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Oldie Guinea Pig Not Well

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Sarah2470

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Hi all I am new here and am looking for some advice.
We have 2 aged Guinea Pigs, Hopper and Bouncer. Last night we noticed that Hopper was looking very uncomfortable so we took him out of the indoor hutch and had a good look at him.
He was struggling to walk and was kind of hopping, so we looked at his legs and all seemed fine. All he seemed to want to do was lie flat on the floor :( We put him back in his hutch and he had a little bit of carrot. We left him overnight with his mate and this morning he is in the corner of the hutch and not wanting to move. I don't want to move him as he seems to be comfortable but am worried (as is my 11 year old daughter).

Our piggies are indoor boys and have always been in the best of health and have wanted for nothing. Is it just old age? If he has shown no improvement later I will be contacting the vet but just wondered if any of you guys have come across this before.

Many thanks in advance

Sarah
 
Guinea pigs can get arthritis in old age, particularly in hips and knees, which can lead to them being reluctant to move and hopping when they do.

It is easily managed with painkillers or anti-inflammatories like Metacam. Some people worry about long term use of these drugs on kidney function etc but if your piggy is old and otherwise healthy then it's not likely to pose a problem and will make him feel more comfortable and have a better quality of life.

Try chatting with a piggy savvy vet and see what they think. I have had this with a few piggies in my time. :)
 
Thank you, have just spoken to my vet, she has piggies herself and has told me to keep offering him his favourite foods, have just given him grapes, apples but the thing he is tucking into right now is grass. At least he is eating so that is good :) Am going to see how he is later and maybe take him to the vets just to get him checked over. I love my boys so much I hate to see them poorly. We have so many other animals but the piggies are my favourites, just don't tell the dogs, cats, horses etc :D
 
Sarah2470 said:
Thank you, have just spoken to my vet, she has piggies herself and has told me to keep offering him his favourite foods, have just given him grapes, apples but the thing he is tucking into right now is grass. At least he is eating so that is good :) Am going to see how he is later and maybe take him to the vets just to get him checked over. I love my boys so much I hate to see them poorly. We have so many other animals but the piggies are my favourites, just don't tell the dogs, cats, horses etc :D
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No problem. Eating is good. Just like us when they get old, piggies can struggle with lots of things. Hopefully you can get him sorted out and more comfortable soon. He certainly sounds like something is making moving around painful for him. Piggies are so good at covering up illness and pain it can make it really difficult for us as owners and vets to work out what's going on.
Good luck!
 
Thank you! The vet said the same thing that they are good at covering up illness. I am glad to see him eating but still think I will take him along to evening surgery just as a precaution. We are lucky to have such great vets here, they understand me and my animals :lol!: not an easy task as I am a worrier!
 
I know what you mean. I swear my vets must be like 'oh here she is again, the mad guinea pig woman, what does she want this time....' I've been so often in the past year they don't even ask my name anymore when I come through the door :)

A good vet is worth their weight in gold!
 
Sarah2470 said:
Hi all I am new here and am looking for some advice.
We have 2 aged Guinea Pigs, Hopper and Bouncer. Last night we noticed that Hopper was looking very uncomfortable so we took him out of the indoor hutch and had a good look at him.
He was struggling to walk and was kind of hopping, so we looked at his legs and all seemed fine. All he seemed to want to do was lie flat on the floor :( We put him back in his hutch and he had a little bit of carrot. We left him overnight with his mate and this morning he is in the corner of the hutch and not wanting to move. I don't want to move him as he seems to be comfortable but am worried (as is my 11 year old daughter).

Our piggies are indoor boys and have always been in the best of health and have wanted for nothing. Is it just old age? If he has shown no improvement later I will be contacting the vet but just wondered if any of you guys have come across this before.

Many thanks in advance

Sarah
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Please see a vet as promptly as you can! He sounds in major pain/discomfort and needs relief for that! Whether you are dealing with a strain/injury, arthritis or something else is for the vet to decide when he exmines your piggy. The lethargy sounds very worrying to me; that is always a major alarm signal.
 
Going to the vets this evening as working later, surgery opens at 5 and I will be there! He is not so lethargic now and is looking a bit brighter but still taking him. I hate to see any animal poorly :(
 
Great that he is seeing the vet later, if it is a pain response they should be able to give you some Metacam to help. Good luck.
 
Just got back from the vets and nothing desperately wrong :) Got some Metacam just in case he is in pain. He has had first dose and is snuggled up with his mate. Thank you for all your replies - much appreciated.
 
How's his back end looking? I ask as I had my first experience of a guinea pig with very marked arthritis just last summer. She was still eating, drinking and moving about as normal though she had slowed a little (I assumed that was just because she was getting on a bit) but she started getting dirty and started to develop a urine scald. After treating for a UTI with only a small improvement she was referred to an exotics specialist where they found she had very marked arthritis in her spine and also the start of kidney failure. She was on daily metacam and had a new lease of life, no longer was she dirty or getting scalded. Unfortunately metacam speeds up kidney failure so we didn't get much longer with her but I know that her final month was a lot more comfortable than it otherwise would have been
 
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