Rebuilding atrophied muscle

[Eriathwen]

As per the title really..are there any specific exercises that can be done to rebuild leg muscles? Supplements? Foods?

Short backstory, Leonard has Osteodystrophy. It has taken us a few months to fiddle with painkillers enough to get him reasonably comfortable and this has caused his thigh muscles to atrophy from lowered mobility.

Currently he is getting daily exercise on the floor for at least 20 minutes, he is also getting alfalfa every other day or so, for the additional calcium for his bones but also in the hopes the extra protein will help muscle growth. I feel his knees would be less painful with the muscle back at a suitable level to support his rear end properly?

I'm noticing already he stands better, not rocking back on his heels as much unless going to the toilet, which causes pain.
Is there anything else I can do for him that I've over looked?
(Left picture from a couple of months ago, the right was taken today) to show the difference we're seeing so far.

 

[Wiebke]

Daily exercise did the trick with Dylan, who had a very thin back and did a lot of hopping/drooping while free-roaming at first; he also profited from a wider diet than just lettuce and carrot in his previous life of being stuck in a hamster cage for two years. It took several weeks to gradually build up his musculature.

His baby companions, first Llelo and now Begw have also helped - both to keep him active and to get him to eat a wider variety of veg; he can still be somewhat picky.

All the best!

 

[Eriathwen]

Thankyou! That's reassuring, sounds like we're on the right track then. He's definitely eating better now his pain is more under control, so hopefully in a few weeks he will be back into better condition. He's gaining weight, I just hope it's in the right places

 

[PigglePuggle]

Could you encourage him to try stand up on his back legs for treats, maybe hang coriander or parsley just a little out of reach so he has to reach up? And scatter feed so he has to move around more?
When we got big pig Clover with her badly healed broken back leg she had no muscle tone at the back, and hopped a lot and dragged her leg. Now she gallops about and stands up to get food- I think the strong muscles really help support the dodgy bone around her back knee. She prefers running on fleece, maybe you could have fleece or a duvet down for exercise time to help cushion his joints?

Hope Leonard gets his strength back!

 

[Eriathwen]

I can certainly try, the vertebrae just in front of his hips is quite soft though so his movements are quite dependant on whether that or his knees are sore. He certainly stands up to peer into the girls cage by himself sometimes
I was also thinking of getting vet bed to cover the floor in while he's out, solid surfaces do seem to put more of a strain on his joints so that's definitely something we can do.

 

[piggieminder]

Such a gorgeous piggie, I hope he can rebuild those muscles soon.
Spike's dodgy hips are better on vetbed than any other bedding I've tried him on. I even made double padded fleece cage liners to try and cushion him but the thick vetbed seems to be the best.

 

[Guinea-pigGaga]

It is to my understanding that guinea pigs with osteodystrophy do not benefit from extra calcium. However, extra calcium may contribute to the formation of stones etc.

Hydrotherapy may be of benefit.

 

[Eriathwen]

Really? Everything we have read said it possibly could, I really hope it does..although we are keeping a very close eye on his bladder and urine output, our vet expressed his bladder just yesterday and it wasn't painful at all and clear of sediment build ups etc. Although he is overdue a sludge test, I've been aiming to do them once a month.
He gets additional vitamin D3, zinc and magnesium which may be why it's not building up in his bladder?
He is certainly in a better shape than the last 2 we had with OD who weren't given supplements anyway which is a small mercy.

 

[Guinea-pigGaga]

As I am sure that you are aware, osteodystrophy is a poorly understood condition.

When I first researched osteodystrophy, it was thought that, whilst calcium supplements could treat the related osteoporosis/osteopenia, calcium supplements would not treat the disease. However, it was thought that calcium supplements may contribute to the formation of stones etc. Therefore, calcium supplements were thought to do as much and/or more harm than good.

However, it would appear that individuals have had varying success with calcium supplements, providing there is a source of vitamin D. It would appear that a number of individuals have amended/lowered the amount of calcium over time. Although, it would also appear that it is recommended to monitor affected guinea pigs by performing periodic X-rays.

Wishing you the best of luck.

 

[Eriathwen]

Thankyou! There is certainly an awful lot of conflicting information out there, and mostly anecdotal information at that. I think there is only a couple of months until the 6 months post diagnosis, which is when i'd like to have xrays redone to see where we're at and how fast/slow it's progressing. I would be more comfortable regarding euthanasia if I could see that in spite of trying all that we have it was still progressing quickly, rather than trying to guess by his behaviour.