You should look at it as soon as possible !! Infections may require antibiotics, but the main treatment is to set the leg so it fuses back together, something which can be very tricky with smaller birds. Although Ivermectin for guinea pigs is a popular choice with vets. P.S- My guinea pig once got a sprained leg as well. According to veterinarian Dr. Karen Rosenthal, stroke, though not common guinea pigs, may occur. Guinea Pig Manual topics are available on the main menu. The temperature remains normal and joints will not be swollen unless there are fractures. W. hether you are a new owner, or experienced one, there is always room to learn more about these delicate creatures – also known as the cavy. 12.5% were spinal luxations. Affected guinea pigs often have painful swellings on the leg bones. Thank you very much for such informative information. To diagnose and treat tumors in guinea pigs, examine your guinea pig's body closely for raised or rounded lumps. Due to the fact that birds have small, and sometimes hollow bones, it is not unusual for them to break them due to trauma. Prompt, competent veterinary care is crucial to saving the life of a sick guinea pig. They very seldom recover from an illness without help. He will put a small amount of weight on it when I put my hand under his front feet. Some animals need antibiotics and pain medications. The guinea pig should look sleek and glossy, but without rolls of fat or a dewlap. The vet looked at the leg but at that time, did not recommend x-rays; just gave me some medicine to give him for the next four days for pain. Anonymous. Falling off a perch, being injured by another animal, or even being stepped on by its owner are some of the more common causes of a fracture. Adults should follow the instructions carefully, but bear in mind that it may be a good idea to give your guinea pig a bath first so that there’s no grease or dirt getting in the way of the treatment. [By email] Susan H's vet recommended Baytril and soaking her guinea pig Chloe's foot twice a day with a chlorhexidine solution. The resulting long term result is swelling – bumblefoot. TREATMENT. 29/11/2018. 100lbs live weight = 75lb bbq pig. Next, brush your fingers through its fur to feel for any abnormal growths on the skin. As not all fleas treatment medications available in the market are safe for our guinea pigs, you must look out for the ingredient before using one. Drugs.com provides accurate and independent information on more than 24,000 prescription drugs, over-the-counter medicines and natural products. Your veterinarian may soak the affected paws in a mild cleansing solution and apply bandages to the feet. Osteosarcoma is an uncommon cancer in the guinea pig. Your vet will probably start with an exam to see if your guinea pig has any feeling in his legs. Sometimes there are underlying problems You need to get a guinea pig with sore feet to the vet as soon as you can, so … Easy, step-by-step, illustrated instructions to help keep your pets happy and healthy. I was worried just like you are. However, a small guinea pig that weighs 1.2kg is likely to be too heavy, because of its small frame. The mites are desperately itchy and the guinea pig will do anything to try and stop the irritation. These may be straight with the pig walking with a long step on its toes. 25% were femoral. Fleas treatment is beneficial, but that is what we use as a last resort for treating fleas in guinea pigs. Guinea Pig Mites Treatment Options. As you can imagine a broken leg can be very painful for a guinea pig, it can even end up killing it, without the right treatment. Most commonly due to being dropped or from leg becoming caught in a wire cage floor. Your veterinarian will assess the severity of the infestation and recommend an appropriate treatment regimen. 1 decade … Hind legs get red and swollen and very often there is a noticeable hair loss on them. Treatment consists of housing the guinea pig in a smooth-floored cage with soft bedding, improving sanitation, and administering medical treatment depending on the severity of the condition. Both strains and sprains can be chronic (ongoing) or acute (sudden), and can range from mild to severe. He doesn't squeak when I touch his shoulder and foot either. If this lasts more than a day or so, or if it happens again and again, it’s time for a visit to the vet. 0 0. A guinea pig’s health can deteriorate rather quickly. Guinea pig bladder stones prevention is a whole lot easier than dealing with a formed stone. That's a nice size. Guinea pigs get various tumors, particularly skin and mammary tumors. We can’t help with any costs incurred at another vet but for further treatment at Animal Trust the reassurance is there. This material is provided for educational purposes only and is not intended for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. An examination is best carried out when the pig is lying down. In one study of orthopedic trauma at a veterinary teaching hospital 7.5% of guinea pig fractures were tibia/fibula. 3)The last situation is injury. The first warning sign of strains or sprains may be that your dog starts to limp or is suddenly lame, meaning they can’t use their leg. Veterinarians can treat guinea pig bloat with anti-gas medications or antibiotics to get the gastrointestinal tract functioning normally. Guinea pigs are generally hardy, healthy animals but are susceptible to certain diseases. The best treatment is … Heat stroke, on the other hand, affects guinea pigs commonly. When caught early, most illnesses can be cured fairly easily. Get your pet to a veterinarian immediately if you suspect a stroke. Apply a guinea pig safe fleas treatment. If the guinea pig starts limping, or favouring one foot continually – it is most likely a forefoot which will be involved – then the owner should immediately check for foot sores. He lives with another pig and is definitely the submissive pig of the two. A rough guide is how much it weighs, with an average being 0.7 - 1.2 kg. Guinea pigs being very vocal will probably have alerted the owner by squeaking loudly from the pain and when picked up will certainly do so if the foot is touched. The muscles and tissues over the fracture site are often swollen and painful and the pig is very reluctant to move unless on three legs. My boy Numchucks jumped off a platform instead of using the ramp and seems to have sprained his leg. By the time problems become apparent, illnesses may be life-threatening. If the leg was broken, or the joint damaged, I'd be inclined to butcher the pig right now. Flea products for other species may contain chemicals which are poisonous to guinea pigs, so your guinea pigs will need a species-specific version. If your guinea pig lives in a cage with a wire base to it, then very often this leads to sore feet and hocks. Data sources include IBM Watson Micromedex (updated 6 Jan 2021), Cerner Multum™ (updated 4 Jan 2021), ASHP (updated 6 … Yesterday my guinea pig started limping with his front leg. The sooner you begin treatment, the better your guinea pig's chance of recovery. There are ways to prevent this from happening in the first place, that I am going to go through in this article. The texture of your Guinea pig’s fur is likely to become coarse, patchy and dull, and also, your pet is likely to lose weight, as well as their appetite. A guinea pig that has an injured or broken back can recover, but it will depend on the location and extent of the damage. Learn how to care for, train and groom your pets with wikiHow.pet. Treatment of parasite infestation All parasites can easily jump over from a Guinea Pig to another so you have to separate infected Cavies immediately to avoid epidemic in your cage. An X-ray will reveal if the legs have been fractured and can identify spinal injury. Of all the different types of cancer affecting guinea pigs, osteosarcoma is diagnosed only about one percent of the time. Treatment of Guinea Pig Bloat. If the pig is walking on the leg with a limp its not as serious as if it is not putting any weight on the limb at all. Guinea pigs also get abscesses (accumulations of pus and bacteria) in lymph nodes, skin, muscles, teeth, bones, and internal organs. They also can give the guinea pig pain medication and encourage him to drink lots of water. When bumblefoot is left untreated or is present in a very severe form, there are sometimes complications in treatment and the infected leg may have to be amputated. Rating: Andrew. Click on the cropped picture above for larger view of Athena's guinea pig. Unfortunately there is no official mite medicine for guinea pigs. If drug therapy proves futile, your vet might perform surgery. 12.5% were lumbar spinal. Guinea Pig as a Pet. Guinea pigs have got incredibly soft and thin skin. This results in incorrect weight distribution whereby pressure is placed onto the wrong part of the foot or leg. You cannot eliminate calcium, because your pet needs it for his bones and teeth. It’s easiest to reduce calcium by making sure that most of your pet’s vegetables come from the leafy parts and not stems or seeds. An animal keeper was present to ensure the guinea pig's welfare. I'm pretty sure it's not a fracture... he can still put a little weight on it and isn't distressed when I touch it. See also: One day post treatment; 5 days post treatment. The cage was open at the top and had plenty of shelters and a water source as well as hay, twigs, straw and wood shavings. Source(s): guinea pig carer and owner for nearly 2 years now. Susan felt the swelling was not going down enough and seemed to be moving slightly up the leg. After a followup visit, her vet advised continuing treatment and said without some improvement, the foot might need amputation. 12.5% were radius/ulna. Guinea pig skin. No reason to let the pig get out of condition. Front legs. Take him immediately to the vet. This help lasts for 3 weeks after the initial surgery (extended to 8 weeks after orthopaedic surgery) and will be there if we need to do further treatment to achieve the initial surgical aim. You do not only pay for your Guinea Pig, you also payed for a couple of parasites in pet store. When he walks he holds it up close to his body. A diaper rash type ointment (long used on human babies) clears up urine scald quickly. He is eating, drinking and voiding as usual although he is spending more time hiding than he did previously. 0 0. It may not be boredom, though, so be sure to check for mites in case this is the reason for their hair pulling. See also: UTI Prevention Tips. The knees may be bent inwards or flexed which causes the pig to walk with short steps. I felt it to feel if anything was broken and it feels fine, and he will use it to pull himself up on the grids when I walk by. They cannot make their own vitamin C and require supplementation or they may develop scurvy. It can be a simple injury or a displesia of the leg! I took my guinea pig to the vet because he was limping and I wanted to have his leg looked at. Im sure that your will get better as well. The pig shows abnormal leg conformation and gait with or without stiffness and pain. But in about a month, it got better. A significant feature is the reluctance to place any weight on the affected leg. 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