So we took our lonely boar (Samwise) to a rescue today to meet with a GP for bonding*. They got along very well & have spent the day snuggling & the afternoon playing (the new cagemate, Gaudi, is 6 weeks old).
However, the woman who is owns the rescue asked if they could use our Sam for a video on elderly pigs (he's 6yr) & I regretfully said yes. He has some health issues (although they're being overseen by a vet; she hasn't mentioned him having arthritis) & she didn't really ask us about his health or our plans. In the video, she brought up CBD oil for arthritis, but then gave him some (I didn't see this, but my partner did) & I'm unhappy about the lack of consent for this. She isn't a vet, so I'm a little unnerved by this.
I was wondering if there was reputable information regarding guinea pigs & arthritis & CBD oil? And does the Oxbow joint support help?
*He had a cagemate for some time, but 2 weeks ago, his cagemate had to be euthanized.
CBD Oil (& arthritis)
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Lynx
- Celebrate!!!
I am unfamiliar with this product and understand your irritation that she has used it. Doing a search, these seems to be a cannabis product? If so, this website on human use doesn't mention arthritis:
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/cb ... s#section9
We have a master sticky which groups feedback from multiple members concerning various medical conditions. You can find out more how arthritis is treated (and perhaps diagnosed) reading through this topic, if you are interested:
https://www.guinealynx.info/forums/viewtopic.php?t=34228
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/cb ... s#section9
We have a master sticky which groups feedback from multiple members concerning various medical conditions. You can find out more how arthritis is treated (and perhaps diagnosed) reading through this topic, if you are interested:
https://www.guinealynx.info/forums/viewtopic.php?t=34228
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bpatters
- And got the T-shirt
There's no reputable information regarding CBD for anything. It's mostly anecdotal, and studies have not shown any real benefit.
I'd be furious if someone had given one of my pigs something without my permission. It's unlikely to hurt him if you don't give him any more. And I'd ask for an x-ray to determine if he actually has arthritis.
There is a new arthritis drug out that can be used for guinea pigs, but I can't find the reference for it. I'll post it here if I do.
I'd be furious if someone had given one of my pigs something without my permission. It's unlikely to hurt him if you don't give him any more. And I'd ask for an x-ray to determine if he actually has arthritis.
There is a new arthritis drug out that can be used for guinea pigs, but I can't find the reference for it. I'll post it here if I do.
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Sef
- I dissent.
Ditto on being furious that this was done without your consent. Why did she assume he has arthritis? What reasonable person administers a drug/product without asking the pet owner first? I'm glad Samwise has a new friend, but am not sure how I'd feel about dealing with this rescue in the future.
As far as the Oxbow joint supplement...I haven't found it to be particularly useful, but might be worth a try. If Samwise shows signs of joint pain, xrays would be the first step to look for bone issues and signs of inflammation. NSAIDs would be one treatment option, if needed.
bpatters, are you maybe thinking of Myristol?
As far as the Oxbow joint supplement...I haven't found it to be particularly useful, but might be worth a try. If Samwise shows signs of joint pain, xrays would be the first step to look for bone issues and signs of inflammation. NSAIDs would be one treatment option, if needed.
bpatters, are you maybe thinking of Myristol?
Lynx - Oh! Sorry, yes. It's a cannabis-based product. I live in a city that is very "pro" weed usage, so it's everywhere (and legal). The city is also, honestly, very pro "alternative" medical forms, so I'm not surprised the rescue supports/promotes their CBD oil.
I've actually have tried it for my own medical ailments (I have lupus, which can cause joint inflammation issues & sometimes arthritis). Anyways, from human usage, I know it's really tricky -- different products have different levels, and sometimes its not even consistent among the same product line. I personally never found it useful for my own pain issues or inflammation.
Thanks for the link!
bpatters -- I was absolutely livid when I learned that she did that. My bf didn't mention it until later when we were, ah, admittedly griping about the rescue experience; there was a lot to unpack.
I've actually have tried it for my own medical ailments (I have lupus, which can cause joint inflammation issues & sometimes arthritis). Anyways, from human usage, I know it's really tricky -- different products have different levels, and sometimes its not even consistent among the same product line. I personally never found it useful for my own pain issues or inflammation.
Thanks for the link!
bpatters -- I was absolutely livid when I learned that she did that. My bf didn't mention it until later when we were, ah, admittedly griping about the rescue experience; there was a lot to unpack.
sef1268 -- It's frustrating because I really like how they do match-ups & they have a LOT of GPs. They only do cavies, so you're very likely to find a match. Except the owner does "free health checks." They'll do ear cleaning (which they did without our consent on Sam; one of his ears was a little dirty because we clean his ears over two days. It's just so stressful for him & he hates it so much, so we try to limit that struggle). Of course, the CBD oil. We did his nails last night, because if she does them, he is REALLY unhappy and often difficult for other nail sessions later on. We use a lot of positive reinforcement & take the time to make it as less stressful as possible, but she just forces the animal through it. He needs a lot of patience.
Honestly? She sort of treats all of the ones brought in as part of HER "herd." So it doesn't really matter if they're YOUR pet; she'll do whatever she thinks they need done... I'm really glad to have found him a cagemate that he's been very smitten over, but also I wish we didn't have to deal with the people who run the rescue. There's one person we liked, so we tried to talk to that employee exclusively, but sadly it still meant getting that dreaded "health check."
Sam's joints look a little swollen and he can be stiff, but he came to us with really bad foot health, so I wouldn't be surprised about arthritic development. Overall, he's fairly active, no weight fluctuations, etc. Earlier he was playing with the new cagemate, which involved a little bit of friendly chasing (definitely not aggressive; Sam chases the little one and there's a lot of popcorning and happy chuts, usually ending in a snuggly nap).
I'll talk to the vet about some diagnostics or their recommendations. The rescue focused in on arthritis because when held, he tends to hold his feet stiffly. I do wish we could have done more for Sam when we were last at the vet, but we were dealing with having to euthanize our other one that his check-up definitely took to the backburner. I ordered some of the Oxbow in case it helps for now.
Honestly? She sort of treats all of the ones brought in as part of HER "herd." So it doesn't really matter if they're YOUR pet; she'll do whatever she thinks they need done... I'm really glad to have found him a cagemate that he's been very smitten over, but also I wish we didn't have to deal with the people who run the rescue. There's one person we liked, so we tried to talk to that employee exclusively, but sadly it still meant getting that dreaded "health check."
Sam's joints look a little swollen and he can be stiff, but he came to us with really bad foot health, so I wouldn't be surprised about arthritic development. Overall, he's fairly active, no weight fluctuations, etc. Earlier he was playing with the new cagemate, which involved a little bit of friendly chasing (definitely not aggressive; Sam chases the little one and there's a lot of popcorning and happy chuts, usually ending in a snuggly nap).
I'll talk to the vet about some diagnostics or their recommendations. The rescue focused in on arthritis because when held, he tends to hold his feet stiffly. I do wish we could have done more for Sam when we were last at the vet, but we were dealing with having to euthanize our other one that his check-up definitely took to the backburner. I ordered some of the Oxbow in case it helps for now.
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pigjes
- Cavy Comic
I have had 2 pigs with arthritis. One back in the day where no vete here in Belgium would help with that. I kept her on a daily routine of glucosamine and alchemilla back then. By the time she died, on her last x-ray, her arthritis reversed so hard, that the new vet almost didn't believe she had it in the past. She did not have it severely to start with, but she went from hopping to bullet speed back in a week.
My current pig has it too, in both his knees, especially his right knee was already bad when he started to show signs. My vet said that the meds would be too strong for him, in combination with his heart meds, he would die too young, or even soon. So, I tried glucosamine and collagen, which I take myself. He too went from back from not moving fast to rocket speed within a month, which was impressive, since he already had a bad knee.
My current pig has it too, in both his knees, especially his right knee was already bad when he started to show signs. My vet said that the meds would be too strong for him, in combination with his heart meds, he would die too young, or even soon. So, I tried glucosamine and collagen, which I take myself. He too went from back from not moving fast to rocket speed within a month, which was impressive, since he already had a bad knee.
Giving any form of medication without consent sounds ethically questionable to me, unless they had you sign some form of release for the video that covered it.
The only thing I could recall relating to CBD was this thread but that was for Cancer I think.
https://www.guinealynx.info/forums/viewt ... D#p2291300
The only thing I could recall relating to CBD was this thread but that was for Cancer I think.
https://www.guinealynx.info/forums/viewt ... D#p2291300
pigjes -- That's interesting to hear about the meds. I'm excited to see how the joint support works.
rjespicer -- They didn't have anything to sign for the video, which really threw me. We're not in it, so legally, there may not be an issue there, and that's why they didn't have paperwork. I'm not sure if CBD is considered medication or not, really... I think long term, the CBD isn't likely to cause an issue, but it is rather disconcerting. (I don't know if she fed it to him or did it topically, since I didn't see it.) She also bad-mouthed our vet (she likes the center we go to, but only likes the owner of the center; she admitted that the owner wishes she would stop telling people to "only go to the owner" -- it was just really strange to me?). The whole thing was a headache.
I was actually a little worried about the introductions because we were placed next to a (bad) pairing of an older sow with a neutered young boar & 3 other sows. They were making a lot of noise & chattering (and eventually a small fight), plus the family's kids (that were trying to pair the older sow) kept trying to prod at ours & it's just... Ugh. I prefer doing animal intros with little noise and outside stimulus. IMO, the intro tables were too close together. I hate that it's the best place to adopt new GPs, but we only have to go very rarely, so there's that.
rjespicer -- They didn't have anything to sign for the video, which really threw me. We're not in it, so legally, there may not be an issue there, and that's why they didn't have paperwork. I'm not sure if CBD is considered medication or not, really... I think long term, the CBD isn't likely to cause an issue, but it is rather disconcerting. (I don't know if she fed it to him or did it topically, since I didn't see it.) She also bad-mouthed our vet (she likes the center we go to, but only likes the owner of the center; she admitted that the owner wishes she would stop telling people to "only go to the owner" -- it was just really strange to me?). The whole thing was a headache.
I was actually a little worried about the introductions because we were placed next to a (bad) pairing of an older sow with a neutered young boar & 3 other sows. They were making a lot of noise & chattering (and eventually a small fight), plus the family's kids (that were trying to pair the older sow) kept trying to prod at ours & it's just... Ugh. I prefer doing animal intros with little noise and outside stimulus. IMO, the intro tables were too close together. I hate that it's the best place to adopt new GPs, but we only have to go very rarely, so there's that.
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Lynx
- Celebrate!!!
For what it's worth, see if there are online reviews in your area of the vets and provide a good one, describing precisely what you like about your vet. I can add a recommendation in the vet area of this site too.
https://www.guinealynx.info/records/viewforum.php?f=97
p.s. she could have used a "dummy" oil - not CBD - just to illustrate the application.
https://www.guinealynx.info/records/viewforum.php?f=97
p.s. she could have used a "dummy" oil - not CBD - just to illustrate the application.
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