Guinea Pig with Leg Problems

Question
My guinea pig Theodore seems to suddenly have a leg problem that is making me cry.  Theo is a wonderfully, adorable loving guinea pig who is a little over 2 years old.  He is quite overweight & we have put him on a diet but I noticed about a week ago that he suddenly didn't seem to be using his back legs properly.  I watch him closely & now when he runs around he gets going so fast that his one leg gets dragged behind.  He seems to move around by using his front legs & stretching out as far as he can so he doesn't have to  move.  When he does move at a normal speed his back legs look so stiff & it appears that he can't use them like he did a week ago.  This came on suddenly & it is breaking my heart.  I have a feeling that if we take him to our vet she will just say he needs to go on a diet & that she doesn't know what is wrong with him.  Do you have any idea what the problem might be or if I am just overreacting?  We love him so much & he is the most intelligent, inquisitive little cavy I have ever met.  It breaks my heart to see him dragging his little legs behind him & stretching instead of moving.  Any ideas?  He is fed lettuce & carrots & hay all of the time & every other day he gets a little apple chunk that he just loves.  On occasion he steals our bunny's banana but he loves it & she lets him do it so obviously no problem.

I am so worried about my little Theo.  Any suggestions?

Answer
Hi Dawn

I am sorry to hear about your Theodore. However, if my hunch is right, he is not in any pain.

I suspect that Theodore has a calcium deficiency. Calcium is very important for keeping the muscles and bones very strong although it is not known why it should happen so suddenly or why it only usually affects the back legs.

Give him 3x 500mg calcium tablets on the first day, one every 8 hours. MAKE SURE THE TABLETS YOU GIVE ARE THE ONES THAT CONTAIN ADDED VITAMIN D.

On the 2nd day give one tablet every 12 hours, so 2 tablets in total.

On the third day and for the 3 days after that give one tablet per day.

Usually you will notice an improvement within 24 hours, if you havent seen any change within 3 days, we have to assume the paralysis is of a more permanant nature for another reason in which case vetinary attention is neccesary. However, I very much doubt it has anything to do with Theodore's weight. He would have to be seriously fat for this to cause a problem.

I hope that helps.

Andy

P.S It may be best to feed the tablets by crushing them, adding a small amount of water and syringing into his mouth.