| A guinea pig's health is very delicate and feeble. | | | | wrong with your guinea pig's health, before it's too late, |
| Chances of them recovering from an illness by their | | | | buying you precious time for an early treatment by |
| own, is very slim. Often times, a life-threatening state | | | | your vet. At nascent stage of malocclusion, you would |
| has already been reached even before symptoms for | | | | see your guinea pigs losing weight, so beware when |
| the illness surface and show up. | | | | you seen any weight losses. |
| A guinea-pig needs immediate attention by a | | | | Consult the following to keep a check on your guinea |
| veterinarian, competent enough to render relief to your | | | | pig health status: |
| sick guinea. If detected earlier, the guinea pig health | | | | 1 Ounce - Means that your guinea pig is OK 2 Ounces |
| ailments, that affect it, could be cured easily enough | | | | - Means that you would need to go into 'Alert' mode. 3 |
| using antibiotics that are safe for guinea pigs. | | | | Ounces - Means you need to be cautioned, and go |
| It is a very good practice to check for a competent | | | | into high alert. 4 Ounces - Means its a sure shot sign |
| vet within your neighborhood, after having adopted a | | | | that you would need to visit a vet for proper |
| guinea-pig for your home. In case of emergency, you | | | | consultation. |
| know where to head to then. | | | | Besides weight loss, dull and/or droopy receding eyes, |
| Weight your guinea on a weekly basis, to keep a | | | | hunched posture, lethargy, a rough or a puffed up coat |
| check on its health. If you notice a loss in weight say | | | | of hair and rejection of food and water are sure signs |
| like 2 to 3 ounces, it is a sure indicator of some ailment | | | | of health ailments. You would need to be observant |
| has started affecting your guinea pig. If your pet | | | | enough to keep a check over all these symptoms. |
| seems to have lost more than that, say like 4 ounces, | | | | Observe closely and be sure to capture unusual |
| consult your veterinarian immediately. A starving | | | | behavior, like your pet facing a corner and sitting alone |
| guinea, who refuses food, seems to have some | | | | or lazy responses to actions. These demand medical |
| uneasiness pertaining to its health, again a sure sign of | | | | attention and would need monitoring your guinea pig to |
| some problem. Such guineas might need to be hand | | | | ensure things are in check pertaining to its health. |
| fed and kept under observation. | | | | Guinea pigs who keep on eating most of the time are |
| A qualified vet for you guinea-pig knows that some | | | | a healthy lot. In fact they keep on munching all the time. |
| medicines like penicillin, could be deadly for a guinea | | | | If a guinea pig manages to have an empty stomach, it |
| and could lead to intestinal damage. Amoxicillin, is a | | | | is doomed for. For as less as 16 hours on a empty |
| complete no-no! If a vet recommends a antibiotics, | | | | stomach, guinea pigs undergo a liver damaging and life |
| make sure you ask him how sooner or later would it | | | | threatening phenomenon. It just keeps on getting |
| affect your pet. You could be sure that your pet is | | | | worse from there on. |
| rejecting that antibiotics, if he stops eating. Call your vet | | | | Guinea-Pig Health First Aid: |
| and tell him about it, and have the antibiotics stopped or | | | | - Be observant! Make sure you read your guinea pig |
| changed. | | | | health and make out the first vital signs of its sickness, |
| Do not waste time in contacting your vet, the first | | | | like changes in its food eating habits, weight, activity |
| instance you have a gut feeling with its abnormal | | | | levels, attitude and liveliness etc. |
| behavior. Guinea pigs show symptoms, often times | | | | - See a vet immediately when you are sure its sick. |
| much later, after the of advent of its illness. If you | | | | No matter how good the vet, no one would be able to |
| suspect that your guinea is ill, try bringing another | | | | diagnose whats wrong with your pet, over the phone, |
| guinea pig which you are sure is healthy and compare | | | | let alone being able to treat it. |
| it, unless you quarantined your pig already, due to its | | | | - Quarantine and separate a guinea pig who has |
| illness. | | | | struck with illness from those that haven't and are |
| As you know by now, a guinea pig's health can | | | | healthy. If the illness is contagious, you would be sorry |
| deteriorate almost immediately, without your help. While | | | | later, for not having separate them earlier. |
| you may assume with the first symptoms showing up | | | | - Make sure that you have shifted a sick guinea pig to |
| that your pet has been 'just' hit with some illness, he | | | | a warm (but not overheated) room for added comfort. |
| must have been hiding it since quite some period of | | | | - Make sure you offer as much food as possible to |
| time. This leads to additional stress on its immune | | | | get it to eat. Besides hay and pellets, ensure that its |
| system. In the wild, animals induce this behavior of | | | | favorite veggies/fruit is fed around too. |
| hiding their illness as a survival tactic, since a suffering | | | | - If your guinea pig is not having food by itself, you |
| animal is targeted by predators. | | | | might need to 'hand feed' it to keep it eating something |
| No sooner you suspect something wrong with your | | | | at least. You may have to resort to force feeding him |
| guinea pig, you are advised to consult your vet who | | | | at least 3 - 4 times daily. |
| could put through a heath test to ensure everything is | | | | - Never fix you guinea-pig with medication that has not |
| normal with him. In case you have more than a guinea | | | | been recommended by a qualified vet who has |
| pig, take both together so that your vet could | | | | examined him. |
| compare, unless of course, you have separated them | | | | - Veterinarians could evaluate and deduce whats |
| in order to not pass the illness to the remaining healthy | | | | wrong with your guinea pig after having 'checked' the |
| guinea pigs. | | | | soiled bedding that the guinea pig has been living in. |
| In a guinea pig, one of the first signs indicating your pig | | | | Make sure you get it along for examination. |
| is suffering, is weight loss. You are advised to keep a | | | | - Often than not, the sure shot sign of a guinea pig's |
| chart, and note down its weight every week. This will | | | | illness is when it refuses to eat or eats lesser than |
| provide you indications of any nearing fatalities. If there | | | | usual. Just by this itself can you deduce that something |
| is any gradual loss in your pet's weight, have it | | | | is vitally wrong with your pet. Get him to a vet |
| attended to by a medic, before its too late. This step | | | | immediately without wasting time rather than trying to |
| could be life saving! Since it could indicate anything | | | | figure out what the matter is, by yourself. |