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Limping Piggie :(

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PiggieLove

PiggieLove

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One of my guinea pigs has started limping! :(

It started suddenly about 4 days ago. One day she was fine, the next she was limping. I'm not sure what has caused it.

Due to work being extremely busy last week, I was not able to find the time to take her to the vet. I was hoping it was just a minor sprain or bruise that would heal in a few days, but she has not improved at all and is still limping. She is eating and drinking normally, and the other day she was doing laps during floor time (albeit a bit slower and less zealous than usual). She hasn't shown any other indications of pain other than limping. It is quite a noticeable limp, though.

What do you think it could be? A sprain? A fracture? An shoulder/hip problem? Has anyone ever experienced something like this? What did your vet do/prescribe?

I have recently discovered an exotics vet 40 minutes from my house, so I will be booking an appointment with them tomorrow now that I have a few days off work. I know this particular vet is very experienced with small animals, but I have never used them before, so I would like some other opinions on what it could be before I go.
 
It still looks like a sprain, which can take up to three weeks to disappear; they are not at all uncommon, especially not in lively piggies - just one bad landing after a jump is all it takes! I've had sprains several times with piggies of mine.

As she is still popcorning, it can't be all that bad, but her activity can make it worse again. She wouldn't be able to do put any weight on her leg with a fracture and would also be in major pain.

If you can get her a little metacam (painkiller/anti-inflammatory), that is all it takes.
 
Thanks Wiebke. Should I limit her activity in the meantime? She's not the most active piggie anyway, but she does enjoy her daily floortime. Should I take out the litter box in their cage so she doesn't have to step/hop over the sides to get inside? I put a little ramp on the side of the litter box for her but I haven't seen her use it.

Will I need to take her in to the vet for them to prescribe her some metacam, or can you get it elsewhere?
 
Roger has had problems with sprains. He got his foot stuck in a cage door that was left down trying to get into the cage. I was devastated and felt like the worst person in the world. The vet xrayed it, and found no breaks, so we just had to limit his activity, and about a month later he was back to normal. He has limped on and off since; I think it's the same with humans, once you sprain something it is easier to hurt again. But for the most part he has been a perfectly normal pig, if not more sedentary (although I think he was lazy to begin with)! I didn't have access to Metacam, but I do know you need a prescription from a vet to get it. Healing wheeks!
 
My chap Ted has also been limping. Vet found no breaks or swellings so has given him 3 day course of metacam. Seems to be limping again, so am going to watch and wait for a bit to see if it improves.
 
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