Need Advise About My Very Old Guinea Pig

[Evie whitehouse]

would like some advice, my guinea pig Rodger is 11 years old and the past year he has been getting some very strange problems. Our vets are useless and don't really understand anything about guinea pigs. 1 issue is his eye it is basically falling out and is blue. He's on pain relief everyday for it and is seeming to cope fine, it just looks scary. Second problem is his Penis is always out and dry, it is a grey colour as well but used to be a pinky purple colour, not sure if he can we properly so will be taking him vets tomorrow but will probably be told they don't no why it's doing that. Another problem is that his hair is falling out in clumps, checked for mites and can't see any. As he's so old he makes a mess so he gets cleaned out completely morning and night so I don't no whether it would be mites? Any suggestions on what any of them things could be? Oh and also his toe nails have started growing the wrong way from the root upwards so they look like a normal nail but reverse that and that's his nails? Apart from that he's great

 

[Gem789]

would like some advice, my guinea pig Rodger is 11 years old and the past year he has been getting some very strange problems. Our vets are useless and don't really understand anything about guinea pigs. 1 issue is his eye it is basically falling out and is blue. He's on pain relief everyday for it and is seeming to cope fine, it just looks scary. Second problem is his Penis is always out and dry, it is a grey colour as well but used to be a pinky purple colour, not sure if he can we properly so will be taking him vets tomorrow but will probably be told they don't no why it's doing that. Another problem is that his hair is falling out in clumps, checked for mites and can't see any. As he's so old he makes a mess so he gets cleaned out completely morning and night so I don't no whether it would be mites? Any suggestions on what any of them things could be? Oh and also his toe nails have started growing the wrong way from the root upwards so they look like a normal nail but reverse that and that's his nails? Apart from that he's great

Where are you located? Have you looked at the rescue locator on here because it sounds like you need to see a knowledgeable vet x

 

[Wiebke]

Hi and welcome!

What a wonderful old age!

Please be aware that mange mites are invisible to the naked eye; they bury their eggs into the increasingly inflamed and painful skin that a guinea pig starts fitting and can eventually die a slow and agonising death. Many guinea pigs do come with mite eggs present in the skin, which can make an appearance whenever the immune system is suppressed. In the elderly guinea pigs, this can be very sudden and dramatic. You need to use a good quality ivermectin or selamectin product; the usual pet shop stuff is too low dosed for any acute outbreak. Brand names differ from country to country. Your vet should be able to provide it.
Guinea Lynx :: Mange Mites

It sounds like advance glaucoma in the eye or otherwise a retrobulbar abscess (an abscess behind the eye). Unfortunately at this advanced age, an eye removal operation may no longer be feasible. Glaucoma in guinea pigs cannot be treated; it can be very painful and leads to blindness.
Links - Eye Conditions - Guinea Lynx Records

Your boy is also suffering from a penis prolapse; it is basically an inability to retract it again. Prolapses can often be fixed relatively easily. The penis may need to be checked for infection.

Older piggies are often too arthritic to clean themselves up; you have to do the job for them and clean their sleeping area twice daily - as you are doing.
Please gently wash the bum area, the underside and the underside of the feet with hand warm water to prevent urine scald (bare, increasingly sore skin) and infections getting into any cracks that could cause bumblefoot (foot infection, not uncommon in old guinea pigs with limited mobility that are unable to take their weight off their front feet while their blood circulation is no longer all that great). Make sure that your piggy is totally dry and warm before you put him back in the cage.
You may also want to check for possible impaction, which is caused by weakening muscles at the back end.
Guinea Lynx :: Urine Scald
Guinea Lynx :: Pododermatitis
Impaction Recovery - How To Help Your Guinea Pig.

My eight year old lady Calli has the same nails on one back foot. I'm not sure whether it is fungal or just old age.

Since we have members from all over the world, we find it very helpful of you please added your country, state/province or UK county to your details, so we can tailor any advice as much as possible to what is available and relevant where you are instead of keeping it as general as possible. Click on your username on the top bar, then go to personal details and scroll down to location. This makes it appear with every post you make.
Can you see whether one of these vets is within your reach?
Recommended UK vets: Guinea Pig Vet Locator
Recommended vets in some other countries: Guinea Lynx :: GL's Vet List

 

[Evie whitehouse]

Hi and welcome!

What a wonderful old age!

Please be aware that mange mites are invisible to the naked eye; they bury their eggs into the increasingly inflamed and painful skin that a guinea pig starts fitting and can eventually die a slow and agonising death. Many guinea pigs do come with mite eggs present in the skin, which can make an appearance whenever the immune system is suppressed. In the elderly guinea pigs, this can be very sudden and dramatic. You need to use a good quality ivermectin or selamectin product; the usual pet shop stuff is too low dosed for any acute outbreak. Brand names differ from country to country. Your vet should be able to provide it.
Guinea Lynx :: Mange Mites

It sounds like advance glaucoma in the eye or otherwise a retrobulbar abscess (an abscess behind the eye). Unfortunately at this advanced age, an eye removal operation may no longer be feasible. Glaucoma in guinea pigs cannot be treated; it can be very painful and leads to blindness.
Links - Eye Conditions - Guinea Lynx Records

Your boy is also suffering from a penis prolapse; it is basically an inability to retract it again. Prolapses can often be fixed relatively easily. The penis may need to be checked for infection.

Older piggies are often too arthritic to clean themselves up; you have to do the job for them and clean their sleeping area twice daily - as you are doing.
Please gently wash the bum area, the underside and the underside of the feet with hand warm water to prevent urine scald (bare, increasingly sore skin) and infections getting into any cracks that could cause bumblefoot (foot infection, not uncommon in old guinea pigs with limited mobility that are unable to take their weight off their front feet while their blood circulation is no longer all that great). Make sure that your piggy is totally dry and warm before you put him back in the cage.
You may also want to check for possible impaction, which is caused by weakening muscles at the back end.
Guinea Lynx :: Urine Scald
Guinea Lynx :: Pododermatitis
Impaction Recovery - How To Help Your Guinea Pig.

My eight year old lady has the same nails on one back foot. I'm not sure whether it is fungal or just old age.

Since we have members from all over the world, we find it very helpful of you please added your country, state/province or UK county to your details, so we can tailor any advice as much as possible to what is available and relevant where you are instead of keeping it as general as possible. Click on your username on the top bar, then go to personal details and scroll down to location. This makes it appear with every post you make.
Can you see whether one of these vets is within your reach?
Recommended UK vets: Guinea Pig Vet Locator
Recommended vets in some other countries: Guinea Lynx :: GL's Vet List

He has bumble foot that we have tried treating for years, it got a lot better and then a very very stupid vet pulled the hole pad off his foot and we nearly lost him! We now manage it with strong pain relief and cleaning it with salt water, when it gets bad we pad it up and up his meds. And yes he does suffer from arthritis which would make sense in not being able to clean himself. We also clean him everyday all over with salt water as he lays In his poo. Yes we thought of surgery for his eye but chose against it due to his age he wouldn't survive. Thank you about the mange mites I will speak to my rubbish vets! And as for rescue centres iv messaged several and never had a response for them. I live in Cheshire, wilmslow and I'm with wright and Morton and have been ringing around vets to see if anyone could help but every vets say the same thing that he will probably need surgery for his conditions. He eats more than I do he's happy he just has some old age ailments that seem to be getting worse with age. Added some photos of his eye his foot and his penis. His foot I feel is the worst. We've tried him on strong long stretches of antibiotics and creams nothing works and I think it's because she pulled the pad off his foot thinking it was a abscess that needed draining or I don't no what she was thinking when she did it! Silly women all I can say! He used to live outside in a massive outdoor run and hutch and he used to want to be out a lot in the mud which caused the bumble foot but now he lives in all year round. Oh and to also add his blind in both eyes and completely deaf and has been for the past 3 years.

 

[Wiebke]

He has bumble foot that we have tried treating for years, it got a lot better and then a very very stupid vet pulled the hole pad off his foot and we nearly lost him! We now manage it with strong pain relief and cleaning it with salt water, when it gets bad we pad it up and up his meds. And yes he does suffer from arthritis which would make sense in not being able to clean himself. We also clean him everyday all over with salt water as he lays In his poo. Yes we thought of surgery for his eye but chose against it due to his age he wouldn't survive. Thank you about the mange mites I will speak to my rubbish vets! And as for rescue centres iv messaged several and never had a response for them. I live in Cheshire, wilmslow and I'm with wright and Morton and have been ringing around vets to see if anyone could help but every vets say the same thing that he will probably need surgery for his conditions. He eats more than I do he's happy he just has some old age ailments that seem to be getting worse with age. Added some photos of his eye his foot and his penis. His foot I feel is the worst. We've tried him on strong long stretches of antibiotics and creams nothing works and I think it's because she pulled the pad off his foot thinking it was a abscess that needed draining or I don't no what she was thinking when she did it! Silly women all I can say! He used to live outside in a massive outdoor run and hutch and he used to want to be out a lot in the mud which caused the bumble foot but now he lives in all year round. Oh and to also add his blind in both eyes and completely deaf and has been for the past 3 years.

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Rodger's penis looks dirty to me - have you tried to clean it and have you checked whether the blood flow is not impeded by some hair or smegma build-up that has wrapped itself around it? He is dragging it around all over his pees and poos etc. after all.
Boar Care: Bits, Bums & Baths

The front feet are the weight bearing ones in guinea pigs while the back feet act as springs. As guinea pigs become arthritic and less mobile, they are often no longer able to take the weight off their front feet at all. The constant pressure combined with an often no longer optimal blood circulation means that bumblefoot cannot always be healed, only managed.
It is not all that uncommon in old piggies. My 8 year old Nerys also struggled with that problem in the wake of temporary loss of use of her back legs and never quite regaining it fully again. The bumblefoot problem kept coming back from time to time simply because the cause of it could not be eliminated, as much as I kept changing the cosies and as much as I provided only the softest. You may find that vetbed is the best and softest surface for guinea pigs in Rodger's situation. When dealing with Nerys' bumblefoot, I have also found the Gorgeous Guinea's cream helpful.
F & M Ointment 15gm (also comes in a 25g tub).

As Rodger is still eating well, he obviously still has the will to live, but your boy is now the equivalent of a human who has celebrated his 100th birthday several years ago. That is unfortunately something that any vet has to take into their consideration when it comes to treatments, as would any human doctor. Issues that require an operation don't simply resolve themselves; that is not the fault of the vet. Most of them are doing their best, but they cannot pull miracles out of thin air. Despite having come along an enormous way in just Roger's lifetime, veterinary medicine can unfortunately do only so much, especially for such an old and increasingly frailer piggy.
The same goes for any older human, as I know from looking after my over 90 year old mother-in-law during the last years of her life. As the body is failing gradually, problems tend to pile up, interact and create a growing rat-tail of secondary issues that can often only be managed, but not healed. You also have to take into consideration that the metabolism is slowing down with old age - and that also includes the absorption of medication as well as the ability to heal and recuperate.

It is very hard and downright frightening - especially seeing how well and how long you have cared for Rodger - when you have to face the fact that you may be coming closer to the end of the road. Unfortunately it is usually the harder the more and the longer you have invested so much time and care into a pet that you love so dearly to help it live. Please let Rodger's quality of life and his will to live be your guide in any decisions that you have to make and not your own fears of losing him.

Have you contacted any of the vets that we recommend in your wider area? Guinea Pig Vet Locator

 

[Evie whitehouse]

These photos were all taken before his daily clean, so yeh he's dirty! Haha, and yeh I would have him put to sleep I would of done that 3 years ago but my vet seems to think he isn't suffering! But I'm not so sure. I am also not sure if he weeing properly so need to get that checked.

 

[Wiebke]

These photos were all taken before his daily clean, so yeh he's dirty! Haha, and yeh I would have him put to sleep I would of done that 3 years ago but my vet seems to think he isn't suffering! But I'm not so sure. I am also not sure if he weeing properly so need to get that checked.

You are a very caring mum. The bumblefoot looks nasty, I agree. You will know when the time comes. It is always so much harder when it is you and not your piggy that makes the decision.
I hope that the mange mites treatment is bringing relief and that you can clear up the peeing problem.