• 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

Worried About Fidget...

Status
Not open for further replies.
CheshCharl

CheshCharl

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
Mar 17, 2014
Messages
50
Reaction score
73
Points
220
Location
Cheshire
Hi everyone. In the last couple of days I have noticed that one of my boys just doesn't seem right. I only rescued them about a month ago and Fidget is usually the boss and life of the party. They were very nervous and have both been coming along so well but I've noticed that he has been extremely jumpy even if I just go to stroke him and he doesn't seem to be walking right. He is lying down a lot and tonight he seemed to be moving very awkwardly and tonight he was dragging his back end a bit. The other pig Floyd has always been a bit needy and annoyed fidget every so often but tonight Fidget didn't seem to want him anywhere near him. I tried to coax him round with some of his favourite treat kale and whilst he had 2 small pieces he didn't seem too bothered and wasn't scrambling around me in his usual kale frenzy! I'm so worried about him, I've not had them long and I feel awful. I'm going to ring my vets tomorrow, they are Nantwich Veterinary Group and whilst they have been amazing with our other animals I'm not sure what they will be like with guinea pigs. I've checked his feet and they seem fine, no visible problems. Sorry for the long post, I'm just worried. If anyone could give me any advise about Fidget or has heard of my vets I would really appreciate it.
 
It could be a twist or injury to his spine, but it is definitely something that needs to be looked at.
If you are not confident about your local vet, we have got a piggy savvy UK vets locator on the top bar.
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/pages/guinea-pig-vet-locator/

Please handle him with care, but weigh any piggy you are worried about daily to make sure that they are eating enough until you can have them checked over.
 
Thanks @Wiebke, I've found a vets quite close to me who seem very good so I'll call them first thing in the morning. I'm a little worried about weighing him as he has now gone extremely jumpy but I will try and be as gentle as possible.
 
You may find the picking-up video from our video section helpful; weigh him in the pick-up conveyance so you do not have to handle him much. As your boy doesn't like being touched, it sounds like he is in pain/discomfort, so I would be careful with him. I hope that you can get a vet appointment soon! Please aks your vet for pain relief if he isn't already prescribing some.
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/videos/
 
Thanks so much for the advise, I've got him booked in with the piggie specialist at Cheshire Pet after 6 tonight, she said she will check them both over whilst I'm there, fingers crossed its nothing major! I'll give you an update later.
 
Is it Molly Varga you are going to see, I saw her the other day she is very knowledgable when it comes to guineas, I wouldn't hesitate to go and see her again, and such a lovely lady.
hope you can get to the bottom of what is wrong, I have no doubt though if it is Molly you are seeing.
 
Yeah it was Molly, she was really lovely and seemed very knowledgable! She checked him over and said that something was definitely not right. She said he wasn't responding normally like a GP should and that his heartbeat was 'irregularly irregular'. She is concerned that he may have a heart condition. He is going back in the morning for an X-ray and an ECG.

I'm so worried about him, he looked so bad in the vets, just lying flat with all 4 legs sprayed out and he didn't move. I've only had him a short while since I adopted him from the RSPCA but have got really attached to him. If anyone has an guineas with heart conditions any advise about quality of life and treatment would be massively appreciated.
 
I have 6 heart pigs and have had more in the past. My pigs are on Nelio which is a brand of Benazapril on a range of doses from 1.25mg a day to Ellie who is on 1.75mg a day. They also have diuretics when needed (Frusemide). Some heart pigs also need a medication called Vetmedin added in. My friend Karen who volunteers with a vet in Broxbourne and runs a clinic has years of experience with heart issues and has written a fantastic article which can be accessed on her own website TKCC. Let me know if you need the details.
 
Katherine said:
We're all very worried about Ivy again. It doesn't sound good at all. Feeling so sad....
Click to expand...

CheshCharl said:
Yeah it was Molly, she was really lovely and seemed very knowledgable! She checked him over and said that something was definitely not right. She said he wasn't responding normally like a GP should and that his heartbeat was 'irregularly irregular'. She is concerned that he may have a heart condition. He is going back in the morning for an X-ray and an ECG.

I'm so worried about him, he looked so bad in the vets, just lying flat with all 4 legs sprayed out and he didn't move. I've only had him a short while since I adopted him from the RSPCA but have got really attached to him. If anyone has an guineas with heart conditions any advise about quality of life and treatment would be massively appreciated.
Click to expand...
I am sorry :( Molly is an excellent vet, my vet knows her well. I am tagging @helen105281 as she is experienced with heart piggies. Hope all goes well for him tomorrow :)
 
Thanks guys, appreciate the support. @helen105281 is this quite a common health issue and will it affect his life that much? When she first said it might be a heart condition I was thinking it's end of the world! Also, if you don't mind me asking, are your piggies insured or is it quite expensive for all the medication? Obviously I am prepared financially for vets bills and stuff so it's not a problem but I am curious about the costs if. A bit shell shocked at the min, they are my first pigs and I've being doing everything by the book, they've had the best of everything, I'm constantly reading through this wonderful forum and other sites trying to soak up as much info as possible and just was not expecting something like this so soon. Come what may these piggies have already been through enough and I'm going to give them the best possible life I can, it's amazing just how attached you can get to needy little balls of fluff lol :luv:
 
I can answer a bit about insurance; I use Exotics direct & they won't cover a pre-existing condition. If you can afford to I would definitely insure any others you have; one of mine uninsured has cost about £1800 in vet bills & one other is insured & they paid £400 towards her treatment recently, so well worth it :) My premiums are about £8 per month each pig with £50 excess.
 
It is easily managed with medication, though it can be a bit of a balancing act getting the doses right between the different meds and there will likely be times were Fidget gets fluid and so needs extra diuretics. I pay £50 a month for 40 Nelio tablets but I could get them cheaper online. That is for 6 pigs. The diuretic we have a lot in already but that is cheaper. If the vet gives you Fortekor it is the same as Nelio but more expensive. For 1 pig though it should not work out too much.

Heart conditions are actually a lot more common than people realise, and a lot go undiagnosed. My friend has a pig who was on deaths door when he arrived, he was diagnosed with a heart issue and put on high doses of meds and a few years later he is still here and amazing us all the time. I am lucky that I have had the support that I have with mine.

Have you noticed any of the following symptoms?

Weight loss
Lethargy, difficult to rouse from sleep
Hooting followed by a cough
Nodding when breathing
Blue tinged lips and nose
Bumblefoot

If you look at my Mrs Fuzzy, she arrived a year ago at 620g, and was very lethargic once on heart meds I can't keep her still and a year later she is 999g.
 
Hope you can get something sorted out tomorrow when you go back to see Molly, let us know how you go on.
Sending ((Hugs)) to you both.
 
helen105281 said:
It is easily managed with medication, though it can be a bit of a balancing act getting the doses right between the different meds and there will likely be times were Fidget gets fluid and so needs extra diuretics. I pay £50 a month for 40 Nelio tablets but I could get them cheaper online. That is for 6 pigs. The diuretic we have a lot in already but that is cheaper. If the vet gives you Fortekor it is the same as Nelio but more expensive. For 1 pig though it should not work out too much.

Heart conditions are actually a lot more common than people realise, and a lot go undiagnosed. My friend has a pig who was on deaths door when he arrived, he was diagnosed with a heart issue and put on high doses of meds and a few years later he is still here and amazing us all the time. I am lucky that I have had the support that I have with mine.

Have you noticed any of the following symptoms?

Weight loss
Lethargy, difficult to rouse from sleep
Hooting followed by a cough
Nodding when breathing
Blue tinged lips and nose
Bumblefoot

If you look at my Mrs Fuzzy, she arrived a year ago at 620g, and was very lethargic once on heart meds I can't keep her still and a year later she is 999g.
Click to expand...

Helen do you know if she would be able to get a prescription for these drugs so that you could try and find them cheaper, or do you think it wouldn't be feasable.
 
It is definitely possible and something I should get round to doing for my own one day. I will have a look for some links.
 
These are the tablets I use

http://www.animeddirect.co.uk/nelio-tablets-for-dogs-priced-per-tablet-5mg.html

They are Benazapril which is an ACE inhibator, Fortekor is the same and I will find a link for that below. You can also use Enalapril (brand is Prilenal) but this is much harsher on the kidneys.

Fortekor, these tablets are 2.5mg, the Nelio is 5mg.

http://www.animeddirect.co.uk/fortekor-flavour-palatable-tablets-priced-per-tablet-25mg.html

Frusemide, Lasix (diuretics)

http://www.animeddirect.co.uk/frusemide-tablets-priced-per-tablet-40mg.html

There will be numerous sites with these meds on, it is a matter of finding one with the best prices and service.
 
Thanks @Poppy'sMum , all my other pets are insured and I was going to look into it, I work for a business consultancy so I've had a crazy month (no excuse I know), damn you new tax year! I'll look into it and see if there is anyone that would insure them.

@helen105281 , thanks for all the info, that's not as horrendous as I was thinking. He has stayed at a steady weight of around 1000g, when he was rescued he was only 800g but he still has some growing to do. He is quite lethargic and lies down a lot, definitely not as active as Floyd and he moves quite awkwardly. I've not noticed any hooting or blueness and have been checking him for bumblefoot because of the way he was walking but he seems ok.


Thanks for the support everyone, it really means a lot and has helped me calm down! Fidget seems surprisingly content tonight, think he is enjoying the Metacam the vet gave him!
 
Hi, sorry, haven't had a chance to reply! Ok, so the vet (who is super amazing and I can't wait to see her next week to thank her profusely) said yes, he does have a heart condition. She prescribed 0.2ml of Frusol 2x day and 1ml of Fortekor (2.5ml tab mixed with 5ml water) once a day. We are going back on Tuesday for a follow up. He seems to be getting back to his old self now so I think his meds are working, I've nicknamed him Martini now...medication time! She said that he should live a happy life and I presume on Tuesday she will go through more of a long term plan with me. He is soooo good when I give him his medication, I actually think it's helping us bond more because he seems to enjoy lap time, actually will eat on my lap now - something he was previously too nervous to do! I'm just so happy that he is getting the treatment he needs, it's so upsetting that he has gone without it, poor little mite! Thinking back..about a week after i got him (had them just over a month) i noticed he was a bit funny, but put it down to his claws being too long so I cut them, I'm new to pigs and with them being rescues I thought maybe he was just acting funny out of nerves, I feel awful that I didn't think anything was seriously wrong until he started dragging his back legs that night! I haven't heard back from the RSPCA... I'll keep you posted xo
 
Glad you have an official diagnosis. Just to let you know both those doses but especially the Fortekor seem fairly low, so you may find that they need increasing over time. A standard introductory dose is 1mg a day (split in 2) and the lowest dose mine are on now is 1.25mg a day with Ellie being on 1.75mg a day as she is my worst heart pig.
 
One of my own was also diagnosed with a heart issue today and is also starting on a low dose so I think it depends on the individual circumstances of the pig, she is starting on 0.625 a day (split in 2) with scope to increase if needed.
 
Oh no, sorry to hear that, hope she's ok. Fidget went back to the vets on Tue and Molly was very happy with his progress, he seems a lot better and has put on weight which is great considering he is on diuretics! I may not be a piggy expert but I'm a good weight gainer! :))
 
Thank you, she is doing well, the heart meds seem to have had an effect already.

Brilliant that Fidget is doing so well and well done on getting the weight on.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top