• 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

Skeletal and teeth issues

R

RebeccaJ

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
Apr 12, 2025
Messages
22
Reaction score
30
Points
125
Location
South Devon, UK
Hi. This is my first post but I've been using this amazing website since we got our guinea pigs, the advice and guidance has been invaluable. We have two girls, Blackberry and Noodle, they're 2 years old. These are our first piggies so we have no previous experience.

My post is about Blackberry. We took her to the vets Friday morning as she'd lost some weight and was subdued. I was worried about her teeth as she seemed slower to eat her veggies. I was also worried about her hips. Since getting her as a baby she uses her back legs differently to Noodle. She prefers to lay when eating, adjusts herself frequently when standing still, will always lay down with her back legs to the side.

The Vet could see upon inspection that her teeth were a problem and he was happy to anaesthatise her and do what he could straight away. I voiced my concerns about her hips and asked if he could examine her whilst she was under an anaesthetic. We agreed to additional x-rays.

He called me after she had recovered to say he'd done what he could with her teeth and her bottom molars were overgrown and will continue to be a problem, needing trimming at regular intervals (not sure what the time span will be). He also said "you were right to be worried about her hips because..... she doesn't have any"

So Blackberry doesn't have hip joints at all. Likely a birth defect. She's probably adapted by creating her own 'false sockets'. Her x-rays also showed a curvature of her spine and that the middle part of her spine is "not normal" (the bones didn't show as clear white images but fuzzy).

The Vet said it was just a 'wait and see' situation with regards to both her teeth and if or when her spine/hips cause future problems.

I wanted to ask more experienced owners if anyone had any advice or previous knowledge about how to help her going forward with regards to her skeletal problems? Is there something I should be doing now to help her?

Also, we have dog strength Loxicom for her teeth recovery. The Vet said to give her a 8.5kg dog dose (that's the kind of syringe he gave) once a day. Knowing that the general advice on the forum is to give it twice a day, I gave her a half dose yesterday morning and half dose in the evening. Looking at our 1ml syringe, it equates to just under 0.3ml twice daily (she's about 850g). Do you think I'm correct to do that? She wasn't as bright yesterday as she was when she came back from the vets (having had a full dose there) and I'm worried it's because of the split pain med.

I'm support feeding her recovery food during the day and have been weighing her daily since she became unwell. She was maintaining her new low weight but today she's 17g less than yesterday. She doesn't appear to be eating grass or hay at all yet. Recovery feeding yesterday was hard, she just didn't want it. Whereas when we returned from the vets on Friday, she ate a lot eagerly all in one sitting. We have Burgess Excel which is pellet form, I hand fed her a few this morning and she took them. Might try more of that today.... She currently hiding in a pile of hay, she's just not used to being picked out of her cage so frequently, she's not enjoying it!

I'm really sorry for such a long post, taking up valuable time, I just don't want our inexperience/ignorance to have a negative impact on her care. It's really worrying seeing her this way and knowing it's likely not an isolated event.

Thank you in advance.
 
RebeccaJ said:
Hi. This is my first post but I've been using this amazing website since we got our guinea pigs, the advice and guidance has been invaluable. We have two girls, Blackberry and Noodle, they're 2 years old. These are our first piggies so we have no previous experience.

My post is about Blackberry. We took her to the vets Friday morning as she'd lost some weight and was subdued. I was worried about her teeth as she seemed slower to eat her veggies. I was also worried about her hips. Since getting her as a baby she uses her back legs differently to Noodle. She prefers to lay when eating, adjusts herself frequently when standing still, will always lay down with her back legs to the side.

The Vet could see upon inspection that her teeth were a problem and he was happy to anaesthatise her and do what he could straight away. I voiced my concerns about her hips and asked if he could examine her whilst she was under an anaesthetic. We agreed to additional x-rays.

He called me after she had recovered to say he'd done what he could with her teeth and her bottom molars were overgrown and will continue to be a problem, needing trimming at regular intervals (not sure what the time span will be). He also said "you were right to be worried about her hips because..... she doesn't have any"

So Blackberry doesn't have hip joints at all. Likely a birth defect. She's probably adapted by creating her own 'false sockets'. Her x-rays also showed a curvature of her spine and that the middle part of her spine is "not normal" (the bones didn't show as clear white images but fuzzy).

The Vet said it was just a 'wait and see' situation with regards to both her teeth and if or when her spine/hips cause future problems.

I wanted to ask more experienced owners if anyone had any advice or previous knowledge about how to help her going forward with regards to her skeletal problems? Is there something I should be doing now to help her?

Also, we have dog strength Loxicom for her teeth recovery. The Vet said to give her a 8.5kg dog dose (that's the kind of syringe he gave) once a day. Knowing that the general advice on the forum is to give it twice a day, I gave her a half dose yesterday morning and half dose in the evening. Looking at our 1ml syringe, it equates to just under 0.3ml twice daily (she's about 850g). Do you think I'm correct to do that? She wasn't as bright yesterday as she was when she came back from the vets (having had a full dose there) and I'm worried it's because of the split pain med.

I'm support feeding her recovery food during the day and have been weighing her daily since she became unwell. She was maintaining her new low weight but today she's 17g less than yesterday. She doesn't appear to be eating grass or hay at all yet. Recovery feeding yesterday was hard, she just didn't want it. Whereas when we returned from the vets on Friday, she ate a lot eagerly all in one sitting. We have Burgess Excel which is pellet form, I hand fed her a few this morning and she took them. Might try more of that today.... She currently hiding in a pile of hay, she's just not used to being picked out of her cage so frequently, she's not enjoying it!

I'm really sorry for such a long post, taking up valuable time, I just don't want our inexperience/ignorance to have a negative impact on her care. It's really worrying seeing her this way and knowing it's likely not an isolated event.

Thank you in advance.
Click to expand...

Hi and welcome

I am very sorry about the dental problem and the missing hip bones. It is thankfully pretty rare but missing or malformed bone formation can very occasionally happen. Yours is at the more severe end.
Other forum members with more personal experience may advise about the teeth. The painkiller sounds to me in the right area. Just keep topping up while the mouth is feeling very sore and chewing may be uncomfortable if the burring down was not quite perfect.
All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures

There is unfortunately very little to be done about the missing bones. Arthritis and unusual bone wear due to the different weight distribution/unusual walk could become longer term issues.

I would recommend that you check the feet (including soles) and the genital/back and bum area daily rather than just weekly. The links below contain helpful information and tips for looking out/dealing with secondary complications although they they are not dealing with missing bone formation because it is not at all common.
Looking After Guinea Pigs With Limited or No Mobility
Wiebke's Guide to Feet, Legs and Mobility Care
 
Thank you so much for your reply. I'm aware that you have vast experience with guniea pig ownership so I'm grateful for your advice. I very much wish she was her perky self but I'm trying to be positive and patient. It's very hard.

Thank you again.
 
RebeccaJ said:
Thank you so much for your reply. I'm aware that you have vast experience with guniea pig ownership so I'm grateful for your advice. I very much wish she was her perky self but I'm trying to be positive and patient. It's very hard.

Thank you again.
Click to expand...

HUGS
 
Hello and welcome to the forum. I’m so sorry your piggy is poorly. I hope she can be kept comfortable on the pain medication and she has many more happy days with you. ❤️
 
weepweeps said:
Hello and welcome to the forum. I’m so sorry your piggy is poorly. I hope she can be kept comfortable on the pain medication and she has many more happy days with you. ❤️
Click to expand...
Thank you, that's really kind. I wasn't prepared for how awful it is seeing her not munch hay or grass. I know I'm being impatient though.
 
It’s hard when they are ill. I had to syringe feed a piggy for 8 weeks once. We just want to make them better don’t we?
 
weepweeps said:
It’s hard when they are ill. I had to syringe feed a piggy for 8 weeks once. We just want to make them better don’t we?
Click to expand...
Goodness... 8 weeks... I'm crumbling after a few days! Because I have no prior experience, I feel like someone more knowledgeable would be doing a better job. I'll keep trying. I feel sorry for her when she hides just her little nose under the blanket and gives me a hard unblinking look when it's recovery food time... the guilt...
 
I have no advice but just wanted to say that I’m sorry for the problems that Blackberry has. I hope that she will be ok (((hugs))) it’s so hard when they’re poorly and we do not know what to do to help them but you’re doing a great job ❤️
 
Claire W said:
I have no advice but just wanted to say that I’m sorry for the problems that Blackberry has. I hope that she will be ok (((hugs))) it’s so hard when they’re poorly and we do not know what to do to help them but you’re doing a great job ❤️
Click to expand...
Thank you so much for your support. Yes, it's incredibly hard and I wasn't prepared for how worrying it is. Just longing for her to eat some hay.. stay positive and be patient!
 
RebeccaJ said:
Thank you so much for your support. Yes, it's incredibly hard and I wasn't prepared for how worrying it is. Just longing for her to eat some hay.. stay positive and be patient!
Click to expand...

Syringe feeding is so tiring and stressful and it’s so hard when they’re not eating hay. But yes, stay positive and be patient x
 
Hi. I wonder if I can ask for advice regarding Blackberry again please.

We've had quite a long rocky road with her recovery post teeth trimming. I won't go into great detail but she stopped eating grass and hay after her dental. Following advice from our Vet she was put on Gabapentin and Loxicom. This worked wonders and she started to increase her weight again. We've been trying to wean her off the meds without success. She's on half a tablet of Gabapentin 3 x a day. I've tried to take this down to 2 x a day but she starts to lose weight at this stage. It maybe in the future it'll be successful.

We had another Vet appt on Friday and we've decided our aim is to try and get her on the least possible about of painkillers that keeps her comfortable. She has various skeletal problems that could well be the cause of her pain. (Our Vet is doubtful that her teeth op could be the cause of such pain a month after procedure as it wasn't a major amount of work).

My question is, do you think there would be any harm in trying Johnsons 4 joints? I've read it being helpful here for other piggies. She doesn't have any hip joints but she has curvature of the spine and the middle of her spine "isn't normal". I wondered if glucosamine might be helpful in trying to ultimately reduce her pain meds. I don't want to cause any further problems for her though.

Thank you in advance.
 
I am not an expert at all but I do see on this forum that they can have Johnsons 4 joints and also someone does a forage that is for joint care 💐
 
CTWC said:
I am not an expert at all but I do see on this forum that they can have Johnsons 4 joints and also someone does a forage that is for joint care 💐
Click to expand...
Thank you, I really appreciate your help. I thought it might be worth a shot, given her spinal issues we know about, but I didn't know if there was any side effects or issues with her taking it potentially long-term. I'm trying to think of anything that would help her to reduce the amount of pain relief she's currently on.
 
RebeccaJ said:
Thank you, I really appreciate your help. I thought it might be worth a shot, given her spinal issues we know about, but I didn't know if there was any side effects or issues with her taking it potentially long-term. I'm trying to think of anything that would help her to reduce the amount of pain relief she's currently on.
Click to expand...
I know you just hate to think of them in any pain unnecessarily 😢
 
CTWC said:
I know you just hate to think of them in any pain unnecessarily 😢
Click to expand...
Thank you so much for your help. Yes, I was just trying to think of anything to ease her pain. Wasn't sure if glucosamine helps the spine. I'll give it a go but don't want to harm or cause her issues long term. Thank you again, I really appreciate it 😊
 
CTWC said:
Hi @Wheekallweek who could advise on this? 🤔
Click to expand...
Hmmm, what a pickle you're in! Poor Blackberry 😢
Honestly if the gabapentin at its current dose is working I'd personally stick with it - she's even less likely to eat and keep weight on if she's in pain.
I've never used Johnsons4joints myself so wouldn't be able to recommend a dose, but I can't see it doing any harm.
I have had a rabbit in the past who was missing a hip joint - apart from regular pain relief and daily bum wiping (it affected the way she weed) there wasn't really much else that could be done.
RB piggy Larry had spondylosis in his spine - so does my current bunny miley. Her pain is currently managed with quite a high dose of metacam, and she is on long term antibiotics for tooth root and jaw problems.
Larry had Cystease capsules to help with a bladder issue - they had the added benefit of helping his joints due to the glucosamine in them.
Sorry I can't be more help - but I would certainly give the Johnsons4joints a go!
Best of luck to you and Blackberry ❤️
 
Wheekallweek said:
Hmmm, what a pickle you're in! Poor Blackberry 😢
Honestly if the gabapentin at its current dose is working I'd personally stick with it - she's even less likely to eat and keep weight on if she's in pain.
I've never used Johnsons4joints myself so wouldn't be able to recommend a dose, but I can't see it doing any harm.
I have had a rabbit in the past who was missing a hip joint - apart from regular pain relief and daily bum wiping (it affected the way she weed) there wasn't really much else that could be done.
RB piggy Larry had spondylosis in his spine - so does my current bunny miley. Her pain is currently managed with quite a high dose of metacam, and she is on long term antibiotics for tooth root and jaw problems.
Larry had Cystease capsules to help with a bladder issue - they had the added benefit of helping his joints due to the glucosamine in them.
Sorry I can't be more help - but I would certainly give the Johnsons4joints a go!
Best of luck to you and Blackberry ❤️
Click to expand...
Thank you so much for your insights, it really helps. These are our first piggies and I'm very conscious about my inexperience and don't want that to have an impact on Blackberry's care.

I'm going to try the Johnsons 4 Joints, if you can't see it would cause any harm. It may well help some of her joints that are taking more than their normal burden if it does nothing else. Just looking for extra support wherever I can really.

You're absolutely right, she may well be on her lowest dose of painkillers to manage her pain. If so, that's fine. It's just our Vet has asked I do some more 'trial and errors' to make certain. So, if possible, we can keep a little in reserve in case of pain flares or if she needs more in the future. It plays havoc with my anxiety though, she goes downhill so incredibly quickly!

It's been a huge learning curve with so many things in a very short space of time, such as syringe feeding, medicating, trying to encourage her eating... but you just have to look at her little face... 😍

Honestly, thank you so much again 😊
 
My pleasure - they very quickly steal your heart don't they?
You're doing a brilliant job with her ❤️
 
Wheekallweek said:
My pleasure - they very quickly steal your heart don't they?
You're doing a brilliant job with her ❤️
Click to expand...
Awhh, thank you 😊

Yes, I would never have anticipated the sleepless nights, the anxiety and worry, even the tears (I'm not one prone to tears ordinarily) because I thought she wasn't going to pull through. But there you are, they're sweet little dumplings!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top