• 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

Help! Guinea pig’s foot!

Hope he’s back in your care very soon, I think it’s looks like a birth defect, these sometimes happen when a baby is pinned at a strange angle against the womb, so the limb grows at an incorrect angle or growth is stunted altogether. But he is a beautiful boy and he’ll manage very well I should think x
 
Piggiesxoxo said:
They tried some pain medication on him to see if it would change his behavior at all, so they had him on observation. They decided to get a second opinion from a different vet and I’ll find out later today what they think.
Click to expand...
But what was his behaviour?
 
I think you need to make plans to get him back. Take him to another cavy savvy vet and give them the bill. What made them think he was in pain? Did he appear so when with you?
 
Piggiesxoxo said:
Well as i’m sure you guys know guinea pigs are very good at masking pain so they wanted to give him pain meds to see if he was doing better or if nothing would change
Click to expand...
Good point, but if he was eating hay and moving around fine, and not limping. I doubt pain meds would be needed anyway, unless it was the anti inflammatory that would help? I dont really know
 
Piggiesxoxo said:
He was eating hay but he wasn’t putting any pressure on his leg. He just held it in the air whenever he moved
Click to expand...
Ok that makes sense. When are they getting the second opinion? Hopefully he will be fine and back with you very soon 😊 Will you be able to get him a friend?
 
Okay! We just got the full update from the vet! They said that him stepping on his foot could cause problems in the future like sores that could get infected, etc. They said the best course of action would be to amputate it. So the surgery will be tomorrow, and petsmart is covering all costs. Does anyone else have an amputee they could give me tips for?
 
Piggiesxoxo said:
Okay! We just got the full update from the vet! They said that him stepping on his foot could cause problems in the future like sores that could get infected, etc. They said the best course of action would be to amputate it. So the surgery will be tomorrow, and petsmart is covering all costs. Does anyone else have an amputee they could give me tips for?
Click to expand...
I would have thought that the best thing to do is amputate it IF a problem does develop later on down the line, but until then, see how he goes. I dont know how well a guinea pig with 3 legs, especially missing a front leg , is going to be able to walk. But then again I'm not a vet. Just using my noggin to its best ability.

I would suggest though, that if you dont know already, start learning how to syringe feed some critical care.make sure they give you an antibiotic and painkiller free of charge too.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I’ve been reading up on guinea pig amputees and it seems like front leg amputation seems are a lot easier than back leg amputations, but it still will take him some adjusting
 
Brave little guy! I'm glad it's all over and hope he makes a quick recovery! Is he able to get around easily or is he still figuring things out in that regard?
 
That looks like a neat scar. Hope he recovers well from surgery and learns how to walk around again quickly. Keep us informed how he does. It's such a worrying time. Healing wheaky wheaks from my lot and healing vibes from me.
 
I've have read this while story, and it is an incredible thing. What a brave little piggy! My piggies are definitely wishing your piggie some healing vibes as well as @Betsy!
 
For everyone asking, he’s walking and getting around really well. He’s eating and drinking and healing quickly. I know some owners were worried about the care at petsmart but it was beyond my expections; the employees took really good care of him and even nicknamed him “Trip”
 
Piggiesxoxo said:
For everyone asking, he’s walking and getting around really well. He’s eating and drinking and healing quickly. I know some owners were worried about the care at petsmart but it was beyond my expections; the employees took really good care of him and even nicknamed him “Trip”
Click to expand...
Well done to you and welldone to petsmart and the vet for the amazing care given. You are an incredibly good caring owner. I wish all the best for you little guy. Keep us posted on how he gets on. So nice to see him with a second chance at life. Very touching👍. I dont normally get this mushy lol. But I'm very happy to see these results. And what an eye opener for any future pig owners with the same problem looking at the forum.

Thanks for the updates, so many new members dont bother
 
Aw, what a brave little man he is x So glad everything went well for you all x
I noticed that there is a trio of piggies on the RSPCA website at the moment needing a home, one of those little piggies has only one front leg x
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top