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DIY treatment

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maryh

I am getting a bit concerned about the number of DIY posts coming up lately.There is no substitute for a vet.I know they are expensive but if you take on an animal you have to be prepared for this.

Yes there are some treatments you can do at home,but these should only be done on the advise of a vet anyway.Most vets will advise over the phone for minor ailments.

Good advise can be got from forums like this because a lot of members are very experienced piggy keepers.This advise should not be taken at face value however.Check it for yourself.Nobody could possibly know all their is to know about gps.,they are very complex animals.

Any advise I put on the forum is for treatments I have used on my own pigs ,several times.,and know to be safe and affective.

I am a bit worried also about the reliance on CCT,there is no one there that has a vetinary qualification.,and the "Hospital" aspect is misleading because they do not have a hospital,never have.The advise coming from this setup lately is very dangerous.
 
Totally agree Mary. Always take to a vet, forum advice no matter how good meaning can not replace vet treatment from a Guinea Savy vet.

Lice and the odd fungal is the only thing I do at home as I don't have the experience or knowledge for anything else.

Without this forum I would be really lost so it's good to get opinions from people who have been there too. :)

Can't comment on the CCT as live to far away to go there. :)
 
As most meds are only available from a vet anyway,there is not much choice other than to go to one.

Some over the counter meds can be used.but there are not many,and these are only for mild conditions.

As gps are stoic and do not often show signs of illness at an early stage,it is important to get them checked properly as soon as you notice anything wrong,They can deteriorate very very quickly.

It is impossible to give a proper diagnosis without seeing the gp ,so any advise given on a forum is a questimate based on the owners description.

One of the most important things you can do for your piggys is to find a gp savvy vet before you need one.This may take a lot of searching and you may have to travel,but a good vet can make the difference between life and death for a sick gp.
 
maryh said:
I am getting a bit concerned about the number of DIY posts coming up lately.There is no substitute for a vet.I know they are expensive but if you take on an animal you have to be prepared for this.

Yes there are some treatments you can do at home,but these should only be done on the advise of a vet anyway.Most vets will advise over the phone for minor ailments.


Any advise I put on the forum is for treatments I have used on my own pigs ,several times.,and know to be safe and affective.
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I also would never give advise on anything I hadn't done myself, my vet is also a Rodentologist and often gives me advice on how to treat my pigs myself.

Obviously I wouldn't advise a new pet owner to treat themselves for certain things, and a comppetent vet is invaluble.

I've been keeping pigs since I was a child, and have had between 30-50 pigs here for the last 6 years or so.
 
well, i only syringe feed zoe when she is off her food, but if she still won't eat i take to the vet. thanks to zoe my vet is doing an on line rodent course to learn more about them as she knows i will continue to bring mine in. the advice i get on here about medical treatment i read, weigh it up, i might try it to last me over night but will always take my girls to the vet, i also cut claws myself but if i notice a difference in them it is a vet trip O0
 
I have to take Sunshine to the vets for claws as he won't let me do them and they are black so it's tricky but at £6 I don't mind. He may trust me that way one day! :)
 
i agree completely with this mary, the only thing i will treat myself is fungal as better safe than sorry, so its best to go to a vet

after what happened with munchie and how quickly he deteriorated i would always recommend to go to the vet if you have a concern or if the piggy is showing any symptom. munchie got ill over a period of 3 days and although he seemed to improve he died on day 3 and deteriorated severely within the space of an hour

i dont want to scare people with this comment i just wanted to back up that the best thing to do is always to seek a good cavy vets advice if you think somethings wrong, not think of saving money. i was verybroke when munchie got ill as I'm a final year design student and my projects cost me hundreds of pounds at the min but i didnt care and spent a lot of my overdraft on getting him treated
 
I agree Lez. Cuzzy went down hill so fast, I had 3 weeks of constant care and he was up and down. I have a jar that I add money too and cash it in at one of those machines in the likes of Asda and Sainsbury's thats how I pay for vet fees but it all mounts up!

What I have found is pigs will pick up before passing over and time is important. The quicker they go the vets the better. My vet isn't guinea pig savy and I was going to change but decided to stick with them to educate them if I can. I always have my aunts vet for URI's and neutering etc who know their stuff. :)
 
I think this is a very important point. All information given on this forum should be double checked before even considering it. Taking your gp to the vets when not well is vital and when people say it is too expensive they really shouldn't have taken a gp on because that's part of the owner's responsibility.
 
rw3399 said:
I think this is a very important point. All information given on this forum should be double checked before even considering it. Taking your gp to the vets when not well is vital and when people say it is too expensive they really shouldn't have taken a gp on because that's part of the owner's responsibility.
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Totally agree. Every one should always be prepared for unexpected vets fees, otherwise they really shouldn't be allowed to have animals full stop.


Also it seems the CCT should most definitely be investigated for falsely implying that they are veterinary qualified, because in doing so they are braking the law.
 
I personally can not comment on the CCT.
Within my area there are not that many Cavy-savy vets and the local vet I visit, I usually tell him what was the problem and the medication I require, usally they are in an agreement with me. There has been some cases that I can not deal with myself such as internal problems, but I can usually deal with abcesses, mites, fungal, etc.
I also have been shown to do my own denistary on the Guineas, I have the mouth openers and I am waiting for the files. Last time I had a dental issue I took the mouth openers and the vet was really impressed and asked if I would get him a pair.

Emma x
 
Just wanted to say something in support of the CCT. I used to live in Cambridgeshire and have known of the CCT since it early days. I have nothing but praise for Vedra and her work for ordinary owners like myself and with vets, who she continually strives to educate. To watch her at work and see the dedication she has is extraordinary.
Had I met Vedra earlier I would have had several piggies who wouldn't have suffered the horrors of veterinary treatment - the one that still haunts me is when a young vet said he'd overtrimmed my piggies teeth and said she would starve to death so I innocently allowed her to be put to sleep which was by injection into the heart done by someone who wasn't very good at it. I can still hear my piggie screaming and knowing now that none of it was necessary makes me furious.
Vedra has done so much to educate people about rodents and everyone, even vets, have their disagreements on methods of treatment. I don't disagree with involving a vet as soon as possible but, if others have knowledge then use that knowledge and work with the vets if they are prepared to listen - thanks to Vedra many more of them now are.
 
I'm sorry you have had such an awful experience with your poor little piggie. I think the important point to this post and most other posts is that guineas need to be treated quickly if you suspect that something is wrong with them rather than trying to treat them yourself (for whatever reason) and possibly making things worse.
 
I agree, I just wish I had a vet to go to. You guys have vets and guinea pig products everywhere in the UK. The only vets we have within a 4 hour drive are large animal vets. The last time I talked to a vet he told me whatever I think! We can however order most meds online here.
 
I wasn't allowed to take my guineapigs to the vet and everyone on here started nagging and nagging me to take her even though my mum would not let me. So i didn't give up. I nagged and nagged and nagged my mum until today she finally let make take my babies to the vet. I want to thank people for nagging me so much to keeping nagging my mum, because if i didn't, my piggies would be very uncomfortable for a long time and i could not go through something like that.

If you have a piggie or animal what needs to see a vet, but you aren't allowed. Nag, bribe, do anything you can to get to the vet. Don't give up.....escpecially for your animals sake.
:smitten: :smitten: :smitten: :smitten: :smitten: :smitten: :smitten:
 
Good for you on getting your piggies treated.Under the new animal welfare act it is illegal not to take a sick animal to a vet.
 
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