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Bubbles&Thomas

Bubbles&Thomas

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Hello everyone,,

I am new to the forum, but not a new piggie owner - I've had one of my pigs for almost 3 years now - his name is Thomas, and the other one is called Bubbles, we got him from a rescue centre about 18 months ago when Thomas's brother died unexpectedly. Thomas and Bubbles have been best friends since the day they were introduced.

Yesterday Bubbles fell about 2 feet from my 9 year old daughter's lap - I blame myself as I had turned my back to hang some washing on the line. Since then Bubbles has completely lost the use of his back legs. I took him to the vet first thing this morning and she suspects a spinal injury. We have some pain killers and some food to mix with water and feed to him, and I have to take him back on Wednesday. The vet said that if he shows no signs of improvement we should consider having him put to sleep.

I've kept a close eye on him today and have syringe fed him 3 times - this evening he was completely soaked in his own urine, so I gave him a sponge bath. I separated him from Thomas about an hour after the accident as I noticed Thomas was trying to mount him and started to nibble him (Bubbles is usually the dominant pig). I have now brought him inside and put him in their indoor cage I use in the winter as I noticed lots of awful bluebottle flies buzzing around him this afternoon.

I'm so worried about him - he's showing no signs of improvement, though he was having a munch on some hay a bit earlier. I'm also worried about Thomas as he's clearly missing his little friend, and I have an awful feeling he's not going to get any better.

Does anyone have any advice of anything else I can do?

Thanks in advance

Eva x
 
There are people on here who have had piggies with spinal injuries but not me, so I can't give you any specific details. The only think I can say is to make sure your vet is experienced dealing with guinea pigs. Has your little guy had any scans or x rays to see what the damage is. If there is no clear break or visible damage he might just need time to recover.

This article might interest you. I thought it was wonderful.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...g-gets-new-lease-life--rodent-wheelchair.html
 
Eva

How awful for you and your piggy. :( I am not very knowledgeable in this area of injury.

It may be that your guinea pig has severe brusing and may regain some feeling after time. However you may need to be prepared for the fact that your guinea pig will not get better from this spinal injury and in that case you will need to take guidance from the vet as to whether anything can be done.

Please don't beat yourself up over it, unfortunately sometimes accidents do happen but you've done the right thing and got your guinea pig to the vet asap.

I do hope everything will be ok and will be thinking of you

Claire

x
 
Hi Eva, Thomas and Bubbles welcome to the forum :)
You're doing a great job, keep up the syringe feeding and extra water too.
Whee certainly hope that Bubbles starts to get some feeling in his back soon....... xx>>>
Healing wheeeeeeeeeks xx>>>
Keep us posted as to what's happening, i'm sure more of our lovely members will offer advice,

Glynis, Velvet and Onyx x
 
I honestly don't have any experience in this but sending lots of vibes for the little one. Keep us updated please x
 
oh poor thing, i dont think 2ft is too bad a drop i am sure lots of people have experienced this.

Like others have said it could just be bruising and your pig is a bit sore, i would definately go to a vet that knows just what they are talking about.

Really hope bubbles is ok, please keep us posted xx
 
guineagurl said:
OH! Take him to the vet!
Click to expand...

This member did the right thing and took him immediately to the vets (maybe you did not read the thread in detail ?)

Is there a specialist you could take him to, some vets have Rodentologists who are trained specifically for rodents and exotic species - we have one a few miles from where we live and registered ours as a back up.
Poor baby - really hope something can be done. Did he fall onto a hard surface ? Sorry for all of the stupid questions but it does sound pretty grim :(
Sending hugs and healing vibes to little Bubbles, your daughter must be feeling terrible as well. I never stand with my piggies, always sit and if I have to walk any kind of distance, use their cosies to keep them snug and secure.
Please keep us updated on the little fella x>>
 
Guinea pig slave said:
This member did the right thing and took him immediately to the vets (maybe you did not read the thread in detail ?)

Is there a specialist you could take him to, some vets have Rodentologists who are trained specifically for rodents and exotic species - we have one a few miles from where we live and registered ours as a back up.
Poor baby - really hope something can be done. Did he fall onto a hard surface ? Sorry for all of the stupid questions but it does sound pretty grim :(
Sending hugs and healing vibes to little Bubbles, your daughter must be feeling terrible as well. I never stand with my piggies, always sit and if I have to walk any kind of distance, use their cosies to keep them snug and secure.
Please keep us updated on the little fella x>>
Click to expand...


Aw thank you for you the replies. Guineagurl - I did take him to the vet.

Guineapigslave - the vet I saw does specialise in exotic pets so I have faith in her..I hope she knows her stuff. He fell onto the grass and immediately tried to run away but was dragging his back legs - heels pointing upwards.

I fed Bubbles at midnight last night and he took 8 1ml syringes and then some water. Overnight he hasn't moved from the spot I left him in but he has managed to eat some carrot and hay. This morning he just doesn't seem any better :( Again he has had about 6 syringes this morning and had a big drink from his bottle when I held it for him - so he is eating and drinking well. I'm hoping this is a positive sign?

I'm a bit worried about my other guinea Thomas too as he is the quieter one - Bubbles was the boss, but he's eating and drinking well too. I separated them as Thomas started climbing on him and biting him quite soon after the accident.

My daughter feels absolutely awful (she's a sensitive little soul anyway), and so do I. It's one thing if an old guinea becomes poorly and goes off to Rainbow Bridge but facing putting an otherwise healthy piggie to sleep is just heartbreaking.

Thanks so much for the replies - I'll keep you posted X
 
awww i really thought he might be better this morning, 2ft and on the grass doesnt sound TOO harsh, it still could be just soreness.

Sending some vibes anyway, hope he heals soon.

Tell your daughter, an awful lot of people on here have dropped a piggy at some point, or at least had a piggy leap out of their arms, its just one of those things...there was nothing she could have done, i really hope she doesnt lose her confidence with them x
 
doglovinpiggylover said:
Tell your daughter, an awful lot of people on here have dropped a piggy at some point, or at least had a piggy leap out of their arms, its just one of those things...there was nothing she could have done, i really hope she doesnt lose her confidence with them x
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One of my boys have leapt from my arms as he knew he was going to be put out on the grass. Thankfully he was fine but these things do sometimes happen so please do not be too harsh on yourself.

You have done absolutely everything you can for him and sounds like you are doing a fantastic job. I really hope he gets better and your daughter can enjoy him properly again.

Hugs and best wishes

Claire

x
 
my then OH was putting one of our piggies back in her cage and she jumped. landed funny and started dragging her back legs, off to the vet we went, they gave her a painkiller injection said to seperate her into a smaller space and to go back if she didnt get any better. vet thought bruising.

the vet also did something squeezing/pinching her back feet, and nilla tried to pull away which showed that there was feeling there.

anyway to look at her now you would never know it took a good 2-3 weeks but she did make a full recovery.

i would suggest keeping your pigs side by side so they can still interact, its a lot harder to heal one your own and lonely. i have C&C cages so i sectioned off a bit. for the first 2 days i had her int he living room on her own and she wasnt happy.
also you may find they both eat better when they can see the other eating.

hope he gets better.
 
lauralucy said:
my then OH was putting one of our piggies back in her cage and she jumped. landed funny and started dragging her back legs, off to the vet we went, they gave her a painkiller injection said to seperate her into a smaller space and to go back if she didnt get any better. vet thought bruising.

the vet also did something squeezing/pinching her back feet, and nilla tried to pull away which showed that there was feeling there.

anyway to look at her now you would never know it took a good 2-3 weeks but she did make a full recovery.

i would suggest keeping your pigs side by side so they can still interact, its a lot harder to heal one your own and lonely. i have C&C cages so i sectioned off a bit. for the first 2 days i had her int he living room on her own and she wasnt happy.

also you may find they both eat better when they can see the other eating.

hope he gets better.
Click to expand...


Wow this sounds really encouranging - how did she manage with weeing and pooing? Did you have to keep washing her? Bubbles is lying in his own wee, so I'm regularly moving him. Also I forgot to say yesterday that when I brought him in from the outside cage, I found fly eggs on him - I washed him thoroughly and then went through his coat with a fine tooth comb and made sure his bottom was completely clean. I'm really paranoid about him getting fly strike (though he's now indoors and I'm keeping the windows and doors closed). as he seems to have given up moving completely today :(

We just gave him some of the Critical Care syringe feed and then picked some dandilion leaves. We put them in front of him with some lettuce and cucumber and he munched and munched - surely he wouldn't do that if he was in pain?

The vet said if he seems no better tomorrow to have him put to sleep - it feels as if the clock's ticking and we need a miracle. Can I Just have some opinions on this - I really don't want him to suffer, or be in pain but at the same time, I want to give him every possible chance to recover.

Just to say, thank you for your lovely replies and encouraging words.

Thanks in advance

X
 
Poor wee pig....accidents do happen though....only a few weeks ago my guinea pig munched a cable my bf left out and electrocuted himself.....took him good 3 weeks to fully recover.

Personally I wouldn't have him pts if he still eating and drinking. Has he had an xray? sorry if i missed that in the thread x
 
He still wants to eat so thats a really good sign and hes having painkillers, so that should help.
I would give him longer to recover (I know we are different but if we had badly bruised our spine, it would take a few weeks to recover not just a few days) a few other members have said their guinea pigs took a few weeks to recover, so I would definatley give him more time to recover and carry on doing a good job with him, like your already doing :)
 
she wasnt too bad i bedded her on towels so she wasnt really laying in it as such. i would ignore the vet and give him at least 2 weeks to recover. especially if he is eating and drinking by himself.
 
Oh what a sad thing to have happened. I am so sorry to hear this. I really hope he gets better soon. Hugs to him. :rose
 
Thank you to everyone for your kind words - we have an appointment a 9.20 tomorrow so I will keep you posted.

x
 
please dont let them make you do anything you arent happy with, you will know if its the right thing to do
 
doglovinpiggylover said:
hope Thomas is better today, hope the visit to the vets is positive x
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so do I

Crystal fell out the top part of the hutch a week into having them with no ill effects, but I was lucky, flash constantly tries to jump out of my hands and I get covered in scratches preventing him from doing this, accidents do happen.

I agree that you do what you feel best for him and dont pts if you feel there is a chance.

As regards to the flystrike issue, are you able to put something really absorbant in his cage where he is lying and change for him as soon as its wet - perhaps newspaper, and then give his bum a really good dry off each time. Its a bit time consuming but prevention is better than cure with flystirke. Remember flys like to lay their eggs in areas that are warm and damp. Sadly all the prevention chemicals that I know of are far too dangerous for piggies :( so I cannot help with any of my treatment knowledge on larger animals.
 
Hope there is some positive news today..............:)

I've had 2 sows here over the years, both rescues, who have appeared to be completely paralylised at the rear end. My vet advised both to be put to sleep but as they were both eating and drinking and looked bright in themselves I decided to press on for a while. It was hard work, both needed to be washed etc twice a day and kept comfortable - I used to carry them out and lay them outside in the shade in a run on the grass so they could get some fresh air and nibble at the grass etc.

Both took around 3 months to regain full use of their legs but they both did and went on to make full recoveries and lived long and and happy lives - one was rehomed to a friend of mine and I still see her often for a cuddle. She lives with a herd of female piggies and is definitely boss pig.............rolleyes

If your piggy continues to eat, drink and looks bright I wouldn't do anything to hasty - time does heal sometimes............

Teresa xx
 
Teresa J said:
Hope there is some positive news today..............:)

I've had 2 sows here over the years, both rescues, who have appeared to be completely paralylised at the rear end. My vet advised both to be put to sleep but as they were both eating and drinking and looked bright in themselves I decided to press on for a while. It was hard work, both needed to be washed etc twice a day and kept comfortable - I used to carry them out and lay them outside in the shade in a run on the grass so they could get some fresh air and nibble at the grass etc.

Both took around 3 months to regain full use of their legs but they both did and went on to make full recoveries and lived long and and happy lives - one was rehomed to a friend of mine and I still see her often for a cuddle. She lives with a herd of female piggies and is definitely boss pig.............rolleyes

If your piggy continues to eat, drink and looks bright I wouldn't do anything to hasty - time does heal sometimes............

Teresa xx
Click to expand...

What an lovely and inspiring story - this is definitely proof that vets can sometimes get it wrong.
 
Teresa J said:
Hope there is some positive news today..............:)

I've had 2 sows here over the years, both rescues, who have appeared to be completely paralylised at the rear end. My vet advised both to be put to sleep but as they were both eating and drinking and looked bright in themselves I decided to press on for a while. It was hard work, both needed to be washed etc twice a day and kept comfortable - I used to carry them out and lay them outside in the shade in a run on the grass so they could get some fresh air and nibble at the grass etc.

Both took around 3 months to regain full use of their legs but they both did and went on to make full recoveries and lived long and and happy lives - one was rehomed to a friend of mine and I still see her often for a cuddle. She lives with a herd of female piggies and is definitely boss pig.............rolleyes

If your piggy continues to eat, drink and looks bright I wouldn't do anything to hasty - time does heal sometimes............

Teresa xx
Click to expand...

Morning everyone,

We've just got back from the vet - she was lovely and didn't press me into doing anything.

We've agreed to give him until Monday, continuing with the Metacam and syringe feeding (though he is munching lots) and hope we see some signs of improvement. She said she doesn't expect him to be recovered by then, but if he's able to move a bit then we can take it from there.

He's on sawdust and a towell at the moment, so I'll change him onto newspaper and keep an eye on him. He's very wet underneath so is needing a little wash a few times a day which he hates and struggles, though I see this as a positive sign!

Thank you so much for your inspiring stories and support - if it wasn't for this forum Bubbles would probably be at Rainbow bridge now.
 
ok thinking completely outside the box here, and this is from my farming experience with cows down in the field (as in cannot stand for health reasons). We have a harness that we strap around the cows body and lift them up with a tractor. Whilst in the air (but within leg standing height), we massage the legs and milk them (if in milk, one of the reasons for a down cow is a metabolic disorder shortly after calving), and move them, we also encourge them to try to stand on their own and often after a max of 5 days they regain strength enough and can stand on their own.

Would you be able to make out of soft bandages a harness device to hold the lad out of his mess, if he wants to try to move, maybe a cable design to hold him up high enough but not too high so he struggles and slide himself along to get to other areas and give him some freedom. But mainly just something to get his bum off the wet areas.

I could be talking complete nonsense of course :))
 
You could try laying him on a piece of vet bed - very good for keeping him dry as it wicks away the moisture leaving the top nice and dry - I always put a thick layer of newspaper underneath and change that twice a day. The vet bed will obiviously need to be changed and washed daily but it really does stop them laying in wee and getting smelly and sore.................

Great news that the little chap is still wanting to eat and drink - keeping everything crossed for him here.............xx>>> Please keep us posted.....

Teresa xx
 
I used vetbed for my poorly boy, had a piece left over from the girls pens and it is brilliant stuff as Theresa says. Holds their body temp. as well.
They all have it now in their pens, expensive to kit out our 36ft of piggy pen but it is my favourite, have actually ordered another 10ft for the boys about an hour ago. Could have ordered you a small piece with mine and posted it to you mallethead Just checked and it's been posted :(
You can buy small off cuts for a few pounds - Jolleyes petstore had some, £7.50 per metre ?/ or would your vet have some to purchase ?
Anything I can do to help, please let me know -
 
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