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Guinea Pig Has Worms

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Mercedes

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Hello Everyone,
I am pretty new here so bare with me if this is in the wrong thread or anything like that.

My Guinea Pig has Worms, And he has all the symptoms: Lethargy, Worms in his stool, Swollen Abdomen, Loss of Appetite, Weight Loss (He Only weighs 2.3 pounds!), and He has been making more noise than usual. I was told to worm him with a Wormer that I was given, It is for smaller cats and mammals that are 1.5 pounds and over. However it is something that he has to swallow. I guess my question is How do I get him to take 1/4 Teaspoon of this stuff? And Has anyone else's guinea pig had a Internal Worm Infection with their Guinea Pigs and how did you get rid of them?

Thanks in Advance :)

Mercedes.
 
Welcome to the forum Mercedes. I'm not sure who recommended this treatment but, personally, I would get my Guinea Pig seen by a vet if s/he had a problem like this as you want to make sure you get the most appropriate medication and the best dose. The vet will also tell you how to administer it.
I hope your Guinea Pig gets well soon.
 
Are you happy to let us know where you are from Mercedes? It would be useful if you could add your country of origin to your details.
 
@PiggieOwner Thank-You :) My little guy (Sam) is about 3 years old now and he has been healthy all this time, But then this just happened, I am going to call my vet again in the morning and ask her what she thinks would be most effective in getting him to actually swallow it. I am sure she will know, I just forgot to ask and it was already pretty late when I posted this and she doesnt take calls at night unless it is an emergency.
 
PiggieOwner said:
Are you happy to let us know where you are from Mercedes? It would be useful if you could add your country of origin to your details.
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I am actually from the United States, South Dakota to be exact, Its in Midwest North America. We have Central Time here so its actually pretty late at night right now.
 
I use Ivermectin liquid which is very suitable for piggies. It can be used as a preventative every 3 month wormer like you would do for dogs. And at stonger regular dosages it can be used to get rid of a case of worms. For 3 years I have been using it as a preventative & neither of my boys has yet had a noticeable case of worms. I syringe the prescribed dosage in using 1ml syringes. You put the syringe behind their front teeth so they can't get rid of it. One of my boys does not like the syringe even after all these years so is very squirmy. I wrap him in a towel so only his head is exposed and hold him against my chest while syringing. I get the syringes from my vet.

Best wishes to Sam for a good recovery.
 
While uncommon, worms in guinea pigs aren't unheard of. The fact that you can see them in your guinea pigs faeces suggests he has a large worm burden and treatment should be started ASAP. Is the treatment that you have one that was prescribed by your vet? If so, give the recommended dose for the recommended length of time. In terms of administering it, ask you vet, or even your local pharmacy, for a small syringe - you can then syringe it directly into the mouth (administering slowly, with the tip of the syringe placed just behind the teeth, not straight down the throat!).

In terms of why your pig has worms, and what can be done to prevent them again in future...

Does your pig go out in the garden? If so, they may have been picked up from the grass/soil. It may be an idea to fence off part of the area so that no other animals (cats/dogs etc. if you have them, but also wild animals) cannot access the area. Worms are spread by faeces of an infected animal so this may reduce the chance of future infestations. Also, if you have cats/dogs etc. then it'd be an idea to make sure that their parasite treatment is up to date if it isn't already. Make sure any fresh veg fed is well washed, as obviously this comes from the soil too, so is a possible source of worms, but much less likely, unless using home grown veg etc. Make sure you keep up good cage hygiene until the infestation is treated and cleared - guinea pigs eat their poo so this could become a source of re-infestation. It may be worth keeping piggy on newspaper and hay and changing daily until the problem is cleared.
 
Amanda has already covered everything, will just check is the product you are using Panacur (Fenbendazole)? or the American equivalent?
 
I cant Thank-You all enough for the advice you have given me. I am definitely going to try to syringe, Thats what she told me to do today as well.
Amanda1801 said:
While uncommon, worms in guinea pigs aren't unheard of. The fact that you can see them in your guinea pigs faeces suggests he has a large worm burden and treatment should be started ASAP. Is the treatment that you have one that was prescribed by your vet? If so, give the recommended dose for the recommended length of time. In terms of administering it, ask you vet, or even your local pharmacy, for a small syringe - you can then syringe it directly into the mouth (administering slowly, with the tip of the syringe placed just behind the teeth, not straight down the throat!).

In terms of why your pig has worms, and what can be done to prevent them again in future...

Does your pig go out in the garden? If so, they may have been picked up from the grass/soil. It may be an idea to fence off part of the area so that no other animals (cats/dogs etc. if you have them, but also wild animals) cannot access the area. Worms are spread by faeces of an infected animal so this may reduce the chance of future infestations. Also, if you have cats/dogs etc. then it'd be an idea to make sure that their parasite treatment is up to date if it isn't already. Make sure any fresh veg fed is well washed, as obviously this comes from the soil too, so is a possible source of worms, but much less likely, unless using home grown veg etc. Make sure you keep up good cage hygiene until the infestation is treated and cleared - guinea pigs eat their poo so this could become a source of re-infestation. It may be worth keeping piggy on newspaper and hay and changing daily until the problem is cleared.
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Thank-You so Much for all of the Information! I am pretty sure he got the worms from My Aunt's cat that was sick at the time when he came over to my house. I am going to use a Syringe to squirt it in his mouth, Thats What the vet told me to do today as well. I am not using Ivermectin though I probably should be. I am using something called Piperazine Citrate. Thank-You again :)
 
Ok if that is what the vet has suggested then I would think it is ok. May be worth a quick search on www.guinealynx.com too though. I have only ever used Panacur but as a preventative.
 
I think I will try looking it up there just to be sure. I didnt get the Ivermectin because I couldnt find it at the time, But I know where to get it now, So if this doesnt work I think that will be what I will use next. Thanks for all the advice everyone :)
 
Mercedes said:
I cant Thank-You all enough for the advice you have given me. I am definitely going to try to syringe, Thats what she told me to do today as well.

Thank-You so Much for all of the Information! I am pretty sure he got the worms from My Aunt's cat that was sick at the time when he came over to my house. I am going to use a Syringe to squirt it in his mouth, Thats What the vet told me to do today as well. I am not using Ivermectin though I probably should be. I am using something called Piperazine Citrate. Thank-You again :)
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Piperazine is used here for the treatment of roundworms and we have a small animal version that can be bought over the counter at pet shops.
 
Amanda1801 said:
While uncommon, worms in guinea pigs aren't unheard of. The fact that you can see them in your guinea pigs faeces suggests he has a large worm burden and treatment should be started ASAP. Is the treatment that you have one that was prescribed by your vet? If so, give the recommended dose for the recommended length of time. In terms of administering it, ask you vet, or even your local pharmacy, for a small syringe - you can then syringe it directly into the mouth (administering slowly, with the tip of the syringe placed just behind the teeth, not straight down the throat!).

In terms of why your pig has worms, and what can be done to prevent them again in future...

Does your pig go out in the garden? If so, they may have been picked up from the grass/soil. It may be an idea to fence off part of the area so that no other animals (cats/dogs etc. if you have them, but also wild animals) cannot access the area. Worms are spread by faeces of an infected animal so this may reduce the chance of future infestations. Also, if you have cats/dogs etc. then it'd be an idea to make sure that their parasite treatment is up to date if it isn't already. Make sure any fresh veg fed is well washed, as obviously this comes from the soil too, so is a possible source of worms, but much less likely, unless using home grown veg etc. Make sure you keep up good cage hygiene until the infestation is treated and cleared - guinea pigs eat their poo so this could become a source of re-infestation. It may be worth keeping piggy on newspaper and hay and changing daily until the problem is cleared.
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Amanda,can humans catch worms from guinea pigs? no one has ever seemed to answer this,not even some of the vets I have asked in the past - do you know?
 
@TAN That is a very good question! I have been very cautious about washing up after holding and treating him and I was curious if I could get worms from him or what the likelihood of that is. If someone could answer that, It would be spectacular.
 
Mercedes said:
@TAN That is a very good question! I have been very cautious about washing up after holding and treating him and I was curious if I could get worms from him or what the likelihood of that is. If someone could answer that, It would be spectacular.
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You can, but only through poor hygiene. You can get worms from lots of places but their eggs are generally transferred via the faeces of an infested animal, and then ingested by the next host. As long as you practise good hygiene you should be fine. You can also pick up worm eggs from soil etc. but again, good hygiene is all you need to practise.

If you're really concerned, you can get a human worming treatment over the counter from your local pharmacy
 
@Amanda1801 Thanks for the Info :) I am pretty sure that I will okay then because I am really cautious about that. But it is always nice to know that there is an option out there that will work for you as well. Thanks Again to everyone for all of the input and I will let you know if I have any more questions :) Glad to be on the forum and in such great company!

Mercedes.
Amanda1801 said:
You can, but only through poor hygiene. You can get worms from lots of places but their eggs are generally transferred via the faeces of an infested animal, and then ingested by the next host. As long as you practise good hygiene you should be fine. You can also pick up worm eggs from soil etc. but again, good hygiene is all you need to practise.

If you're really concerned, you can get a human worming treatment over the counter from your local pharmacy
Click to expand...
 
Amanda1801 said:
Answer up there ^^
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Ah! going blind! I know with threadworms / roundworms that you can pick them up from unwashed veg (hence the soil connection) and that the eggs stick everywhere,bed linen ,door knobs etc and that at any one time it is estimated that 1 in 10 children under 10 in the u.k have them (as a mum its right up there with headlice -people know about it but generally don't like to mention it) - was really wondering if they suffer from a particular type of worm that isn't transferrable to humans - as in horses can get bots etc, because there are lots of different types of worms- knew someone who picked up hook worm in Africa years ago - must stop talking about worms - they give me the heebie jeebies - seem to remember that panacur the sheep wormer is sometimes used for piggies - must see my vet about giving mine some preventative treatment.
 
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