Urgent guinea pig q.- shock?

The.Wanderer

Hey all,
My guinea pig tripped a few mins ago and I think he's broken his little leg. I'm going straight to the vet as soon as my parents get here but he's just sitting there and he keeps sort of twitching, is he in shock??

I'm keeping him comfortable and trying to calm him but is there anything I can do for him while I'm waiting to get to the vet?? Also, what vet would be open today?? I'm so worried about the little guy

Thanks

PaulB91

The.Wanderer wrote: »

Hey all,
My guinea pig tripped a few mins ago and I think he's broken his little leg. I'm going straight to the vet as soon as my parents get here but he's just sitting there and he keeps sort of twitching, is he in shock??

I'm keeping him comfortable and trying to calm him but is there anything I can do for him while I'm waiting to get to the vet?? Also, what vet would be open today?? I'm so worried about the little guy

Thanks

did you rin them? if you find the number in the golden pages they will probbaly have an emergency line - also just keep him warm and quiet (keep him tucked up with you) if he has broken his leg he will be in shock

Sigma Force

As said keeping him warm and quiet is important, it's later now so hopefully he's been to the vets by now. Did he fall of trip over something, if it was a fall there could be other injuries too.

Fingers crossed for the little guy, let us know how you got on.

The.Wanderer

Thanks guys, yeah I rang the vet and described what happened and his injury etc he said they can't do anything today but to bring him in at 9am tomorrow for an xray, and basically the same thing you said, just to keep doing what I have been doing - keep him warm and calm.

He's totally calmed down now after his shock thank God, I was terrified the shock might kill him. Luckily he trusts me and is well used to being held and cuddled so I was able to calm him down just by keeping him in my lap and talking to him all afternoon He's perked up and is waddling around but still dragging his leg.

The vet has a lot of experience with piggies, he thinks they'll prob have to put a splint on it, depending where/if it's broken. I'll let ye know how he gets on, but I'm a lot happier now haven spoken to the vet.

Sigma Force

That good he's calmed down, these things always happen on a Sunday or a day when a lot of places are closed. Just ensure he's eating well.
Did the vet suggest a pain killer like infant calpol?

morganafay

Aw poor little guy, I hope he'll be alright. I hope it's not broken and he feels better soon

PaulB91

any news? it is 4 minutes past 9

The.Wanderer

He's still sedated, they're going to call me as soon as he wakes up. No they didn't suggest any painkillers but he was eating and drinking as usual so I'm hoping he wasn't in too much pain. I'll ask about painkillers for him over the next few days though, thanks for that idea, I didn't know you could use infant calpol on animals. I'll obv check with the vet about how much/when to give it etc

I'm just sitting here trying not to worry too much but the thoughts of him being under sedation is freaking me out I'll post again when he wakes up and the vet tells me if it's broken or not. Keep your fingers crossed!

PaulB91

eating and drinking is a good sign - did they say if it was a break?

The.Wanderer

They didn't say if it was a break, they had to xray it to check it out but it more than likely is. I still haven't heard from them, they said they'd ring when he woke up and he's been down since about 9-half9 this morning! I rang but the receptionist is on break or something and won't be back for 20 mins, I'll ring again then. Do ye know if it's normal for them to be take this long to wake up from being sedated? I mean he wasn't undergoing surgery, it was just an xray so I wouldn't have thought it would take this long...

PaulB91

don't get to worried, vets aren't always too good at calling back when they say they will

The.Wanderer

Great news! Just rang again and got through. They were very busy today and only did the xray this afternoon. It's not broken! Only badly bruised He's not fully awake yet but I can collect him now and bring him home. Yay! Thanks for all your help and advice guys

Sigma Force

If a guinea will stay still sometimes they can X-ray without sedating.
But if he was moving around they'd of had to give him something.
Some guineas, like any animal, can take longer to come around it sounds like he might of been given a full anesthetic?

That's great it's not a break though, plenty of soft bedding. Avoid hay at the moment if possible, just a corner in the cage for the hay for him to eat and then soft towels or vet bed (which is brill for poorly piggies) to keep the pressure off the leg.

Infant calpol is safe for piggies but as you said best to ask the vet about dosage. He might be over the worst of the pain now though a heat pad like a snuggle safe heat pad might help keep him comfortable. Or perhaps a hot water bottle filled half way with warm water and covered with a towel ie if he doesn't chew it.

Nice to hear of such a caring piggy owner, any piccies of the little guy?

The.Wanderer

He has to go back in tomorrow morning just to get a painkilling injection, the vet mentioned that too about the hot water bottle so I'm gonna wrap it in a fleece blanket and put him on top of it, although he'll prob be up on the bed most of the evening anyway lol

Here's a pic of him

The.Wanderer

Here's another one of him and his best friend watching the Notebook together! :P He's the one on the left.

Sigma Force

Awww he's lovely with his little pointy nose:D
Look at the two of them all snuggled up together.
Thought he'd be watching G-Force lol.

The.Wanderer

Ha ha no he's an old romantic bless him!

Besides, I don't him getting any crazy ideas from G-Force

morganafay

Aw, he's lovely. They both are!

I'm getting a new baby guinea pig next weekend since one of my females was pregnant when I got her, and now has 5 week old baby boy, who has to be kept seperate so I'm getting him a boyfriend, who's just a week younger

seanybiker

The.Wanderer wrote: »

Here's another one of him and his best friend watching the Notebook together! :P He's the one on the left.

aww thats gorgeous. Love birds ha ha.

seanybiker

morganafay wrote: »

Aw, he's lovely. They both are!

I'm getting a new baby guinea pig next weekend since one of my females was pregnant when I got her, and now has 5 week old baby boy, who has to be kept seperate so I'm getting him a boyfriend, who's just a week younger

your getting a boy for the boy? Do male get on with male better or if you have male and female you will 100s extra next week? If you know what i mean

morganafay

seanybiker wrote: »

your getting a boy for the boy? Do male get on with male better or if you have male and female you will 100s extra next week? If you know what i mean

Well I've never had males before this, but people have told me that two males should get on fine if they're introduced young, and kept away from the females. A male and female get on great, but he was trying to mate with his mother, so I had to seperate him!

Oh and I could get him neutered, but would prefer to get another male instead! Any excuse to get a new one . . .

Sigma Force

Baby males, ideally just weaned ones can be introduced to another baby male or an adult male. On neutral territory. How they get on can depend on introductions and personalities. The two boys should get on grand being so young.

Although it's a bad idea to keep two males within sniffing distance of any females, once they sniff a female in heat they will fight.

Barmy4boars is a great site for info. on male pairings.