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Sprained Leg!

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Parul Soi

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My guinea pig is unable to walk properly from last few days. I took him to a vet but I am not seeing effective results. Please help me. I can't see him like this
 
It was just a multi vitamin. I changed the vet yesterday and he gave a suspension of ibuprofen and paracetamol
 
Did he have a fall? Is the leg broken or just sprained? Pain relief will definitely be needed to keep him comfortable.
Is he still eating? I'd try to keep him warm and still for now to try rest the leg
 
Well, I think that it is just a sprain. Vet said that we can't take an x-ray so I am not sure. He is eating properly.
 
Did the vet say why you can't get an xray?
It's good that he is still eating, sometimes when they are in a lot if pain they will refuse food/hay.

What leg is causing the issue?
 
Actually the problem is that people over here are not aware about guinea pigs so I am unable to find a proper vet.

My piggie is having an issue in his right leg. Sometimes he runs very fast like there is no problem but after sometime he can't even touch his right foot on the surface
 
This has only been for a few days? Did he have a fall that you know of?

An xray would maybe help to see what's going on with the leg, if it's a break or a sprain, or maybe something else.

@helen105281 may be able to help more
 
It does sound like a sprain and if it is it takes time to heal. Is he still on the Ibuprofen that the vet gave?
 
Did the vet say why they can't xray? I think if there is no real improvement in the next few days I would ask again.
 
Actually the problem is that people over here are not aware about guinea pigs so I am unable to find a proper vet.

My piggie is having an issue in his right leg. Sometimes he runs very fast like there is no problem but after sometime he can't even touch his right foot on the surface

Hi! Have you felt down the leg right from where it joins the spine? Sprains are not unusual in active guinea pigs, and they can take some days to some weeks to heal. A guinea pig may be reluctant to put a lot of weight on the leg in the first few days, but it still can and it still can move around. An active guinea pig can make a sprain worse again with a wrong movement. If he can still move around near normally in between, then it is just a sprain and not a break. ;)

A guinea pig with a break somewhere in the leg should not be able to put on any weight on the leg whatsoever. There is also a very noticeable swelling either in the leg or in the foot. The pain should be obvious.
 
Hi! Have you felt down the leg right from where it joins the spine? Sprains are not unusual in active guinea pigs, and they can take some days to some weeks to heal. A guinea pig may be reluctant to put a lot of weight on the leg in the first few days, but it still can and it still can move around. An active guinea pig can make a sprain worse again with a wrong movement. If he can still move around near normally in between, then it is just a sprain and not a break. ;)

A guinea pig with a break somewhere in the leg should not be able to put on any weight on the leg whatsoever. There is also a very noticeable swelling either in the leg or in the foot. The pain should be obvious.
Leg is not at all swollen. He is sometimes reluctant to put his foot on the ground.
 
Does the foot itself look ok? is it red at all underneath?
 
But leg was blue few days back.

OUCH! Continue to give the painkiller and give it time to heal.

Ask your vet whether they have dog metacam instead of ibuprufen; that is a safe painkiller/anti-inflammatory that is most used for guinea pigs around the world. Because of the fast metabolism, you give the dose twice daily.
 
OUCH! Continue to give the painkiller and give it time to heal.

Ask your vet whether they have dog metacam instead of ibuprufen; that is a safe painkiller/anti-inflammatory that is most used for guinea pigs around the world. Because of the fast metabolism, you give the dose twice daily.
Thanks a lot :)
 
PS: As you don't have a piggy savvy vet within your reach, you may find these links helpful, especially if you need an antibiotic at some point. I would recommend to print these pages out and have handy to take with you in case of an emergency, so your vet can check against them if necessary to make sure that she is prescribing something that is safe for guinea pigs. Any penicillin is fatal for rodents.
Guinea Lynx :: Dangerous Medications. Baytril and Sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim (bactrim, septrin, sulfatrim) are the most used antibiotics for guinea pigs.
Guinea Lynx :: Analgesics. The most regularly used painkiller is dog metacam for guinea pigs; tramadol in cases of chronic high pain.

What you can do ad have ready at home in case of an emergency. It is vital to have any guinea pig seen promptly if is losing more than 50g of weight, dropping a food group (usually because of pain) and to start topping up with syringe feeding quickly to prevent the digestive system from slowing and then closing down.
First Aid Kit For Guinea Pigs
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
Should my piggie see a vet? - a quick guide
 
PS: As you don't have a piggy savvy vet within your reach, you may find these links helpful, especially if you need an antibiotic at some point. I would recommend to print these pages out and have handy to take with you in case of an emergency, so your vet can check against them if necessary to make sure that she is prescribing something that is safe for guinea pigs. Any penicillin is fatal for rodents.
Guinea Lynx :: Dangerous Medications. Baytril and Sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim (bactrim, septrin, sulfatrim) are the most used antibiotics for guinea pigs.
Guinea Lynx :: Analgesics. The most regularly used painkiller is dog metacam for guinea pigs; tramadol in cases of chronic high pain.

What you can do ad have ready at home in case of an emergency. It is vital to have any guinea pig seen promptly if is losing more than 50g of weight, dropping a food group (usually because of pain) and to start topping up with syringe feeding quickly to prevent the digestive system from slowing and then closing down.
First Aid Kit For Guinea Pigs
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
Should my piggie see a vet? - a quick guide
I will surely take printout of this. Your information is of great help. Thank you so much
 
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