Injury Stumbling?

[Danjmcnulty]

Hi everyone! First post! (wish it were under better circumstances)
I have to guinea pigs. A male named guiness and a female named sam. I bought them from a pet store. I know everyone, I'm sorry for buying in a pet store. I wasn't as informed ai thought I was, but thank god I found this site! Anyway, I found out later that it was a male and female, so I went and got guiness neutered. After the procedure, the doctor informed me that he had ringworm. I've been treating him for almost two weeks and now all of the sudden he is acting very weird. Whenever he walks around his cage he leans to his right and sometimes stumbles to his right. Anyone have any ideas? Also, he keeps going in circles......any ideas on this? Any help is appreciated. Thank you!

Ps. The male is still recovering from his procedure and his ringworm. I have an appointment wednesday.

 

[PooTrishy]

I don't know, but that sounds extreme! Take him back to the vet!

 

[amandacv86]

If I'm wrong I hope someone corrects me on this, but it sounds like his equilibrium is off and it could be an inner ear infection, which is very painful. I would try to take him in to the vet sooner.

 

[kathlaaron]

It sounds like it could be an inner ear infection, but it could also be from the meds he is on. Like PooTrishy said, you really need to take him back to the vet asap.

Also, if your male was in with your female for any length of time before his procedure, there is a very good chance that your female is pregnant ! You also to need to wait 3-4 weeks before putting him back with your girl, here is a link explaining all that: Guinea Pig Neutering, How to Neuter your Guinea Pigs

 

[Danjmcnulty]

Thanks! I called the vet already, I have an appointment for tomorrow. And they were together in the store, but I bought them at 3 weeks old. Can they become sexually active that fast? I've heard of 6 weeks. Well, I'll have the vet check her out. Thanks for your fast responses, I really appreciate it!

 

[Deb's4Pigs]

They can get pregnant at three weeks. It must be an ear infection because he would be too young for a stroke.

 

[Danjmcnulty]

Ok, thank you all very much for your help!

 

[kathlaaron]

https://www.guinealynx.info/reproduction.html

https://www.guinealynx.info/emergency.html#ear

Hello ! The first link will take you to guinea lynx's info on what age is typical for what age a female can become pregnant ( as early as 4 weeks ! I know ! Babies having babies...sigh) and at what age a male becomes sexually active.

The second above link takes you to guinea lynx's info on possible ear infections or whatnot. My girl Buttercup at 7 weeks or so had an ear infection ! Good luck !

 

[Paula]

Males are able to impregnant females at 3 weeks, but females cannot get pregnant until 4 weeks.

What is the medication you were given for ringworm and how is it given - topically, orally, or something else?

 

[Danjmcnulty]

Thanks for the links, and the medicine is tresaderm which is applied twice daily directly on the infected area (upper stomach) for two weeks.

 

[SFailed186]

I agree with the other suggestions.

Does he receive regular veggies high in Vitamin C? I ask this because I rescued a severely neglected female who had scurvy and she stumbled around, almost hopped even. However, she also had muscle deterioration due to extreme starvation.

A reaction to the medication or an ear infection sounds far more likely, but it is just a thought. Good luck!

 

[kathlaaron]

I agree with the other suggestions.

Does he receive regular veggies high in Vitamin C? I ask this because I rescued a severely neglected female who had scurvy and she stumbled around, almost hopped even. However, she also had muscle deterioration due to extreme starvation.

A reaction to the medication or an ear infection sounds far more likely, but it is just a thought. Good luck!

I think that is a very good idea, meaning that certainly could be a possibility.(Scurvy) However, isn't scurvy usually accompanied by diarrhea ?

To Danjmcnulty : Does your piggie have diarrhea, or really soft stools ?

Have you been pretty good about making sure your piggie has a good proper, well balanced diet ?

If you have, then malocclusion sounds more likely, to me. How old is your piggie ?

From what I read on guinea lynx, it's very uncommon for piggies to get malocclusion under a 1-2 years, unless genetics played a role (and prolonged malocclusion leads to scury..) which then leads me to believe it could be an inner ear infection or intolerance to his medicine ! Ugh.

So, really, since it could be any number of things, the sooner you are able to take him in honey, the better. So sorry you and your family are struggling so much....you are not alone, so many are in the same boat ! Just tell yourself, "I can see shore ! I can see shore !" and before you know it, shore is right on your doorstep.

Maybe you could work out a "payment plan" with your vet ? Many of us have had to do that.( payment plans, that is..) I wish you lots of hugs and warm healing wishes !

 

[SFailed186]

I think that is a very good idea, meaning that certainly could be a possibility.(Scurvy) However, isn't scurvy usually accompanied by diarrhea?

When I was told about scurvy by someone, diarrhea was not mentioned. I did not experience this with the neglected pig (Leila) because when we received her, she hadn't eaten in several days or maybe even a week, so she did not poop. We handfed her every half hour to an hour to try and keep her gut moving, but when she pooped it was tiny, hard, but also sticky.

(PS. The reason we fed Leila so often was because she was too weak to move her mouth much, so we could only get about .5 cc in her at a time. Also, we alternated between pellet mash and pureed green bell pepper/carrot mix for the nutrients.)

 

[kathlaaron]

Thanks! I called the vet already, I have an appointment for tomorrow. Well, I'll have the vet check her out.

How is your piggie doing today ? What did your vet say ? Please give us all an update, when you get a chance, o.k. ? Thanks !

 

[Danjmcnulty]

Hi everyone! I'm really sorry for the prolonged wait. Guiness does have an ear infection. I've been treating him since tuesday and he's already shown considerable improvement. I can't wait until he's all better, sam ha a been loving life and guiness cant seem to get a winning hand.

To sfailed186: I have been putting 3-4 drops of vitamin c in both their food bowls. However as far as vegetables go, I've been trying to feed them raw spinach, royal gala apples, carrots, red peppers, and romaine lettuce and they take a nibble or two and don't touch it again. Have any ideas?

To kathlaaron: there was only once that I noticed his stool was darker and a little softer, but the vet assured me it was a temporary reaction to the medicine.

Thank you all for your help and concern, its very nice to know that there are people out there who actually care about helping people instead of just trying to make a sale as quickly and cost effective as possible. Thank you!

 

[Cogni]

Are you giving them hay 24/7? They need all the hay they can eat for their digestion.
The diet you are feeding is very high in sugar. Their veggie staples should be dark green or purple lettuces (romaine, red leaf, oak leaf etc.) and cilantro. Try some of these, and a little parsley as a treat. A small amount of high-quality plain pellets per day will also give them needed nutrition (1/8 cup per day per pig; some people say more but my vet says more than 1/8 will lead to obesity).
With a balanced diet they do not need Vitamin C drops.
Good luck nursing your little babe back to full health!

 

[Onetwo]

Piggies under 6 months need alfalfa based pellets AND should be given unlimited amounts as they are growing. Also all guinea pigs should be getting 1/8th of a green bell pepper for vit c. Carrots, apples, kale should all be given less than 2-3 times a week. Check out the diet and nutrition section NOW and if possible print off the fresh foods list. It is VERY good!!!

 

[kathlaaron]

Hi everyone! I'm really sorry for the prolonged wait. Guiness does have an ear infection. I've been treating him since tuesday and he's already shown considerable improvement.

I am so very glad that Guiness is feeling better ! Yeaaa !


I have been putting 3-4 drops of vitamin c in both their food bowls daily. However as far as vegetables go, I've been trying to feed them raw spinach, royal gala apples, carrots, red peppers, and romaine lettuce and they take a nibble or two and don't touch it again. Have any ideas?

Oh honey, apples, carrots, red peppers are very high in sugar and need to be given only as treats, no more than twice a week. And spinach is loaded with calcium and oxalic acid so should also only be given 1-2 times a week too. Here is Ly&Pigs nutriction and sample daily diet menu ( Sun-Sat !) that many of us refer to and highly appreciate as it proves invaluable to many of us ! Here is Ly&Pigs links below :

https://www.guineapigcages.com/foru...g-nutrition-charts-poisonous-plants-list.html

https://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/diet-nutrition/24770-sample-veggie-menus.html

I don't know if you have a printer, but I printed these two links out so I can easily refer to them up on my fridge. Start slow with your piggies, with giving them just a couple of daily staples you can feed them. Start with giving them 2 lettuce types, like green leaf and romaine ( that was one very good thing you gave them daily you said !) and green peppers.

Try that consistently for a few days then try adding a rotating veggie, and so on. Lys sample menu chart will really help you get into the groove of providing a good proper healthy varied diet for your piggies ! Have a great day !

 

[Danjmcnulty]

To Cogni: I have been giving them an unlimited amount of timothy hay(they love burying themselves in it lol) and I have been feeding them a small tupperware container ( about a handful) of alfalfa everyday.

To onetwo: i have been feeding them kaytee's fiesta, bad choice? And thank you, I will work green peppers into there diet.

To Kathlaaron: thank you sooooo much, I have been scouring (not sure if I spelled that right-scowering?) the internet for a shopping list like that. And, I have most of it in my fridge!
When I had my first guinea pigs, my mom used to give me random veggies and say "here its a treat for the pigs." I wasn't paying much attention to what or how often. I mean imagine dessert at age 6. Veggies ewwww lol.

Thank you very much for your help. And guiness is looking like a new pig! He's doing laps around his cage like crazy!

 

[Danjmcnulty]

Hi everyone, I also was thinking about using a syringe to give guiness his vitamin c. How much should I give him and how often? Thanks