Guinea pig and new dog

[charlottel0u]

Hi all,

I feel awful. Terrible timing, we have adopted a dog and his arrival date was today, sadly a week after we lost one of our piggies.

My remaining girl had just started to pick up again after the loss. She’s been great the last few days, but today we brought our new rescue dog home. He’s stayed completely away from her and has been quiet, and her cage is high off the ground with high bars, nowhere near him.

She’s drank some water and nibbled a tiny bit of food, but for the last few hours been in her hidey, fluffed up fur, watery eyes and won’t eat anything proper (veg, hay, nuggets).

Is this to be expected with the presence of a new dog, and should I just wait a day or two to see if she settles?

Worried about her after losing her cage companion too. Advice/own experiences appreciated. Thank you all x

 

[Piggies&buns]

I can’t answer whether it’s normal regarding the dog now being in the house as I don’t have a dog - the smell of him might have disturbed her -
but I would switch to daily weight checks if you haven’t already following the loss of her companion and see if they are showing anything.
If she isn’t eating you may need to step in with syringe feeding and prepare to see a vet.

I hope she is ok

 

[Daisy_and_Mocha]

do you have another room where your piggie can be completely separate from your new dog, at least until she is feeling better after losing her friend? Guinea pigs do have an amazing sense of smell, so I wouldn't be surprised if the scent of your dog is upsetting her - I know it took several weeks for my piggies to get used to the smell of my dog. If she isn't eating well, I personally I wouldn't want to add to whatever stress she already has by making her get used to a new dog at this stage, but when she is ready I'm sure she will get used to him with time. Perhaps others have experiences to share as well?