Wheek & Squeak

HEALTH PROBLEMS

It is important to use a vet who specialises in guinea pigs.  Not all vets have a great knowledge of these little creatures so I would recommend you ask your local Pet Rescue Shelter, Guinea Pig Breeder who they would recommend and make sure you see that particular vet in that practice.  Some vets dont have a great knowledge of guinea pigs so make sure you see the right one. 

Peter Gurney has written many brilliant books on guinea pigs but one book everyone should have is Piggy Potions, it is not expensive and is most guinea pig owners bible on health problems.

Abscesses and cysts

If you find any lumps on your guinea pig these should be checked regularly.  If they are increasing in size then they should be taken to a vet to be checked.  It is quite usual for a guinea pig to have small lumps that never get any bigger but these should always be monitored carefully.

Bloat

This is a very painful condition and must be dealt with immediately.  The belly feels swollen and very hard.  You must get your pig to the vet immediately for treatment, if it ignored you will certainly lose your pig.  You can in the meantime give him at least 2ml of baby gripe water and a Rennie Rapeaze tablet crushed in water which can help but please inform you vet what you have given him.

Cystitis and Bladder Stones

If you hear your guinea pig squeak when he wees it is probably cystitis and will need to go on course of antibioitics from your vet.  If this does not clear then the chances are it is bladder stones.  If the stones are small enough they can be massaged out if it is a sow but sadly with boars it does mean an operation.  Once a guinea pig has had bladder stones they can be prone to them so certain foods should be kept from their diet, a vet can advise you on this.

Diarrhoea

This can be a serious problem so your pig should be checked regularly.  If your pig is slightly loose I cut out dried food and greens and just give them hay, shepherds purse, blackberry leaves for about 48 hours and this generally clears it up.  If the diarrhoea is very bad or the guinea pig is quieter than normal or fluffed up in the corner of his cage then he should be taken to the vet immediately for a course of antibiotics.  Guinea pigs with diarrhoea should be given plenty of fluids.  Dioralyte from your chemist can be added to the drinking water, if the gp is not drinking then it should be syringed.

Genitals

Boars penis should be checked regularly that bits of hay, hair or bits of bedding etc have not got stuck in the sheath.  I know this isnt very nice but it can be quite painful for your boar.  All you have to do is just massage the penis from the sheath and check that nothing is there, sometimes bedding can be stuck there or a hair has wound round the penis which can strangle it.  It can be cleaned with a damp cotton wool pad if needed.

Impacted Rectum

This is usually a condition that some older boars have.  What happens is the muscles around the anus stop working and stops pushing the droppings out, the droppings then collect in the anus and the more the pig goes the larger lump becomes.  You need to put on rubber gloves and all that needs to be done is to massage the droppings from the anus.  They will come out quite easily, but if ignored they will become the size of a golf ball and you can imagine how painful that could be.  Once you have removed this I always leave some droppings in the hutch for them to eat if needed.  This should be checked daily to start with, some pigs need treatment daily, some weekly and some monthly.

Paralysed Back Legs

This can be caused by a fall or a blow but I have found in most cases it is caused by lack of calcium.  If your pig is otherwise fine, eating well and moving round the hutch but dragging his back end it could possibly be this.  I give them liquid Osteocare as directed in Piggy Potions by Peter Gurney and usually they are back to normal within 24 hours, if this is not the case then I would take them to the vets.

Ruttling

Whenever you handle your pig you should lift him up and put the side of his chest to your ear.  If his breathing has a ruttle he will need a course of antibiotics, by ignoring this it could lead to a more serious illness.  You can help him feel a bit better by putting a dab of Vick on the end of his nose, this will help clear the congestion, but this is not instead of antibiotics this is as well as.  Remember pigs can catch colds off of humans so if you have a cold  either get someone else to feed and clean out for a while or wear a mask.

Skin Problems

There are various skin problems and guinea pigs do seem to be prone to them. Lice is fairly easy to detect, running lice you can see running around the skin, static lice looks a bit like dandruff stuck to the hair shaft and will not budge.  To get rid of lice I bath them in Lice n Easy from Gorgeous Guineas (see websites) and then again in two weeks time.  Remember to keep them indoors the night after bathing them otherwise they will get a chill.

Mites and other fungal infections need to be treated with Ivomectin from you vet.  The skin will look very scurfy and if you rub his back with your finger you will see by his reaction that it is very itchy.  I always use Ivomec orally once every 10 days after this time as long as the pig is still not itchy I then bath him with Manuka & Neem shampoo from Gorgeous Guineas together with a melt.

Skin should be checked daily, if you ignore skin problems they do not go away they will only get worse.  If you are unsure what the problem may be you should visit your vet or I am always happy to have a look at your pig and give advice.

Teeth