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guinea pig wobbly 3-4 weeks old

Rinoa

Rinoa

New Born Pup
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I got a new guinea pig last night. well when i get new guinea pigs i always give them ivermectin (paste) pea sized amount. Last night i gave her some. no idea on her age as i got her from petco (first time) but from her looks maybe 3-4 weeks. she weighs 9oz. I just barely read they need to be 12 oz today morning.

Today when i wake up i noticed she is kind of wobbly. Well few hours later now she is really wobbly very noticible. Was it the ivermectin? what can i do? it is thanksgiving here obviously vets are closed. A few days ago i called the vets for a different guinea pig and they werent available till tuesday the 28th (today is 23rd). I'm hoping this is something temporary and it will magically go away. i hear clicking noise when she breathes.
 
Ivermectin overdose causes neurological issues so yes, it very likely was the ivermectin paste, the paste is generally ill advised due to the active drug not being evenly distributed throughout the tube as it is designed to be given all in one go, usually to a horse. This means a pea sized amount could have 0 ivermectin in it, or the entire horse sized dose.

Emergency vets will still be open although may be some distance away but honestly, it's extremely important that your youngster is seen by a vet as soon as possible to stand a good chance due to not knowing the exact dose administered, neurological issues can cause issues feeding which will lead to gut stasis and starvation, both of which are incredibly painful, not to mention the clicking while breathing could be due to losing the reflex to swallow and inhaling food or water, which can lead to aspiration pneumonia, another fatal issue if not treated promptly.

I'm so sorry your little one is unwell, fingers crossed she makes a recovery.
 
Hi and welcome

I agree with @Eriathwen . Ivermectin is one of the medications that can cause real damage when overdosed; especially in the young and small.

Please see a vet as quickly as possible.
 
Oh dear - I agree with everyone. Make the journey and get to an emergency vet ASAP!
She's also very young to be away from mum. It's so sad petco are selling these tiny babies at this age! 😔
I hope she pulls through 🤞❤️
 
I was able to get her to an emergency vet on thursday and they admitted they werent an exotic emergency vet but they could still give her supportive medicine. They gave her an iv (subcataneous fluids) during the day and by the next morning (friday) she stopped walking wobbly. So those fluids must of helped.

I used to give all my new guinea pigs ivermectin as a way to prevent the diseases new guinea pigs may have but now i think its better to not give them this unless they show signs of sickness. I'm wondering if petco didnt sell me an underweight guinea pig. She is very tiny and while i thought she may be 3-4 weeks old I'm wondering now if she wasnt 2 weeks old. she is very small.

Anyway she is doing better. Walking running eating etc..
 
I’m so pleased she has made such a good recovery.
 
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