injured piggie

Question
I am ten years old. I have a 3 1/2 year old male piggie named Oreo.  He fell off the couch last night while we were playing and started to drag his feet.  He didn't cry and doesn't act like he hurts.  He is eating good and going potty like he should, I think.  He acts like my oreo, but he can't walk.  We called the vets in our area (quite rural) and none of them take guinea pigs as patients.  The advice my mom got from a very nice vet was to keep watching him and make sure that he eats and uses the bathroom and see if he does better in a few days.  If not they would put him to sleep for me.  My question is, how can I know if he is suffering?  I don't want him to suffer, but I don't want to put him to sleep either if he can get better.  

Thank you for your help.
Sammie

Answer
Hello Sammie,

Bones take about 6 weeks to heal and I would not put him to sleep before then. My nephew dropped one of his girls and broke her pelvis rendering her back legs useless. The same thing may have happened to your boy. Or he could have broken a different bone that may heal just fine too. My advice is, put him in a small cage, one that is small enough that everything is nearby so he doesn't have to move much and lower his water bottle so it's easier to reach. Try not to handle him unless you absolutely have to. Make sure he still eats, drinks, pees, and poos. Clean his cage frequently so he doesn't get all icky. If he has a broken bone, he is suffering right now but he will heal and it's no reason to put him to sleep just yet, just as your parents wouldn't put you to sleep if you broke your leg even though it would hurt you too. However, in 6 weeks, if he has shown no improvement and he is still dragging himself or having severe issues getting around, then would be the time to consider whether he should have to live this way or not. He may always walk a bit funny after he heals but if he is doing ok and is a happy piggy, there is no reason to kill him. I suspect in 6 weeks he will be ok again just try to take very good care of him until then and try not to hold him. Of course if he suddenly can't move at all or gets very much worse, he may have a broken back and you may have to make the decision to let him go peacefully. However it's likely not the case and he will be ok in time. Good luck. I'll be praying for your little piggy to make a complete recovery. Remember it's VERY important not to handle your piggy the WHOLE 6 weeks even if he does seem like he's all better.

-kkat
www.geocities.com/abyssinianguineapigs