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Advice on best way forward

Lukejhull

Lukejhull

New Born Pup
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Hello,

My partner works at a residential home for children and they have 2x guinea pigs Morty which is the mum to beans who is around 6 months old

Beans is a white guinea pig with reddish eyes and I'm not 100% on her condition but she is possibly fully blind or partially blind , also possibility she is fully or partly deaf but I'm not sure,

My partner had brought her home last night as she's had a vet visit and under instruction to syringe feed her some mix as she is underweight for her age, I believe the reason she was taken in is because she is having difficulty eating normal food as I also believe something is wrong with her teeth,

She really is gulping down the mix which is a good sign but I'm afraid for her quality of life going forward as my partner mentioned if she doesn't put weight on they may have to put her down and I don't believe this is right as it's a dental matter and I've read things can be done,

I don't think her workplace is going to carry on paying for vet bills regularly as the last one was around £80 for a vet visit and some pain medicine and some food mix

I would love to take her but we don't have the room and already own a 4 year old pig who has had issues before

Would the RSPCA take her and find her a loving home where she can get the car she is going to need, I feel so awful for her and believe she deserves a chance as she's so full of life and wants to explorer everywhere
 
Good on you for trying to help this little piggy.

She may be a 'lethal white', which are always pure white with red eyes, often blind or having other eye problems and often having dental issues. They can have happy lives when they can access the right treatment, though that isn't always straightforward, depending on the severity of the issues.
I'm not sure the RSPCA would be able to help, it could be expensive for them and most people don't want to adopt special needs piggies.

Whereabouts in the UK are you? The Excellent Adventure Sanctuary (TEAS) in Northampton is a sanctuary for special needs piggies that would be the best place for her if she does have dental problems needing ongoing treatment. Not sure how they are for spaces at the moment, but @furryfriends (TEAS) is the very best person for advice on how to look after Beans.
 
Lukejhull said:
Hello,

My partner works at a residential home for children and they have 2x guinea pigs Morty which is the mum to beans who is around 6 months old

Beans is a white guinea pig with reddish eyes and I'm not 100% on her condition but she is possibly fully blind or partially blind , also possibility she is fully or partly deaf but I'm not sure,

My partner had brought her home last night as she's had a vet visit and under instruction to syringe feed her some mix as she is underweight for her age, I believe the reason she was taken in is because she is having difficulty eating normal food as I also believe something is wrong with her teeth,

She really is gulping down the mix which is a good sign but I'm afraid for her quality of life going forward as my partner mentioned if she doesn't put weight on they may have to put her down and I don't believe this is right as it's a dental matter and I've read things can be done,

I don't think her workplace is going to carry on paying for vet bills regularly as the last one was around £80 for a vet visit and some pain medicine and some food mix

I would love to take her but we don't have the room and already own a 4 year old pig who has had issues before

Would the RSPCA take her and find her a loving home where she can get the car she is going to need, I feel so awful for her and believe she deserves a chance as she's so full of life and wants to explorer everywhere
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Hi!

It sounds like you are dealing with a so-called lethal; this is caused by a piggy inheriting the defective roan gene from both parents.
Here is more information on lethals: Roans-dalmatians-and-lethals-explained

I am tagging @furryfriends (TEAS) for you; she runs a sanctuary for guinea pigs with chronic severe dental issues and has the most experience with lethal guinea pigs on here.

PS: Could you please add your county/city so we have an idea which part of the UK you are in (as you are mentioning the RSPCA I assume that you are in the UK?
 
Yes thanks and apologies , I'm located in Hull East yorkshire

My partner finishes work in morning and wants to bring her home for a few days so we can continue syringe feeding her as not sure other staff at the home will do it properly or at all, my concern is we will be taking her away from her mum and the comforts of her own cage with already being blind etc wouldn't want. Her to feel stressed or uncomfortable at a crucial time we are trying to get her weight up, I'm really upset about this as I do care about guinea pigs and not wanting them to suffer or worse just want what's best for her especially with only being so young she's so active and mischievous
 
Lukejhull said:
Yes thanks and apologies , I'm located in Hull East yorkshire

My partner finishes work in morning and wants to bring her home for a few days so we can continue syringe feeding her as not sure other staff at the home will do it properly or at all, my concern is we will be taking her away from her mum and the comforts of her own cage with already being blind etc wouldn't want. Her to feel stressed or uncomfortable at a crucial time we are trying to get her weight up, I'm really upset about this as I do care about guinea pigs and not wanting them to suffer or worse just want what's best for her especially with only being so young she's so active and mischievous
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If your partner could bring the mother as well would be much better for both.
 
Wiebke said:
If your partner could bring the mother as well would be much better for both.
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Yeah that's what I was thinking but I won't be home to assist her it's a large cage and she wouldn't be able to do it alone and also not sure if the home would allow it if we took the children's pet's away even though it's for a good cause and giving her the best chance so we are pretty stuck on what to do.

I don't want to leave her for a few days and for my partner to go back to bad news or no improvement , beans tries eating on her own but can tell with mouth movements and head movements she is struggling
 
Lukejhull said:
Yeah that's what I was thinking but I won't be home to assist her it's a large cage and she wouldn't be able to do it alone and also not sure if the home would allow it if we took the children's pet's away even though it's for a good cause and giving her the best chance so we are pretty stuck on what to do.

I don't want to leave her for a few days and for my partner to go back to bad news or no improvement , beans tries eating on her own but can tell with mouth movements and head movements she is struggling
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Beans needs to see a vet for overgrown teeth. One of the issues with lethal guinea pigs is a cleft which can lead to misaligned teeth and feeding problems; and will mean that lethals rely on regular dental care throughout their lives. Unfortunately piggy savvy dental vets are far and few in between. I hope that @furryfriends (TEAS) will see this thread.
 
PS: With knowledgeable home and vet support, lethals (which are always blind and deaf) can lead very happy and fulfilled life spans of up to 4-6 years unless they are too severely affected by the syndrome. But they definitely do not belong in a home situation because of their special needs.
Please take the time to read the information links in this guide. You will find them very helpful to have a better idea of what you are up against.
 
Lukejhull said:
Yeah that's what I was thinking but I won't be home to assist her it's a large cage and she wouldn't be able to do it alone and also not sure if the home would allow it if we took the children's pet's away even though it's for a good cause and giving her the best chance so we are pretty stuck on what to do.

I don't want to leave her for a few days and for my partner to go back to bad news or no improvement , beans tries eating on her own but can tell with mouth movements and head movements she is struggling
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If your partner could explain that she has learned that piggies like Beans can live happy lives with the right, but expensive, care, and that she ought to be with her mum for companionship, hopefully the home's management would see the point of her taking them both home. I'm sure it would be better to explain to the kids that Morty and Beans are going to be given the right care for their needs, than to have to explain about euthanasia, which some children could find very confusing or upsetting.
 
With the correct support and treatment, lethal gene guinea pigs can lead a really fulfilled life. We have had a number of these 'extra special' piggies, here at TEAS, over the years and they are such delightful little souls!

We would be very happy to offer a permanent place for Beans (and her mum) at our sanctuary, where we would ensure that she accesses the treatment she needs.
 
furryfriends (TEAS) said:
With the correct support and treatment, lethal gene guinea pigs can lead a really fulfilled life. We have had a number of these 'extra special' piggies, here at TEAS, over the years and they are such delightful little souls!

We would be very happy to offer a permanent place for Beans (and her mum) at our sanctuary, where we would ensure that she accesses the treatment she needs.
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That's fantastic news and I believe its the best way forward to give her the best chance of a full life,

We have convinced the person in charge to agree to this and for them both to be re-homed with yourself's as you clearly have plenty of knowledge on looking after them.

How would we proceed from here?

Again many thanks, lovely to know there are still amazing people
 
Lukejhull said:
That's fantastic news and I believe its the best way forward to give her the best chance of a full life,

We have convinced the person in charge to agree to this and for them both to be re-homed with yourself's as you clearly have plenty of knowledge on looking after them.

How would we proceed from here?

Again many thanks, lovely to know there are still amazing people
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I will send you a private message later today, so we can sort out arrangements. I can promise that these piggies will be very loved and that Beans will get the treatment she needs 😊 😍
 
Fingers firmly crossed for Beans and her mum.
so thrilled that Debbie has offered them a home. They will have the most amazing life at Teas. :love:
 
It will feel strange handing them over as they are not our pigs but we still care for them just as much as our own,

As far as we can tell the mum is fine she's not fully white but has a slight red tint so possibly carrys the gene just doesn't seem right to split them up as they are caged together at the home
 
Excuse the messy chin we have tried cleaning her up but with syringe feeding it gets messy as I'm sure your aware, when in her cage she is just sat scrunched and seems to be constantly chewing on nothing
 

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Rubysue said:
What about doing a fundraiser by selling cupcakes or cookies to raise money or even a raffle? It would help TEAS out with the cost of taking them on?
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Yeah I'll put that forward to the home see if anything can be done , we will be donating something anyway for the assistance as it's a great cause
 
That's so kind of you and we would of took the offer but with the timing I don't want to wait much longer I'm afraid I'd rather her get to the sanctuary this Sunday so they can try treat her as soon as possible

Thank you for offering though
 
I’m so happy you have taken Beans and her mummy away from the residential home. It’s not the right home for a special piggy like her. They will be looked after so well at TEAS and you can rest assured they will have a wonderful, happy life there. 😍. Great idea about the home helping to raise funds for the charity. It will help the children realise they can still help their pets even if they no longer live with them.
 
weepweeps said:
I’m so happy you have taken Beans and her mummy away from the residential home. It’s not the right home for a special piggy like her. They will be looked after so well at TEAS and you can rest assured they will have a wonderful, happy life there. 😍. Great idea about the home helping to raise funds for the charity. It will help the children realise they can still help their pets even if they no longer live with them.
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Yeah it's definitely the best option going to be so upset when I leave for work in the morning as I know she will be gone when I come home I've got so attached to her over the last few days of knowing her so it's going to be tough but I understand it's for the best and sometimes decisions like this have to be made, at least she's going to a loving home with the best help available
 
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