3 First Aid illness support care
Accessing Vet Care and Advice
The following entries concentrate on immediate first response measures you can take in various more common scenarios and spotting when you are dealing with a real emergency. Here vital guide links that help you with accessing vet care in an emergency.
If it is too late for help
If any help is coming to late or you cannot get to a vet in time, this guide will talk you step by step through how to spot whether your piggy is actually dying, what to expect and what you can do during that process in a practical but sensitive way.
A Practical and Sensitive Guide to Dying, Terminal Illness and Euthanasia in Guinea Pigs
Loss of appetite and weight
Loss of appetite and weight mean that you need to step in with support feeding care as quickly as possible.
These guides here contain all the necessary practical tips and advice:
How to Improvise Feeding Support in an Emergency
All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures
Weight Loss Explained: BMI, Weighing, Poos and Feeding Support
Recovery foods
- Mushed up pellets: Use hand warm mushed up pellets if you haven’t got any formula powder at home or if your guinea pig refuses to accept the formula mix. In some cases it can help mixing formula powder into mushed up pellets to cover the unfamiliar taste. If your guinea pig is completely off its food, anything goes that goes in!
- Recovery formulas: There is now a range of recovery foods in powder form available. If you can, please opt for a timothy hay based product.
Oxbow products can be ordered online worldwide.
Information on available products and preparation (including mushed pellets) in our syringe feeding guide:
All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures
Probiotics, Recovery Foods And Vitamin C: Overview With Product Links
Digestive aids: ‘Poo soup’, probiotics and fibreplex
- ‘Poo soup’ is made by soaking poos that have literally just dropped out of the bum of a healthy companion in a little water. You then syringe the water.
Mimics natural behaviour and very effective with really fresh poos. You need to make it with totally fresh poos every time in order to make sure that the microbiome is still alive when they reach the gut of the ill piggy in order to work.
- Probiotics are widely available powders to help digestion.
A pet shop is often the best place to get some in a hurry.
The effectiveness of probiotics is still somewhat contested. They are a food supplement and not a medication, and are therefore not prescribed by vets in many cases.
Follow instructions or give a pinch either 1 hour before any antibiotic (US recommendation) or 1-2 hours after the antibiotic (UK recommendation). Either way is OK.
- Fibreplex: A probiotic high fibre paste. Proven to be effective with digestive problems and loss of appetite from an antibiotic.
- Metatone (UK brand) from a pharmacy can sometimes help as short-term pick-me-up in ill or recovering guinea pigs. Not recommended for regular or long term use! It does not replace proper medication.
Give 0.2 ml to a 1000g guinea pig twice daily for the first week, then only once daily.
More information on available recovery and probiotic brands in this link here:
Probiotics, Recovery Foods And Vitamin C: Overview With Product Links
Rehydration
Electrolyte powder to mix with water can help with any guinea pigs struggling with massive digestive problems and total loss of appetite, but especially with diarrhea. Runny diarrhea always needs to be seen by a vet within 24 hours.
Offer as much as your piggy will take, but see a vet for a sub-cutaneous fluid injection if your guinea pig is getting very dehydrated.
Dioralyte (UK) and pedialyte (US) can be got from any pharmacy.
Accident and injury
Disinfection of open wounds, bites and sores
- Saline solution
- In an emergency you can make it easily at home by stirring 1 teaspoon of salt into 250 ml / ½ pint of boiled cooled water.
- Sterile saline solution is available in any pharmacy
- Hibiscrub
- F10 Antiseptic (this a different concentration to the cage disinfectant!)
Please disinfect any open wound or sore that has stopped bleeding with a mild antiseptic. You can make saline solution very esily and quickly at home in an emergency. Any deep bites, open bumblefoot sores etc. should be seen by a vet ideally within a day. You may need an antibiotic (which in the UK are - like painkillers - prescription only).
Bleeding
Please contact a vet clinic (including out of hours vets) for advice if any bleeding from any part of the body doesn't stop within the normal 10-15 minutes, if there is a very large and heavy bleed or if there is a continuous trickle of fresh blood (especially from a cut quick). Have a towel or some kitchen paper handy in the piggy room so you can prevent any messes.
- Styptic powder is available from any pharmacy.
- Wound disinfectant (see entry above)
Post-op Care
If your piggy is not doing well immediately after an operation, you can find practical care advice via this link here. Contact your vet promptly if there is any lack of recovery, any sudden deterioration, any swelling or lumps or burst operation seams or if yur guinea pig is gnawing open any wounds because of major discomfort or lack of healing process (necrotic tissue forming).
Please step in with support feeding care and monitoring :
Tips For Post-operative Care
Eyes and ears
Eye injuries and infection can deteriorate in a matter of hours. The damaged area can be much wider than visible to the naked eye. Only a vet can properly assess and treat the eye issue.
See a vet ASAP if the eye is bloody; promptly if the eye is cloudy or there is a bluish dot or film on the eye surface (ulceration).
Milky white fluid is normal eye cleaning fluid and nothing to worry about. It can sometimes not drain away properly and dry into a white substance.
- Sterile eye wash without additives may help to wash out an eye. It does NOT replace a vet consultation and antibiotic eye drops.
Do not use it if you are seeing a vet within 24 hours.
- Artificial tear gel: For rehydration and as support in the healing process in combination with antibiotic tear drops. Does NOT heal on its own!
Gel is longer lasting than drops and easier to apply, but if gel is not available then artificial tear drops will do perfectly well if you ally more often. Apply 3-6 times a day, but wait for at least half an hour after treating with antibiotic eye drops.
- For ears please always see a vet promptly if your guinea pig develops is repeatedly shaking its vigorously, pawing at the ear, developas a head tilt, suddenly walks in circles or starts fitting/has balance issues.
NEVER pour any oil etc. down an ear!
If you also keep rabbits or there are rabbits close by, please ask your vet to check for rabbit ear mites and the possibility of e.cuniculi.
Breathing problems
You need to see a vet as a life and death emergency if your guinea pig is apathetic and breathing with its sides heaving or if they are in respiratory distress (gasping for air).
It is generally a sign of a build-up of fluid either on the lungs or the chest cavity. Ask your vet for a diuretic in any case to help drain the fluid an ease the breathing as quickly as possible.
- If you have a dog or cat with a cough or have been visited by a coughing dog, please ask your vet to consider bordetellosis ("kennel"). It can also be transmitted by guinea pigs living together with rabbits.
Dogs, Kennel Cough And Guinea Pigs - An Important Consideration.
- A bowl of steaming water next to the cage may help ease the breathing a little if you are dealing with a potentially lethal respiratory tract infection (URI), but please see a vet promptly as your guinea pig will need an antibiotic to recover.
You can add 2-3 drops of olbas oil safely, but vicks contains ingredients that are noxious to guinea pigs and should never be used around them.
More information on respiratory tract infections in this link here:
New piggy problems: URI - ringworm - skin parasites
Acute Heart and Circulation Failure
Please contact a vet asap if your piggy is suddenly very flat, cold to the touch in normal surroundings, blue around the mouth/nose/ears and extremities; if they have heaving breathing (diaphragmic breathing) or they are gasping for air (respiratory distress) or a really pounding heart.
These are all possible symptoms of sudden acute heart failure. You may have to weigh up with your vet clinic whether you want to risk your piggy potentially dying on the way to the vet or whether to sit with them at home while they are dying.
Heart medication does usually have a very quick response or none at all; it also depends on how far heart failure and the break down of the body have already progressed.
A Practical and Sensitive Guide to Dying, Terminal Illness and Euthanasia in Guinea Pigs
Digestive Problems (Bloat, GI stasis and diarrhea)
Please see a vet or out-of-hours vet as an emergency if your piggy is blown up with a tight belly that sounds hollow when you knock against it and especially when they are grunting in agony (severe bloat, blockage, twisted or trapped gut), when they are very apathetic and the gut is totally silent (GI stasis, no gut movement) or if your guinea pig has runny diarrhea (danger of dehydration). These are all potential killer illnesses.
Step in with feeding support asap if your piggy is still able to take on feed and water.
For more care advice and information what to ask your vet about, including available gut medication:
Digestive Disorders: Not Eating - Diarrhea - Bloat - GI Stasis (No Gut Movement)
Blocked Urinary Tract (Stones)
You need to see a vet as a life or death emergency if a guinea pig with a diagnosed bladder stone or that is in pain when pooing and peeing is suddenly becoming very unwell and apathetic. It is likely that a stone is blocking the flow of urine. If the backed up urine is reaching the kidneys, it will be fatal.
Any other problems with the urinary or reproductive tract (apart from lots of sheer blood) can wait for regular opening hours.
Wiebke's Guide to Pees and Stones
Neurological Problems (Stroke, seizures)
Keep your piggy as calm and comfortable as possible and contact a vet or out-of-hours vet for further advice.
CBS (Calcified Bulla Syndrome) and Neurological Problems - Symptoms and Care
Paralysis, falls, broken limbs and pet attacks
Please contact a vet asap if your piggy is in severe pain, bleeding or major discomfort or if a leg is sticking out at a wrong angle (dislocation or break).
Otherwise contact your vet first thing in the morning or as soon as you notice if your piggy has lost use of their back legs or if they are unable to push back and in pain when you very gently push against foot sole.
If your piggy is limping but moving around, please see your vet depending on the severity during regular opening hours. Be aware that the sprain can affect any joint from the shoulder/hip downward and is not necessarily located in the foot when they are reluctant to put weight on that leg. A front foot will always naturally curl up when there is no weight on it.
More practical care advice for guinea pigs with mobility issues in this link here:
Looking After Guinea Pigs With Limited or No Mobility
Please check your piggy carefully after a freak blind jump or fall or a pet attack. Contact a vet if they have wounds, are clearly in pain and are not able to move or eat within an hour. Any wobbly broken teeth or bleeding mouths need to be vet checked promptly.
Please be aware that spinal injuries can take up to two days to manifest, and so can any internal bleeds or potentially fatal damage from being shaken by a dog. See a vet as an emergency if they suddenly start to deteriorate in the wake of an attack or bad fall.
Heat stroke or exhaustion
If your piggies are pancaked to the floor, flat on their bellies, very apathetic and potentially salivating with very little or no gut sounds in hot weather, then they have suffered a potentially fatal heat stroke and need immediate care. Please contact a vet promptly since heat stroke also affects the heart and can stop the gut (GI stasis).
Follow the advice in this link here to carefully cool down your piggies without risking a heart attack. Your feeding and support care in the following days can be crucial:
Heat stroke symptoms and what to do
Travelling with guinea pigs (see chapter on travelling in hot weather when seeing a vet)
Hot Weather Management, Heat Strokes and Fly Strike
Fly strike and maggots
Please have your guinea pigs vet checked asap if you notice white maggots in your cage, and as a life or death emergency if you notice slightly red bumps on your guinea pig's genitalia when bringing them in from the lawn, which then develop into swollen genitalia and white dots.
Please be aware that occasionally bottle flies can come indoors and lay their eggs on frail and elderly guinea pigs that are unable to clean their genitalia.
More information here:
Fly Strike
Poisoning (ingested and inhaled)
Ingested poison (eating something they shouldn't)
Please put your guinea pig under observation for a day or two. Step in with syringe feeding nd watering if they start looking unwell and are not having much of an appetite. Even when eating plastic or plants they shouldn't, in the vast majority of cases they will be fine. Most plant poisons take quite a large quantity or regular feeding.
Foxgloves and fresh dog pee - the two killers
These are the two exceptions that can kill in just small quantities; any part of the foxglove. Please never place your run anywhere near a foxlgove or a laburnum shrub; and ideally not have them in your garden at all. Fence off part of your lawn for your guinea pigs that your dogs cannot access and do not allow them to share any grassy area.
Step in with syringe feed and watering asap. Either make up your feed more loosely than normal or offer water in between each syringeful to help flush the poison through the system quickly and to dilute it in the first few feeds but beware of over-hydration. The water is there to flush the kidneys and the feed to take care of the digestive tract.
Contact a vet immediately for further advice; they can tell you whether you can additionally use activated coal. It doesn't work for all poisons but you vet should be able to access the relevant information.
Inhaled poison (fumes)
Piggies have a much smaller and more sensitive respiratory tract. Please avoid any irritants like smoke, scent sticks, scented candles, perfumed air fresheners etc.
When painting, please remove your guinea pigs from the room if at all possible or pain with all windows open and air the room thoroughly before moving the piggies back. Choose water based paints over oil based ones.
Monoxide - the silent killer
Please always ensure that your gas alarm is working; get your own for the piggy room if your accommodation doesn't provide it.
Guinea pig will react much sooner to gas in the air. The symptoms are unfortunately rather vague; a general increasing unwellness and a gradual loss of appetite. It is something to keep at the back of your mind when dealing with a mystery illness; especially in winter. If the gas level is not checked in time and it is not diagnosed early enough it will be fatal.
Lumps, abscesses and tumours
Any lump that comes up suddenly should be ideally vet checked. If they are sitting loosely in the skin, then they are generally harmless. The majority of the lumps are benign.
But any type of lump can go into a sudden runaway growth spurt when they become suddenly soft to the feel and multiple in size in a matter of hours; at the worst you can nearly watch them growing. This counts as an emergency; the lump needs ideally operating within 24 hours if at all possible. Any burst lumps also need vet checking as to their nature, whether they need removing and to prevent the onset of infection or sepsis. The lumps can be fluid, gunk or blood filled.
Abscesses need to heal from the inside out; in order to prevent them from flaring up they require a strong antibiotic (we recommend non-licensed Zithromax (azithromycin). Any larger abscesses need to be ideally kept open for as long possible (if needed you need work off the scab each time, as unpleasant as that is) and flushed with a mild antiseptic (see entry disinfection of wounds) to ensure that every little speck of infection sitting in one of the pouches is coming out. Otherwise the abscess is likely to return worse than ever sooner or later.
Guinea Lynx :: Lumps
Skin problems (mites, lice and ringworm)
In the early stages a fungal skin infection and parasitic hair loss can look very similar. By far not all outbreaks are textbook and appear in the typical areas. Misdiagnosis is very easy.
Please NEVER home treat on spec and see a vet as you can very easily make things much worse by treating wrongly or undertreating – and you spend a lot more extra money if you see a vet promptly and you are putting your guinea pigs through weeks or even months of unnecessary suffering that at the worst can be deadly!
Please note that fungal lab tests usually only test for ringworm. Ultraviolet light is not reliable for ringworm nor is looking for the presence of near invisible mites with a sticky tape. However, the majority of vet diagnoses in the UK are correct. The success rate is the higher the more experienced with guinea pigs your vet is.
Your hygiene measures are important. Please follow our detailed ringworm advice and always conduct a deep clean of the cage, whether that is fungal or parasitic.
Information on guinea pig specific skin parasites as well as fungal skin infections in these links here:
New piggy problems: URI - ringworm - skin parasites
Ringworm: Hygiene, Care And Pictures
