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Rupert - Dragging Back Legs

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worried val of york

worried val of york

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Since my last thread about his ~Trichofolliculoma operation he has been less active than before but has been eating and drinking and kept a good weight.
However I have had to take him to vets this evening as he was dragging both back legs.
The vet has given me Gabapentin to administer 1ml for three times a day.
As this is not licensed for guinea pigs I have been advised to keep a close eye on Rupert and stop the medication if he shows any adverse reaction.
Has anyone used this medicine and can anyone give me advice on how to make Rupert's life easier. Thanks Val
 
Thanks @gizzy. I don't think I made Rupert's current problem clear. He has recovered from the Trichofolliculoma problem back in January.
Since then he has eaten and taken water as normal. But he was less active. I put this down to his age (he is about 6 and a half yrs old) and the position of the growths which the vet treated.
I did find the information on the website but it doesn't refer to my Rupert's current problem of not being able to use his back legs.
But thanks again for providing that information.
 
sorry l thought ther was an aftercare bit in the artical
 
Hopefully Abi can help. Sadly the only experience I have of one of mine dragging their back legs was Ellie and we weren't able to get on top of what was causing it. It sounds like Rupert's is linked to his other issues though.
 
Thanks Helen. Rupert looks a different guinea pig at the front. He is keen to eat and drink. But he has lost control of his rear end. I have to help him with his poops which are normal but he doesn't have muscle strength to eject them. It is more than impaction as he had that issue for a while.
 
Couldn't the vet offer any clues as to why he is dragging his legs? Did he mention what the meds are treating specifically (swelling? Pain? Infection? etc)
The only experience I have is very much second hand from watching a vet programme, where a piggy had been brought in with a suspected broken back after the kids had an accident with him. It turned out he had swelling in the area of his back, causing his nerves to not respond as they should and signals for movement were not getting through properly. As the swelling subsided the movement came back. Treatment was to keep him confined. comfortable, and warm.
All I know is that there are other causes too. The fact that it's not just his legs but also a loss of control of his bowels makes me wonder about the spine, but this is my best guess work, and guess work is not helpful.

If you could find out:
What aspect the meds are treating (this may give an indication of what the vet thinks the root cause is?
Perhaps talk to your vet and ask if there are any tests that could reveal the cause if he is unsure (e.g. x-ray)

Can I also ask if he has any control of his bladder? Does he drip urine? Does he lie in it?
Can I also ask if he shows any indication of feeling in his legs? Does he respond to you touching his legs? Does he seem to notice if you wriggle his toes?

I won't be able to shed any light on to this no matter what you answer as my own medial knowledge is very limited, but perhaps by doing so someone else may have a better idea as to the cause for you. :hug:
 
Sorry to hear you have more battles with Rupert. Is the vet thinking nerve pain? I think Gabapentin is used for that and other things like seizures in humans.
I did have a piggie who had an episode of dragging both back legs but that was an arthritis flare up and we did manage to improve it with meds and warmth. It looked pretty awful though so i feel for you now trying to help Rupert.
Have you spoken with Barbara? @pig in the city
 
I've used gabapentin in piggies and not seen any problems. The most I would be likely to see if sleepiness.

I would suggest potentially just taking an X-ray to check for spinal spondylosis. At his age it may be a factor contributing to the dragging of the hind limbs. However if you wish to manage him with pain relief this is ok. Managing an animal off their back legs is hard and you'll need to ensure he's always clean and has soft deep bedding to stop/reduce the chance of sores. Personally I would speak to your vet about long term prognosis and if there is any other things you can do for him in the long term.

x
 
Poor Rupert, he is having a tough time. I have used Gabapentin to good effect in a piggy with back pain. We added it in to metacam as the metacam alone wasn't effective (this was with Ozzy @lauraboara ). I agree it sounds more as if Rupert is paralysed rather than just pain alone. I have had piggies lose the use of their back legs as a non specific reaction to illness such as a urinary tract infection, but the fact that Rupert has no bowel control l suspect the nerves may be damaged. Another chat with your regular vet is in order if he doesn't improve soon Val. So sorry x
 
@Critter The vet wasn't sure of cause. He did try testing his back legs by holding Rupert and the allowing his back legs to touch the table edge to check if there was any sign he could control his feet on the surface. He said it could be neurological or spinal. I said I wasn't ready to have Rupert put to sleep.
So he gave me a short course of gabapentin. I will be taking him back for follow up visit next week. The vet said he would try an x ray (without anaesthetic) to see if that showed any problems.
I know @pig in the city it doesn't look good but he is a fighter and I am hoping the gabapentin with metacam may help.
@lauraboara I am hoping that as he was showing signs of not wanting to move before the loss of use of his legs may be an indication of severe pain and not spinal.
@Abi_nurse thanks for advice. I will change his bedding including vet bed frequently. He's had a tough few months healthwise but he's sat next to me after his second dose of medicines today and he has cleaned his face. I will know when the time comes and make the right decision then.
 
Hi there I might be wrong but I had something similar with my little truffle last year she suddenly overnight lost the use of her back legs I thought she'd had a stroke as she couldn't move hardly at all so I rushed her to the vet and they didn't know either. Anyway I got my trusting peter gurney book out and this can happen for unknown reasons so he recommends a dose of calcium supplement. So I went to the supermarket and brought some osteocare gave piggy 1ml night and morning on the first day, then 0.5ml night and morning for the following 2 days and she started to improve within a couple of days and was back to normal within 4days. It might be worth a try it worked for mine. Hope things work out for you x
 
brillmini said:
Hi there I might be wrong but I had something similar with my little truffle last year she suddenly overnight lost the use of her back legs I thought she'd had a stroke as she couldn't move hardly at all so I rushed her to the vet and they didn't know either. Anyway I got my trusting peter gurney book out and this can happen for unknown reasons so he recommends a dose of calcium supplement. So I went to the supermarket and brought some osteocare gave piggy 1ml night and morning on the first day, then 0.5ml night and morning for the following 2 days and she started to improve within a couple of days and was back to normal within 4days. It might be worth a try it worked for mine. Hope things work out for you x
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There are several reasons what can cause dragging of the feet. "Overnight paralysis" (i.e. a sudden drop of calcium) is a temporary phenomenon that can happen in older piggies, but I don't think that it applies here.
 
@brillmini
I did read Peter Gurney's advice which indicates Osetocare wth glucosamine could help.I cannot find a liquid form of this.
What type did you use and where did you get it.
 
I got it from tesco just off the shelf where the paracetamol etc are. It's in a box (white & blue) it's "vitabiotics osteocare liquid" as wiebke has said it might not be the problem but it's worth a try. My little piggy was 4yrs old when it happened to her x
 
I have just given Rupert a small Chantilly carrot. As he was pretty keen to eat it I moved it slightly away from him and he moved towards it. He used his back legs for the short distance.
So hopefully he will continue to improve.
 
Thanks @flintstones
@pig in the city I have just fed Rupert and his companion Badger. I lifted all their hidies and Rupert moved (using both his back legs).
I am more hopeful than when he first showed signs of paralysis of his back legs. His back paws were quite cold at first but yesterday both his back feet are now warm again. I took this as a good sign and when I saw him moving it was such a relief.
It is strange that his companion Badger was nestling near him when Rupert was unable to use his back legs. Badger has never done this before and they had kept a friendly distance since being bonded. Now Rupert has improved Badger is keeping his distance again. It does make you wonder about guinea pigs and how they sense when things aren't right and how they react.
I am still keeping a close eye on Rupert as it is still early days.
 
worried val of york said:
Thanks @flintstones
@pig in the city I have just fed Rupert and his companion Badger. I lifted all their hidies and Rupert moved (using both his back legs).
I am more hopeful than when he first showed signs of paralysis of his back legs. His back paws were quite cold at first but yesterday both his back feet are now warm again. I took this as a good sign and when I saw him moving it was such a relief.
It is strange that his companion Badger was nestling near him when Rupert was unable to use his back legs. Badger has never done this before and they had kept a friendly distance since being bonded. Now Rupert has improved Badger is keeping his distance again. It does make you wonder about guinea pigs and how they sense when things aren't right and how they react.
I am still keeping a close eye on Rupert as it is still early days.
Click to expand...

Guinea are very sensitive to illness in others and can be very caring, even ones you wouldn't expect to be so, especially with disabilities or post-op recovery.

Thankfully, most backleg paralysis in older piggies, whatever the cause, is temporary, but it can take a bit of time to completely reverse. it also generally doesn't happen twice in the same piggy. Keep on gently massaging the legs to keep the muscles stimulated.
 
I took Rupert back to his usual vet on Thursday. The vet red the notes from my previous visit last Friday where a colleague had seen Rupert. The vet said he was surprised how Rupert had improved considering what the vet had written last week. he also said Rupert's back end looked a lot better since he had treated him back in January.
I got some a further months supply of gabapentin and was advised to continue giving this as well as metacam.
I will keep a close eye on Rupert and ensure he has a decent quality of life for as long as possible.
 
worried val of york said:
I took Rupert back to his usual vet on Thursday. The vet red the notes from my previous visit last Friday where a colleague had seen Rupert. The vet said he was surprised how Rupert had improved considering what the vet had written last week. he also said Rupert's back end looked a lot better since he had treated him back in January.
I got some a further months supply of gabapentin and was advised to continue giving this as well as metacam.
I will keep a close eye on Rupert and ensure he has a decent quality of life for as long as possible.
Click to expand...
Yes and I sneaked a little Rupert head stroke in the waiting room! Really pleased he is a little stronger and it seems as though the gabapentin has made a difference? Well done Val for keeping him going through this.
 
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