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Metacam not working!

Pigwhisperer

Pigwhisperer

Adult Guinea Pig
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Silk's been walking funny for about a week. Eating and pooping, not lost weight, just bunny-hopping on her back legs instead of walking properly, or walking with a limp.

The Vet said there is nothing obvious so it's probably a strain or sprain type injury which will get better with Metacam and rest.

But after 2 days on Metacam, the limp is just as bad. She's lying down all day, only really getting up for food or if Clover turfs her out of the hut ☹️
 
Some bad hind leg strains can take a long time to heal. And they need a decent dose of metacam for a few weeks. Has she been x-rayed? And, like Furryfriends I wonder if the dose of metacam is sufficient.
 
Did the vet check for a UTI (Urinary tract infection) as well as leg problems?
Bladder Stones, sludge or cystitis can also cause the bunny hopping movement, mostly due to pain.

As the others have suggested is the dose of metacam high enough & often enough to take effect?
I usually try & give my guineas their dose split into 2x a day as they have a fast metabolism, so just the one dose wears off quicker, leaving them in pain for longer.
There are two types - cat & dog versions - the dog version is 3x stronger, please discuss with your vet the dosage to see if you can increase it for better pain management?
Also try & keep her from using ramps or running around a big enclosure if it is a sprain, it will help her recover quicker :)

Healing vibes being sent your way for your little one.
Speedy recovery xx
 
Bad sprains can take several weeks to heal. Is only one leg affected or are both back legs equally affected? In the latter case there are can be other causes.

What kind of metacam and what dose have you been prescribed? Dog metacam is three times stronger than cat metacam.
 
0.5ml cat metacam once a day, doesn't sound like enough from what you're saying & doesn't look like enough from what I'm seeing.

Pain seems to be around the base of the spine on both sides.

She just began a rumble-strut but stopped after a few seconds a curled up to go back to sleep - presumably it was too painful :(
 
I would go back to your vet or seek out a cavy savvy one if your isn't already. Ideally you need metacam twice a day due to piggies having a fast metabolism. Also dog metacam would be better due to it being stronger but you still need to find a sufficient dose. Perhaps your vet could talk you through a starting point with a max to increase it to if it's not helping
 
Annoying thing is I've been driving 30-40 mins to this vet because it's the nearest on the list of Recommended cavy-savvy vets, but I think the lady I saw this time got it wrong.

There is a local vet 2 miles away but I didn't think they had a small pet specialist; however I've just seen a recommendation on Facebook from a piggie owner for Charlotte at Chapelfield Vets in Wymondham so have an appt with her tomorrow for a 2nd opinion. Really hope she is good!
 
Pigwhisperer said:
Annoying thing is I've been driving 30-40 mins to this vet because it's the nearest on the list of Recommended cavy-savvy vets, but I think the lady I saw this time got it wrong.

There is a local vet 2 miles away but I didn't think they had a small pet specialist; however I've just seen a recommendation on Facebook from a piggie owner for Charlotte at Chapelfield Vets in Wymondham so have an appt with her tomorrow for a 2nd opinion. Really hope she is good!
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Did you tell them you had already been seen about the same issue elsewhere? It might be worth asking them to call your vets for the history to be sent over
 
Yes told them history, wasn't much to tell really. This one did an x-ray and found arthritis in both knees 😞 The left one is worse.

So she said it's metacam long-term, but still gave me cat metacam and said once daily, but instead of changing the top and giving me a tiny syringe like the other vet she's given me same syringe you use for a cat?

The dose is higher, she said to use the dose for a 2kg cat though Silky is only 1.3kg, and when I asked if it shouldn't be twice daily because of their higher metabolism she said no, that's taken care of by the higher dose.

Anyway she wants to do a follow-up appointment next week so we will see.
 
Pigwhisperer said:
Yes told them history, wasn't much to tell really. This one did an x-ray and found arthritis in both knees 😞 The left one is worse.

So she said it's metacam long-term, but still gave me cat metacam and said once daily, but instead of changing the top and giving me a tiny syringe like the other vet she's given me same syringe you use for a cat?

The dose is higher, she said to use the dose for a 2kg cat though Silky is only 1.3kg, and when I asked if it shouldn't be twice daily because of their higher metabolism she said no, that's taken care of by the higher dose.

Anyway she wants to do a follow-up appointment next week so we will see.
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Although it's not great news at least you have a reason now for what's going on. With having had a piggy with arthritis and from what I have seen on this forum it is very much a learning curve in each individual case to find the right level of pain relief to keep them living a normal life. Metacam is the starting point and finding a high enough dose to keep the pain at bay. Long term I can imagine the vet would want to keep it once a day, I'm sure that's what my bumble had and she managed well on that until around 2-3 days before she passed. They can review to prescribe tramadol in the future if the metacam stops being as effective.

I'm really sorry for the news but hopefully you can find something that keeps her happy for now
 
Well last night after her meds she started wheeking for food for the first time in weeks! Finally she is feeling better :)

It's not the answer I would have wanted, having had surgery for arthritis myself I know how painful it is! But at least we can manage it and give her some pain relief now that we know.
 
Pigwhisperer said:
Well last night after her meds she started wheeking for food for the first time in weeks! Finally she is feeling better :)

It's not the answer I would have wanted, having had surgery for arthritis myself I know how painful it is! But at least we can manage it and give her some pain relief now that we know.
Click to expand...

That's excellent news. She's obviously still a happy piggy
 
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