Conditions Guinea pig and Stroke

[IrenLovesPigs]

Help! I come home from school to clean my guinea pigs cage and I lift a hut to find my oldest piggy (Sonny) lying there with his brother (Yoda) beside him. I lay a towel on the the floor and put Yoda out and Sonny is not moving. I pick him up but usually he would run away but he just was laying there. I put the two huts down to see if he would go in them and he hobbled around and was waling very funny. He made it into a hut and Yoda followed and sat there with him. I knew there was something wrong so I called my mom in the room and she looked at Sonny. She was moving his for and no response was given, he acted like he couldn't feel is foot. He did this to both feet. Sonny barely could move from his waist down. He made no noise to tell us that he was in pain. My mom tried to feed him lettuce but it took him 10 minutes to finish it. By Then my mother said he might of had a STROKE while we were at school. I was crying. This all happened THURSDAY and now it's SATURDAY. He is separated form his brother for his safety. My mom says that he definitely has some brain damage cause he doesn't remember what he was doing or how to walk and eat. We are feeding by hand and we are having to pet him to keep him focused. He is about 6 or 7 years old. We have called my science teacher cause she thinks he will make it if we do some MASSAGE THERAPY. She is certified as a ANIMAL THERAPIST. We called her today cause we noticed that SONNY was constipated and hasn't passed feces in 3 days, but has peed, and she told us to feed him OLIVE OIL and lots of GREEN food.

If you know anything about this and would love to add to this, Cause he needs help!!!!!!!!
THANKS

 

[Nannub]

Take him to the vet. Not a cat/ dog vet. Not a science teacher. A real vet who knows about Guinea Pigs. If this happened Thursday how come you didn't take him to the vet yet?!

 

[PeanutnCookie]

Take him to a exotic animals vet asap. I have never heard about massage therapy for guinea pigs. I've never heard of feeding him olive oil either. I'm pretty sure thats not good for them. Do you know the purpose for the oil?
A certified guinea pig vet should treat him. It's possible that your science teacher actually doesn't know about guinea pigs. A therapist is very different from an actual vet.

 

[IrenLovesPigs]

well the oil is for the constipation, its to make his feces that is blocked up smooth and easier to pass. The science teacher is certified for pet therapy. Its like human therapy but for small pets. I dont want to take him to the vet cause i dont have the money for it and i dont want to make the situation worse by giving him antibiotics cause he is old and very ill. it could make the situation worsen.

 

[IrenLovesPigs]

I dont have the money for a vet. My science teacher had many guinea pig and has worked with them for over 20+ years. i got my piggy from her !

 

[PeanutnCookie]

No, the vet knows what you're supposed to do. And an animal therapist is not the same as a vet. They are not certified for veterinary care. Just like a human therapist is not a doctor, they can't prescribe the same care that a doctor can. Do your parents have money? You can do chores or something and earn the money to pay them back. Improper care is what will worsen the situation, not going to the vet.

 

[IrenLovesPigs]

they do but they want that to be the last thing we do cuz if he gets better with therapy and is all well no need to spend money on meds that might not help. He had a stroke what vet knows how to fix that. he has brain damage no meds can fix that.

 

[IrenLovesPigs]

I dont want to hurt him anymore he is like 7 he could die early if I give him meds and stuff, im all bout the natural remedies

 

[labgirl5]

The piggy needs to see a vet. He is considerably old, and even if the vet says that meds won't do much to help him, it's not fair to let him suffer.

It's a serious issue that he's not pooping. I know from experience how quickly pigs can go downhill. This is an urgent issue; some vets are willing to make a payment plan (so you don't pay the bill all at once) especially for emergencies such as these.


Also, it's really not fair to get a pet if you can't afford to take it to the vet. A guinea pig is a living, breathing creature; if you didn't have enough money to take a child to the doctor, would you ever have/keep one? Guinea pigs are not the type of pet where you can just wait for illness to pass. They are prey animals and hide sickness extremely well, and it's crucial to get to an experienced, exotic vet as you notice that something isn't right.

 

[IrenLovesPigs]

Ive had him since he was two and i have another piggy that is 11 months that ive had since his 7 weeks old. but as a family of 5 and having a dog and 60+ monarch caterpillars to feed it gets expensive. My sister is in college and my parents have to make sure that our bills come first, if you get where im coming from. Im 16 and love my pets but this was very unexpected. he was healthy one day and sick another. im just wondering if there is anything i can do naturally to help him.

 

[scoottie]

Not likely. I understand that you love your boy, but he is seriously ill and because of his age, the kindest thing to do is to have him euthanised.

You beat me to it the best thing for him would be to euthanize him.

 

[IrenLovesPigs]

I still think with motor therapy he could mke it. My mom is lifting his belly and he is trying to walk. His right leg is weak. I wld never put him down

 

[Nannub]

I understand your economic situation is not the best but if you have a pet you have to save money for this kind of emergency. It's cruel to just let him suffer because you don't have the money to pay for a vet. So as sad as it is I agree with the other people that the kindest thing you could do for your poor guy is euthanize him.

 

[daydreamer89]

if he was younger and you knew for sure (by going to a exotic vet) and he was on medication to help with pain and recovery then yes therapy might help but he has not been to a vet and is not on anything for pain and recovery so im going to have to agree with everyone else here and say having him put to sleep would be the best thing for the little guy.
if your dog was having this problem (lets not call it a stroke because you cant know until he has been to a exotic vet) would you let your dog live like that? I get that you may not have the funds to bring him to a exotic vet to be evaluated and possibly helped but euthanization can be done at a normal cat/dog vet and is painless and wont cost as much at all. please atleast consider it so your piggy isnt in any pain

 

[IrenLovesPigs]

But I'm not ready to say goodbye so fast. I have a cremation place in mind but I don't know if its his time

 

[PudgePig]

I'm so sorry for your struggle. I know it's very hard to choose to euthanize a precious member of your family. I've had to do this and it's heartbreaking.

 

[ClemmyOddieIndy]

I'm not sure where you are, but it might be worth a try to contact the Veterinary Med School at the University of Florida. Sometimes (very rarely, but it doesn't hurt to ask) teaching schools are willing to work with exotics owners because they do not see them that often, and they can use it as an opportunity to teach their students.

There are a lot of people on here who struggle financially to pay for their vet bills, but still make it happen because it's part of pet ownership. Almost every animal will eventually need a vet visit, and being unprepared is unfair to them. Your parents agreed to take on the financial responsibility of your animal when they allowed you to bring him home.

You know your animal better than anyone else. If you think he's not done fighting to live then you need to get him medical treatment, and a therapist is not a vet.

 

[IrenLovesPigs]

I don't think u people know my piggies problem. He had a stroke its like a human having a stroke. He has brain damage. Wat vet can help with that. His balance is off his ability to walk is gone. If a human had this problem would He or she would not go to the doctor he or she would got to a physical therapist. I know wat my Guinea pig has and is but Wat can a vet do? He needs help to remember how to walk and steady his balance and I don't think a vet can do that do u? I know a animal physical therapist can. Understand

 

[Nannub]

If you know anything about this and would love to add to this, Cause he needs help!!!!!!!!
THANKS

If you're asking for opinions or help with this situation and you don't wanna accept that you have/should take your pet to a cavy savy, then how can we help you? A vet can confirm that he had a stroke or he didn't. I really don't understand

 

[ClemmyOddieIndy]

I don't think u people know my piggies problem. He had a stroke its like a human having a stroke. He has brain damage. Wat vet can help with that. His balance is off his ability to walk is gone. If a human had this problem would He or she would not go to the doctor he or she would got to a physical therapist. I know wat my Guinea pig has and is but Wat can a vet do? He needs help to remember how to walk and steady his balance and I don't think a vet can do that do u? I know a animal physical therapist can. Understand

If a human had a stroke they would go to the doctor. You do not know for sure your pig had a stroke. You are assuming your pig had a stroke, but there could be other problems that you can't see. For example, your pig could have a tumor or other neurological problem. If you couldn't move would you want your care based on the assumptions of a science teacher, or the educated opinion of a doctor?