Lameness? ahhhh urgent help please!

[bingogrange]

My guinea-pig is now 5 1/5 years old. Which i've been told is pretty old for a guinea-pig. He's kept outside with an indoor section, with hay bedding and an in proportion sized outdoor grass area. With water and hardfood. He aslo has veg and I pick Him long grass from our fields which he loves.

I would say he is tameish. I can't catch him straight away but he squeaks to me and runs out when I go by his hutch. His eyes look slightly 'narrow' But I guess this is from his age? Recently I think he may have lost weight but i've made no change whatsoever to his diet? I saw my friends Guinea-pigs yesterday and their eyes lookes wider and brighter than my boys eyes?

Anyway I was going to clean him out yesterday so I caught him and asked my friend to hold him :o He wriggled and somehow she dropped him... He seamed in a slight shock so I put him back in his cage and then he went about as normal. I noticed he was lame and holding his front leg up and not putting weight on it. I haven't wanted to stress himso i've left him. He squeaks at me still when I go to his hutch and is out eating grass as normal but still lame and walking on 3 legs. I'm worried he maay have a heartattack or something serious because of his age if I take him to the vets to have an x-ray. :'(

Could he have broken it? Or would he be in worse pain? I love him to bits and i'm so worried about him.

Please help X

 

[MemberX]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

You do need to take him to the vet to be honest he may have a fractor or a sprain. If he is eating that is a great sign.

Weigh pig weekly to check for weight loss I weigh all mine and they are below one. Congrats on getting him to the age he is you must love him very much. :smitten:

Keep us posted on how he is.

Louise

 

[maryh]

Your piggy is not all that old,a lot of piggies go to 6 or 7 years and beyond.I lost a piggy last year who was 9.6 years.

The x ray will not take long so should not cause any stress.Make sure the vet can do the x ray without anaesthetic.A few vets still insist on sedation,but this is not necessary.

Hopefully this is just a sprain or bruising which will heal itself.

 

[bingogrange]

Seams to have improved today, he's still limping but putting a lot more wight on it, he hasen't changed character atall and is still running about, albeit occasionally only on the three legs. I'm going to wait until tommorrow and see how he is, then make the decision as he is making improvements.

Is it common for piggy's eye's to become narrower as they become older?

If it is a fracture will he have to be pts or are there ways of it healing?

Thanks for all of your help, it's much appreciated. I'ma Guinea-pig lover but by no means an expert and always need advice!

X

 

[daftscotslass]

If it's a fracture depending on how complex it is the vet might be able to splint it.

 

[bingogrange]

Thankyou, i'm hoping it's not as he's improving bu the day and doesn't seam in distress or atall major pain.

I'm hoping it's not bad.. :'(

 

[rw3399]

My guinea's eyes were quite narrow towards the end of her life. I believe this was because she was in pain due to arthritis. She also grinded her teeth. I would definately take your guinea to the vets to be on the safe side.

 

[MemberX]

I have a PEW who has narrower eyes than my others, have they always been that way? My PEW is only 6 months so its just how she is as she is fine. I would go to the vet you know just to put your mind at rest.

 

[bingogrange]

His eyes vary... :-\

Today I looked at them and they weren't really narrow, I think though if i look at say my friends 1 year old guinea-pig there eyes may look slightly bigger than my older piggy and also as you say depending on the breed.

Regarding the lameness I'm going to wait until tommorrow and see how it is, i'm sure he's improving as he's not holding it up like he did yesterday and he scratched his 'nose'/face area with his bad leg/foot this evening. And he also put it down on a slice of veg to hold it still. :
X