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Twitching and unable to move properly

whizziewoo

whizziewoo

New Born Pup
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Location
County Cork
Hello,

I rehomed a female guinea pig who was in good health (apparently) until yesterday. Last night I went to their pen to top up their hay and pellets and I found her lying beneath the hay rack and she didn't run away as normal (she's the skittish one).

I brought her inside and noticed she was very twitchy and her limbs aren't able to support her weight and she has trouble lifting her head. But she is moving all these so she can't have spinal paralysis. I gave her some mushed pellets with some glucose. She perked up a little bit (more movement).

I live in a rural area so the vets here specialise in cattle and sheep etc. When I phoned the on-call he just recommended electrolytes.

I read on here about "overnight lameness" so today I have been feeding her a slurry of pellets with dandelion leaves and kale from my garden to provide calcium and other minerals with some glucose mixed in. I tried her on a dandelion leaf and she was chewing but she was ineffective with it and struggles to keep her head up. She seems perkier and can move more but she is still shaking/twitchy with jerky movements of her back legs. I've been massaging her. No squeeks of pain or anything. No pee or poop but I can't see any impaction on inspection and she doesn't seem bloated. They have a good diet with mostly grass, hay, some pellets and some veggies (but not too much because of sugar and calcium etc). The lack of pee and poop is a concern.

Any ideas? Teeth? Constipation? Back injury? Bladder stones? Would her symptoms match these? Something else? Your advice would be much appreciated.
 
P.S. Sorry, she is about 2 years old. I also provide willow branches for them to gnaw on but she could have teeth issues from before I rehomed her a couple of months ago, though she seemed to be eating okay.
 
I'm so sorry that you are having this experience. I would be inclined to take her to any vet for an examination even if they aren't overly knowledgeable with piggies. It could be an injury, it could be illness, it could even have been a stroke. Fingers crossed that she can make a recovery
 
whizziewoo said:
Hello,

I rehomed a female guinea pig who was in good health (apparently) until yesterday. Last night I went to their pen to top up their hay and pellets and I found her lying beneath the hay rack and she didn't run away as normal (she's the skittish one).

I brought her inside and noticed she was very twitchy and her limbs aren't able to support her weight and she has trouble lifting her head. But she is moving all these so she can't have spinal paralysis. I gave her some mushed pellets with some glucose. She perked up a little bit (more movement).

I live in a rural area so the vets here specialise in cattle and sheep etc. When I phoned the on-call he just recommended electrolytes.

I read on here about "overnight lameness" so today I have been feeding her a slurry of pellets with dandelion leaves and kale from my garden to provide calcium and other minerals with some glucose mixed in. I tried her on a dandelion leaf and she was chewing but she was ineffective with it and struggles to keep her head up. She seems perkier and can move more but she is still shaking/twitchy with jerky movements of her back legs. I've been massaging her. No squeeks of pain or anything. No pee or poop but I can't see any impaction on inspection and she doesn't seem bloated. They have a good diet with mostly grass, hay, some pellets and some veggies (but not too much because of sugar and calcium etc). The lack of pee and poop is a concern.

Any ideas? Teeth? Constipation? Back injury? Bladder stones? Would her symptoms match these? Something else? Your advice would be much appreciated.
Click to expand...

Hi!

Please see a vet as soon as possible. this is NOT overnight paralysis, which affects mainly older piggies and which is never connected with twitching. It sounds more like stroke to me, which can hit out of the blue at any age.

Here are tips to emergency and bridging care and caring for guinea pigs with mobility issues (including a list of potential causes). Please check the guts for gurgling. If there isn't any, your girl is in stasis (i.e. her guts have stopped working), which can happen as a side effect of intense pain (which can be part of some issues that can cause paralysis). Only a hands-on examination may be able to tell you more; I can only guess.
Emergency, Crisis and Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment
Looking after guinea pigs with limited or no mobility
Bloat, GI Stasis (No Gut Movement) And Not Eating
 
Thanks everyone.

She seems a lot better but I think you're right about the stroke. I work with people with brain injuries and her movements do seem like she's had a TBI.

She's munching away on fresh grass and she's able to move around, albeit like a wee wonky donkey, poor thing. I'm amazed how much she's improved in less than 24 hours. Her tummy is gurgling and she did a big pee earlier. It's a tough life being a wee rodent!

I'll try the vet tomorrow but I don't have much faith. One of them once said that dogs don't have baby teeth! :hmm::roll: Wish us luck!
 
whizziewoo said:
Thanks everyone.

She seems a lot better but I think you're right about the stroke. I work with people with brain injuries and her movements do seem like she's had a TBI.

She's munching away on fresh grass and she's able to move around, albeit like a wee wonky donkey, poor thing. I'm amazed how much she's improved in less than 24 hours. Her tummy is gurgling and she did a big pee earlier. It's a tough life being a wee rodent!

I'll try the vet tomorrow but I don't have much faith. One of them once said that dogs don't have baby teeth! :hmm::roll: Wish us luck!
Click to expand...

All the best! Glad that she is coming round.

If it is a stroke, then there is unfortunately very little you can do. :(
 
Thank you everyone for your well wishes!

The vet didn't really know if it was a stroke or not. Could have been a possible injury too. She was already improved when I took her yesterday. Anyhow, she's much better, no more twitching or shivering, and can move around and lift her head up although she's not 100%. But what is odd is that despite her ability to move and her appetite, she will only eat from my lap when I offer her blades of grass. When I put her back with her pals she just lies around.

She's probably just feeling weak still and recovering? Or has she developed Princess Syndrome? :D
 
whizziewoo said:
Thank you everyone for your well wishes!

The vet didn't really know if it was a stroke or not. Could have been a possible injury too. She was already improved when I took her yesterday. Anyhow, she's much better, no more twitching or shivering, and can move around and lift her head up although she's not 100%. But what is odd is that despite her ability to move and her appetite, she will only eat from my lap when I offer her blades of grass. When I put her back with her pals she just lies around.

She's probably just feeling weak still and recovering? Or has she developed Princess Syndrome? :D
Click to expand...

Please monitor her weight daily and continue offering feeding top up as needed and as much as she will voluntarily take. Keep in mind that over 80% of what a guinea pig eats in a day should be hay, which you cannot control by eye.

Piggies don't do princess syndrome. Strokes do really wipe you out for a considerable time, even transitory ones as I know from my mother and mother-in-law. Allow her to rest and recover.

Please keep an eye on the incisors in the coming weeks; if they become slanted, it means that your piggy has developed a weaker side in her body and the molars and premolars at the back of the mouth which are responsible for grinding down the hay are starting to overgrow on the weak side (i.e. the higher end of the slant).
Also keep an eye out for the eye on a potentially weak side as a stroke piggy may not be able to clean and hydrate it as normal in the wake of a more serious stroke; plain artificial tear gel (preferably to drops, but drops will do as well only that they are not as long lasting and easy to apply) will take care of that.

All the best!
 
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