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Sick GP from Pets at Home - Advice please

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Wow everyone has given you so much info I dont think I need to add to it other than to say welcome to the forum and I hope your little piggy feels better soon!

If you need some inspiration with the cages there is a sticky on the housing thred with some amazing cages in it!

Also if you see another vet (which would **** be a good idea) deffo contact the RSPCA, maybe even with a vet report ... just to prevent any future piggys suffering!

Keep us posted ... I hope all works out ... some pigtures would be nice if all works out :)
 
jetman said:
Are there many different types/breeds of GP?
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Sorry, I was just reading through this again and I noticed I'd forgotten something I wanted to say. mallethead

Yes, there are quite a few different breeds and colours etc...

Shorthairs - short and sleek

Abyssinian - crests and rosettes

Himalayan - white body with black/ chocolate nose patch, ears and feet

Peruvian - Long coat all over the body

Silkie/ Sheltie - Long coat except the head

Rex - Short and fuzzy hair all over the body

Teddy - Longer, but springy and fuzzy hair, looks like a teddy-bear lol

Texel - Longhair that is curly.

Alpaca - Like a Peruvian but curly

Crested - Shorthair but with a crest on the forehead

Coronet - Long hair with a crest/ rosette on the forehead

English Merino - Same as Coronet but curly

Skinny Pig - BALD! lol well, nearly

Ridgeback - A ridge of fur stands on the back of the neck

Abbyruvian - Long haired Abyssinian

There could be more ?/

Colours vary as well
 
Thanks to everyone again for your help, and the offer of the food trial.

Update – Sorry I haven’t been able to come on here and write an update, but basically I took Brandi in, the vet said that she could not find anything physically wrong with her and suspected some kind of issue with her brain. She does not seem to be totally aware of her surroundings and is disorientated.

When I took her in she could move her legs again, but could not stand, she lay on her side just moving her legs. She would eat if you hand fed her. She is at the store and I have been told she is pretty much the same, they are giving her some medicine for the next couple of days to try to help her, but it looks like it is a brain issue and that she will probably have to be put down.

So not good news I’m afraid.


:(
 
Oh no! I am so sorry to hear such sad news. If she is not in any pain does she have to be put down?
 
I probably can't add much to what everyone else has already said but see if you can find an guinea pig savvy vet before you make any big decisions. You need to look for a vet specialising in "exotics". If you look on the vets thread here you may find one recommended for your area otherwise just start Googling. That's how I found our new vet (I was not confident in the local cats, dogs and farm animal vet ) and luckily they're only 10 miles up the road from us but you may have to be prepared to travel however. There was a lady in the waiting room when we went for our piggie's check ups who'd driven all the way from Stockport ( a one hour drive ) with her water dragon who'd swallowed some staples. Hope you find a good vet and a glimmer of hope. Please keep us updated. x
 
Hi
Am really sorry to hear about your piggy - for future reference,and knowing how expensive piggies can be if ill (especially those bought from pratts at home ) you can get guinea pig insurance from exotic direct (part of pet plan ) for about £7 per piggy per month ) some people put money in a jar weekly for vets fees, but I know I would break into this all the time ) - but as a 1 parent family I couldnt cope with a £200 plus bill for x - rays scans & the like.
 
yes, please, please, please make sure you see an independent vet before taking the advice of prats at home (lol - very fitting name, TAN). I was lucky that my local veterinary practice specialises in exotics and the either of the two vets I ask for by name both have pigs themselves. I don't ask for any of the others because, while I'm sure they are just as qualified, I'd rather listen to someone who actually looks after pigs themselves day after day and can better understand how important our babies are to us.

Even the receptionists asked me to bring in the babies when they were born for cuddles and every pig I have taken in has been fussed over, baby-talked, belly-rubbed, chin-rubbed, cuddled - you name it! My favourite one, the lady actually converses with them like I do lol... "Hello Pancake (when he was a few days old), how are you? Not feeling very well?" etc.

I would imagine the pets at home vet, as they sold you a sick pig in the first place, either just doesn't care that much or isn't as knowledgeable as he/she should be. I could be completely wrong but that's the view I have of Pets at Home. Their vets and selling animals including sickly ones - NO! Accessories and food etc, Yes - they are fine but I won't buy on principle.

I really do hope she will be ok x>> please keep us updated
 
Well I am sad to report that its not good news for Brandi. We had her looked at and it seems it was probably a birth defect or brain issue. She passed away on Saturday. :( We do have a picture of her being fed on my girlfriends knee though, so a little memento at least.

We picked up another Guniea Pig, Pippa on Sunday. She is much more confident than Belle, but I suppose that she has had less upheaval than. In a week Belle has had a new home, a period with one pig, then on her own, then with a new pig, hopefully she will come round, she is very timid. She will hand feed from the side of the cage, but doesn’t like being stroked or picked up yet so we are taking it slowly.

Pippa has settled incredibly quickly, I put some hay in the cage this morning and she ran round and hopped in the air, I believe that it was the ‘popcorning’ that I have read about online. Not bad when we only collected her on Sunday afternoon, no worries about her then! In fact I think she was doing it a little last night.

We are using the same enclosure at the moment, but I am going to construct something to run around in when I am back from hospital and recovered, I have surgery on my shoulder tomorrow.

Thanks to everyone again, I will sort some pictures out soon.
 
I am so sorry to hear that. Poor little baby. Please dont say you got Pippa from pets at home? Not after all you have been through.
 
Is your new wee one from P@H too? My girls are both from there =[ we've had 3 weeks of conjunctivitis, coughs, wheezes and skin infection - really opens up your eyes at how stupid and cruel they are in that shop =[. Sigh! But i'm sure heaps of people will have ago about it haha, and rightly so.

Well even if she is, just make sure you don't take crap from them if there are any issues and my girls send loves! Sorry to hear about about little Brandi <3
 
I've noticed in Pets @ Home they don't give them enough food for like a group of them!
I went in a few months ago and they never had any pellets so I asked why and they said we take them out because if they eat to many they will bloat!
The fresh food isn't shared equality either, I know it's hard to do this but this mean if one of the guinea pigs are shy then it won't get anything to eat!
I hope your guinea pig makes a full recovery! (:
 
Yes, we did, she was a 'replacement' given free of charge, if you know what I mean. Not nice terminology. Pippa seems very well though, so fingers crossed.
 
jetman said:
Yes, we did, she was a 'replacement' given free of charge, if you know what I mean. Not nice terminology. Pippa seems very well though, so fingers crossed.
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Oh how sweet of them ¬_¬ tut. Does the branch she was from have a vets? Ours does, and we have been abusing the right to free treatment (and having to tell the 'vet' what to give) well past our 'guarantee'. Such a bunch of prats rolleyes we are seeing a local vet too though to be safe ;)

I hope she settles for you!
 
Poor Brandi. :(
I do hope Pippa and Belle and are healthy and happy from here on in. I'd stay away from p@H from now on if I were you, there are loads of online suppliers for all the stuff you need and they charge considerably less than P@H too. Did you manage to find a vet with guinea pig experience for future reference?
x
 
So sorry for poor Brandi, that is so sad but at least she had a good last few days with a caring owner.

I do have to say I do applaud you for coming on here and asking questions and clearly caring enough to seek advice and take it. We all on here wish there were more people like you who then a join a great community like this one. If you are like many of us on here, this will be your first of many piggies, you'll start looking at adopting rescues and then before you know it you'll need a bigger cage :(|)

Thank you and have a great time with your new guineas, you are in for one big adventure (hopefully a lot better than your experience so far!), they are such fun :))

Welcome to the mad, mad world of guinea pigs!
 
Sorry to hear that nothing could be done for poor Brandi. RIP little one x

Hope Pippa and Belle are healthy and thrive.
 
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