A healthy, happy Guinea Pig
A Guinea Pig can get ill and die very quickly if they are not looked after properly. If your Guinea Pig looks sick, is acting strangely or you are worried about him/her in any way get them to the vet as soon as possible.
Check their weight regular as weight loss can be the first sign of illness.
A-Z list of useful items all piggy owners could have in their piggy medical/grooming box.
Aloe Vera gel - Skin problems, soothes and aids healing.
Anti Mite Spray - Lice & Static
Arnica tablets - Shock.
Aspirin - Stroke.
Beaphar Spot On - Mites & Lice.
Bitter Apple - Helps prevent coat chewing.
Brolene eye drops and ointment - Eye problems.
Charcoal tablets - Poisoning.
Critical Care - For pigs who cannot eat normal food, after illness etc
Cystoprin or any sodium citrate based human cystitis powders - Cystitis.
Daktarin Oral Gel - Sooths sore mouths/throats
Daktarin Spray or cream - Ringworm
Diocalm or Imodium - Anti diarrhea medicine.
Dioralyte - Rehydrates after Diarrhea.
Dry Shampoo - Greasy/firty marks on coat
Effervescent Vitamin C Tablets - For use during and after illness to boost health
Eurax - Anti itch cream or lotion
Gentian Violet - Helps heal mouth sores.
Gripe Water - Bloat, trapped wind.
Hydrogen peroxide, (up to 9 %) - Flushing out abscesses.
Kaolin - Diarrhea.
Lavender Essential Oil - Antiseptic. Calms behaviour.
Liquid paraffin - Poisoning, constipation and bloat.
Metatone - Builds up appetite after illness
Osteocare - Incase of paralysis
Panacur 2.5% - Wormer
Rescue Remedy - Calms piggies down if they get stressed
Sudocrem - For small skin lesions
Sudafed Decongestant - For congested breathing
Swarfega - Cleaning grease glands
Tea tree oil - Ear mites.
Vapour Rub - Congested nose and snuffles
Common Ailments:
Abscesses - An abscess is a pocket of pus which is formed from dead tissue cells after an injury which becomes infected by germs. A vet will be able to prescribe an antibiotic such as Septrin.
Barbing - Sometimes Guinea Pigs nibble and eat their own coat or that of a cage mate. It is not know why they do this but it is thought that is could be a hormone imbalance. Bitter Apple can help stop this habbit.
Bladder Stones - These are hard, stone-like structures which form in the bladder. The stones can become lodged in the urethra slowing or completely blocking urination. This is especially dangerous for boars, as their urethra is narrower than that of a sow. Signs of Stones can be blood in urine, squeaking while urinating or while passing fecal pellets. An x-ray or ultrasound will identify stones. It is thought feeding calcium rich foods too often can contribute to stones so things like Parsley & Kale should only be fed as a treat.
Cheilitis - Inflammed crusty lips most frequently caused by a bacterial infection (typically Staphylococcus aureus) but there can be other causes like Candida (a yeast infection). Apply Gentian Violet to the sores daily.
Cysts - There are various kind of cysts that guinea pigs suffer from but the most common is the Sebaceous Cyst. They are usually harmless fluid, or semi fluid filled pockets that can form in tissue or organs, and only a danger when they grow large enough to disrupt some function of tissue or organ.
Cystitis - is an infection of the bladder it can cause a piggy much distress and pain whilst urinating. Unsweetened cranberry juice or Cystitis Relief Sachets is good to help with the symptoms given either by syringe or in the water bottle. They usually love the taste so it is easy to get them to drink it.
Diarrohea - Too much veg and fruit can cause this, but it can be caused by other things seek vets advice if you are concerned. I give Kaolin 0.5mls per day & stop all veg immediately until the looseness goes then gradually introduce them again a bit at a time.
Ear infection - Usually caused by parasites in the ear. The head will tilt to one side. Treatment is Ivermec or Tee Tree Oil administered into the ear.
Eye Infection - Cloudy, red, watery & custy eyes. The eye may also be glued shut. Treat with Brolene eye ointment or drops available from the chemist or online 3 times per day until symptoms disappear.
Fungal Infections - often starting on the face but can also appear in other places as areas of patchy, itchy hair loss. Also scabs will form which should be removed to aid healing. Treatment Daktarin Spray or cream avaiable from any chemist or supermarket applied twice a day until hair begins to grow back.
Hair loss - Usually due to Mange Mites or other Parasites. Ivermec is the prefered treatment. Beaphar Spot On is what I use available online or at any good pet shop.
Heat Stroke - The most likely guinea pigs to suffer from this are those housed in hutches at the bottom of the garden during a hot spell in summer that have no shade. The symptoms of heat-stroke are that the animals will lay flat, unable to move, very weak, shallow breathing and a rapid pulse. Treatment must be quick for the animal is close to death. Soak a towel in cold water and wrap the guinea pig in it.
Impaction - This condition is most common in older boars. The muscles have weakened and they are no longer able to expel the soft caecal pellets that accumulate in the perineal sack. You can help you piggy be smearing a small amount of Castor Oil inside the anus with a Q tip. Then gently squeezing the bottom side of the anus to ease the impacted mass out. Regular checks will ensure your piggy isn't in discomfort.
Lice - Also know as runners, these are very small and wriggling worms that suck the blood and can cause a Guinea Pig to itch and become weak. The best treatment is to spray them with Johnson's Anti Mite Spray available on line or from any good pet shop.
Malocclusion - Maloccluded teeth are teeth that have not worn properly and over grow. Check out this link to find out more about Cavy's Teeth
Paralysis - There is a kind of paralysis that can occur in guinea pigs which is a great puzzle and no one has ever been able to give me the answer to the question why. It happens very quickly, over night as a rule. You will wake up to find the animal down at the back, pulling itself along by it's front legs. In all other respects it is alert & lively. I use Osteocare you can buy these in tablet or liquid form. I give 0.5ml of liquid or half a chrushed tablet mixed with water once a day for 5 days.
Scurvy - Can develop if a cavy doesn't get enough Vitamin C. A Guinea Pig can't make their own so he must eat foods every day with it in. Add Effervescent Vitamin C Tablets to drinking water.
Static - This is a mite that clings to the cavy's fur usuall around the back end. It is harmless but unsightly. It can be easily removed by spraying with Johnson's Anti Mite Spray on line or from any good pet shop.
Strokes - These are less common in guinea pigs than heart attacks and it is very easy to tell the different between the two. The symptoms are total collapse with the head and sometimes the body contorted. There is uncontrollable and rapid movement of the eyeball in any direction, they slowly slip towards one corner of the eye then rapidly jerk back to the central postion, repeatedly. At the slightest touch the animal will freak out and the heart beat is very rapid. Put the animal into a box in a quiet area until he stabilises.
Toxemia - Toxaemia is most often seen in the last third of the pregnancy or the first few days before the birth. It is found that in most cases both the babies and the sow are lost. Stress is the largest factor: can be caused by transportation, heat, etc. Overweight sows are most at risk of developing Toxaemia.
Tumours - Both male and female guinea pigs can develop mammary tumors. You may notice a lump in the chest area and there could also be bleeding of the teat. Surgical removal of the tumor is recommended to avoid rupture.
URI (Upper Respitory Infection) - Is a bacterial infection generally treated with safe antibiotics like Baytril or Septrin combined with supportive care like hand feeding if the guinea pig is not eating. Prompt treatment is critical.
UTI (Urinary Tract Infection) - Urinary tract infections are common in guinea pigs. Their short legs put them low to the ground where they are more likely to pick up bacteria from wet bedding and droppings. The most noticeable signs of a UTI are blood in urine & squeaking while urinating.
Worms - Guinea pigs simply eat off the ground and can ingest all manner of bacteria some of which is not good for the digestion process. It can result in a build up of alien gut flora which feeds upon the food which enters the gut but not processed for the benefit of the animal. Panacur is the treatment I use.
To be continued...
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