Specialist Please help! Bladder inflammation and hind leg paralysis

[Danielle Smith]

My boy Flash hasn't been right for the past 6 weeks or so (see here: Low blood pressure in guinea pigs?). Ultimately, all the vet can report is a severely thickened/inflamed bladder; no stones or sludge on x-ray though very sludgy wees.

A week ago he went off his hind legs. Prior to this he wasn't wanting to move about much anyway, but it started with his left leg dragging behind him, and now it's affecting his right leg too.

He has no sensation in his feet, and cries (in pain or annoyance, I don't know) when you gently massage his leg muscles. Upon palpation, the vet said he had lost almost all his muscle mass in his hind legs. The vet could not see anything on an x-ray taken the week before but says it could be a spinal tumor.

He's on metacam and paracetamol. The vet won't give tramadol or gabapentin. He's being entirely syringe fed, and supplemented with vitamin C, Cystease, and Metatone. He doesn't move apart from to scurry into a hidey. He's getting bumblefoot on his front paws from keeping himself propped up. I've just added Osteocare today as a last resort.

OH and I don't know what to do, his quality of life is bad at the minute. However, I keep reading about pigs who are paralysed for weeks and then make a recovery. He's not even two yet, and he was a very healthy pig before this bout of illness. I just keep thinking of things we haven't tried and how I'll never forgive myself if I let him go without giving him a chance.

I have also read that pigs with bladder issues often come down with back leg paralysis (@Wiebke has mentioned it a few times). Does anyone know why this is? Can it be fixed?

 

[Wiebke]

My boy Flash hasn't been right for the past 6 weeks or so (see here: Low blood pressure in guinea pigs?). Ultimately, all the vet can report is a severely thickened/inflamed bladder; no stones or sludge on x-ray though very sludgy wees.

A week ago he went off his hind legs. Prior to this he wasn't wanting to move about much anyway, but it started with his left leg dragging behind him, and now it's affecting his right leg too.

He has no sensation in his feet, and cries (in pain or annoyance, I don't know) when you gently massage his leg muscles. Upon palpation, the vet said he had lost almost all his muscle mass in his hind legs. The vet could not see anything on an x-ray taken the week before but says it could be a spinal tumor.

He's on metacam and paracetamol. The vet won't give tramadol or gabapentin. He's being entirely syringe fed, and supplemented with vitamin C, Cystease, and Metatone. He doesn't move apart from to scurry into a hidey. He's getting bumblefoot on his front paws from keeping himself propped up. I've just added Osteocare today as a last resort.

OH and I don't know what to do, his quality of life is bad at the minute. However, I keep reading about pigs who are paralysed for weeks and then make a recovery. He's not even two yet, and he was a very healthy pig before this bout of illness. I just keep thinking of things we haven't tried and how I'll never forgive myself if I let him go without giving him a chance.

I have also read that pigs with bladder issues often come down with back leg paralysis (@Wiebke has mentioned it a few times). Does anyone know why this is? Can it be fixed?

Hi!

HUGS!

It does unfortunately not sound good. Temporary back leg paralysis can in a few cases be caused by the intense pain from a really bad bladder infection or a stone, but it usually disappears as soon as the meds and painkillers kick in and the stone/infection is treated/operated. If your bladder does not react to treatment, then there is very little you can do.
In your case you seem to be dealing with a progressive problem as it involves muscle wastage.

I fully understand how hard it is for you, but please consider how much pain you want to put your boy through. You are unfortunately not dealing with one of the much more common and not painful back leg paralyses that are often caused by a drop in calcium but by a pain related one. Osteocare won't do anything for your boy.

Please accept that without a hands-on diagnosis we can only guess as much as you do, but your vet seems to have doen a very careful, considered and thorough examination.

@Jaycey @furryfriends (TEAS)

 

[Danielle Smith]

Thanks for being frank, I do appreciate an outside view. We are leaning towards ending his suffering, but I wanted to make absolutely sure it's the right choice. My baby boar

 

[Wiebke]

Thanks for being frank, I do appreciate an outside view. We are leaning towards ending his suffering, but I wanted to make absolutely sure it's the right choice. My baby boar

If it is any consolation to you, I currently have got one of my own piggy on palliative care that I may have to sent to the Rainbow Bridge any day now. It is never an easy or a light decision, but we also have a duty to not let our beloved ones suffer unnecessarily. Sparing your beloved one any pain you can't get on top of is the most heart-breaking, but also the most loving gift you can ever make.

Sadly the problem for a good owner is that when you minimise the risk of all the common curable problems, you tend to end up with more of the nasty ones that you can't do much about.