• Discussions taking place within this forum are intended for the purpose of assisting you in discussing options with your vet. Any other use of advice given here is done so at your risk, is solely your responsibility and not that of this forum or its owner. Before posting it is your responsibility you abide by this Statement

Problems with shoulder joint

Status
Not open for further replies.
Wiebke

Wiebke

Moderator
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
Mar 10, 2009
Messages
94,892
Reaction score
91,715
Points
3,466
Location
Coventry UK
Nia has been limping badly since last week. She has been seen by my vet, as soon as I noticed. It is certainly not a break, but her shoulder joint was swollen, so she got some baytril and is on metacam.

Five days on, she is a bit better, but still favouring her front leg very much and I haven't had the impression that things have improved over the weekend. She's booked in again for tomorrow and will probably need an x-ray to make sure that her front leg is not dislocated which is the only explanation I can thnk of.

Has anybody had experience with a similar problem?
 
Ive not had this problem in my pigs but i have only owned the two i have now, but my dog meg has a similar problem. She had a limp from about 4months old and we done x rays and nothing showed up only that her cartilage around the shoulder blade wasnt as thick as the other side and the vet said that must be the problem. I too looked at the x rays as at the time i worked their as a nurse. She was put on glucosamine tablets and all is fine now, we give her one daily of the human form as they are the same and it has worked wonders! Maybe your piggys has the same problem?
 
Osteoarthritis, which can be confirmed by radiography, could be a likely cause for Nia's lameness. On the other hand, weight loss is also commonly associated with this condition. A common misconception is that osteoarthritis only occurs in older animals. However, I believe that this condition can occur in cavies of nine months or older. In reference to Claire W's post, in osteoarthritis there usually is an increase in (synovial) fluid of the joint.

Earlier this year, my dog twice underwent corrective surgery for a bilateral congenital orthopaedic condition. The specialist has warned myself that osteoarthritis will occur later in life. Therefore, I have been advised to give my dog a regular supplement of glucosamine, which is believed to stimulate production of cartilage-building proteins, and chondroitin, which is believed to inhibit production of cartilage-destroying enzymes and fight inflammation too. In reference to the above, I would imagine that these supplements would also be suitable for a cavy.

Good luck at the vets, Wiebke. I hope it is good news.
 
Nia is only about 17 months old!

I assumed that she had landed badly after a jump as the lameness was very sudden and unexpected. She is not crying out or anything when you touch her on her sore joint, not even when the vet had a good look at her.
 
As you know, I have no words of wisdom but I hope that Nia's shouldur is feeling better soon. Hopefully an x-ray will shed some light on the situation. xx
 
As you know, I have no words of wisdom but I hope that Nia's shouldur is feeling better soon. Hopefully an x-ray will shed some light on the situation. xx
 
Keeping everything crossed Nia's shoulder gets better real soon hun, keep us updated.
 
I've not had any problems with any of my piggies but have had a rabbit with a similar problem, she too didn't exhibit any symptoms of being in pain yet limped & after 2 vet visits & him finding nothing wrong (ie no break etc) we decided to leave her & see how she went on; she stopped limping after about 2 wks.

Just to add i suffer with OA & get swelling of the joints & can say without doubt when the affected joint is gently touched it hurts like hell!
 
Perhaps she has landed badly or twisted it, resulting in a soft tissue injury rather than a break? It might explain the limping and swelling, but I really wouldn't know because I haven't experienced that problem.

I'll keep my fingers and toes crossed that all is okay for Nia, that's a lovely name by the way.
 
I thought she was only young, I was inclined to wonder about arthritis hence my question about her age. When I had the multi-level cage there were a couple of incidents similar to your Nia, however they cleared up within a couple of days with the aid of Metacam. Good luck for the x-ray, I hope she's back on her feet very soon.

My Delilah has very stiff shoulders which causes her unusual gait, but whether it's arthritis or a defect she's had since birth (she also has gnarled, 'club feet'), I can't figure out.
 
I still assume that Nia probably badly twisted her frontleg when she landed or slipped somehow. It's just that it was worse again over the weekend and that it is taking much longer than expected. Her shoulder is still uncomfortable when I touch her there.

She's better again today and putting noticeably more weight on her foot than over the weekend and has even managed a fair little chase when I picked her up for her metacam. rolleyes

We're still waiting for the new car battery to arrive, as our old one is as flat as a pancake again! :{
 
Perhaps, it would beneficial to reduce the dosage of Metacam Nia is receiving? While it is obvious that Nia's shoulder is causing her some form of discomfort, and that she requires an analgesic, by relieving Nia completely of the pain, Nia will want to use her front leg. This could, in effect, lengthen recovery time since the leg is not receiving enough rest. I hope that makes sense.


However, any signs of recovery are positive.
 
Just back from the vet's.

The swelling around the shoulder has mostly disappeared and Nia's movement has improved continuously since yesterday evening. She produced what was definitely more of a walk than a hobble for the vet. She is on metacam for a few more day to make sure that the swelling is going down completely.
 
Last edited:
Guinea-pigGaga said:
That is great news, Wiebke! They do like to scare us.
Click to expand...

Indeed they do!

And then they always get better just after we've booked an appointment at the vet's to make us look like overprotective mother hens! malletheadmallethead
 
:)) My Devlin did that a few weeks ago. His appearance was concerning up until he was in the consultation room. I presume he fancied a drive or was simply attention seeking.
 
Guinea-pigGaga said:
:)) My Devlin did that a few weeks ago. His appearance was concerning up until he was in the consultation room. I presume he fancied a drive or was simply attention seeking.
Click to expand...

rolleyesrolleyesrolleyes

Nia and Nerys had certainly all the nurses cooing over them! x)
 
Nia is still limping a bit, but she is definitely a lot better and more active again!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top