet and push my palm against her feet she pushes back really hard..... It is definately more of a balance thing, i moved her earlier and her little front legs were going so fast it was like she was running. Her backones however a little slower. Its her left side that had the gunky ear, the side she prefers to lay on. I'm pretty sure now its more of a neurological problem.....
Click to expand...

Ok, it's just that in the video she doesn't appear to be moving her left legs much at all?

You could make up a little sling from fleece & then suspend it slightly so she has her legs on the ground sort of thing, just to support her body weight & it would prevent pressure sores. Something like this but with support around the chest as well:
http://www.handicappedpets.com/index.php/k9-belly-slings-.html
I don't think she prefers to lie on her left side, her lack of strength/ability to stand on all 4 legs is causing her to flop, bless her. I would definitely contact Simon & ask his advice though.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top