Guinea Pig With Arthritis

[Yi Rui]

Hello all, my guinea pig, Ferrero Rocher is nearing 8 years of age and has shown signs of back leg stiffness since last year around September. He's always been around 850g to 900g his whole life, which seems underweight, but I think its due to him being very active, where he often spends mornings and evenings outside running around on the lawn. He eats a lot of pellets and a range of different veggies and fruits daily, and has access to the freshest hay I can access. I live in Perth, Western Australia, and there aren't many vets that treat guinea pigs near me. However, I have taken him multiple times to receive medications to reduce inflammation, including 0.3ml of Dog Meloxicam and 0.9ml of Gabapentin, which he has received twice daily for a few months now, which has produced great results - from dragging his back legs behind him to being able to walk normally again without showing any signs of pain. Sadly, recently, he has been less active, lying around more during the day, with his legs splayed out. He is eating quite a lot still and loves his pellets! He is not much different from before except that he eats less hay and lays down a bit more. However, when he eats, he sticks out a foot to steady himself or stretches out a bit more, so his belly touches the ground more while eating (which he had not been doing before). I am nervous that the arthritis is developing to where he is losing muscles in even his front legs now and I am unsure with what to do. Alongside his medication, I have also been giving him Oxbow Vitamin C and Joint Support Tablets.

Would anyone be able to recommend any next steps for me please? I have read a few posts on cold laser therapy and electro therapy, but sadly there are very limited treatment options available here in Perth for this, where the two options would cost me over $2000 AUD a year for a fortnightly laser therapy session. I can take him to the vet for medications, but I am not able to afford these therapy sessions unless Rocher would only have to go through only a few for a long-term effect. I am so very scared, as I don't know what to do next, as I have tried my absolute best to help relieve him from the pain of arthritis and help him walk again.

Would anyone be able to share any experiences with treatment/alleviation of arthritis and any reflexology exercises please?

Kindest regards,
Yi Rui

P.S. I apologise if I placed this post under an incorrect category (I'm unfamiliar with forums).

 

[Truffolo]

Very sorry to hear your beautiful boy who is so well cared for is unwell. At eight, he may be too old for the therapies you mentioned and I am not sure how guinea pigs would react to the treatment. @Eriathwen had some similar therapy done on her piggy and may have more info. But if it is unaffordable as you say, conventional treatment may be as good or even preferable. In many places it is sadly difficult finding vet care for guinea pigs. The treatment he is on sounds good and what most vets would recommend. It may be that at eight he is coming to the close of his natural life span and may need supportive care at this stage. If he is still eating with enthusiasm and enjoyment and taking his meds and supplements it is a sign that it is worth continuing to support him. I think as you know him really well, sadly you will know when he has reached the stage where it is hard for him to cope, but that may be some time off yet. The best thing is to make every day as good as possible, but I think you are doing this as he has a good life with you. Sending support and wishes for comfort and strength

 

[Eriathwen]

I would definitely try the cartrophen injections you asked about in the other thread, theyre inexpensive and really easy to do, my vet showed me how to do them myself, I just collected the loaded syringes and brought the sharps back to be disposed of safely but it cut the cost of giving the injections in half.

You might also consider a shot of ketamine, which can reset the pain receptors.

Then there's head pads, warmth really, really helps with arthritis pain, if you offer a heat pad he will probably gravitate to sleeping on it.

Glucosamine supplements may help, given orally although the cartrophen usually is more effective but there's no harm in doing both, I dont think.

You might also want to ask your vet to double check his metacam dose, towards end of life to maximise comfort I have been offered similarly sized piggies up to 0.6ml of the dog metacam to keep them comfortable so there may be some wiggle room with that.

While similarly expensive compared to the laster therapy (which my vet only seems to recommend for soft tissue issues, I'm unsure how effective it would even be for arthritis) at least last time I checked, have a look at an assisi loop, if your vet doesn't have one it may be cheaper to purchase one yourself but again still not cheap! A friend of mine in the US had really good results with hers and an OAPiggy.

I cant think of anything else that may help off the top of my head but hopefully there's something in there that may help.

 

[Yi Rui]

I would definitely try the cartrophen injections you asked about in the other thread, theyre inexpensive and really easy to do, my vet showed me how to do them myself, I just collected the loaded syringes and brought the sharps back to be disposed of safely but it cut the cost of giving the injections in half.

You might also consider a shot of ketamine, which can reset the pain receptors.

Then there's head pads, warmth really, really helps with arthritis pain, if you offer a heat pad he will probably gravitate to sleeping on it.

Glucosamine supplements may help, given orally although the cartrophen usually is more effective but there's no harm in doing both, I dont think.

You might also want to ask your vet to double check his metacam dose, towards end of life to maximise comfort I have been offered similarly sized piggies up to 0.6ml of the dog metacam to keep them comfortable so there may be some wiggle room with that.

While similarly expensive compared to the laster therapy (which my vet only seems to recommend for soft tissue issues, I'm unsure how effective it would even be for arthritis) at least last time I checked, have a look at an assisi loop, if your vet doesn't have one it may be cheaper to purchase one yourself but again still not cheap! A friend of mine in the US had really good results with hers and an OAPiggy.

I cant think of anything else that may help off the top of my head but hopefully there's something in there that may help.

Thank you so much! I really appreciate your reply. I would definitely love to try heat pads or heat therapy (if that's an option), but sadly it's very hot in Perth right now, and I'm a bit worried he may get heat stroke if I try it out.

May I please ask, with the metacan dosage, did you have 0.6ml daily or split into multiple dosages each day? (And do you happen to know if the increased dosage may cause him to experience negative side effects? - Sorry, I'm just wondering if increasing the dosages is only an end-of-life treatment)

 

[Eriathwen]

Thank you so much! I really appreciate your reply. I would definitely love to try heat pads or heat therapy (if that's an option), but sadly it's very hot in Perth right now, and I'm a bit worried he may get heat stroke if I try it out.

May I please ask, with the metacan dosage, did you have 0.6ml daily or split into multiple dosages each day? (And do you happen to know if the increased dosage may cause him to experience negative side effects? - Sorry, I'm just wondering if increasing the dosages is only an end-of-life treatment)

Ah yes, in an already hot climate id definitely hold off on heat!

The 0.6ml is twice daily, so 1.2ml in total over 24 hours, I personally haven't seen any negative side effects as they metabolise it extremely quickly, and ive given that dose to some incredibly fragile piggies such as lethal whites. I have a 4ish year old who has been on that dose for about 3 years due to urinary issues and she is as healthy as her sister who isn't on anything, so it does seem to be very well tolerated long term, luckily.

 

[Yi Rui]

Update:
Rocher is eating well and walking around. Sadly, though, after getting out of bed to go eat some food, he fell over, which scared me a bit (I was watching, so I was able to stand him up immediately). From then though, he was walking fine, but just having a leg sticking out while eating to steady himself, and twisting his body a bit to follow morsels of food around him.

At the vet, we received a top up of meloxicam. Sadly, the vets in Perth are very reluctant to increase the dosage of Dog Meloxicam above 0.3ml twice daily, as this is the recommended amount by the most prominent exotic vet in the state - The Unusual Pet Vets (UPV). However, I received permission from the UPV to increase his Gabapentin dosage from 0.09ml twice daily to 0.17ml twice daily. However, as I was told that it can make him a bit wobbly, I don't think I will use the maximum dosage unless he is having a very bad day. Although, I am considering potentially splitting his medication to be given 3 times a day on days that I can do that, due to guinea pigs being able to metabolise medication quickly. I was also recommended to try acupuncture, as apparently guinea pigs handle it very well - has anyone had experience with acupuncture? Is it effective in addressing arthritis?

At the vet, Rocher showed some signs of his old itchiness (which used to give him occasional seizures, in which the summer heat caused him to be a bit more limp temporarily a few months ago when the temperatures got too hot in the morning). We have tried SEPTRIN at 0.4ml twice daily, as well as steroids, sprays, Malaseb Medicated Shampoo and will be potentially trialling antidepressants next week, as it may be a mentally-related condition. I am wondering if he is allergic to grass (which is strange because his itchiness only came up at the start of 2025), or maybe the detergent we use to wash his bedding. But his itchiness seemed to have left when he wasn't able to go outside for 2 months due to the scorching Australian summer heat (he is now coming out in the afternoons and in the mornings for a few hours each day like before, but only when it is in the cool of the day). He never really lost any weight or fur, except for a little bit at his toes - but I am guessing that was because he was biting his feet due to the arthritis.

He received a cartrophen injection today, which I am pleased about! But, he was a bit upset at the needle, so I gave him mesclun mix to calm him down a bit afterwards. I am hoping he will be able to walk around more with less difficulty and build up his muscles in all his legs. I was sad to find his front legs looking a little thinner than before and sticking slightly out due to him steadying himself. I've tried massaging him for a while, but initially, he vibrated in pain and tried to nibble at my finger when I first touched his leg muscles.

Would anyone be able to provide any recommendations for him please? Like exercises? I'm not too confident in trying hydrotherapy (unless it is highly recommended), as I don't want to stress him out, especially since he is near to 8 years old, but it would be awesome if he could build back some leg muscles to help long-term.

 

[Yi Rui]

Hi, I just wanted to provide a small update for anyone following along or anyone else in the future who may be going through a similar situation. Rocher's arthritis is being managed well right now, and he is able to walk around without his legs dragging behind him. However, he sometimes can be found curled up a bit with his rear leg close to his head. I realised today that this behaviour may not be primarily due to him feeling more comfortable in that position (although a still a possibility that it is as well), nor being unable to walk properly, as he has been walking around quite often during the day. I actually think it's because of a combination between his arthritis and a potential allergy. Here's why:
1. He uses that foot to scratch around his eye when in that position.
2. My other guinea pig, Rifus, sometimes comes over to Rocher to nibble above his eye for him.
3. Due to his arthritis and old age, it's a bit harder for him to clean his face, and therefore, it's more difficult for him to scratch his eye if he has had an allergic reaction.

I think it's an allergic reaction, as he has had itchiness for over a year now. However, we've tried multiple remedies, including sprays, steroids, Malaseb Medicated Shampoo but ivermectin was the best one so far (although this is for treating parasites, so I'm unsure then if this really is due to an allergy). I'm really unsure if he's developed an allergy to grass this past year, but I'm really unsure what else could be causing him to scratch at his eye often.

Has anyone here used children's Antihistamine for treating itchiness in guinea pigs?

 

[Eriathwen]

Ive used childrens piriton before. I had a couple of brachycephalic piggies and their airways and tear ducts were shortened and malformed so any tiny amount of dust would cause them issues and they were given the piriton to try to keep on top of any inflammation as much as possible, their airways were so narrow the tiniest bit of swelling would have them wheezing and honking. For the life of me though, I couldn't tell you what dose they were on to ask your vet about, it was that long ago, but its definitely worth asking about trying an antihistamine.