First Aid Kit?

[Abytude]

Hi
I am looking at putting together a little first aid/health box for the pigs and was wondering what are the absolute essential items that I should include (without breaking the bank)
I was thinking; GP nail clippers, 1ml and 10ml syringes, Pro-C, small animal shampoo, GP brush/comb...
I have seen other people mentioning Critical Care sachets and the like, but I'm reluctant to pay lots only for them to have a short shelf life. Are the any alternatives to Critical Care? Are mashed pellets good enough in an emergency?I have also seen people mentioning using human baby food (the pure fruit/veg puree ones) would this be ok in an emergency?

Any help and any other ideas would be appreciated.
thanks

 

[Swissgreys]

There is a good thread here about First Aid Kits.

First Aid Kit For Guinea Pigs

The one thing I would add would be a pouch or two of 100% fruit puree (baby food) as you can disguise a lot in a teaspoon of fruit puree!

 

[Abytude]

That's great thanks for the link, I had found other threads mentioning first aid kits but I didn't come across this one which is more comprehensive.
That's a good idea regarding the puree, I have two fussy small children so I'm am already pro at disguising food

 

[Wiebke]

Hi
I am looking at putting together a little first aid/health box for the pigs and was wondering what are the absolute essential items that I should include (without breaking the bank)
I was thinking; GP nail clippers, 1ml and 10ml syringes, Pro-C, small animal shampoo, GP brush/comb...
I have seen other people mentioning Critical Care sachets and the like, but I'm reluctant to pay lots only for them to have a short shelf life. Are the any alternatives to Critical Care? Are mashed pellets good enough in an emergency?I have also seen people mentioning using human baby food (the pure fruit/veg puree ones) would this be ok in an emergency?

Any help and any other ideas would be appreciated.
thanks

You can use mushed up pellets in an emergency until your Critical Care order arrives, but for the longer term they do not contain enough hay fibre, which should make over 80% of the daily food intake. I would stay off baby food unless you have a long term syringe feed guinea pig, purely because veg and even more so fruit only make a small percentage of the food intake.

 

[Abytude]

Thank you,
I think I'm going to keep it simple and include the following;
nail clippers and file
brush/comb
small pet shampoo
Pro-C
some syringes (for pellets/water/pro-c in emergencies)

I have other bits around the home that I can use such as; disposable gloves, hot water bottle, cotton pads, gauze pads, salt water for bathing cuts/scratches, cooled boiled water for bathing eyes.
Anything else that I need I'm sure the vet can prescribe if ever it's needed (hopefully we'll never have to use them)
Thank you

 

[Swissgreys]

You can use mushed up pellets in an emergency until your Critical Care order arrives, but for the longer term they do not contain enough hay fibre, which should make over 80% of the daily food intake. I would stay off baby food unless you have a long term syringe feed guinea pig, purely because veg and even more so fruit only make a small percentage of the food intake.

But I still think baby food is useful to have on hand as it can be used (in small amounts - not as a significant part of the diet) to disguise an unpleasant liquid medication, or encourage a very reluctant eater.

 

[Abytude]

But I still think baby food is useful to have on hand as it can be used (in small amounts - not as a significant part of the diet) to disguise an unpleasant liquid medication, or encourage a very reluctant eater.

Thanks,
I'll include some anyway (as its very inexpensive and lasts years) and I can always get vet advice on whether or not I should use it in a certain situation.