• Discussions taking place within this forum are intended for the purpose of assisting you in discussing options with your vet. Any other use of advice given here is done so at your risk, is solely your responsibility and not that of this forum or its owner. Before posting it is your responsibility you abide by this Statement

What do you think?

  • Thread starter Thread starter ner188
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
N

ner188

I'm new to the guinea pig world, and I'm looking for opinions/experiences from seasoned guinea pig owners...

I bought a guinea pig for my daughter on May 29. We brought her home, and all was fine for a couple of days, then she stopped eating and started breathing laboriously and panting.

I took her to the vet the next morning, and while he wasn't sure exactly what was wrong with her (could be neurological; could be bacterial) he gave me antibiotics hoping for the best.

I gave Patches (our GP) the antibiotics for a week, and during that time, she got better. She ate well, and she acted totally normal.

The antibiotics ran out this past Saturday. Sunday she was fine. Monday she started acting funny... didn't want me to hold her. I blew it off thinking she just had a preference to my daughter since she seemed perfectly happy laying on my daughter's stomach and watching TV with her.

Wednesday, she got worse. She didn't eat like normal. By yesterday, she had stopped eating altogether, and she squeaked anytime you touched her sides.

I called the vet last night, and he said he would prescribe more antibiotics, since they seemed to work last time, but it may very well be neurological, for which he says there's no cure. Of course, I'm all for trying anything. We love our little girl, and we're totally heartbroken that she won't seem to stay healthy, but I don't know if I'm just prolonging the inevitable :(

Oh... One other thing.... Shortly before she started showing signs of sickness, I heard her running around her cage like crazy in the middle of the night. Usually, she would go in her house and sleep, so I thought it was odd.

Has anyone experienced this sort of situation with their guinea pig? Any comments are welcome.

Also, since I've had Patches, I've only seen her drink water once, and it doesn't look like the water ever goes down. She's been eating a 1/4 orange (sometimes more) every day, though, so do you think she may have been getting enough daily water from that?
 
Hey... I'm so sorry about Patches :(

Ive never experienced anything like this but you've come to the right place ;)

What other foods do you feed him/her? My pigs drink alot but she could be getting her water from somthing else? eg. cucumber?

Hope this helped a bit ;D
 
There are many things that have just popped into my mind from a URI to pregnancy...you are best off trying to find a rodentologist you can go and see that has experience with small animals rather than this vet who doesnt sounds very knowledgeable?

You shouldnt give too much of foods that can cause ulcers...

Where abouts are you? At a push maybe vedra can have a look...

I am certain someone will come along in a minute to get a better spin on the symptoms :)
 
I was heading towards a URI (upper respiratory infection) sore sides can be linked to infection. I would indeed try and get in touch with a rodentologist :)

What meds is she on?

Welcome to the forum :) Come to the right place :)

What other foods do you feed her? Piggies get enough water through their veggies, so doesn't matter if she doesn't seem to drink. However I would reduce the amount of orange she has to about 1 per week if that. Too much acid in citrus fruits are not too good.
 
I am in Georgia. I bought Patches from Petsmart in Suwanee, but I live close to Gainesville - if any of you have any clue where that is.

PetSmart paid for the veterinary care, because they give you a 2-week guarantee on the animal's health, and she was obviously not healthy when I bought her. The in-house vet clinic there is where I took her, and the vet admitted that he didn't see many guinea pigs.

They said they would have some antibiotics for me today, but I just went there, and the vet is in surgery, so I can't get them yet. Guys, I am so upset that I'm in tears, and I'm certainly not the crying type. I don't know why this little animal has touched my heart so much. I mean, I have live in the country... have horses... have had numerous dogs and cats die throughout my life, and this little girl seems to bother me more than anything!

Anyway... Let me see if I can answer the rest of your questions.

I feed Patches a handful of Timothy hay, guinea pig pellets and a 1/4 orange in addition to vitamin-enriched water. We also treat her with romaine lettuce (which she loves... um... loved) and grapes.

The vet said Patches was only about 6 months old, and she's only about the size of a rat... maybe a little bigger.

Pregnancy is an interesting thought. Do they stop eating and lose weight when they're about to give birth? Can they be pregnant at such a young age?

What sort of foods cause ulcers in guinea pigs?

Who is Vedra?

Will antibiotics help a URI? (PetSmart just called and said they had them ready for me.)

I am going to start researching the area to find a good guinea pig vet. It's going to be hard, I'm sure, due to where I live, but I just don't want her to die!
 
Are you in the USA? Wrong country for the CCT/Vedra to help :(.

I would urge you to find a vet of your own and not trust the pet store vet. Stuffing a pig full of antibiotics sounds to me like they've tried to find an easy solution rather than examine her thoroughly to find out what was wrong. What antibiotic was she given?

It's a sad story we hear a lot of the time - MOST pet store pigs come home with one illness or another and this is why most recommend you adopt from a trusted rescue. I'm sorry you've had to learn the hard way :(.
 
Hi,I am so sorry you are having this stress with your first piggy.
I noticed you mentioned that she was squeeking and running around like mad during the night,.Where is her accomodation,if outdoors,is it possible she may have been bitten by some insect?..
The other possibility here is that she was born with some internal problem,possibly renal.I think it may be a good idea to give her some water by syringe,little and often because piggies can get dehydrated easily.Is it very hot where you live at the moment?.Piggies cannot cope with extremes of hot or cold.
As someone has already mentioned,oranges ,although a good source of vit/c,are too acidic to give on a daily basis.Feed her a variety of veggies.I give my pigs a serving of mixed veg 3 times a day,but twice is fine.There are a great many veggies they can eat. Kale,tomatoes,celery,sweetcornincluding the leaves.,green cabbage,cucumber,parsley,coriander,basil,carrots to name just a few.I note you are giving romaine lettuce daily.This is better fed as a treat only and this applies to all types of lettuce.Do not feed iceburg lettuce as this is too high in nitrates for the piggy system.
It is strange that the symptoms cleared ,then reappeared when the antibiotic was stopped.Maybe she has an infection which needs a 14 day rather than 7 day course.Baytril is the best wide spectrum antibiotic.Give her a probiotic such as Bio-Lapis whilst she is on the antibiotic.
apples and oranges,and sometimes tomatoes(although the latter are not very acidic) can cause mouth ulcers in piggies.
Sows can sometimes,but not always,loose weight for the first week or so of pregnancy and they often drink more than normal.6 months of age is actually a good age to have a first litter.If she is pregnant she will soon start to put on a lot of weight.I am doubtful that pregnancy is the problem here but it cannot be ruled out.
If a uri seems likely,then Septrin would be much better than Baytrill.
Was your piggy with other sows in the petstore?,if so,she could be missing them.Sows need the companionship of their own kind,however much human company they have,so as your vet said,it possibly could be a physchological problem.Is there any chance that you could get a companion sow for her?,.
I think the bottom line here is to find a vet that is experienced with piggies.I know this c an be very difficult,because vets who are interested in piggies are few and far between.,.
It might be an option to look up all the guinea pig rescues,or even breeders,in you area,and ask them what vet they use.
The other option is too have a look at a website called Guinealynx which is an American site and I beleive they have a list
of vets in the US.
Good luck with all of this,and do let us know how you get on.

Kind regards Mary
 
Omigosh! Where to start. You all are so helpful!

Let me try to answer some of the questions.

Patches is kept indoors. We live in Georgia, Southeast USA, and while it is quite warm here in the summer, we have air conditioning, and I'm more inclined to think she would be too chilly - not too warm. She has plenty of bedding to snuggle up in, and she's on the other side of the room from the A/C vent, so maybe that's not the problem.

We do feed the lettuce as a treat only, but she ends up getting it daily, because we take her out and play with her daily.

I didn't know guinea pigs could eat corn. By the leaves are you talking about the leaves you shuck off to get to the actual sweet corn?

The first antibiotic the vet gave her was trimetropin. He also gave her a shot of Baytril when she was there. He said the trimetropin he gave me was supposed to be a 10-day dosage, but I guess he didn't give me enough of it, because I ran out after 5-1/2 days.

This time, the vet gave me Baytril to give her orally. He says this should also be a 10-day dosage, and if she doesn't seem better by Monday or if I run out before the 10 days is up, I need to let him know.

What is Bio-Lapis? Where do you get it? Boy, do I feel like a piggy idiot :(

Patches was with another piggy when I got her, but she didn't show signs of loneliness when she was feeling good... at least, I didn't think she did.

I have found a guinea pig specialist in the area where I work (which is an hour from home), but she's only in the office on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I guess if Patches is still doing bad by then, I'll take her to that vet.
 
ner188 said:
I didn't know guinea pigs could eat corn. By the leaves are you talking about the leaves you shuck off to get to the actual sweet corn?


What is Bio-Lapis? Where do you get it? Boy, do I feel like a piggy idiot :(

I have found a guinea pig specialist in the area where I work (which is an hour from home), but she's only in the office on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I guess if Patches is still doing bad by then, I'll take her to that vet.
Click to expand...

yep, the green outer part of the corn :) Cucumber, cabbage and carrots are also good :) A wider range is the best.

Bio-Lapis is a probiotic. Puts all the good bacteria back in, whereas antibiotics kill good and bad bacteria :)
 
Hey just to mention; the vets at PetSmarts Banfield are normally pretty good, though maybe not all in piggies (obviously..).

My Banfield vet is GREAT with my piggies. I don't know if I am the only person she sees with piggies, but whenever I go in there she's just been reading up on some more piggy stuff.. it always impresses me that she learns so quickly and does so much research for my little piglets..

(mind you this is not the vet that treated luna for lice. :( I hate that vet.)
 
Where do you get probiotics?

Patches died yesterday. When I got home from work, she was all scrunched up in her igloo, breathing sporadically. I took her out and gave her a dose of the antibiotic, put her back and left her alone for about a half hour.

When I went back to check on her, she was still in her house - same as before. I took her out again, thinking maybe I could force feed her liquefied pellets, because she had lost so much weight, and I knew she was starving.

I never got the chance.

I took her out and held her. She looked so sad and pitiful, and her breathing was so short and laborious.

I stroked her little head. I stoked her behind her ears, where she loved so much.

Then her breathing stopped.

I cried like a baby. I have tears in my eyes now as I write this.

I haven't cried like this over the loss of a pet in years.

She really touched my heart... and I will miss her.
 
Hi, You are not stupid,you are a very caring first time owner,and it is the caring that counts.We have all been new to piggies at one time.

The accomodation sounds fine and I do not think the a/c would cause any problem as long as their is no draft.

The daily lettuce is o.k. as long as it is small amounts.,but try and get her to have another favourite.My piggies go mad for cucumber,and this seems to be top favourite with most piggies.

Please do not think I am nagging,but it still might be an idea to get a companion for her.This is something I feel strongly about as I know from experience that sows are happier and do much better with a gp friend.It is a natural instinct for sows to live in groups and they bond together much more than boars do.Boars are more independant and adventurous,so a single boar,as long as he has loads of human attention will be fine...I try and keep my boars in groups or pairs,but I have 2 boys who are in single pens because they are stroppy and fight with whoever I put them with.

The silk inside the corn leaves is loved by piggies and is in fact very good for pigs with renal problems.

Bio-Lapis is available from a vet aand you can buy it on the internet.It comes in satchets of powder which you mix with water and give by syringe.The other name for bio-lapis is protexin.
An alternative probiotic is Avipro made by Vet Ark Health. Sometimes I just use a plain live yoghurt, 0.5mls twice a day.

Just as a matter of interest(and forgive me if you have already told us this)but what bedding are you using?.

Mary
 
Side Note: We are getting another guinea pig. PetSmart will replace Patches for free. We plan to get another one today, and I'm sure I will continue to need help, so don't think you guys are getting rid of me anytime soon. LOL

My daughter is taking all of this better than I am. She has grown up in the country, and she's very understanding about the circle of life. I'm a reformed city girl. Growing up, we lost pets to old age... they never died young. These early deaths are always much harder on me than her.
 
The bedding I use is Carefresh pet bedding. It was recommended by the people at PetSmart. They said it was good for guineas, because it isn't dusty.

I have entertained the idea of getting a companion for my replacement guinea pig, since I'm going to get another female, but I'm afraid that they would bond more with each other rather than us - kind of the way dogs do sometimes. I know that is silly... and I guess it's really selfish of me, isn't it? After all, even though my dogs have a bond with each other, they certainly love my daughter and I and constantly vie for our attention.

BTW: I don't think you are nagging at all! You, and everyone else, here have been so helpful, and I am very grateful for that. I'm not used to being a newbie in a forum, as I've been around the horse forums for many years, and I was a little worried that my original post would come off like I was a total idiot for embarking on this guinea pig adventure.
 
Oh no.I am so very sorry,I had posted my message before I realiised you had posted again.

I really do feel for you,it is always traumatic to lose a piggy,even after 20 odd years of keeping piggies I still break my heart when I lose one.

You did all you could and more.I suspect that this little girl had a genetic respitory problem,in which case even the best vet in the world could not have saved her.


Take consolation in the fact that even though Patches was only with you a short time,she knew she was very much loved and she was given the best of care.

It will take a while to grieve and start to feel better,but when you do,please consider getting another pig or 2.You have a lot of love to give and are responsible and caring.There are a lot of piggies sitting in rescues desperately needing someone like you.Getting a pig from a rescue is a safer option than a pet store because good rescues give their piggies a thorough health check before they rehome them.

sincere condolances

Mary and piggies who all send hugs.
 
I would love to go the rescue route, but PetSmart will give me another guinea for free, so I'll get another from them. According to the paperwork I had to sign when I got Patches, they (supposedly) do a health exam on their small animals before they put them up for sale, too. I'm not sure who does the exam and how thorough it is, though.

As I said, we are definitely getting another guinea pig immediately. I didn't realize what absolutely awesome loving pets they are, and I want my daughter and I to have the chance to experience the fun of owning a healthy piggy.
 
Really sorry to hear about Patches' passing :'( :'( :'(


sleep peacefully little one. Have fun 'popcorning' at rainbow bridge angel 0:)
 
Thank you for your condolences. I know... at least I think I know... I did everything I could for her, but I still feel so guilty that I couldn't make her all better.
 
Oops I have done it again,sent a message after you posted. I must be having a senior day!.

I am delighted that you are getting a new piggy straight away,hopefully 2!. Sows are generally more cuddly than boys,who get bored more easily.Having 2 or more girls together will not stop them bonding with you.,they enjoy human company,but they need their own kind as well.


Carefresh is fine. I use flat newspaper with hay on top(hay also supplied in seperaate racks for eating) For elderly or sick pigs I use vet bed,sometimes with care fresh on top.

Just as a matter of interest ,a lot of equine products are good for piggies.Hay obviously,dry grass for horses goes down a treat with my pigs as well.They like this even when fresh grass is available.


Good luck with new piggies,let us know what they are like.

Mary
 
I think it's my fault for double posting. LOL

I'm not sure if the grass hay we use is good for piggies. It wasn't listed in the manual I bought when I got Patches, so I haven't tried it. What we feed our horses is a mixture of fescue and bermuda grasses.

Is there any way to post photos on this forum? And, how the heck do you get the smiley's to work? I'm not used to this format at all.

Oh, I think I see how to post a picture. Let me try it...

index.php
 
I guess the photo option is turned off or something, because it didn't work. Oh well.
 
So sorry to hear of Patches.

You did all you could :).

If you follow the instructions in the photo gallery, I'm sure you could add them easily :)
 
Aww so sorry about Patches, RIP little one xx

Look here for how to post a photo - http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=42.0

To get the smilies to work, when you click reply you see all of the smilies above where you are posting, just click on them and they will be put in your post. (or you can just remember them like :) is ': )' without the space, and :( is ': (' again without the space)
 
Now I remember! There's another forum I go to that has almost the same format, and I totally forgot how to make the smiley's work. For some reason, I kept thinking you had to drag and drop. I just knew it had to be more difficult than just clicking. 98)
 
ner188 said:
Now I remember! There's another forum I go to that has almost the same format, and I totally forgot how to make the smiley's work. For some reason, I kept thinking you had to drag and drop. I just knew it had to be more difficult than just clicking. 98)
Click to expand...


Hee hee! Welcome to the world of the smilies! ;D

I'm sure you did all you could with little Patches. Life can be so unfair sometimes.... :'(
 
We have smiley's at the forum I'm a moderator at, but I think you have to drag & drop ( I don't use them much, so I'm not sure). Plus, we don't have near as many as this forum has.
 
Regarding the photos... Those are the directions I followed, but it didn't show up.

Ahhhh, stupid me... I didn't use the right code.

Let's try this again:

PrincessPatches6-12-07-3.jpg


Yay! It worked that time. This is right before Patches was crowned Princess. I feel good knowing she died as royalty. ;D
 
Any good quality meadow hay should be o.k,and as you give this hay to your horses there should not be a problem.

I buy my hay from a animal feed merchant who supplies local racing stables,so it is always good quality.

When you get time have a look at WWW.petergurney.co.uk this is an excellant source of info on all guinea care.There is a nice article on death of piggies. The forum that used to be on Peters pages(now called Piggy Power) is another source of friendly,reliable iinfo. Peter has published several very good guinea care books which are available from the winking cavy store.


Give your pigs as much variety in fruit and veg as you can .Hay and veggies should make up aapprox.85% of the daily food.A good dry mix should be fed and always available,but the veggies hay and grass are the most important.

There are not many domestic veggies that are toxic to them,but a few to avoid are

iceburg lettuce
white bread (wholemeal or granary is safe if they like it)

avocado pears

potatoes


rhubarb

beans of any kind. (this is controversial,because some owners do give their piggies beans with no apparent ill
effects,si it is up to individual owners to do their own research and decide for themselves what to feed their pigs.)

Mary
 
We just brought our new piggy home, and I am so pleased! First thing Heather, my daughter, wanted me to do was put her new pet, named Grayci, on her chest like she used to do Patches, so I did, and guess what? Grayci sat there perfectly content and purred. I couldn't believe it. We only got to hear Patches do that one or two times and certainly not the first day home! I was so thrilled, and of course Heather was overjoyed.

I will check out the site... as a matter of fact, I'll bookmark it for future reference. Thank you!

I will post pictures of Grayci once I take some. I don't want to totally freak her out her first day.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top