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Warning To Those Who Don't Seek Veterinary Care for Sick Pigs

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I haven't read all these posts but I have seen references to students who cannot afford to have their pet seen by a vet and it just reminded me of when I was a student (many years ago!)


I had a dog when I first left home and she came with me - I didn't have any parents to support me or my dog and luckily she kept healthy and I managed to keep her injections up to date at the vet.

BUT - she needed her tail gland squeezed out a few times I think and I got that done free of charge at the PDSA. (due to my lack of funds as I was a student only) I do not know if they still exist even but if anyone is struggling to afford vets' bills, then it might be worth checking out that as an option?
 
The PDSA is a great last resort, however that really shouldnt be anybodys plan when obtaining a guineapig as piggies need specialist exotics vets which the PDSA rarely provide :)
 
I am sorry to have to say this but I need to say it but I am rather upset at the minute by particular threads (I am not going to point them out) where people have asked advice regarding their piggies where members including myself have advised that the guinea pig should ideally see a vet only for that advise to be ignored :( I am no way an expert but it is fairly obvious to me that if you need to ask if your guinea pig should see a vet then YES, the guinea pig needs to see a vet!

I am not ashamed to admit that I have taken my animals (not just the guinea pigs) to the vets as I was concerned about something only to be told that there wasn't actually anything wrong. Fair enough, I am lucky that my vet has never charged me on these occasions but still.

When I first had guinea pigs, I took them to the vets twice thinking they needed their nails cut. They didn't and the vet was only to happy to show me at what point they would need cutting.

I spent £180 a couple of weeks ago to have four lumps removed from my Eleanor. Thankfully they were benign tumours but it could have been worse! I also have to admit that money IS an issue for us right now as I have been off work sick for a long time so money is tight but I would never sacrifice the health of an animal and there is always a way of paying for it. Some vets allow you to open an account and pay in instalments although most will not advertise this.

Previously I spent £500 on my guinea pig Connie but without it, she would have suffered a lot more than she did.

I am currently doing a animal nursing course and doing a vet placement for a few hours a week since April. Since being there, I have witnessed so many horrors and sad stories of animals who have obviously suffered as their owners haven't taken them to the vets in time. Seeing that first hand is an horrendous experience so I 110% understand why rescues on here are so passionate that members seeks vet treatment right away.

Pebble, I am so sorry that you lost your precious piggies :(. Please don't leave the forum as your advise has been fantastic. I am just one of the people who you have helped along the way!
 
Connie said:
The PDSA is a great last resort, however that really shouldnt be anybodys plan when obtaining a guineapig as piggies need specialist exotics vets which the PDSA rarely provide :)
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The PDSA is a charity and shouldn't be abused, and as such, they have a strict eligibility criteria; you must be in receipt of housing/council tax benefit, and they now have a limit on the number of animals you can have registered with them.

If you cannot afford potential vets bills, either dont have the animals, or get pet insurance.

I've got a £700 bill for my pig so far, with at least one more GA and endoscopy to go. I pay £10 a month for insurance, and a £50 excess. I heard today that the insurance is paying out...win win!

There's some useful info here about vets fees: http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=91847
 
Amanda1801 said:
The PDSA is a charity and shouldn't be abused, and as such, they have a strict eligibility criteria; you must be in receipt of housing/council tax benefit, and they now have a limit on the number of animals you can have registered with them.

If you cannot afford potential vets bills, either dont have the animals, or get pet insurance.

I've got a £700 bill for my pig so far, with at least one more GA and endoscopy to go. I pay £10 a month for insurance, and a £50 excess. I heard today that the insurance is paying out...win win!

There's some useful info here about vets fees: http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=91847
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No one should buy an animal anticipating others to bail them out...pretty disgusting if they do! I noticed someone else said something on the lines of "and there is always PDSA to fall back on"...it is a terrible attitude to have :( fair enough if there's been a huge change of circumstance-job loss for instance, after getting the pet, but there is no sense in getting an animal that you know you can't upkeep.
 
That was my point, nobody should get a guineapig planning to use the PDSA for vet fees, but they are there for a good reason and if someone were to find themselve in the awful sittuation where for some reason the money comming in ends abruptly and piggies were needing vet care, then there are thankfully resorces like this to help.

I wasnt clear enough, sorry.
 
Yes - sorry, I didn't mean to imply that anyone should get a pet, knowing that they cannot afford to meet its needs in health and/or sickness - I just thought it was a handy thing to know about in case some really caring cavy owner really wants to do the best by their pet and in genuine hardship.

Sometimes curcumstances change - for example when I got my dog as a puppy, I was 12 years old and living in a 'secure' family at home with 2 parents.

By the time I was 20 years old, I had no parents. In no way could that have been forseen 8 years previously. Obviously as I was going through a fairly traumatic time, I did not want to loose my dog as well - in fact my dog was great comfort to me and I was very lucky that I was able to keep my dog in my rented flat whilst I was a student. She lived another 8 years (16 in total)

I have never had a dog since - precisely because the life span is long and who knows what position they will be in in 15 or 20 years time?!


Cavy life is shorter and of course I am a lot older now our circumstances are such that I will be able to afford vets fees - but anyone can have a change in their security through no fault of their own and it is worth knowing that there are places to turn to for support
 
My guinea pig ruby is having a few problems with yellow scabs on her feet and nipples. I am a teenager so it is solely up to my mom the vet care my piggy gets. She seems to me like she will not take her to a vet unless it is an emergency. I hope my problem can be solved with a home treatment.
 
I don't see how anyone could claim to love their pet and see them suffer. When Whizz got his wound it meant regular trips to the vet, but everything was worth it including the price.
I may be only 14 and, had my mother refused to pay (which thankfully she did not. I love my mum <3), I would have raided my bank account to pay the price.
I love Whizz so much, all my piggies are part of the family but Whizz is my special boy. x>>
 
I'm getting two piggies tomorrow my nearest vet is a couple of hours away but heres what i think. i have always taken my beautiful dog to the vet and I'm going to my piggies too. actually id like a check up after i get them as I'm suspecting the woman of being either a breeder or a hoarder since she has a bunch of batches of baby guinea pigs and a few batches of puppies.... anyway our animals rely on us to care for them so we as owners have to do whatever it takes to keep them healthy. if someone cant afford vetcare no pet is really right for them.
 
I can't afford a vet unless I have no other choice, but being financially disadvantaged certainly does not mean my animals suffer, and I am quite shocked that people would think so. I rely on off the shelf and online purchased medications, and have never found it to be a problem. If there is something wrong with a pet that I cannot diagnose myself or treat myself then I do take them to a vet by borrowing money. I am still fulfilling my legal oblication to care for my pets and relieve their suffering, I just don't spend hundreds on doing so. My animals are all happy, healthy, loved and well cared for, which is the important thing, not how much money I spend on keeping them that way.
 
Laurawr said:
I can't afford a vet unless I have no other choice, but being financially disadvantaged certainly does not mean my animals suffer, and I am quite shocked that people would think so. I rely on off the shelf and online purchased medications, and have never found it to be a problem. If there is something wrong with a pet that I cannot diagnose myself or treat myself then I do take them to a vet by borrowing money. I am still fulfilling my legal oblication to care for my pets and relieve their suffering, I just don't spend hundreds on doing so. My animals are all happy, healthy, loved and well cared for, which is the important thing, not how much money I spend on keeping them that way.
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How can you diagnose what is wrong with your guinea pig unless you're a trained vet? Just interested to know...
 
I have two friends who are vet nurses and can always ask them, knowledge from previous experience and I studied animal management for three years. Anything that I don't understand I visit the vet like I said, but the things I've had problems with have always been very simple to treat at home. I've taken my pets to the vet before and found that on several occasions not only did they prolong my pets suffering and misdiagnose them but they also carried out unecassery tests to charge me more money than they would have received otherwise.
 
Laurawr said:
I have two friends who are vet nurses and can always ask them, knowledge from previous experience and I studied animal management for three years. Anything that I don't understand I visit the vet like I said, but the things I've had problems with have always been very simple to treat at home. I've taken my pets to the vet before and found that on several occasions not only did they prolong my pets suffering and misdiagnose them but they also carried out unecassery tests to charge me more money than they would have received otherwise.
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You need to find a new vets then
 
I have had the same issues with more than one vet unfortunately :( I have recently moved however so I will be using a new one in future, hopefully they will be more reliable :)
 
As an experienced long term pet owner it is possible to know (as I do) when it is necessary to seek veterinary advice. Home remedies, for want of a better word, are very useful if you know what you are doing, but I would never use them instead of seeking veterinary advice if needed.

The correct vets will, or should, always treat the animal and be helpful where spreading the cost of a large bill is concerned.
 
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Laurawr said:
I have two friends who are vet nurses and can always ask them, knowledge from previous experience and I studied animal management for three years. Anything that I don't understand I visit the vet like I said, but the things I've had problems with have always been very simple to treat at home. I've taken my pets to the vet before and found that on several occasions not only did they prolong my pets suffering and misdiagnose them but they also carried out unecassery tests to charge me more money than they would have received otherwise.
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Vet nurses are not vets. They cannot diagnose or prescribe.
 
I know they aren't, and I know they can't prescribe, they can advise me on what to purchase and what to do, they are both very knowledgable.
 
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