Abi_nurse
Adult Guinea Pig
- Joined
- Jun 25, 2010
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- Location
- Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire.
In medicine we use blood sampling to test a number of things from blood sugar levels to organ function and levels of cells such as white blood cells which fight infection and red blood cells which are essential to many bodily functions.
To run a full blood screen the vet will need to obtain a minimum of 0.5ml of blood and to do this you must ideally sample from a vessel. Sampling from a nail cut too short often does not yield enough and is painful and unpleasant for a piggie so is not really advocated. In guinea pigs the blood vessels we commonly use in cats and dogs to sample blood from are too small so we use the cranial vena cava. This is the main blood vessel running from the heart towards the neck. This must be done under a light anaesthesia as we need piggies to stay absolutely still, but they feel nothing as they are asleep so causes little stress. This is a quick procedure but should ideally be done by a vet or nurse experienced in doing so.
Blood samples can help to pick up on the following issues -
- anaemia (there are different types)
- signs of infection
- dehydration
- liver and kidney problems
- overactive thyroid levels
- e.cuniculi infections
- electrolyte levels in the blood
- potentially some cancers
It's important to also understand that guinea pig blood levels seem to be much less sensitive to changes in organs such as kidneys than other species like cats and dogs and therefore sometimes are inconclusive even when organ function is reduced. This does not mean you shouldn't use them as diagnostic tool in an unwell piggie but needs to be taken into account.
To run a full blood screen the vet will need to obtain a minimum of 0.5ml of blood and to do this you must ideally sample from a vessel. Sampling from a nail cut too short often does not yield enough and is painful and unpleasant for a piggie so is not really advocated. In guinea pigs the blood vessels we commonly use in cats and dogs to sample blood from are too small so we use the cranial vena cava. This is the main blood vessel running from the heart towards the neck. This must be done under a light anaesthesia as we need piggies to stay absolutely still, but they feel nothing as they are asleep so causes little stress. This is a quick procedure but should ideally be done by a vet or nurse experienced in doing so.
Blood samples can help to pick up on the following issues -
- anaemia (there are different types)
- signs of infection
- dehydration
- liver and kidney problems
- overactive thyroid levels
- e.cuniculi infections
- electrolyte levels in the blood
- potentially some cancers
It's important to also understand that guinea pig blood levels seem to be much less sensitive to changes in organs such as kidneys than other species like cats and dogs and therefore sometimes are inconclusive even when organ function is reduced. This does not mean you shouldn't use them as diagnostic tool in an unwell piggie but needs to be taken into account.