• Discussions taking place within this forum are intended for the purpose of assisting you in discussing options with your vet. Any other use of advice given here is done so at your risk, is solely your responsibility and not that of this forum or its owner. Before posting it is your responsibility you abide by this Statement

First aid supply questions

hannahs26

hannahs26

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
Sep 14, 2019
Messages
306
Reaction score
505
Points
430
Location
Wales, UK
Hi everyone, I'm just ordering some things in for a first aid supply for my girls, and wondering which recovery formula people in the UK use? Is one type more liked by piggies, or is it just down to individual taste? I'm looking at Oxbow critical care for herbivores which seems to be anise flavour, and also at the Science Select recovery feed. Would Oxbow be the best as it's timothy hay based, so closest to their normal diet? I read that there is a banana/apple flavour one too, but I can't see it available on amazon.
I'm also getting some Cystease, and want to check that the "Feliway Cystease, for stress-related bladder problems in cats" is the correct kind to get?
Thanks :-)
 
We usually have some Science Select recovery plus and some 1 ml syringes in reserve just in case, having 8 piggies I like to be prepared! Luckily I've never had a bladder piggy yet, I'm sure someone who has can advise.
 
PigglePuggle said:
We usually have some Science Select recovery plus and some 1 ml syringes in reserve just in case, having 8 piggies I like to be prepared! Luckily I've never had a bladder piggy yet, I'm sure someone who has can advise.
Click to expand...
Thank you :-) I'm just wanting to be prepared too. My two oldest girls sometimes (rarely) show signs of bladder issues, and I need to think about the diet more, so was thinking it's a good idea to be prepared for helping them quickly if needed.
 
hannahs26 said:
Hi everyone, I'm just ordering some things in for a first aid supply for my girls, and wondering which recovery formula people in the UK use? Is one type more liked by piggies, or is it just down to individual taste? I'm looking at Oxbow critical care for herbivores which seems to be anise flavour, and also at the Science Select recovery feed. Would Oxbow be the best as it's timothy hay based, so closest to their normal diet? I read that there is a banana/apple flavour one too, but I can't see it available on amazon.
I'm also getting some Cystease, and want to check that the "Feliway Cystease, for stress-related bladder problems in cats" is the correct kind to get?
Thanks :-)
Click to expand...

If you can, opt for a fine grind recovery brand; they tend to go down much better with a struggling piggy and are generally easier to syringe, too. Emeraid is the product that I prefer to use with piggies off their own food; it comes in powder form and is well accepted. I mix any fibreplex into a little syringe feed or mushed up pellets; then it goes down without problems.

Is the feliway product capsules? If yes, that is the one you want.
 
I use Cystease, I usually find it's cheaper on ebay these days as you can often find a bargain one with free postage, the same for fibreplex. I use Science Selective Plus as this is the one my vet recommends. Although the other one is cheaper it's main ingredient is alfalfa, not good for bladder piggies, the plus one is timothy hay. I used to buy everything on vetuk but since they stopped the free postage I shop around when I need to replenish supplies.
 
I currently have emeraid, oxbow fine grind and the regular one, as well as the burgess dual care pellets you can soak to make a syringe feed, I find the fine grind easiest to use, especially in piggies who can't swallow much at a time, you can mix it fairly thick and get more nutrition into them in smaller amounts, but I will rotate them to see which one goes down easiest with each piggy.
The emeraid I use has to be kept in the fridge once opened so thats something to keep in mind, it also contains beet pulp so if you have a piggy sensitive to veggie related urine colour changes, you might see some pink pees while on it. I used to use fibreplex a lot as far as probiotics go but recently started getting benebac gel in and wouldnt go back, its been fantastic, especially for our little Fern who wasn't able to maintain or gain weight before being put on it.
 
@Eriathen Have you bought any Dual Care pellets recently - 2 of my poorly boars loved them and I liked them because I could mix them in with their regular pellets and finish the bag up when no longer syringe feeding. I've not been able to find them recently.
 
piggieminder said:
@Eriathen Have you bought any Dual Care pellets recently - 2 of my poorly boars loved them and I liked them because I could mix them in with their regular pellets and finish the bag up when no longer syringe feeding. I've not been able to find them recently.
Click to expand...

I went through a box while syringe feeding Leonard as he loved them and replaced them not so long ago from here. Unfortunately the big bags don't seem to be available anymore, just these boxes of small bags, which is a bit frustrating as the price has shot right up.
Burgess Excel DualCare Recovery Diet (10 x 60g Sachets) - From £15.58
 
Personally I have syringes in all the time, along with septic powder (is that the right name, I don't have the pack in front of me) and a sterile wound and eye wash.

On amazon I then have an emergency list including oxbow critical care.

For perishable I recomend having an amazon list ready with next day delivery.
 
This is such a good idea. I’m definitely going to get an emergency box started for my boys just in case. There does seem to be a lot of choice though. What size syringes would you all recommend? I had pigs quite a few years ago and seem to remember that the food gets stuck in some syringes but the water gets through and leaves most of the food behind. What basics would you all recommend I get in my emergency box? Can’t believe I hadn’t thought of this myself. Lol.
 
weepweeps said:
This is such a good idea. I’m definitely going to get an emergency box started for my boys just in case. There does seem to be a lot of choice though. What size syringes would you all recommend? I had pigs quite a few years ago and seem to remember that the food gets stuck in some syringes but the water gets through and leaves most of the food behind. What basics would you all recommend I get in my emergency box? Can’t believe I hadn’t thought of this myself. Lol.
Click to expand...

Like @Merab's Slave, I also only keep syringes in stock but not recovery feed. I use mushed up pellets in an emergency and get critical care from Amazon on next day delivery.
I bought a pack of multiple 1ml syringes from Amazon. Cut the end off (just where it starts to narrow) and they work brilliantly.

First Aid Kit: Easily available non-medication support products for an emergency
 
We also keep 1ml syringes, I think Terumo brand from Amazon? And cut the tip off for syringe feeding recovery food. I also have pro-C probiotic in stock usually, its cheap and keeps for a year or so if unopened.
 
I personally have a pack of 1ml syringes and a small selection of 5ml syringes. The 5ml I actually got for the rabbit, but one of my guineapigs would rather take 1ml from the 5ml syringe than the 1ml syringe, but i generally wouldn't recommend it, I spent a long time with my vet learning how to syringe feed safely
 
Wiebke said:
If you can, opt for a fine grind recovery brand; they tend to go down much better with a struggling piggy and are generally easier to syringe, too. Emeraid is the product that I prefer to use with piggies off their own food; it comes in powder form and is well accepted. I mix any fibreplex into a little syringe feed or mushed up pellets; then it goes down without problems.

Is the feliway product capsules? If yes, that is the one you want.
Click to expand...
Thank you - yes, they're capsules. :-)
 
weepweeps said:
This is such a good idea. I’m definitely going to get an emergency box started for my boys just in case. There does seem to be a lot of choice though. What size syringes would you all recommend? I had pigs quite a few years ago and seem to remember that the food gets stuck in some syringes but the water gets through and leaves most of the food behind. What basics would you all recommend I get in my emergency box? Can’t believe I hadn’t thought of this myself. Lol.
Click to expand...
Hi, I saw a list of basic emergency first aid supplies in the health guides or new owner guides on here somewhere. It's taken me over a year of owning piggies to start thinking about getting some supplies though - and an eye injury and possibly bladder issue to spur me into getting some together!
 
Eriathwen said:
I currently have emeraid, oxbow fine grind and the regular one, as well as the burgess dual care pellets you can soak to make a syringe feed, I find the fine grind easiest to use, especially in piggies who can't swallow much at a time, you can mix it fairly thick and get more nutrition into them in smaller amounts, but I will rotate them to see which one goes down easiest with each piggy.
The emeraid I use has to be kept in the fridge once opened so thats something to keep in mind, it also contains beet pulp so if you have a piggy sensitive to veggie related urine colour changes, you might see some pink pees while on it. I used to use fibreplex a lot as far as probiotics go but recently started getting benebac gel in and wouldnt go back, its been fantastic, especially for our little Fern who wasn't able to maintain or gain weight before being put on it.
Click to expand...
Where did you buy the benabac gel,sounds like a good probiotic.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top