Basic Cavy Healthcare

[Dawn - Admin]

It is extremely important to know basic cavy healthcare. For example, do you know the signs of a healthy cavy? And an unhealthy one? The better your knowledge of basic healthcare, the quicker your pig will recover if he should fall ill.

Finding a vet

Most new cavy carers will register their pigs at any old vet, but it will definitely pay off in the long run to ring around and find an experienced cavy vet. This type of vet is usually either a qualified rodentologist or an exotics vet.

Rodentologists are specifically trained in the care of small animals, particularly guinea pigs.

Exotics vets receive more training in the care of exotic animals (cavies included) than normal vets.

Before you register with a vet, it is advisable that you ask the vet a number of questions:

How much experience have you had with treating guineas?
How would you perform a general health check on a piggy?
How many times have you operated on a cavy?
How big would you say the risk is of anaesthatising a cavy?
What treatment do you recommend for mites?
What treatment do you recommend for a URI?
What medicines are very poisonous to pigs?

The signs of a healthy cavy

The first thing you should look at is the physical side of things. A healthy pig has:

A dry, clear nose;
Clear, bright eyes;
Clean ears;
A shiny, full coat;
Skin free of redness/irritation;
Aligned incisors;
Short nails;
Formed poops;
Clean genitals.

In terms of the way a healthy cavy acts:

Alert;
Interested;
Inquisitive;
Silent breathing.

If your pig shows any of the following symptoms continuously over a period of 24 - 48 hours, take your little companion to an experienced vet as soon as possible:

Refusal to eat;
Discharge from the eyes or nose;
sneezing;
Coughing (not while eating);
Noisy breathing;
Runny poops;
Exhaustion/lethargy;
Excessive scratching, grooming or biting.
It is especially important to get your pig checked out if he sneezes for than 4 or 5 times a day. The occasional sneeze does not necessarily indicate a problem, but violent sneezing or sneezing every hour could inidicate a respiratory problem (see below).

Common Cavy Illnesses

There are a number of common health problems encountered by pigs. Some are very minor, while others can be fatal.

Skin Irritations

There are 2 main types of skin problem in pigs:

. Fungal
. Parasitic

Fungal

With fungal skin problems, the symptoms tend to be: hair loss; bald patches; dandruff-like skin; scabs; excessive scratching; pain when touched. The best thing to do if you suspect a fungal skin problem is to take you cavy to your vet. If this is not immediately possible, then you need to give your piggy an oil soak to soothe the skin until you can get your companion to a vet.

Parasitic

Parasites in the skin can cause severe pain if left untreated. The symptoms of a parasitic problem are: hair loss; bald patches; 'pimples' on the skin; excessive scratching.

Different types of parasite invade pigs differently. With mites, you can often feel little lumps, or pimples - these little lumps are the mites under the cavy's skin.

If you suspect your cavy may have a parasitic problem, you should get your pgi to the vet. Another option is to try and treat it yourself. Ivermectin can be used for this. Go to Guinea Lynx for more information.

Respiratory Problems

Respiratory problems can be a result of a number of things. Drafts under doors and a poor choice of bedding are the main culprits for respiratory issues, although there are times when the illness seems to strike for no reason.

The main respiratory illness is known as a URI. URIs (Upper Respiratory Infections) can be fatal if left untreated. Luckily, they can be treated very easily with a course of antibiotics if caught in it's earlier stages. The symptoms include: sneezing; crusty eyes; wet/crusty nose; wheezing; breathing with the mouth; coughing (not while eating); lethargy; food refusal.

.............TO BE CONTINUED.......

Thanks to Laura Humphreys copyright www.caviesunited.bravehost.com

[heatherjhenshaw]

HiyA Dawn

great article, but it might be an idea to say what answers the new owner should expect from the vet, ie Risk of Anesthesia = very high

Also I thought you may be interested in something i found out about mite, the one that lives under the skin

Most people assume that the mite invades from the outside, burrowing through the skin and coming from the hay or whatever. Well the fact is they dont, Lice do, but mite doesnt.

The sarcoptic mite lives on the piggy from the day its born to the day it dies.They are born with them under the skin. Usually they dont cause any hassle, as thier numbers will stay in check by the cavies own immune system. The trouble arises when the cavy may be stressed, or ill, or pregnant, and thus the immune system is weakened. It can be an obvious stress such as pregnancy, or something out of the blue. When the immune system is weak, the little devils 'go forth and multiply' and hence cause problems

This is when you use Ivomec which controls the mites, but rarely gets rid of them all.

This is why you can have 4 pigs in the same cage and one is badly affected but the other 3 clean as a whistle. Its also why its really commen for pregnant sows to get a dose of mite

Luv Heather

[Dawn - Admin]

Thanks Heather it is not actually my article it's Laura's (CCC) here on Cutiecavies, she has her own website that I took it from I am sure she will take what you say on board.

About the Mites that is very interesting thanks for the info. It is great owning this forum. I have found out so much that I didn't know before I started it

[cashmincal]

That's what I was told too Heather by a vet