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Caring For A Mistreated Baby Guinea Pig

This is so heartbreaking. What a horrible start to life he has had. Thank goodness you both did what you did and have saved his life, he is now one lucky Guinea and I love that you are both so caring.

interestingly one of my first adopted rescues when xrayed for something else the vet said she had had broken ribs at some point. I had adopted her at about 3 months and she had never fallen or been bullied in the time I had her so we assumed it was from before. Now I wonder what had happened to her before that...you just never know what these poor things go through do you..if only they could talk.

good luck and thank you so much for being caring x
 
Hi @RaineTheLlama Again.
Well that's great news popcorn munching etc. You doing right still going to vets get the little chap a mot. . I'm sending you and piggie lots tlc. . Some of us on this forum have rescue a badly treated piggie and the reward when they return tlc is a wonderful rewarding thing.
The person who you say mistreated him needs reporting alas piggies are not considered worthy . . Id still report the guy to RSPCA etc. . they could have a input.
Really hope all goes well at vets.
When you came on and told us your story I feared the worse and perhaps a long journey but I'm happy if wrong.
You doing great and best wishes. X
 
RaineTheLlama said:
Update on the pig: I’ve managed to get an emergency appointment for him tomorrow. I was going to come on here panicking because I thought he was having mini seizures throwing himself into the air, but it turns out he is happy and “popcorning”! 😂 This has absolutely made my day.

We have bought him toys and can hear him playing when he thinks no one is watching and he is getting through lots of hay! The bloating has also gone down to nothing. I’m glad he has an appointment tomorrow and we can get him all checked out.

Thank you all again for your advice, it is helping us out a lot x
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AWWW - he must think he has landed in heaven! Glad that he is feeling so much better in himself. I am sure that with some piggy whispering, good care and a companion once he is safe to be bonded, he will come round quickly. Use the piggy whispering to tell him that he is a welcome part of the group he is leading by gently fondling his ear and then stroking around his eyes and cheeks (i.e. piggy kisses); do this during the vet visit and after to reassure him repeatedly in ways that make sense to him.
Let your love well up in you and form a gentle and safe bubble around him where he is safe and welcome. Piggies are much more sensitive to emotions than we humans.
This is in my own experience helping to speed up the process of bringing a traumatised or very skittish piggy round a lot sooner; even one that totally freaks out when being handled.

I hope that his eye is not any worse?

PS: Here is our enrichment guide, which looks at how you can appeal to all the senses and build it into feeding/human interaction time - much healthier and more interesting than treats, as well as a great way of building up a relationship that doesn't involved too much stressful handling.
Enrichment Ideas for Guinea Pigs
 
Guinea Slave said:
This is so heartbreaking. What a horrible start to life he has had. Thank goodness you both did what you did and have saved his life, he is now one lucky Guinea and I love that you are both so caring.

interestingly one of my first adopted rescues when xrayed for something else the vet said she had had broken ribs at some point. I had adopted her at about 3 months and she had never fallen or been bullied in the time I had her so we assumed it was from before. Now I wonder what had happened to her before that...you just never know what these poor things go through do you..if only they could talk.

good luck and thank you so much for being caring x
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I know, bless his heart. I can’t understand how some people can be so cruel. I’m certain the horrible excuse of a man would have dumped him somewhere if he didn’t think he’d get his money back 🤬 That story you shared is shocking. I’m glad you adopted her.
 
David Piggie Lover said:
Hi @RaineTheLlama Again.
Well that's great news popcorn munching etc. You doing right still going to vets get the little chap a mot. . I'm sending you and piggie lots tlc. . Some of us on this forum have rescue a badly treated piggie and the reward when they return tlc is a wonderful rewarding thing.
The person who you say mistreated him needs reporting alas piggies are not considered worthy . . Id still report the guy to RSPCA etc. . they could have a input.
Really hope all goes well at vets.
When you came on and told us your story I feared the worse and perhaps a long journey but I'm happy if wrong.
You doing great and best wishes. X
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Thank you David. I am so glad there are so many kind people who rescue these vulnerable animals, we need to balance out the evil in the world. I am going to follow your suggestion even if it gets nowhere and report him to the RSPCA as well. I’m sure my fiancé’s dad has contact information written down somewhere for all animals that are purchased (providing he gave accurate details when he bought the pig), so I believe that may actually get somewhere. I’m not letting this man off on my watch, not if he’s even thinking about getting another pig. I will not let him if I have any say in the matter. Thanks for your suggestion, I should have thought of that but for some reason I didn’t.
 
Wiebke said:
AWWW - he must think he has landed in heaven! Glad that he is feeling so much better in himself. I am sure that with some piggy whispering, good care and a companion once he is safe to be bonded, he will come round quickly. Use the piggy whispering to tell him that he is a welcome part of the group he is leading by gently fondling his ear and then stroking around his eyes and cheeks (i.e. piggy kisses); do this during the vet visit and after to reassure him repeatedly in ways that make sense to him.
Let your love well up in you and form a gentle and safe bubble around him where he is safe and welcome. Piggies are much more sensitive to emotions than we humans.
This is in my own experience helping to speed up the process of bringing a traumatised or very skittish piggy round a lot sooner; even one that totally freaks out when being handled.

I hope that his eye is not any worse?

PS: Here is our enrichment guide, which looks at how you can appeal to all the senses and build it into feeding/human interaction time - much healthier and more interesting than treats, as well as a great way of building up a relationship that doesn't involved too much stressful handling.
Enrichment Ideas for Guinea Pigs
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Thank you very much for the suggestion, I was going to use your advice yesterday but I had to sit outside the building while they took him away because of the coronavirus thing. I wanted to stay with him to make sure he knew he wasn’t being abandoned, but they wouldn’t have it 😒 I used it a lot when we came back home though and he absolutely loved it. Thank you for sharing the guide, I want him to be as happy as he can be. RE: his eyes, I will post an update here on the thread on the vet visit in a little while. x
 
So update on the pig #2:

Took little one to his emergency vet appointment yesterday. I told them the full story but couldn’t see what they were doing at the checkup because I had to wait outside the building. They said they gave him a full checkup and that his general health is good (thank goodness), though he seems to be a bit malnourished and underweight. Told me to keep doing what I’m doing and he will gain his full strength back in time.

His sides seem a bit tender but there is no obvious sign he is in pain (making too much of a noise and jumping around etc he just turns away and tries to run when he is touched there), so the vet suspects he is a bit bruised and that it’ll heal on its own, if it worsens they will have him x-rayed.

His eyes both have a corneal ulcer (apparently it’s usually in one eye) and they are also both infected, so he has a double whammy there. Vet prescribed Isathal 10mg antibiotic drops 3x per day and also Remend Corneal Repair Gel 3x per day. She thinks that will fully treat everything, if not there are other more expensive options to clear his eyes which I will take as long as this little chap gets better. Thankfully our vet is one of the best in London, I think we stand a good chance.

I will give updates as they come. Little chap seems very happy all things considering, and I am learning more every day. I have fallen for this guinea pig ❤️
 
RaineTheLlama said:
So update on the pig #2:

Took little one to his emergency vet appointment yesterday. I told them the full story but couldn’t see what they were doing at the checkup because I had to wait outside the building. They said they gave him a full checkup and that his general health is good (thank goodness), though he seems to be a bit malnourished and underweight. Told me to keep doing what I’m doing and he will gain his full strength back in time.

His sides seem a bit tender but there is no obvious sign he is in pain (making too much of a noise and jumping around etc he just turns away and tries to run when he is touched there), so the vet suspects he is a bit bruised and that it’ll heal on its own, if it worsens they will have him x-rayed.

His eyes both have a corneal ulcer (apparently it’s usually in one eye) and they are also both infected, so he has a double whammy there. Vet prescribed Isathal 10mg antibiotic drops 3x per day and also Remend Corneal Repair Gel 3x per day. She thinks that will fully treat everything, if not there are other more expensive options to clear his eyes which I will take as long as this little chap gets better. Thankfully our vet is one of the best in London, I think we stand a good chance.

I will give updates as they come. Little chap seems very happy all things considering, and I am learning more every day. I have fallen for this guinea pig ❤
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So glad to hear that your poor little piggy doesnt have any major injuries, hopefully his eyes will heal well with the right treatment and he will thrive with a proper diet and lots of love and care x
 
Isathal and Remend are good stuff. They should sort his eye out. How long do you have to do the eyedrops for? 5 days or 7 days?
 
What a lucky boy to have such a dedicated caring owner.
Healing corneal ulcers can’t take time but will heal with the stuff you’ve been given.
It took Micah about a month but he has dodgy eyes anyway.
Hope everything else mends quickly.

If I’ve had a piggy who needed a weight boost there’s a couple of things mine have all liked.
Grated sweet potato with some oats and Critical Care with a bit of banana mashed in which I put into a small dish in the cage
 
Merab's Slave said:
If I’ve had a piggy who needed a weight boost there’s a couple of things mine have all liked.
Grated sweet potato with some oats and Critical Care with a bit of banana mashed in which I put into a small dish in the cage
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If you add in a bit of grated apple to the sweet potato and oats that goes down well too.
 
Aw, so glad it’s nothing major to worry too much about. Wishing the little chap a speedy recovery, he’s so lucky to have found you, fate is a funny thing 🤔
 
Hope the gorgeous little guy heals well! Bless him, what a little fighter he is :love:
Good for you taking him in, sounds like he’s going to be well and truly spoilt rotten! :D x
 
RaineTheLlama said:
Thank you very much for the suggestion, I was going to use your advice yesterday but I had to sit outside the building while they took him away because of the coronavirus thing. I wanted to stay with him to make sure he knew he wasn’t being abandoned, but they wouldn’t have it 😒 I used it a lot when we came back home though and he absolutely loved it. Thank you for sharing the guide, I want him to be as happy as he can be. RE: his eyes, I will post an update here on the thread on the vet visit in a little while. x
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Please accept that the current rules are very strict in order to keep any veterinary services open and as safe as possible for the staff as long as there is no vaccine for key workers and any vulnerable people. Nobody is happy about it, but rest assured that your little boy will have been checked and handled as gently as possible. It has made vet access possible for all animals in need over the last months but needs to ensure that this continues for as long as there is a transmission risk for any people in direct contact with potential virus carriers in order to keep the service going and the clinics open.
COVID-19 - Vet visits/emergencies during coronavirus/Covid-19 lockdown
 
RaineTheLlama said:
So update on the pig #2:

Took little one to his emergency vet appointment yesterday. I told them the full story but couldn’t see what they were doing at the checkup because I had to wait outside the building. They said they gave him a full checkup and that his general health is good (thank goodness), though he seems to be a bit malnourished and underweight. Told me to keep doing what I’m doing and he will gain his full strength back in time.

His sides seem a bit tender but there is no obvious sign he is in pain (making too much of a noise and jumping around etc he just turns away and tries to run when he is touched there), so the vet suspects he is a bit bruised and that it’ll heal on its own, if it worsens they will have him x-rayed.

His eyes both have a corneal ulcer (apparently it’s usually in one eye) and they are also both infected, so he has a double whammy there. Vet prescribed Isathal 10mg antibiotic drops 3x per day and also Remend Corneal Repair Gel 3x per day. She thinks that will fully treat everything, if not there are other more expensive options to clear his eyes which I will take as long as this little chap gets better. Thankfully our vet is one of the best in London, I think we stand a good chance.

I will give updates as they come. Little chap seems very happy all things considering, and I am learning more every day. I have fallen for this guinea pig ❤
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Hi!

Poor boy, but at least the eye infection doesn't seem to be too serious if you are getting away with the isathal and don't have to resort to the heavy canons like chloramphenicol! Just keep at it and try to space it out as evenly through the day as possible. Make sure that you wait for at least 30-60 minutes after applying the isathal before using any remend in order to allow the isathal to be fully absorbed. The gel is longer lasting than drops, so leave that for the bigger interval for general comfort (hydration) and also for penetrating into the deeper areas to address any infection that may have penetrated there. Eyes tend to heal fairly quickly when they are seen and treated promptly, so you should see an improvement within 2-3 days.
Try to gently pull the lower lid away from the eye and aim any drops/gel into the gap. Otherwise try to sneak in any eye meds over the back while your boy is fully absorbed in nomming away on some favourite food - she should look away from you sitting on your thighs. Don't expect that everything is going in perfectly the first time or even on the third attempt; especially if the eyes are still very sore. But your little one knows that he is in good hands and will soon catch on that the eye medication is making him feel better!
I hope that this helps you?
 
Merab's Slave said:
What a lucky boy to have such a dedicated caring owner.
Healing corneal ulcers can’t take time but will heal with the stuff you’ve been given.
It took Micah about a month but he has dodgy eyes anyway.
Hope everything else mends quickly.

If I’ve had a piggy who needed a weight boost there’s a couple of things mine have all liked.
Grated sweet potato with some oats and Critical Care with a bit of banana mashed in which I put into a small dish in the cage
Click to expand...

out of interest is the sweet potato cooked or raw?
 
Just wanted to give a final update for the thread before I move on to other parts of the forum now that I am the mother of a guinea pig.

Hamlet (he finally has a name!) is doing really, really well. He has almost fully recovered (still using the ulcer gel under the vet’s suggestion) but they’re looking normal and much less sore than they were. He has also gained weight and the vet is happy with his progress since the last visit.

He fully trusts us and we’re spending lots of time with him, he even has naps on us now and is still doing lots of popcorning. We are currently looking for a friend for him, thinking about getting him a girlfriend but I read we have to wait a little bit for him to be neutered.

I will post a couple of pictures of Hamlet, one with his dad who saved him :) Thanks again everyone, and I look forward to speaking with you all in the forum again sometime.A68D005B-4617-48E0-BAAE-ECCE13E568A0.webp01409E6A-B13D-4292-B614-B9CB0C3DE91B.webp
 
So lovely to hear he is doing well.

Yes, if you get him neutered he has to be old enough to have the op and then has to wait a further six weeks after the op to become infertile before he can be put with a sow.

Do keep us posted on his progress!
 
RaineTheLlama said:
Just wanted to give a final update for the thread before I move on to other parts of the forum now that I am the mother of a guinea pig.

Hamlet (he finally has a name!) is doing really, really well. He has almost fully recovered (still using the ulcer gel under the vet’s suggestion) but they’re looking normal and much less sore than they were. He has also gained weight and the vet is happy with his progress since the last visit.

He fully trusts us and we’re spending lots of time with him, he even has naps on us now and is still doing lots of popcorning. We are currently looking for a friend for him, thinking about getting him a girlfriend but I read we have to wait a little bit for him to be neutered.

I will post a couple of pictures of Hamlet, one with his dad who saved him :) Thanks again everyone, and I look forward to speaking with you all in the forum again sometime.View attachment 148446View attachment 148447
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Aw so lovely to have an update, looks like Hamlet really loves his piggy daddy!
When we brought home lone little boar Theo from a nasty shouty family who didnt like him (had him for 5 weeks then gave him away to get a puppy instead :( ) he also spent several weeks permanently attached to his piggy daddy's beard or snuggling up his jumper until he got big enough to be neutered and meet ladies :)
I am sure he is very happy to he getting so much love and attention in his kind new family after his awful start in life, looking forward to updates as he grows up enough to get neutered and meet a lovely lady pig :) x
 
What a lovely update. The time you have put in to get him well has paid off so well done to you! He’s absolutely gorgeous and when you find him a (girl)friend he will enjoy his life with you even more. 😁 Do start a thread for him please!
 
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