C vitamin

[Thebubbypiggies]

Hey, I have a sick guinea pig. Yes we have been to the vet and he is on medication. The vet told me to give him the double of the c vitamin tablets I give him to help Him. But outside we should give vegetables. (We normally give them that too) but what vegetables contains a lot of much c vitamin and they can have everyday while on antibiotics?

 

[DMS260820]

Red and green bell peppers
Kale
Spinach
Coriandor

All good for vit c.

 

[Wiebke]

Hey, I have a sick guinea pig. Yes we have been to the vet and he is on medication. The vet told me to give him the double of the c vitamin tablets I give him to help Him. But outside we should give vegetables. (We normally give them that too) but what vegetables contains a lot of much c vitamin and they can have everyday while on antibiotics?

Hi and welcome

Can you please detail what your piggy has been diagnosed with, what medication he is on, what diet and how much vitamin C you are feeding extra to the diet? How long have you had your guinea pigs for?

Has your vet asked whether your piggies were already on vitamin C supplements before recommending more?

Please be aware that while guinea pigs can't make their own vitamin C, they are getting enough in of it in a healthy, mainly hay based diet with a small amount of judiciously mixed veg that provide a wide range of nutrients, vitamins (including vitamin C) and trace elements. What most people, including general vets, are usually not aware of is that grass and hay are actually high in vitamin C, which is the reason why guinea pigs have never had the need to make their own in the first place as they have always got enough from their main food source dry grass (hay) and fresh grass, which should make over 80% of the daily food intake while veg is ideally only about 10%.

If you consistently overfeed on high levels of vitamin C, the body of your piggies is adapting to that and is ironically reactingwith symptoms of scurvy (vitamin C deficiency) whenever this high level drops during an illness or for some other reason. It would be good if you reviewed your diet once your piggies are better again to see whether you could improve it.
While a 2-3 weeks vitamin C booster on a normal diet is usually all that is needed for an ailing guinea pig, it is very tempting when you are worrying about your piggies to throw the kitchen sink at them; but that can actually do more harm than good.
Please concentrate for the long term on a good, healthy hay based diet for lasting good health and a longer life span rather than stuffing your piggy full of artificial products and unbalancing the diet further to their long term detriment. You will have to manage the transition gradually and slowly in order to avoid scurvy, however.

 

[Thebubbypiggies]

Hi and welcome

Can you please detail what your piggy has been diagnosed with, what medication he is on, what diet and how much vitamin C you are feeding extra to the diet? How long have you had your guinea pigs for?

Has your vet asked whether your piggies were already on vitamin C supplements before recommending more?

Please be aware that while guinea pigs can't make their own vitamin C, they are getting enough in of it in a healthy, mainly hay based diet with a small amount of judiciously mixed veg that provide a wide range of nutrients, vitamins (including vitamin C) and trace elements. What most people, including general vets, are usually not aware of is that grass and hay are actually high in vitamin C, which is the reason why guinea pigs have never had the need to make their own in the first place as they have always got enough from their main food source dry grass (hay) and fresh grass, which should make over 80% of the daily food intake while veg is ideally only about 10%.

If you consistently overfeed on high levels of vitamin C, the body of your piggies is adapting to that and is ironically reactingwith symptoms of scurvy (vitamin C deficiency) whenever this high level drops during an illness or for some other reason. It would be good if you reviewed your diet once your piggies are better again to see whether you could improve it.
While a 2-3 weeks vitamin C booster on a normal diet is usually all that is needed for an ailing guinea pig, it is very tempting when you are worrying about your piggies to throw the kitchen sink at them; but that can actually do more harm than good.
Please concentrate for the long term on a good, healthy hay based diet for lasting good health and a longer life span rather than stuffing your piggy full of artificial products and unbalancing the diet further to their long term detriment. You will have to manage the transition gradually and slowly in order to avoid scurvy, however.

Hi! Thank you for your concern. With the vitamin I’m going to do what my veterinarian recommend as she is really good with guinea pigs and said that it would help him. If I give him too much c vitamin The body takes up what it need and the rest doesn’t matter as it will just leave his body. Anyway I’ve read that before, but in my case I feel that my veterinarian knows what I’m talking about and I’m going to stick to that. Thanks.
Now onto the rest

I’ve had him for a little bit over 3 years. Got him 29th of December 2016. Then he was around 4-5 months old. He was diagnosed with Bumblefoot and put on loxicome? Like the painkiller. He was also put on antibiotics (don’t remember the name) but both is in a dose for guinea pigs. We also took a test to figure out what bacteria he got so we can more aggressively “attack” the problem. We are going back in on Friday for a check up and to see if he need more of something.

flode is a skinny pig so hi gets a little bit more pellets but not a lot. He gets a small hand (used it for years and he never has health problems). Then he gets the beaphar vitamins c tablets. Normally he gets the Normal dose of around 40 is it mg. but nowI doubled it, so it isn’t to much over anyways.
Xx

 

[Thebubbypiggies]

Red and green bell peppers
Kale
Spinach
Coriandor

All good for vit c.

Thanku

 

[DMS260820]

Thanku

Just don't go mad on the kale and spinach, the others can be fed daily

 

[Wiebke]

Hi! Thank you for your concern. With the vitamin I’m going to do what my veterinarian recommend as she is really good with guinea pigs and said that it would help him. If I give him too much c vitamin The body takes up what it need and the rest doesn’t matter as it will just leave his body. Anyway I’ve read that before, but in my case I feel that my veterinarian knows what I’m talking about and I’m going to stick to that. Thanks.
Now onto the rest

I’ve had him for a little bit over 3 years. Got him 29th of December 2016. Then he was around 4-5 months old. He was diagnosed with Bumblefoot and put on loxicome? Like the painkiller. He was also put on antibiotics (don’t remember the name) but both is in a dose for guinea pigs. We also took a test to figure out what bacteria he got so we can more aggressively “attack” the problem. We are going back in on Friday for a check up and to see if he need more of something.

flode is a skinny pig so hi gets a little bit more pellets but not a lot. He gets a small hand (used it for years and he never has health problems). Then he gets the beaphar vitamins c tablets. Normally he gets the Normal dose of around 40 is it mg. but nowI doubled it, so it isn’t to much over anyways.
Xx

Thank you for the background information.

Yes, excess vitamin C will be excreted but the body will still get used to the regular level and react to a dip; especially younger piggies that have been on a very high dosage can struggle later in life. It also happens to humans, as I know myself after being allergic to histamine itself and not able to eat fruit and lots of other foods etc. for several years.
If your vet is experienced and knows your piggy, then I would follow her recommendation but refrain from throwing even more vitamin C at your piggy than prescribed and rather concentrate on encouraging your piggy to eat as much hay as possible.
A short boost - as explained - shouldn't hurt during an illness.

I have been asking because we see regularly posts from members having their piggies seen a vet who is not experienced with guinea pigs and as a default prescribes vitamin C in place of a diagnosis they are not able to make. We want to make sure that we know where you stand and what you are actually up against.

All the best with the bumblefoot. Unfortunately there is no one single successful treatment; it is often a process of working out what works best for your piggy.

Loxicom is one of the brand names for metacam. It is an analgesic (i.e. a painkiller and anti-inflammatory) to help with the pain and the swelling.

 

[Thebubbypiggies]

Thank you for the background information.

Yes, excess vitamin C will be excreted but the body will still get used to the regular level and react to a dip; especially younger piggies that have been on a very high dosage can struggle later in life. It also happens to humans, as I know myself after being allergic to histamine itself and not able to eat fruit and lots of other foods etc. for several years.
If your vet is experienced and knows your piggy, then I would follow her recommendation but refrain from throwing even more vitamin C at your piggy than prescribed and rather concentrate on encouraging your piggy to eat as much hay as possible.
A short boost - as explained - shouldn't hurt during an illness.

I have been asking because we see regularly posts from members having their piggies seen a vet who is not experienced with guinea pigs and as a default prescribes vitamin C in place of a diagnosis they are not able to make. We want to make sure that we know where you stand and what you are actually up against.

All the best with the bumblefoot. Unfortunately there is no one single successful treatment; it is often a process of working out what works best for your piggy.

Loxicom is one of the brand names for metacam. It is an analgesic (i.e. a painkiller and anti-inflammatory) to help with the pain and the swelling.

Thanks. And yes. He is 3 years old so the c vitamin is just a boost during the illness not forever. My vet is specialised for small animals not guinea pigs directly but she is better on guinea pigs, bunnies etc than dogs and cats, reptiles. Like my vets office I use have different specialists. One is good on reptiles and teeth problems, one on more on small animals like Guinea pigs and rabbits etc and 2 for dogs, even though they all know about the others. But yea. So I do really trust my vet when it comes to the c vitamins and it is just until the illness is over

 

[Thebubbypiggies]

Just don't go mad on the kale and spinach, the others can be fed daily

I won’t, But isn’t peppers rich in c vitamin?

 

[DMS260820]

I won’t, But isn’t peppers rich in c vitamin?

Yea it is, it's just too much kale and spinach can cause stomach upsets and they are both higher in calcium, so it is known to be a cause of bladder stones if fed too frequently.

 

[Thebubbypiggies]

Yea it is, it's just too much kale and spinach can cause stomach upsets and they are both higher in calcium, so it is known to be a cause of bladder stones if fed too frequently.

Yea, probably wont give them kale and spinach. will give peppers and a big coriander