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Difficult Times At Teas

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MintyAndGarry (TEAS)

Adult Guinea Pig
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Director at TEAS (West Hunsbury), Northampton, UK
It’s always a joy when piggies who come to TEAS do well and can return home to their expectant owners; many do achieve this milestone. That is the reason the Sanctuary exists and is the hope that we hold for all the animals that come to us. However, that is all it can be - a hope for a positive outcome but lately, several piggies haven't been lucky enough to make it. Not only is it incredibly difficult for the owners to lose a piggy, but it is also hard for us here at TEAS. With many of our temporary residents needing round the clock, hands on care, it is natural that we become attached to them while they are here and any losses therefore hit us hard.

Sadly, there can be no guarantees in the line of animal care that we undertake. We hold vast experience of supportive care for many types of ailments that piggies can come down with, but unfortunately, we can’t work miracles. If a piggy arrives in the early stages of a condition, there is a greater chance that a positive outcome can be achieved. Regretfully, over the past few weeks, several piggies have passed away as they had become too weak by the time they came to the Sanctuary.

It really is a must that animals reach us as early as possible. If the first thought through an owner’s mind upon hearing their pig had stopped eating due to dental issues was to get in touch with TEAS, many more piggies could end up with a manageable condition, if not be cured. Unfortunately though, through no fault of their own, people believe that their vet will have the knowledge to deal with their piggy’s issues successfully, but due to a general lack of ability in this area, this is not the case. Although there are some cavy savvy vets out there, no other vet has achieved such incredible results with dental pigs as Simon Maddock of the Cat and Rabbit Care Clinic here in Northampton. He is not an 'exotics specialist', nor does he claim to be anything special, yet he really, really is. His skills have been honed over many years, with piggies from the length and breadth of the country, and his and our successes are only possible because of the rich experience he has gained through his dedication to this field over the past decade. In addition to this, his and Kim's general veterinary knowledge of guinea pigs is also second to none, as they work solely with cats and small furries, so see far more piggies than your standard vet would.

Should you ever find yourself in the position of having a potential dental piggy, please, please get in touch.
 
Believe me, if I ever need it I will be on the phone to TEAS and/or Simon in a shot! Thankfully til now we've never needed to.....

Keep doing what you are doing, despite the heartache, @MintyAndGarry and @furryfriends Excellent Adventure Sanctuary your care and input for so many piggies in need is invaluable and has made such a difference to so many lives, even those ones which were a little shorter than they ,might have been. Be strong and keep doing it. It's an amazing legacy.....
 
Because of Debbie at TEAS and Uncle Simon, my Junior is still alive today, Junior didn't have a dental issue, but rather a serious mouth infection and a swollen tongue. My vets wanted me to put him under GA for an op on his teeth that it turns out he didn't need. With Simon's knowledge and the help of the Piggy Train, he was eating for himself again within 24 hours, after 3-4 days of extreme upset and around the clock feeding. Today here he is :)
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So very true. Within 1 month of acquiring Peanut Butter from a shelter knew immediately something was wrong with his toofies. He was only 2 months old at the time and cagemate Hazelnut who was 7 months old had incisors only half the length of PB. We don't have a TEAS or Simon here in Brisbane, But having joined this wonderful forum on initially acquiring Hazelnut at 11 weeks I myself had become rather savvy on what regular check-ups I should be doing. Didn't have any good exotics vets around my area at the time, but I certainly knew to take him to the nearest small animal vet & ask for an X-ray. PB is now 3 years old and still receiving successful monthly dental work.
 
My only concern is how I would get Bonbon to you. Also, after Biscuit passed away just a day after I surrendered him to a rescue, with the hope of him having the care he needed with what at the time was meant to have been impaction issues which turned out far more serious than I could ever have imagined, I'm reluctant to send BonBon away for treatment, as I worry i'll never see her again.
Had I known what was wrong with Biscuit, i'd have had him pts myself, and I'd have stayed with him, but his condition was not one known by my vet.
You do understand where I'm coming from I hope? I care deeply for my piggies, and loosing two within two weeks of each other left me reeling with devastation. I'm still upset over it even now, 17 months later.
I've spent tonight, washing her chin, as she was covered in liquid food. That's twice today, the only good thing about it though, is she's spent a lot of today at the food bowl eating, and she's a lot brighter in herself. I need answers, but not sure my Oh is going to support me in this as he just doesn't understand the emotional attachment I have with my pets.
Could you help her? I can't drive though, so a piggy train would have to be organised. I'm in Glossop, near Manchester.
 
I was in York and managed to get Junior down to Debbie with the help of the Piggy Train :) He was away for a week and a half and I missed him terribly, but it was the best thing for him. Debbie gave me a couple of video updates as well when he was eating for himself again which made it much more bearable.
Debbie and Simon will do everything they can to get BonBon back to you safely and in good health.
Feel free to PM myself or @Stewybus as we are Piggy Train admins, and will try and sort this out for you.
 
With changeovers it would be about a 3 hours journey with 3 or 4 volunteers. We have a lot of volunteers along that route so shouldn't be too big a piggy train to organise when it's needed :) x
 
Thanks guys :) She's not a bad traveller, in fact she spent the trip to the vets eating the grass i'd picked for her and sticking her nose up at the lid trying to sniff the air. She only gave the disgruntled stare when she realized where we were, and tried to dig her way under the bedding in the carrier.
 
They always try to get under their bedding when in carriers so always give them plenty of hay on top & they will feel safe undr the hay :) x
 
I'm feeling really stressed right now :( For the first time since this started she has me really worried sick. :'(
 
I would suggest that firstly you contact Debbie without delay to find out when she has available space (and availability of Simon or Kim given holiday season is approaching).
Once yo have an agreed date/timescale, then contact the Piggie train admins to make arrangements for transport.
HTH
x
 
Already in the process @Pebble :)
We're in the middle of June and I have the heating on for her :( MInd you, it's been 11C here today wish the weather would make it's mind up..
 
I have a couple of beanie bags that can be microwaved, but i don't want the little mites chewing into it as it's probably poisonousness.
 
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