Thanks for your help. Are inner ear infections fatal? Dr google says alsorts of negative things about them but I’d rather here it from a piggy owner than a website online .
Ear infections can be fatal or cause permanent damage if not treated or undertreated/home treated on spec. If you see a vet promptly as soon as you notice a head tilt or any sign that an ear is uncomfortable or painful (head shaking, pawing etc) or that the balance is affected/turning in circles, the risk is pretty low. We have seen many more good outcomes than bad ones.
Please also be aware that there are some other potentially lethal problems that manifest similarly so misdiagnosis is not quite uncommon, especially with vet that are less experienced with guinea pig. A hands-on diagnosis is in any case important to work out what is going on.
If in any doubt, any vet will generally prescribe an antibiotic as the first line of defence in order to address the potentially fatal issues and make that this cannot happen.
If you have anxiety problems, then I would strongly recommend to stay off online googling. It is not the most reliable resource.
You have to be aware that horror stories and bad outcomes are usually reported in all their gory detail and then passed on by people often without any personal experience and medical knowledge.
Whereas positive outcomes (which make the vast majority) are rarely reported and posted about. This means that you get a very skewed picture and that you have to take this always very much into account when making any judgments. The quality of any resulting advice can also be problematic because when everybody is adding a little bit extra margin to their advice when handing it on, it can quite quickly get out of hand.
You are always welcome to ask on here whenever you are worried whether something is normal or not. We are working hard to keep our forum a friendly space where any question can be asked and will be answered in a factual and friendly way. We all have started at point zero and have had to learn - and we are all still learning!
We also have got lots of helpful guides on a vast range of topics, including learning what is normal and what not and how to spot illness early, when and how soon to see a vet and what to do in an emergency. You can access our guide collection either via the green fields at the top of the various Care sections or in thematical order via the shortcut on the top bar. We are not a medical forum as such; our aim is to support any members throughout their ownership and during any veterinary treatment.
We have got designated members whose medical knowledge and experience we fully trust and who are keeping a special eye on this section. They are listed in link here, including how our Health/Illness section is handled:
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