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Walking problem?

  • Thread starter Thread starter HullSteve
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HullSteve

Hello all, i found this site via google and just wanted to know if anyone has a piggy with the same problem as mine.

We have noticed a change in his behaviour over the last day and half, just laying out with us and not doing alot and we noticed last night that he wasnt walking correctly(he was more hopping across his crib)

We had a quick google and all the signs pointed to a stroke, so we got him to the emergency vets asap!

The vet checked him over and said all seemed fine, possibly a bit underweight but couldnt see any visible signs of injury or any of the common problems a piggy would have.

So he gave him a couple of injections and sent him on his way.

Today our piggy is kinda the same as he was last night, he is laying out in the middle of his crib but he is really struggling getting up on his back legs he is murmuring as he is getting up, but once he is up he seems ok....he is still hopping about his crib though.

He isnt eating as much as he used to but he is still eating, drinking is fine and he is eating his carrots and his hay.
He is knocking on a bit, we have had him for 5 years and we believe he was 1 years old when we rescued him.

Thanks in advance for any comments.

Steve
 
Hello! Welcome to the forum.

The liquid form of Osteocare may help. See this link from Peter Gurney's website:

http://www.oginet.com/pgurney/paral.htm

You can try getting it from a chemist or health food shop.

I had a pig who had similar problems and it worked really well. He loved the taste of it too!

Sarah
 
Hi Sarah, thanks for the welcome and the quick reply! :)

My wife works at Boots so I'm sure she can grab some!

I was just reading that website, but not got around to that part of the site as yet.

How did you piggy start and what was his reaction after?
 
You can read my old thread about him:
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=29501

It was all pretty sudden and he seemed to lose the use of his back legs overnight. I'll never know if it was the Osteocare that cured him but it's worth a try.

Another thing that could be causing him to 'hop' is arthritis. I have a 4 year old pig with arthritis in his back knees who hops. I'm guessing your vet would have suggested that though (assuming your vet is experienced with guinea pigs?)

Hopefully there'll be some other people on here soon who know more than me!

Sarah
 
If it is not joint pain then it could be a heart problem, or sadly just that your piggy is very old and starting to deteriorate. 6 is a very good age for a piggy.
 
Thanks both for the replies, the vet did rule out heart problems and said he was beating approx 300-400 times a minute (i dont know what is normal)

He also said arthritis was a possbility, but from what you described in the other thread it is exactly the same as what's happened to ours.

We cant get hold of any liquid osteocare till tomorrow morning.

Someone mentioned giving him half a chewable vitamin c tablet, will piggy eat it down with ease or is it something we will have to force him to have?
 
Glad that a heart problem has been ruled out. I can't comment on the vit c tablet but perhaps another member can?
 
My piggy Dexter is having similar problems at the minute, vet suggesting scurvy? I'm giving him as many Vitamin C filled greens as I can, and syringe feeding him water and Vit C supplements.

Hope your little one feels better soon!

Oh, and Vit C tablets are a nightmare, in my experience, try something water soluble? Mind you, could've just been Dexter being awkward, he's a picky little guy.
 
Hi Steve, welcome to the forum.

Did the vet check for bladder stones or bladder inflammation? The bunny-hopping and weakness of the back legs can be tied in with severe pain in the bladder.

Vitamin C tablets can be crushed and mixed with a little bit of water, and administered orally with a 1ml syringe. :)
 
Hi Laura, thanks for the welcome :)

The vet did have a feel all around him and said it was all ok, he has had problems in the past going to the toilet with some sort of stones.

We wake up some mornings (not very often nowadays) and see a little red blood in his crib so we clean him out and give him some potassium sitrate and he is usually fine.

We will try the vit c tablets, what is the usual amount to give him? and how often?
 
50-100mg is a good dose for guineas, just once a day.

The recurrance of blood is a concern, it shouldn't be happening at all; even though it does clear up with the use of potassium citrate, something still isn't right. I would be inclined to ask the vet for an x-ray if possible, kidney stones are another possibility which wouldn't be particularly detectable without an x-ray, yet bring about similar symptoms to bladder stones.

Is he peeing and pooping normally?
 
We had him x-ray'd a while ago and they couldn't find anything on it.

He seems to be doing his business fine, even before he got this sick. When we have him on the lino to clean him out he always goes on it, we fins it good that we can check the colour of his wee
 
It is good that he is able to urinate well. Stones can form in a very short space of time, sometimes within a couple of weeks. It's worth going back to the vets as he's still not improved; a course of anti-inflammatories may be something to try if nothing else.

Is he still eating normally?
 
He has slowed down on the eating front but he is still eating.

Some great news though, it seems he is back on the mend!

He has only had a dose of the Osteocare liquid but earlier he was on his hind legs half out of his crib asking for a treat! :D

Which is a huge improvement as he could barely stand up on them a couple of days ago! He is just looking at me now whilst munching some hay......he is not me (just to clarify :p )
 
Hi Steve, welcome :)p

Glad he has perked up a bit, sorry nothing much more to add, just wanted to send get well wheeks :)

would it be worth giving him some metatone if he's not eating as much as usual?
 
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