• Discussions taking place within this forum are intended for the purpose of assisting you in discussing options with your vet. Any other use of advice given here is done so at your risk, is solely your responsibility and not that of this forum or its owner. Before posting it is your responsibility you abide by this Statement

head tilt

Status
Not open for further replies.
ILoveGilbertTheGuineaPig

ILoveGilbertTheGuineaPig

Senior Guinea Pig
Joined
Feb 16, 2009
Messages
5,419
Reaction score
213
Points
775
Location
MA, USA
gilbert is sick:( he's eating and going to the bathroom normally but he's got a head tilt and will sometimes fall on his side. he's going to the vets tomorrow at 3:10 so i hope everything will be fine. i've heard some stories about head tilts and it should be an ear infection.. anyways i would just like to know your experience if you have had a guinea pig with a head tilt

p.s. in the past, gilbert has experienced the same thing except it only lasted a day.
 
Sorry to hear your piggy is ill :(

One of my perminant girls Hazel has a head tilt, she has it 98% of the time, she is ok most of the time, but somtimes she falls but thats only when she is ill. She has now been reintroduced to me trio of girls, so they are a foursome again :)

Dont let your vet PTS, some suggest its best, but it's not. They can still lead a very long normal life.
 
oh yes definitely! i have many questions regarding gilbert's health to ask tomorrow. i'm expecting him to prescribe antibiotics and probiotics. DEFINITELY not PTS!

btw, can't you get Hazel to the vets to maybe get treatment? or is her head tilt permanent?:{
 
Last edited:
Have you tried smelling her ear that is tilted down some times you can smell an infection, I am led to believe.... Dependant on age it could be a stroke but some do recover and can behave like a normal pig again in time. Please don't PTS unless he is in pain and not enjoying life

Best of luck at the vets!
 
Head tilt;
Ear infection.
Pulled muscle.
Stroke. Very unlikely.
Brain tumour. Extremely unlikely.
 
from what i hear (from gilbert) he is definitely enjoying life...does anyone know why he wheeks louder then he used to?
 
are they the distress wheeks? from pain or is he trying to get your attention because he is hungry but can't eat?
 
he can eat perfectly normal. (although he has gone off the carrots) and the wheeks are to get my attention for food. he is drinking, eating, and pooing/peeing normally
 
i am back from the vets and am VERY happy! he behaved VERY well and was very tired after :)) wish i could have gotten pictures on the ride home but i didn't bring my camera! anyways, the vet has prescribed Trimeth and it will be given to him orally twice a day for 2 weeks. here we go on the road to recovery! :)

p.s. when he got home he was wheeking with happiness :)
 
Amelia love how's the little man today?
The girls send him loads of kisses to help heal him, i'm sending him some little kisses for that cute nose and HUGS for you sweetie
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
 
gilbert's doing great! for the first time today, he refused the medicine...well the last .1 ml! hopefully tonight he'll drink it like juice :)) it seems that his head tilt is nearly gone. i still have atleast one week of meds...rolleyes one thing i do worry about is the hay loft - he's not going up there! so i've been leaving hay downstairs :)
 
Awww I am glad Gilbert is doing good!

I dont wanna hijack the thread but I have a question:

My guinea pig Pebbles has always tilted her head. I just thought it was something cute she did..and now I am really worried!

I smelled her ears but they dont smell like anything..

What should I do?
 
Hi!

First of all I advise you make your own thread because you can get more answers from doing that. As of now, can you give me some information on Pebbles' lifestyle? Such as what she eats and how she is currently acting? (depressed, not eating, etc.)
 
Yeah I should!

She eats tons and tons of hay and loves food and veggies. So she is def eating. Out of my 5 she and another one is the ones that are most on to the food lol!
 
Hi All

Just had a look in my book (Diseases of Domestic Guinea Pigs V.G.C. Richardson) and that says the tilting the head and or falling over is a sign of inner ear infection.

Mind you, I don't think you will want to know what this book says about the prognosis.
 
Paul-H said:
Hi All

Just had a look in my book (Diseases of Domestic Guinea Pigs V.G.C. Richardson) and that says the tilting the head and or falling over is a sign of inner ear infection.

Mind you, I don't think you will want to know what this book says about the prognosis.
Click to expand...

I can hazard a guess is the book old? It may not be updated, if it is! :x
 
First I will admit the book is aimed at Vets and we all know what most vets think should be the appropriate treatment for any Guinea Pig illness, although I my be doing the author a disservice by saying that. It is after all an attempt to educate vets into the Diseases of Domestic Guinea Pigs which is more than they get in all the years of their formal training.

Anyway, I digress

Prognosis

As its an infection within the bones of the inner ear, its un-likely that any antibiotics used will reach the infected area.

So

If the Guinea lives alone then it will just get on with its life and get used to it.

If the Guinea lives with others then it should be PTS

Its a bit of an odd statement as if the antibiotics cannot get to the infection because its within the bone structure how is the infection going to get out and infect the other cage mates.

Still that's what it said
 
Is a very odd statement, I would hope vets would consider all options before PTS.

Personally if my pig was totally fine other than head tilt I certainly would not be allowing the vet to PTS.

Touch wood, so far I've had no major problems with my guinea pigs, but I know from previous experience of the vets I have used (hamsters, dogs, rabbits) they would go out there way to help an animal were possible.

I know there are bad vets and inexperienced one's (met a few) but there are vets willing to help too.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top