• 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

Guinea pig can't move hind legs

B

BarbaraGosp

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
Jun 23, 2018
Messages
9
Reaction score
2
Points
130
So, my guinea pig has been losing a lot of weight. I took her to the vet who determined that her teeth were overgrown and were causing her a lot of pain. He put her under anesthesia and filed her back teeth. That was 4 days ago.I've been syringe feeding her for 8 days now. Yesterday, she finally started to nibble by herself a bit, eating the soft part of the tomato, banana and shredded zucchini and carrot. Then yesterday evening, I noticed she couldn't really use her hind legs. She can somehow move them but cannot really control them, they're in weird positions, and she kinda drags them behind her, usually leaning more to one side. I don't think it's causing her any pain though she does seem confused and scared. I would take her to the vet but they are closed on weekends and monday is a holiday, so i won't be able to see a specialist till tuesday. There is a general vet in the area but i don't really trust them since they don't know much about piggies. Does anyone know what it could be ? Like, any idea? Should I take her to the general vet anyway or should I wait until Tuesday? she couldn't have fallen or hurt herself anywhere, this just happened out of the blue. P.s: she's currently getting these medications:marbocyl, meloxidyl, novasul, prorektal, reglan.
 
@BarbaraGosp Is she pooping and peeing okay? If you really have no faith in the regular vets and you think she is comfortable then I would wait to see the specialist.

But it she deteriorates at all then she'll need to see the emergency vet.

I can't think of any reason for her not using her legs. A guess would be a pain issue, some neurological issues or nerve damage.
 
Has she been getting enough vitamin c in the last few days. I have heard of a few situations like this and when the pigs were supplemented with vitamin c they really improved. It might help in the mean time, but I would suggest making a vet appointment.
Just wondered if her vitamin c levels were down after her not eating well for a few days now. Best of luck
 
Hi and welcome!

This in not a normal reaction.

Please see a vet as an emergency if she continues to deteriorate or see an exotics specialist as soon as you can after the weekend. We may be able to give you recommendations but since we have members and enquiries from all over the world, we need you to please add your country, state/province or UK county to your details. Please click on your username on the top bar, then go to account details and then down to location. This makes it appear with every post you make and allows us to tailor any advice straight away to what is available and relevant where you are. Thank you!
 
Thanks for all the answers. If it gets worse we will go see the regular vet on call, but for now she seems to be eating normally and does not seem to be in pain though she is getting pain meds anywAy. My location is Slovenia
 
BarbaraGosp said:
Thanks for all the answers. If it gets worse we will go see the regular vet on call, but for now she seems to be eating normally and does not seem to be in pain though she is getting pain meds anywAy. My location is Slovenia
Click to expand...

Can you please add your country to your details to help us give you the best advice possible. Our moderators and experienced members are jumping between lots of threads in a day, let alone a week! Medical brands and brand names (not to mention food brands) vary enormously fom country to country. Being able to see which country you are in allows us to adapt any advice to what you need to know straight away. ;)
 
My computer isn't currently working and I don't know how to do it on my phone :(
 
I think she's getting really sick of the food I'm syringe feeding her- genesis guinea pig pellets soaked in water. She is really fighting and I can barely give any to her, but she is really willing to eat shredded vegetables and grass, but she can only eat it very very slowly and I know she isn't getting enough. Should I just force feed her? I am afraid she chokes. She only eats about 5ml before I have to put her back in her cage because she is wiggling so much.
 
BarbaraGosp said:
I think she's getting really sick of the food I'm syringe feeding her- genesis guinea pig pellets soaked in water. She is really fighting and I can barely give any to her, but she is really willing to eat shredded vegetables and grass, but she can only eat it very very slowly and I know she isn't getting enough. Should I just force feed her? I am afraid she chokes. She only eats about 5ml before I have to put her back in her cage because she is wiggling so much.
Click to expand...

If your girl is not willing to eat, then that is an indication that she is either in major pain, that her digesticve system is affected by whatever is causing the loss of mobility or that her teeth are overgrowing from not eating enough abrasive fibre (i.e. hay).

If she refuses to eat, this means that she is losing quality of life. As bad as it makes you feel, please consider letting her go if you are losing the battle and spare her the worst of it as the most loving thing you can do for her. I know only too well what a heart-breaking decision this is.
 
But she is very willing to eat and has been for the past 8 days, it's just that she doesn't want to keep eating the same thing and is only going for fresh veggies and grass. If she was not willing to eat she would probably just not eat anything?
Her teeth have been filed and should be okay, she is also on pain meds so probably not in pain anyway.
I will let her go if the exotic vet says so and it will be horrible, especially because I have another one who has lived with her her whole life and they absolutely adore eachother :(
 
I did have a pig who had similar problems to what you are describing. He was one of my first pigs and I really didn't know much.
The vet who saw him said he thought that Puzzle had had a stroke, or a major problem with his back (like a ruptured disc). That he was shutting down and would be gone by Christmas. Puzzle did not appear to be in pain, so I was sent home with some Critical Care to see what would happen. I had to force feed him the paste, he didn't want to know. Three times a day he would be fed as much as I could get in him, and I would gently flex the back legs to encourage movement of the muscles. For six weeks this went on, then one day instead of fighting me he grabbed the syringe and inhaled the food, then asked for more. From that day on he started to gain weight. He was with me for Christmas :), and the Christmas after that.
Puzzle was lucky, he was an enormous pig to begin with, so although he lost a lot of weight, he didn't run out of reserves and managed to hang on until he was feeling better and wanted to eat again. His appetite returned to normal, but his back legs remained weak.
 
@BarbaraGosp If she wants to eat somethings herself then leave her with plenty to munch on when you're not around.

One of my boars was off his food recently but he did want to eat a little bit. I still got him out and syringe fed him, but I also have him bits of his favourite veg to eat whilst he was out with me. I also gave him different syringe foods. I had two different pellets watered down and a bit of Critical Care too, to try to keep him from getting too bored and fighting me.

You can also try adding in a syringe of baby food every now and then to keep her interested. Look for a food that contains only the veg that she would normally eat. My boy had a carrot and apple one. I only gave him a little bit every now and then so it didn't upset his stomach but it made syringe feeding him a lot easier.
 
So she was at the vet yesterday, they did an ultrasound and blood test, which concluded she had some kidney problems as well as ovarian cysts and a bit of sediment in her bile which was very full. They said there were some abnormalities in kidneys which would show to kidney disfunction but not yet failure. Something else also indicated that it was because of a bacterial infection, but since she was already on antibiotics, they changed them to try a different kind. I am now giving her sumamed, novasul and spasmex. Yesterday after I brought her home (the vet is pretty far and she was there all day to wake up from anesthesia+ the trip) she was extremely exhausted and at one point was just floppy when i picked her up and when in layed her on her hip she just layed there. I then started to slowly feed her through the syringe, she was not responding at first but then slowly began to drink and later became more alert and really eager to eat. I feed her I think around 18ml and then she went to slowly munch on grass as well. But she is still currently very weak, in her front paws as well, i dont think she can crawl and she drops on her face alot, could this be from the anesthesia or are her front paws failing as well?
 
I can’t advise either however what you are doing is really positive in terms of the syringe feeding, it’s good that she had picked up a little, I would continue with the syringe feed as much as possible alongside any pain relief/medications given by the vet. Good luck and let us know how you get on.
 
Sadly, yesterday, as I was feeding her, she just stopped swallowing and went floppy, tried to breathe in but didn't even try to chew anymore, i went to the vet and they did some sort of suction to suck the food out her throat but it was too late. She was very weak in the end, unable to move or crawl, I just feel really guilty she choked to death, I don't understand why she suddenly wouldn't swallow anymore.
The exotic vet said she wasn't eating enough for a few days (a few weeks ago because of her teeth) and went into ketosis and that's why her kidneys were failing now , even after syringe feeding her for 2 weeks. I am extremely devastated, luckily the other piggy isn't showing any changes yet and is as happy as before.
To top it off, a few hours after all this happened, I found my hamster dead in his cage, of old age. A horrible day:bye:
 
Oh no. I'm struggling to understand all this and my heart goes out to you. x
Pls take your time to think and reflect on things you been doing your best with your piggie.
Rip little one no pain now just the beautiful world of Rainbow World.
 
I am so very sorry to hear of your loss.
She would have known it was her time and she couldn't fight any more.
You did such a good job in caring for her - she was a lucky girl.
Now you need to take care of yourself, be gentle and patient and allow yourself to grieve.

Sorry about your hamster too. They may be small and not long lived but they do have a gift for working their way into your heart
 
I'm so sorry for both of your losses. We also lost a pig a few years ago whilst syringe feeding and it is awful.
 
BarbaraGosp said:
Sadly, yesterday, as I was feeding her, she just stopped swallowing and went floppy, tried to breathe in but didn't even try to chew anymore, i went to the vet and they did some sort of suction to suck the food out her throat but it was too late. She was very weak in the end, unable to move or crawl, I just feel really guilty she choked to death, I don't understand why she suddenly wouldn't swallow anymore.
The exotic vet said she wasn't eating enough for a few days (a few weeks ago because of her teeth) and went into ketosis and that's why her kidneys were failing now , even after syringe feeding her for 2 weeks. I am extremely devastated, luckily the other piggy isn't showing any changes yet and is as happy as before.
To top it off, a few hours after all this happened, I found my hamster dead in his cage, of old age. A horrible day:bye:
Click to expand...

HUGS

Am so sorry for your loss. Please do not feel guilty!
If she was very floppy all of a sudden, it means that her heart was in acute failure and she was dying; there is nothing you or any vet could have done at this stage. Please never feed a piggy that is very lethargic and struggles to swallow; it is unlikely to be able to process food anymore anyway. Sadly a small piggy body can take only so much; and she had a number of things going on as well as being on strong meds. :(

Please do not feel bad or guilty; you have fought a valiant battle for her life against the odds and have bought her more time than she would have had with many other owners! She was lucky to find as loving and caring an owner as you are!
Soul searching/feelings of guilt and failure are an integral part of the onset of the grieving process with every caring owner; they are an expression of their strong sense of responsibility. If the end was somewhat unexpected or traumatic, they can be stronger.

You are welcome to post a tribute in our Rainbow Bridge section if at all or whenever it feels right for you and you would like to remember her a bit more formally. We all grieve differently. Some of find it consolation by talking about their emotions, others want to get their own bearings first, some may take months to come to terms with their loss and a fourth group is finding it too distressful to go there at all. Each reaction is equally valid.
 
Thank you all so much for your kind words, they really do help a lot, I really appreciate you taking the time to make me feel a little better. She is in a better place now, it just still doesn't feel real, I still kind of expect to see her when I pass her cage :(
 
BarbaraGosp said:
Thank you all so much for your kind words, they really do help a lot, I really appreciate you taking the time to make me feel a little better. She is in a better place now, it just still doesn't feel real, I still kind of expect to see her when I pass her cage :(
Click to expand...
You will and that feeling is cos you loved her so much.I promise in time it will get better and you enjoy the good times. pls keep on here as we also good for upset piggie slaves. Dave.
 
Last edited:
BarbaraGosp said:
Sadly, yesterday, as I was feeding her, she just stopped swallowing and went floppy, tried to breathe in but didn't even try to chew anymore, i went to the vet and they did some sort of suction to suck the food out her throat but it was too late. She was very weak in the end, unable to move or crawl, I just feel really guilty she choked to death, I don't understand why she suddenly wouldn't swallow anymore.
The exotic vet said she wasn't eating enough for a few days (a few weeks ago because of her teeth) and went into ketosis and that's why her kidneys were failing now , even after syringe feeding her for 2 weeks. I am extremely devastated, luckily the other piggy isn't showing any changes yet and is as happy as before.
To top it off, a few hours after all this happened, I found my hamster dead in his cage, of old age. A horrible day:bye:
Click to expand...
I’m so sorry to hear this, you have no reason to feel guilty you did everything you could. Take care :hug:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top