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Lethargic and hunched guinea pig

ladybird2702

ladybird2702

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Hi All,
I am new in here.

So... Our guinea pig that is a 3.5 yo male, named Patchy has not been himself since yesterday afternoon. He is an alfa male so usually very active and kind of bully to the other piggy. However yesterday evening i have noticed that he is not coming to the cage or doesn't rattle it (that's his normal way of saying wow you're finally home). He's fur seems bit rough, he is hunched in the corner and seems like he is in pain when you try to pick him up, he just sits or lays in the corner. He is eating though.
I took him to the vet this morning and been told that 'there is so only so much we can do to these little creatures' :( He checked him over, said that maybe he's got bit of a colic and gave him some antibiotic injection. He said he looks fine in terms of fatness, he's teeth look fine too.
Honestly feel so heartbroken seeing Patchy unwell. He's never still.

Any advise please?
Many thanks
 
My first instinct is that perhaps you need to consult another vet as some are not very guinea pig savvy. If you are based in the UK there's a vet locator at the top of the page with a list of recommended vets. Some more experienced forum members will hopefully respond to you soon. Best wishes for you and Patchy x
 
I would agree that perhaps your vet isn't very clued up on guinea pigs, being hunched up with fluffed up fur is usually a sure sign of a piggy in pain. Did your vet prescribe any pain relief, such as Metacam (also called loxicom) ? If you can find another more knowledgable vet I would certainly seek a second opinion, there is actually a lot that vets can do for piggies nowadays, and 3.5 years is still young enough that your piggy might have years of life left if he gets a proper diagnosis and treatment. Best of luck x
 
ladybird2702 said:
Hi All,
I am new in here.

So... Our guinea pig that is a 3.5 yo male, named Patchy has not been himself since yesterday afternoon. He is an alfa male so usually very active and kind of bully to the other piggy. However yesterday evening i have noticed that he is not coming to the cage or doesn't rattle it (that's his normal way of saying wow you're finally home). He's fur seems bit rough, he is hunched in the corner and seems like he is in pain when you try to pick him up, he just sits or lays in the corner. He is eating though.
I took him to the vet this morning and been told that 'there is so only so much we can do to these little creatures' :( He checked him over, said that maybe he's got bit of a colic and gave him some antibiotic injection. He said he looks fine in terms of fatness, he's teeth look fine too.
Honestly feel so heartbroken seeing Patchy unwell. He's never still.

Any advise please?
Many thanks
Click to expand...

Hi!

Here are our care tips for lethargic piggies of their food:
Emergency, Crisis and Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment
Not Eating, Weight Loss And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
Bloat, GI Stasis (No Gut Movement) And Not Eating

Please have your piggy seen by a more piggy savvy vet than the one you saw this morning, who didn't seem to have much of a clue and is certainly not experienced with small rodent pets from his remark.
Has the vet checked the gut/if necessary x-rayed for bloating/blockage; kidney or bladder stones stuck in the ureter or urethra etc. ?

Being fluffed up is a general sign of pain; the hunching means that the pain is located somehwere in the middle of the body where the major organs are.

Have you been given a generous dosage of painkiller as your piggy is very obviously in major dicomfort?
 
Thank you everyone for you replies.
I just came back from another vet (the one I found in here) and it was completely different conversation. Patchy is staying overnight, will get some painkillers and tomorrow will have x-ray to see what's going on. The vet said he seems in very good health (apart from the obvious pain), he's slim and muscly. Well looked after.
Thank you again. x
 
ladybird2702 said:
Thank you everyone for you replies.
I just came back from another vet (the one I found in here) and it was completely different conversation. Patchy is staying overnight, will get some painkillers and tomorrow will have x-ray to see what's going on. The vet said he seems in very good health (apart from the obvious pain), he's slim and muscly. Well looked after.
Thank you again. x
Click to expand...

Fingers very firmly crossed for getting to the bottom of his pain!
 
I'm very glad you got a second opinion. Some vets are WAY too quick to write off guinea pigs and smaller animals simply because they don't know how to treat them! I hope you are able to get to the bottom of things and that he makes a good recovery for you. Please keep us posted!
 
Good morning
So I've got my piggy back at home. Bless him his got arthritis in his knees, hence the pain while being handled. He is actually 2.5 years old tbh, i made typing mistake. He has been given cerenia and metacam (twice daily higher dose for a week and smaller for the second one). If, by the end of the weaning off week he will be no better, then he has to be on metacam for all his life.
He is bit better, however still not 100% himself. He eats and drinks by himself, but avoids the nuggets. Does it mean he feels pain in his jaws? He is able to walk, but quite slowly and reacts when I call his name.
Is anyone of you able to point me in the right direction in terms of looking after him now. I've had both of my guinea pigs since there were babies and never had any problems. I want to give him the best care to make sure he recovers as much as he can. I tried to google how to look after piggy with arthritis, but there is so many information to chose from.20191003-092635.webp
 
ladybird2702 said:
Good morning
So I've got my piggy back at home. Bless him his got arthritis in his knees, hence the pain while being handled. He is actually 2.5 years old tbh, i made typing mistake. He has been given cerenia and metacam (twice daily higher dose for a week and smaller for the second one). If, by the end of the weaning off week he will be no better, then he has to be on metacam for all his life.
He is bit better, however still not 100% himself. He eats and drinks by himself, but avoids the nuggets. Does it mean he feels pain in his jaws? He is able to walk, but quite slowly and reacts when I call his name.
Is anyone of you able to point me in the right direction in terms of looking after him now. I've had both of my guinea pigs since there were babies and never had any problems. I want to give him the best care to make sure he recovers as much as he can. I tried to google how to look after piggy with arthritis, but there is so many information to chose from.View attachment 123262
Click to expand...

Hi!

Not eating pellets is not related to arthritis in the knee in my experience. Arthritis can sometimes happen at a younger age.

You may want to give oxbow joint supplement, too, and make sure that you offer microwaveable snuggelsafe pads in colder weather as warmth is easing arthritis - but always with the option to move away if he is overheating.
Here are our tips for looking guinea pigs with limited mobility. Your boy is just about skirting this area but the arthritis may progress over time: Looking after guinea pigs with limited or no mobility

Otherwise keep him as normal and give him regular exercise to help keeping him as limber as possible. Guinea pigs can be on long term metacam. My Nerys, who apart from a twisted thighbone she was born with also had arthritis in her ankles and increasingly legs was on metacam for a number of years, not to mention the three years she had intersitial cystitis. She still lived to 8 years despite being unable to run all her life.

However, you may want to be braced that your vet has not yet found the whole of the puzzle. See them asap if your boy is having another sudden downturn.
 
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