Please Help - So Upset :(

[Emalijay43]

Hi, I'm new here and specifically signed up to try and find some reassurance about my beloved Dougal. He has been limping since Friday afternoon, on his front right leg. No obvious signs of any injury to any of his feet, legs etc. All feet look normal. I called a vet this morning to ask their advice and completely shocked that they said if his leg is broken they can offer amputation but that's about it! Dougal is eating, drinking normally etc but hasn't wanted to come out of their cage which has the door permanently open though this is not particularly unusual. He lives with his brother who recently has been very vigorous with Dougal. They have a two tier cage and both piggies normally jump up and down from the one ledge there is, as their dry food is there. I can only think that wither Dougal has jumped and landed badly or his brother has hurt him, as nobody has manhandled either pig in such a way to cause injury.

Please tell me that even if his leg is indeed broken that there's an alternative to amputation! We're taking him tomorrow to be seen. Dougal is 2 and a half years old and is a picture of health normally. Can anyone reassure me? I know someone said that it could be a sprain and if that's the case then it will heal but takes a long time. Is there anything I can be doing for him in the meantime?

 

[The Furry Godmother]

Personally, I feel you should make an appointment with a cavvy savvy vet. Because there could be a number of reasons for his limping, some minor and some major. However, I feel he should see a vet as he may need pain relief and a GOOD vet will be able to examine the leg properly.

My boy was limping at first, and now he has been diagnosed with array of health complications (including arthrotis) that have divulged from this and come to light. And he's under 2.

Hopefully it is just a sprain and something minor, but I feel a decent vet needs to see your piggy!

Also, if the leg was broken, I know of a member on here whose pig broke her leg and they never amputated it.

 

[Claire W]

Hello and welcome.

I have never had a guinea pig with a broken leg but I have had piggies who have had bad sprains. In the case of sprains, they usually limp around for a few days and rest the leg until the sprain heals. They adapt to how they feel most comfortable.

I have however had a degu who broke his front leg. He did not need an x ray as my vet was able to feel the break. He couldn't put his foot down at all and walked around holding his front paw up.

I must admit that amputation was mentioned but only as a absolute last resort. I do not think any vet can suggest amputation without even seeing the animal.

My degu was prescribed metacam for the pain and I can report that his leg was fully healed within 3 months.

The first thing you need to do is to make sure it is actually broken and not just a bad sprain. Your vet will either be able to tell by feeling if the bone is broken / fractured (Please do NOT do this yourself) or they will do an x ray.

In terms of healing a broken bone, it really does depend on the position of the break, what kind of break it is and whether it is a break or a fracture.

We have a vet locator at the top of the screen. Have you had a look on there. All the vets recommended are cavy savvy and have been used and recommended by our members.

In the meantime, take away anything from your cage that could cause further injury and make the cage easy for your piggy to move around. Also make sure that Dougal can access his food and water easily.

Please try and not panic just yet but the sooner he sees a cavy savvy vet the better as he will feel much better once he is on pain relief.

 

[Emalijay43]

Personally, I feel you should make an appointment with a cavvy savvy vet. Because there could be a number of reasons for his limping, some minor and some major. However, I feel he should see a vet as he may need pain relief and a GOOD vet will be able to examine the leg properly.

Also, if the leg was broken, I know of a member on here whose pig broke her leg and they never amputated it.

Hello and welcome.

I have never had a guinea pig with a broken leg but I have had piggies who have had sprains. In the case of sprains, they usually limp around for a few days and rest the leg until the sprain heals.

I have however had a degu who broke his front leg. He did not need an x ray as my vet was able to feel the break. He couldn't put his foot down at all and walked around holding his front paw up.

I must admit that amputation was mentioned but only as a absolute last resort. I do not think any vet can suggest amputation without even seeing the animal.

My degu was prescribed metacam for the pain and I can report that his leg was fully healed within 3 months.

The first thing you need to do is to make sure it is actually broken and not just a bad sprain. Your vet will either be able to tell by feeling if the bone is broken / fractured (Please do NOT do this yourself) or they will do an x ray.

In terms of healing a broken bone, it really does depend on the position of the break, what kind of break it is and whether it is a break or a fracture.

We have a vet locator at the top of the screen. Have you had a look on there. All the vets recommended are cavy savvy and have been used and recommended by our members.

In the meantime, take away anything from your cage that could cause further injury and make the cage easy for your piggy to move around. Also make sure that Dougal can access his food and water easily.

Please try and not panic just yet but the sooner he sees a cavy savvy vet the better as he will feel much better once he is on pain relief.

Thank you so much, it's given me some hope and I'm going to take the ledge out of their cage right now!

 

[A&T]

Mine fell from her ledge once, must have landed badly, anyway she was limping so I took her to the vet and they just said it was a sprain, they gave her a painkiller and a anti inflammatory I think and she was fine the next day. You should get him to a very though, the fact that he's limping means he's in pain whether it's broken or not, so a painkiller will probably do him at lot of good if it is just a sprain