Looking After Guinea Pigs With Limited or No Mobility

[Wiebke]

Introduction
1 Why can guinea pigs stop moving around?
- Animal attacks, severe illness or pain
- Back leg paralysis with list of potential causes
- Post-op, sudden illness or acute pining after bereavement
2 Adapting the living space
- Bedding and cosies
- Everything within reach
- Warmth and stable conditions
3 Weight monitoring and feeding support
- Weighing daily and topping up feed
- Supplementing vitamin C for long term immobility
- Drinking
4 Body care and secondary complications
- Daily checks and care tips
- List of potential secondary complications
5 Companionship and enrichment
- Companionship
- Enrichment ideas
Conclusion


Introduction

Loss of mobility can happen out of the blue, from accident or a sudden onset illness and can be very traumatic, but it can also gradually creep up. Any bad limping where a guinea pig is unable to put weight on a leg, loss of mobility in one leg, in the back legs or total loss of mobility needs to be seen by a vet.

This guide here is looking at how quickly you need to see a vet in various scenarios and what you can do at home during recovery or as long term care.



1 Why can guinea pigs stop moving around?

Here is a list of potential common causes and advice on how urgently you need to contact a vet. You are always welcome to open a thread in our Health/Illness section for personalised ongoing practical and moral support, ideally after contacting your vet. Please accept that we are UK based and may be in a different time zone to you.


Severe illness or pain, apathy or an animal attack
These are emergencies. Please see a vet immediately at any time of the day or night as soon as possible if your guinea pigs is:
- fitting severely or repeatedly and is losing their balance. (Popcorning around the cage in fun is not fitting.)
- unable to get up or stay upright
- is very lethargic/apathetic and not moving on their own
- not eating or drinking at all, and struggling to take on/swallowing food
- has been attacked by an animal (pet or wild); including possibility of internal bleeding after being shaken by a dog
- has been held too tightly/crushed by an unsupervised child
- is twisting, grunting, heaving/regurgitating or screaming in acute pain


Fall or injury
See a vet ideally within 24 hours if your guinea pig struggles to move or walk in the wake of a fall or a bling jump from a height.
Contact a vet as an immediate emergency if:
- they are bleeding from and/or have sustained damage to the mouth, teeth or face
- are deteriorating quickly due to external or potential internal injuries and bleeding
- if your guinea pig is unable to put any weight on a leg and is unable to show resistance when you very gently push against the foot sole (indicates break in the foot or leg somewhere) and they are clearly in major pain. An injury or sprain in the front leg/foot is always more noticeable since they are the weight bearing ones. Back legs act mainly as propellants. Please keep in mind that the problem is not necessarily located in the foot.


Sudden or developing back leg paralysis
Please see a vet as soon as you can during regular opening hours. Do not home treat on spec as there are many different causes for paralysis.
Contact a vet ASAP as an emergency if your guinea pig is in excruciating pain.

Causes for back leg paralysis can include:

- Severe athritis
Severe arthritis can affect the spine or a leg and result in restricted mobility or sudden back leg paralysis or more frequent flling over and being unable to right themselves in older piggies with athritis in the spine (falling over can have other causes as well).
Metacam (active ingredient meloxicam) or in severe cases tramadol or newly gabapentin, as well as glucosamine can help if a vet check/x-ray confirms arthritis.

- A sudden one-off drop of calcium levels in older guinea pigs
This is generally reversible, but it may take a few weeks and mobility may not come back fully. Osteocare can help in this case.

- Sciatica, a blood clot in major a spinal vessel (extremely painful) or neurological problems
These are less common but they do happen. Neurological problems in guinea pigs are unfortunately difficult do diagnose and virtually unresearched.
The pain from sciatica or blood clots can be so intense that your guinea pig will twist or scream in pain, which can also cause loss of appetite and full or partial GI stasis – this is an anytime of the day/night emergency.

- Intense pain from a bladder, urethral or kidney stone or bad infection. Pain from ovarian cysts, the penis shaft or internal growths.
Less extreme pain radiating into the lower body from ovarian cysts, internal masses, kidneys, bladder stones or issues in the penis shaft can also impact on the back leg mobility.
Signs of Pain in Guinea Pigs

- Fluid build-up of fluid in the body
Fluid in the body cavity can also affect mobility. This can be caused by a failing heart or an internal mass, or it can start with another organ. In my Nerys's case, her fluid build up leading to a temporary back leg paralysis up started around the adrenal gland.

- CBS (calcified bulla syndrome) or walling off of the middle ear capsule
Ear infections can cause intense vertigo and can affect the mobility amongst a raft of other issues (stumbling, falling/sliding to the side etc). A gradual calcification of the middle ear capsule can
In this case, an x-ray of the head will show off the two middle ear capules as large bright splodges while healthy bullas appears as two rings at the back of the head behind the eyes. It is currently increasingly occurring especially in North America. CBS can develop gradually. In other countries it is usually diagnosed as a walled-off middle ear infection but it is much less commonly occurring. CBS (Calcified Bulla Syndrome) and Neurological Problems - Symptoms and Care


Refusal to move post-op, in sudden illness or in acute pining after bereavement
This requires a prompt vet check to make sure that you are not dealing with a sudden illness brought on by a lowered immune system or a GI stasis (no happy gurgling in the guts) by the shock of the loss - the latter is a life and death emergency!
Start syringe feeding and watering ASAP; sometimes this can help to kick-start the survival instinct again in acutely bereaved guinea pigs.
Information on GI stasis: Bloat, GI Stasis (No Gut Movement) And Not Eating

 

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2 Adapting the living space

Please bring any guinea pigs with mobility problems or illness indoors. Keep in mind that company is still in many cases essential unless dominance behaviour is turning into longer term bullying. In most cases any change in leadership will sort itself out within a few days.

Bedding and cosies
Please change any bedding in the area that your guinea pig is sitting in constantly ideally 2-3 times daily to prevent it from lying in its own waste and to minimise the occurrence of resulting complications. This also goes for any loose bedding or cosies.

If your guinea pig is facing longer term mobility issues, look for vetbed bedding in pet shops or online. You usually find it in the dog section. Vetbed is the softest bedding available. Cut it into suitably large pieces that cover the area your guinea pig is living/sitting in most so you have a regular supply of pads for changing.


Everything within reach
Make sure that your guinea pig has everything within easy reach if it is still slightly mobile and is eating on its own – especially hay. Place it in a shallow tray or a on a piece newspaper by or close to the place your piggy is denning. Hay should still make over 80% of the food intake and the more your piggy can eat on their own, the better for their quality of life.

Also move the water bottle close by and low enough that a guinea pig with problems to use the back and struggling to lift their head (arthritis for example) can get to it easily. If that is too much, switch to offering water by syringe several times daily; give only as much as your guinea pig wants to take.


Warmth and stable conditions
Very ill and older/arthritic guinea pigs crave warmth. A half-heated microwaveable snugglesafe is ideal if you exchange/re-heat it 2-3 times a day as it will be warm but not hot this way.
Please be careful to not overheat a guinea pig that cannot move away from a source of heat; there is the risk of burns!

Please also make sure that you keep any guinea pig with mobility issues as comfortable during hot weather. They are in a higher at risk category re. heat strokes/overheating and falling ill when their weakened immune is overloaded.
Hot Weather Management, Heat Strokes and Fly Strike

 

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3 Weight monitoring and feeding support

Weight monitoring and topping up feed
Please weigh any guinea pigs with mobility issues daily to check the hay/food intake. Weigh at the same time in the feeding cycle, i.e. first thing in the morning or before you serve any dinner. Please be aware that the more often you weigh, the more you are moving within a weight band of ca. 30-40g. A full bladder weighs around 10g and full meal can make a difference of 30-40g. That is what you have to factor in and minimise as much as possible. Weight - Monitoring and Management

If your guinea pig is still eating on its own but there is a gradual downwards trend in the weight, then you need to feed extra, whether that is recovery mush or a mix of more familiar pellets and recovery formula soaked in water; offering plain porridge oats can also help.

In the case of your guinea pig is not eating at all or eating only very little, you need to step in with full syringe feeding, depending on the weight loss. All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures

Your first aim is always to stabilise the weight before you can think of building it up again if that is possible.


Vitamin B complex supplementing for guinea pigs with chronic mobility issues
Guinea pigs that are not able to eat the poos from the first run through the gut permanently or for a longer term (arthritis, total loss of mobility, balance issues, impaction in boars etc) may need a vitamin B supplement to compensate for the full break down of the hay/grass fibre during the second run through the gut.

Unlike rabbits, guinea pigs don't produce caecotrophs (special poos); they just run 'normal' poos through the caecum twice as recent research has shown. Guinea pigs have most of the vitamin B complement themselves; much more than rabbits. How The Digestive Physiology Differs between Rabbits and Guinea Pigs

Please discuss this with your treating vet if you have a guinea with a chronic or or progressive mobility problem.

If longer term mobility is starting to impact on the gut, then your guinea pig may need further help. Please contact your vet and start a support thread on the forum.


Drinking
Getting to a bottle and drinking can be a problem for guinea pigs with no or very limited mobility. I find that offering water from a syringe to allow the piggy to drink from as much as it wants several times a day is often the most effective way to make sure that it gets all the water it wants.
Please do not just squirt water into the mouth; let your piggy drink the slow drizzle that comes out of your syringe and adjust the speed to how thirsty it is. Accept if it stops sooner than you would like to because it has had enough.

If you are absent for long stretches of the day, leave a piece of cucumber if your guinea pig is still eating on its own. This will provide edible fluid. A larger piece will stay cooler for longer in warm weather.

 

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4 Body care and secondary complications

Guinea pigs with no or limited mobility can no longer wash and clean themselves, especially the back end. This is a task you will have to take over.


Daily health checks and care
What you need to check for daily in guinea pigs. Please be aware that too much use of water on the skin; especially the foot sores can make them more liable to develop skin infections so you have to walk a very careful balance.

Genitals, belly and bum end
Check daily for urine scald and stuck poos around the genitalia, the belly and the feet (including soles).
Give your piggy a gentle bum and belly bath or at least a gentle wipe with a soft wet rag with baby warm water and dry off gently with a soft cloth or towel.
Work off any caked-on poos by soaking in baby warm water. It may take more than one round to gently scrape off the softened bits.
Treat any bare and sore areas (urine scald and mechanical abrasure from lying). Sore skin is best left to heal just gently cleaned and dried.
- Leucillin cream is available online. It is a mild antibiotic.
- Sudocrem (or any unscented nappy cream) should only be applied very, very thinly and not on any open sores. Please avoid using it unless as a stop gap in an emergency.
If it is used too regularly or applied too thickly, it tends to dry out the skin and causes tiny cracks that will allow germs to get into the skin. The same goes for any foot creams, too, by the way.
- For open sores we recommend asking your vet for soothing flamazine (silver sulfadiazine) cream to prevent infection from taking hold. This you need to order via your vet as it is prescription-only in the UK.

Foot care
Please check and wash the underside of all paws with baby warm water; gently soak and remove any stuck poos.
A guinea pig whose back legs are not working can no longer take the weight off its front legs. This can cause problems in the longer term, especially in older or frail guinea pigs where blood circulation is no longer optimal.
Contact a vet promptly if you notice changes in the structure of the skin of the foot soles or locally raised and hot spots before open sores appear.
Guinea Lynx :: Pododermatitis

Chin, teeth and coat care
Check the chin and front teeth in case the teeth are getting affected by longer term soft syringe feed and eating less hay.
Dribbling and uneven front teeth can be a symptom of developing dental overgrowth on the premolars.
If your piggy is drinking more untidily from a bottle, it can develop a bald patch under its chin.
Gently brush your piggy regularly, even a short haired one, as it struggles to piggy wash itself.


List of potential secondary complications
There are some follow-on complications that can affect especially frailer and older guinea pigs. It is worth keeping an eye out for them during your daily health check:

Urine scald
Mild urine scald generally appears as a hair loss with the affected area exposed to urine becoming increasingly sore.
This is why regular bum baths are so important.
Gentle wiping with a damp rag and leucillin or (UK: prescription-only) flamazine cream from your vet can help for the longer term. Please avoid sudocrem or other nappy barrier creams and only apply them very sparingly in a pinch as they dry out the skin can cause tiny cracks through which germs can get into it.
Urine scald around genitalia and belly


Urine scald and irritation (BUT NOT BUMBLEFOOT) on the foot soles



Bumblefoot
The constant weight on the front legs in combination with sitting in the same area and often a reduced blood circulation means that a frailer/older guinea pig can become more prone to pododermatitis (‘foot infection’). This starts off a sore reddish and hot point on the sole, which then scabs over and bleeds whenever the scab comes off. If not treated in time, it can penetrate into the bone.
Guinea Lynx :: Pododermatitis


Fly strike
Frail indoors guinea pigs can be targeted by a blow fly laying their eggs usually around the genital area. The eggs are first visible as slightly raised red dots and then as white ones as the flesh eating maggots develop quickly.
If you see any maggots on your piggy or notice swollen genitalia please contact a vet/out-of-hours asap.
This is a life and death emergency to remove any maggots before they can affect your guinea pig too badly and the only thing you can do is to put it to sleep.
Fly Strike (with bottle fly pictures)

A lowered immune system can also make a guinea pig more prone to skin parasite outbreaks or to fungal skin infections.

Urination, gut motility and impaction in boars
Urination and bowel movement/digestion can be affected by pain, paralysis and lack of stimulation from regular movement.
In boars with longer term paralysis/spinal damage, impaction can also become an issue due atrophying muscles at the back end.
Impaction - How To Help Your Guinea Pig.

 

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5 Companionship and enrichment

Even without being able to walk, guinea pigs can still have an enormous zest and will to live. As long as they are interested in food and like to beg/sticking their head out, they have sufficient quality of life to keep them going.

There are however ways in which you can enrich their lives with social interaction and sensory experiences.

The illustrations in this chapter are from my then 7 years old Nerys, who ended up with slightly unequal back leg paralysis and near total loss of appetite due to a build up of fluid starting in the adrenal gland area and spreading down her body in 2016. It was touch and go with spoon feeding for several days but Nerys did eat enough by her own volition to keep going and eventually made a recovery although her gait remained rather wobbly. Here is a picture of her at the worst stage of the left sided fluid build-up.



Companionship
Having a companion is and remains the most important enrichment you can ever give any guinea pig. It is not just the constant stimulation and interaction, but also the sheer stress relief, comfort and moral support that comes with it.
If at all possible, please do not separate a bonded pair and allow their closest group friend to come with them.

Nesta made a half-hearted attempt at taking over during Nerys' illness eating breakfast with her still wobbly and stiff-legged athritic friend during recovery. However, her steadfast companionship during the darkest days was a major factor in Nerys's will to survive.

You have to brace for some inevitable dominance behaviour if the leader is the one affected. The hierarchy will have to change. In most cases dominance behaviour looks much rougher than it actually is and submission screaming from the under-pig is NOT from actual pain, but it is a very effective “Don’t be mean to me; I am not contesting your claim for superiority!”
This stage should be over in a few days and it is generally on the milder side in a well bonded pair and the new leader will soon start looking out for their companion.

Only separate if the dominance is going past the nipping and snatching the best bits and nicest cosy part well into actual bullying from a dysfunctional bond or if it continues on a high level well beyond a reasonable time span.


Enrichment ideas
Your guinea pig may not be able to move around as much, but there are still ways to keep it stimulated and interested in life!

• Tickle the taste buds with fresh or dried herbs, grass or forage from the garden or from window sill boxes. Make sure that you do not feed anything a dog or fox could have peed on (toxic).
  Speciality hays are also healthy way of getting your piggy interested in new stuff!
  
  Grass was the first thing Nerys started eating again - Special treat: a dandelion (all parts are edible, but it is comparatively high in calcium)!
  
  
• Open your window on a good day and let in some fresh air! We tend to forget that the guinea pig sense of smell is so much stronger than ours and how much information comes in on the wind for them.
  
  
• On balmy days, being able to soak up some fresh outdoors air and some gentle sunshine for half an hour is something to treasure.
  Be prepared to move your piggy out of the direct sun if it starts squirming or turning its head or place it so the eyes/head are out of the direct sun.
  
  
• A supervised trip to the sun-warmed, dry lawn that is still comfortable for your bare feet after 5 minutes will also give your piggy a lot of pleasure.
  Please do not leave it too long in one place as grass does not absorb pees and your piggy will get a very soggy bum.
  Do not take it outside unless temperatures are right and the ground is warm but neither hot nor cold. Keep in mind that your guinea pig is more vulnerable than healthy guinea pigs!
  Check for fly strike when bringing it back in.
  
  Nerys is celebrating her 7th Adoption Day with a special trip to the lawn!
  
  
• Find out whether your piggy loves to still snuggle up in the hay tray for a nap. This is especially welcome during a cage clean or tidy up!
  
  
• Test different fleeces or cosies and see whether your piggy has a favourite.
  
  A change of scenery next to the hay corner
  
  
• If your piggy is alone, see whether it likes a toddler-safe stuffed guinea pig sized soft toy to snuggle up with. If you can, rub it over the companion or other piggies.
  
  
• A soft rag with the scent of other guinea pigs or even some soiled bedding (their own or from other guinea pigs) to sniff at is some important sensory stimulation. Guinea pig pheromones are an important medium of communication. For your guinea pig it is like reading a newspaper or a letter from the other side of the world!
  
  
• In the case of a separation, keeping the companions next to each other and allowing them to communicate, see and touch noses with each other is vital. Create a vantage point from where your immobile piggy can get – quite literally – in touch with their mate or allow daily free-roaming time in a divided run that allows full-body view and interaction through the bars.
  
  
• You can also move any single boar next to sows or boars (he will love that!), but you cannot move any sow next to any bonded boar pairs because of the upset that sow pheromones can cause between bonded boars. Single piggies of either gender can be moved next to mixed gender pairs or groups.
  Please always make sure that a determined mobile boar cannot wiggle through or climb/jump over any grids when a sow is in season!
  
  Gradually expanding the area and facilities that Nerys can move in and do (like using the water bottle again) as she very slowly regains use of her back legs with the swelling from the fluid build up subsiding.
  
  
• Wheels: Despite some showy videos and pictures making the rounds online, improvised wheels can further damage the spine/body and should only be considered after consultation with and the support of your treating vet and ideally with the input of a person with orthopaedic knowledge to take care of any long term strain on muscles, bones and nerves in order to not aggravate any problem.

Allowing your piggy as much as possible to do things and visit places it used to enjoy when still mobile can go a long way to keeping it happy, even if it is only for a short while.

Enrichment is important to keep your guinea pig’s interest in life and will to live going and to keep it happy for as long as possible and to add quality to its life in as many varied ways as possible.

 

[Wiebke]

Conclusion

I hope that these tips will help both you and your guinea pig to still have as much quality of life during recovery or while needing permanent care.

As long as a guinea pig with mobility issues is begging for food, it has enough quality and zest for life to keep going and be kept going.