Looking To Compile A Home Health/Emergency Kit

Mikknu

Mikknu

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
Jan 10, 2020
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Location
Nebraska, US
Hey everyone.

I'm trying to compile a list of resources for making a home emergency care kit/supplemental health kit. This would be for bridging care until a vet visit, supporting a recovering guinea, and just general health supplements?

I've found a lot of "health kits" on etsy, ranging from packs of recovery food/discs to packs including baby gas drops, styptic powder, and other animal medications. There's also a lot of stuff out there advertising things like Vitamin-C disks, Probiotic disks, Urinary Support, Immune Support, and everything inbetween. Some by big name brands like Sherwood, others just home made things on etsy.

I would like to know what all of you have on hand for emergencies, what has worked/what hasn't, and whether or not you've used "supplements" on your fur babies.

Thanks in advance for any responses!
 
Don't go overboard with supplements. They are covered by a good diet; but it is a lukrative market for producers as anxious owners are happy to pay whatever in their attempt of being the best owners.

Our first aid kit contains the things you really need for an emergency or sudden major illness.

It is also part of our very useful new owners guide collection (which you can find via the guides short cut on the top bar), which covers a lot of areas with some very practical advice and information: Getting Started - New Owners' Most Helpful Guides
 
Thank you both for linking those in, and thank you @Wiebke for answering the supplements question! I really appreciate both of these.

Last question, I've seen infant gas drops recommended for guinea pigs? Is this actually advisable, using human infant medication on a guinea pig?
 
Mikknu said:
Thank you both for linking those in, and thank you @Wiebke for answering the supplements question! I really appreciate both of these.

Last question, I've seen infant gas drops recommended for guinea pigs? Is this actually advisable, using human infant medication on a guinea pig?
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No, they aren't; some can make the bloating actually worse and they are useless with severe bloat.
 
I have to agree with @Wiebke there, some people recommend them but our vet told us very firmly that if we had tried these when our Puggle had severe bloat then her gut would have ruptured and she would have died! They tend to collect gas in one place which may be ok if it can be burped or farted out, but if it is somewhere else in the gut it can't escape it could make a bad situation much worse...
 
I'm glad I asked! That sounds absolutely terrifying, thank you for the warning @Wiebke @PigglePuggle! I can't imagine how awful I would feel to make a mistake that cost my pet their life. Thank you all so much for the replies!
 
PigglePuggle said:
I have to agree with @Wiebke there, some people recommend them but our vet told us very firmly that if we had tried these when our Puggle had severe bloat then her gut would have ruptured and she would have died! They tend to collect gas in one place which may be ok if it can be burped or farted out, but if it is somewhere else in the gut it can't escape it could make a bad situation much worse...
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As you can see from the forum health guides, bloat should always get immediate vet treatment and can be a life threatening emergency! Do you have a good vet, and out of hours emergency vet cover, arranged @Mikknu ? That can be much more valuable than a first aid kit for many common piggy ailments- eyes and bloat always need emergency vet treatment, URIs and UTIs ideally need treatment in 24-48 hours... a good vet is worth a whole heap of home remedies!
 
PigglePuggle said:
As you can see from the forum health guides, bloat should always get immediate vet treatment and can be a life threatening emergency! Do you have a good vet, and out of hours emergency vet cover, arranged @Mikknu ? That can be much more valuable than a first aid kit for many common piggy ailments- eyes and bloat always need emergency vet treatment, URIs and UTIs ideally need treatment in 24-48 hours... a good vet is worth a whole heap of home remedies!
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I do, I already have a vet lined up and have spoken with her before about the bringing the boys in for a check up and about pesticide spraying ^-^

As for an out of hours vet... The unfortunate situation for me is that there is only one emergency vet where I live, and they aren't specialized at all. They're a city-run vet, and at best in no traffic, still a 35 minutes drive away. The city over doesn't have an out of hours guinea pig vet either, and is much the same in that it's the city's one emergency vet. That's one of the reasons I want to have a good emergency care kit, because I know I might have to bridge care at some point in time between a basic pet vet and a specialized vet.
 
Mikknu said:
I do, I already have a vet lined up and have spoken with her before about the bringing the boys in for a check up and about pesticide spraying ^-^

As for an out of hours vet... The unfortunate situation for me is that there is only one emergency vet where I live, and they aren't specialized at all. They're a city-run vet, and at best in no traffic, still a 35 minutes drive away. The city over doesn't have an out of hours guinea pig vet either, and is much the same in that it's the city's one emergency vet. That's one of the reasons I want to have a good emergency care kit, because I know I might have to bridge care at some point in time between a basic pet vet and a specialized vet.
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Emergency vets are usually not piggy savvy; we have the same issue - however, an emergency trip has still saved several lives of piggies of mine.

You can find our whole medical advice nicely laid out via the guides collection on the top boar. We have divided it up into emergency and non-emergency. Both sections contain advice and resources for the case you are seeing a not piggy savvy vet. ;)

The same goes for our panic guide when you are stuck in a situation you can't get help or access to help easily. It is worth bookmarking, as is the guides shortcut for finding information quickly - this especially for those members in rather different time zones to the UK or without emergency services or exotics vets access.
Emergency, Crisis and Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment
 
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