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Loss of use of hind legs

WhinnyPig

WhinnyPig

Junior Guinea Pig
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Location
Mass, USA
I wanted to start off by saying I do have a pig vet who I had already scheduled to call tomorrow AM. My piggy who is 5.5 years old started hopping instead of walking with her hind legs a few weeks ago. She was found to have ovarian cysts (we had suspected something was going on for awhile bc she had been hormonal and would get the occasional UTI but nothing had been found on X-ray). Well she got spayed in order to remove the cysts and was doing quite well in the first few days after surgery. She has started to decline in her use of hind legs once more. The vet thought perhaps she had arthritis so she is now on meloxicam but this morning she seemed so much worse and even cried out when I set her down to feed her. Has anyone experienced anything like this with their pig? I am fearing the worst for her :( she is still eating some hay, pellets and veggies but is mostly syringe fed and she hasn’t taken a drink of water on her own since this all started.
 
Sorry to read this.
Is there any way you can get to an emergency vet today?
Regarding drinking, why not try a watery veg like cucumber?
Sorry I don’t have the experience to be more help but you do have my support at this worrying time
 
She is taking veg so besides the critical care that is her other source of water. There is one location semi-near me that takes exotics for emergency but have not had good experiences with their care in the past so given I have meds on hand and have been working with a different vet my plan was to keep my phone appointment with her tomorrow/most likely bring her in tomorrow assuming that is what my vet recommends. Thank you for your support, it is much appreciated.
 
WhinnyPig said:
I wanted to start off by saying I do have a pig vet who I had already scheduled to call tomorrow AM. My piggy who is 5.5 years old started hopping instead of walking with her hind legs a few weeks ago. She was found to have ovarian cysts (we had suspected something was going on for awhile bc she had been hormonal and would get the occasional UTI but nothing had been found on X-ray). Well she got spayed in order to remove the cysts and was doing quite well in the first few days after surgery. She has started to decline in her use of hind legs once more. The vet thought perhaps she had arthritis so she is now on meloxicam but this morning she seemed so much worse and even cried out when I set her down to feed her. Has anyone experienced anything like this with their pig? I am fearing the worst for her :( she is still eating some hay, pellets and veggies but is mostly syringe fed and she hasn’t taken a drink of water on her own since this all started.
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Hi! Just offer water with a syringe as much as she wants to take but do not force any extra water on her. If you feed more veg, she will drink less as the fluid intake should stay the same. Be aware that the water intake can vary enormously from guinea pig to guinea pig from not drinking at all to drinking over one bottle in a day.
There can be many reasons for the loss of back legs in older guinea pigs. If it is in one leg, it is not likely to be a temporary drop in calcium. It can be arthritis, gut adhesion in the operated area, an internal swelling or fluid build up, sciatica or a neurological problem. Finding the cause can often be difficult as I know from my own elderlies.

Please make sure that you clean the area she is sitting in twice daily and replace any cosies as often. if you can, please switch to vetbed bedding; this is softest. Check her genitalia and the underside of her paws daily and gently wipe them with a damp cloth, especially if she is no longer able to clean her herself. Make sure that she has hay, water and her pellets close by and if possible lower the water bottle. If it is arthritis then please have everything on the floor (the hay on newspaper) as arthritis in the spine can make it difficult for a piggy to lift and twist its head.

Discuss with your vet whether upping her metacam may be advisable and what he thinks could be the cause.
 
Thank you wiebke. She is on .25 ml and weighs 1.6lbs she has lost a little since the surgery. I clean under her house 2-3x per day and she doesn’t really leave the house at all. I use carefresh for bedding, I have some fleece but my girls pee so much I usually use the carefresh.
 
So the vet thinks she has a post surgery infection in her leg from the catheter they put in and she thinks that is why she is no longer walking. They took and X-ray and the bone itself is fine so she is on antibiotics. Fingers crossed we get this cleared up!
 
Thank you! Hoping she keeps her appetite as she has been eating but still losing weight
 
Ugh my poor piggy now she is favoring one of her front legs too 😞 I’m guessing that it’s probably because she’s been over compensating due to the messed up hind leg but haven’t heard back from the vets yet.
 
Where it is temporary drop in calcium some people have had success giving osteocare liquid. If you google it you can find info on Peter Gurney's website and also some threads on this forum.
 
Hm I have not heard of temporary drop in calcium but I will ask my vet if she thinks that’s at play. Thanks!
 
Unfortunately I’m fearing for the worst again, she’s still on the meloxidyl and the antibiotics but she doesn’t want to move at all this morning. Hoping she perks up after the meloxidyl :( she has a follow up with the vet on Wednesday
 
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