• 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

I Didn't Know My Piggies Were Poorly When I Brought Them :(

Status
Not open for further replies.
MycuteBoys

MycuteBoys

Adult Guinea Pig
Joined
Jun 15, 2014
Messages
2,678
Reaction score
2,766
Points
1,025
Location
Nr Bourne, Linconshire, uk
Hi I'm new :)
I am so upset I hope you don't mind me sharing my story. (Sorry if it seems a little long)
For a year now my two daughters and I have been looking after my friends two lovely guinea pigs each time she is away. My girls (6 and 11) have loved looking after them and often just pop over to fuss them, they have asked many a time if one day if they could have their own piggy. I had guinea pigs as a child and found them as great pet so Ive spent the last few months looking into everything, what they need, costs, best bedding to use, what they can and can not eat etc etc I saved up to get the best of the best for them then I had to find our new piggies and surprise my girls with they news they could have their own guinea pigs, I planned to get them from a lovely garden centre pet shop but a lady I work with told me about a rescue and rehoming lady near by that she had got her piggies from months before so because her piggies were ok I thought it would be lovely to give a couple of piggies a second chance and a very loving home.
We visited and all seemed ok with the rabbits and guinea piggies in a corner of her large garden the cages were old but clean, the rabbits and piggies didn't mind being handled etc so to cut a long story short after many visits we found the piggies for us 3 very cute little baby brothers. We were very exited to go and fetch then when they were ready and brought them home, I had gave them a good look over and they looked well etc the following morning I noticed a dry patch of hard skin on fudges rump I contacted the lady I got them from and she said the gel she put on their necks when I brought them would clear that sort of thing then a few days later I noticed white rice like things running all over Oreo :( I contacted the my local vet who said to bring them in which I did, tests showed they were riddled with fur mites and lice and they would need to be tested for ringworm also, I left the vets with a big vet bill and a worry about my little guinea pigs Heath. About a week later a call from the vets conformed a very bad case of ringworm In all 3 of my piggies I was so upset I even cried :( the vet had already told me ringworm costs a lot of money to treat. I took them back to the vet for the treatment and left with a second vet bill that was HUGE. The treatment means cleaning out then spraying the hutch and everything in it daily with a treatment for a month and syringing medicine into my piggies each morning and worse of all I have to spray them until soaked in another treatment all for a month (leaving them frightened and looking like drowned rats) my girls can no longer touch their piggies which is upsetting them just until we get the all clear. They were easy to handle and liked a fuss even falling asleep on our laps now they are scared and hide when I go near their cage. We love them to bits and we have only had them for 3 weeks, I'm a week into their treatment and I'm being told by friends and family I should ask her to pay my vet bills as they came to me poorly, I'm not someone who can just go to this lady and ask her for the money, would you ask? Has anyone been through such a thing, I feel so down out the huge vet bills and upset by putting my piggies though the treatment daily.
Thank you for reading
 
I'm so sorry to hear you're having to deal with all of that! I know what you mean about asking her to cover the costs - I had a similar situation when I bought my girls from a farm (if only I'd found this forum first!) and discovered they were both pregnant a few weeks later. Part of me wanted to demand my money back plus the costs of treating the ringworm that a couple of the babies developed (now all clear) but it almost felt like more hassle than it was worth.

Do you only handle them for their treatment at the moment? I know it's so hard with ringworm as everything needs constantly washing and disinfecting, but mine all seemed to realise eventually that the torment of being anointed was actually helping them get less itchy and as a result seem a lot happier with being handled.

I hope you manage to get it all under control xx
 
Hi katanamoon
Thank you for replying,
I'm risking handling them as much as I can whenever I can because but only me and I always wash my hands/arms with antibacterial soap straight way after handing, I wear an old top that goes into the wash every time I handle them also my little fellas love sleeping under a towel so they have about 15 white towels at the last count that are just used for them I change the towel everyday and wash on a very high temp once I have a washer load full I then put my washer on a 95c clean cycle before I wash any of our items.
I didn't want them thinking every time they heard my voice it was to treat them/soak them etc so between treatments I put my hand in their cage and stroke them and talk to them also like tonight I spent 5 mins with each one a carried them around my garden talking to them and hand feeding them fresh grass which they seemed to enjoy and they were settled I hope I'm doing the right thing I feel so guilty that they are going though this.
I'm glad to hear your piggies are all ok now, yes i do think they understand I'm trying to help them I'm trying to stick to a routine with them eg treatment cleaning out in the morning and their bowl of veg afterwards then fuss during the day before spray number two which is followed by their nuggets (hay topped up whenever its low and fresh water daily)
I hope I'm doing this right x
 
I am sorry that you have been left with a huge bill. Ringworm is an opportunist that can pop up when a piggy is under stress.

Any of our recommended good standard rescues (see top bar) is conducting a mandatory quarantine upon arrival, a vet check before putting a piggy up for adoption, and they will also take back piggies for proper treatment if there is a rare problem after rehoming. From what you are saying, the place you unfortunately rehomed from is obviously not up to scratch; it is not always obvious from just looking at it when you do not know what to look for or what questions to ask before rehoming. Like with breeders, anybody can call themselves a rescue and there is no licensing system. :(

That said, with the right medication and hygiene, ringworm can be got on top of fairly straight forward. It takes about 1-2 weeks, with a two weeks observation phase afterwards. @helen105281 has already given you our link with hygiene tips and ringworm pictures.

In order to always give our members from all over the world the appropriate advice and recommendation straight away, you can help us a lot by adding your country, state or (for the UK) your county/general area. click on your username on the top bar, then go personal details/location. Thanks!
 
Hi, thank you for your replies.
Yes Helen they are on itrafungol once a day :) as well as Antiseptic solution made up in a spray bottle which I have to soak them in twice a day and the vet also gave me a disinfectant for their hutch and bowls, bottle, toys etc. because they are so young I worry about them getting cold so like today with it being wet, windy and cold outside I've brought them into the utility room and they are happy snuggled up in a box under their clean towel (they have their veg and water with them too)
I'm keeping to the following daily routine .....in the morning they have their itrafungol then i clean out their hutch, spray each of them popping them back into their clean hutch I give them a big bowl of greens and veg, change their water, put more hay in their hay rack then leave them to eat play and rest. From mid day until about 4 I will pop to their hutch when I can to give them a fuss washing my hands each time that I do (I do this so they don't think I'm always going to spray them) i top up their hay whenever it gets low, at about 4 I spray them again give them their dried food and change their water I leave them be for a few hours (longer if I'm working) then once home I give them one last fuss wash my hands top up their hay and pull the hutch cover down and leave them until the morning.
I'm very funny about hygiene/hand washing and I like to keep a clean tidy home so I hope my fussiness pays off lol, and that they get the all clear from the vet in 3 weeks so my girls can enjoy spending time with them again.
 
Thank you for the link about ringworm it was the helpful link I found when I needed advice thank you. I've also now added where I live etc, I will not be going to a 'rehoming' place again I will follow your links on here for breeders and where best to get guinea pigs from etc instead. (But I do hope my boys live to a grand old age)
 
My3cuteBoys said:
Thank you for the link about ringworm it was the helpful link I found when I needed advice thank you. I've also now added where I live etc, I will not be going to a 'rehoming' place again I will follow your links on here for breeders and where best to get guinea pigs from etc instead. (But I do hope my boys live to a grand old age)
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, there aren't any good rescues that we can recommend in Lincolnshire! :(
Your closest good rescues are in Doncaster, Barnsley and Keighley, but all those are worth the longer trip! All these rescues have been vetted and we can guarantee for them. I have rehomed from both BARC in Barnsley and Milhaven in Keighley myself and I go up to Cavy Corner Doncaster fundraising dos a couple of times a year to meet up with forum members and other piggy people from the wider area.
Please be aware that we are a non-breeding/non-showing forum and that we do not recommend any breeders at all, only safe to use rescues. We do not want to contribute to the increasing flood of unwanted piggies.

The itrafungol should do the trick nicely; it hasn't been used for guinea pigs for all that long, but it is working very well and is making sure that you won't have to worry about a return. Before that, all we had was topical treatment and it was tougher to get on top of. Not quite as cheap, but well worth the money! ;)

Thank you for adding your location!
 
Hi wiebke, sorry I should not of wrote breeders :( I have read that rules etc and about this is not a breeding and showing forum sorry.
I will be very careful If I have guinea pigs again It's good to know there are excellent rescue places out there. I'm really glad to hear that my guinea pigs are on a good medicine because I had another treatment option but it was very very expensive that was without the other treatments I needed so we are trying this treatment first. I had a brake-though this afternoon :) two of my little fellas let me spray them without much fuss at all so I hope they are getting used to it because it will help me worry less about this part of their treatment.
 
Last edited:
Hi, I'm from Lincolnshire too, we seem to have drawn the short straw with reputable rescues! Sorry you got off to a bad start with your piggies - I hope they all make a very quick recovery so you can enjoy them again
 
Hi Katie-Elizabeth
Thank you for your kind words neighbour :) my baby boys are just perfect for us we love them to bits all ready, so in one way I'm glad we went to that lady because we found the right piggies for us and we can give these 3 little fellas the treatment they needed and a very loving home.
Did you struggle to find the best place to get your guinea pigs from also?
 
I made a similar mistake to you, I visited the first 'rescue' I heard about - like Wiebke said, I just assumed that it would be a good place to re-home guinea pigs from!
So I thought I would be getting rescue piggies but when I got there I found out that she was a breeder as well :doh: So Alfie my Aby pig is one which she took on from elsewhere, but my other pig, Joey, was the last one left in her most recent litter. Despite knowing I'd be supporting a breeder, they still deserved a good home & I knew I could give that to them - I fell in love with them & couldn't just leave them!
Although I could tell she loved her animals (she had rabbits and dogs too), I know now that the advice she gave me was wrong, after researching! For example, she told me that an 80cm cage would be fine for two boars, which isn't right at all.
I'm just glad I came across this forum to help me correct my mistakes, everyone is so helpful & friendly :)
 
I hope your piggies will get better as you continue with their treatment. Have you approached the rescue you got them about help with covering the costs of treatment. From what I've read, these piggies should never have been re-homed in the condition you received them. Maybe inquire with your local council or trading standards about what you can do. Unfortunately this happens too often. No animal should be sold or re-homed in the condition of the piggies you've received unless the new owners are aware of the condition beforehand.
 
If this was me I would take pics and save all correspondence from her/the vet and all your vet stuff and report her not only to TS but to the RSPCA from the poor state of your piggies and the unfortunate position you are in with them and the wrong things she has told you, she clearly is not a fit person to be " rescuing" and breeding pigs. I am sure all others with her are prob the same. I feel for what you're going through. Thank goodness these piggies have you. I can see how much you're having to do for them to get them to full health, not to mention strain on your bank account! Big applause for doing everything you can for them. They didnt deserve all that bless them x
 
Hi Katie-Elizabeth
I ideally wanted to home two 6month ish old piggies that had been brought but the owner had lost interest in that sort of thing, But we seemed to only to be shown babies which clearly my girls thought were so cute (they know they will get bigger like my friends two huge boars) she said she gets a lot of rabbits and guinea pigs handed in that are pregnant after not being sexed properly so then we thought maybe best to give a set of baby piggies a home instead of them sitting around with all those others for months on end.
Your Alfie and joey are very cute :) it's nice to know we've given our boys a loving home and having this site to hand for tips and advice is fantastic and it's because of this site that I bypassed taking my boys back to the lady for more of that gel treatment and got in touch with my local vets I'm so glad I did now because they were very unwell to the point there they also have also had two treatments of puppy stronghold to rid the lice/mite this lady has cost me hundreds of pounds in vet bills :( I'm also facing another vets bill in a few weeks for the tests to see if this has cleared up.
Stewybus hi :) and thank you, yes I've contacted her mainly to say I'm concerned about her other piggies and rabbits I didn't want her selling/taking on any more until she had got the problems sorted so no one else faced these costs and upset that I have. I've told her how much the vet bills have cost me and all she has said is that she will have them back and refund the cost I brought them for or take them back in to treat them for me so I don't have the vets costs but there is no way I can send our boys back we love them too much to do that :( and how would I know she had treated them properly I thought. My family are very cross and say I should ask her to help with at least some of this cost I do agree and I think I will ask her too but I just hope she's putting money into treating the animals she's got, I really wanted to contact the RSPCA but I haven't as yet because she does love them and she has been in hospital a lot lastly and I think it's all got to much for her and what would happen to the animals she's got I would hate to think I was linked to them being put to sleep :( all that said though as stated above no an animal should be brought/sold or left in this horrid condition (they look fine when you first see them but then you find the patches under all that fur and from what my vet has told me they immune system would be very low because of the ringworm that's why they have the very bad infestation of lice and mites :(
 
Hi GloriousGuineegirl
Sorry I didn't see your message until just know my last message was saved to draft while I ran and did the school run lol then I hit send now I'm back...few...now time for a cupper and then to start my piggie routine :)
I think I've coved a reply to your message in the message I just posted, also thank you for your kind words and I haven't taken photos yet of the patches so thank you I will do that this morning...Oreo and fudge have some hair re growth on their patches I've noticed today :) I'm so pleased, poor pippin has scabs around his nose and he was the piggy that didn't have any visual signs of ringworm so I think he's caught it from the other two or the signs of it could not be seen until this week (all have been are being treated with medicine)
I think I've read one of your posts as I recognise the photo of your two cuties x
 
My3cuteBoys said:
Hi GloriousGuineegirl
Sorry I didn't see your message until just know my last message was saved to draft while I ran and did the school run lol then I hit send now I'm back...few...now time for a cupper and then to start my piggie routine :)
I think I've coved a reply to your message in the message I just posted, also thank you for your kind words and I haven't taken photos yet of the patches so thank you I will do that this morning...Oreo and fudge have some hair re growth on their patches I've noticed today :) I'm so pleased, poor pippin has scabs around his nose and he was the piggy that didn't have any visual signs of ringworm so I think he's caught it from the other two or the signs of it could not be seen until this week (all have been are being treated with medicine)
I think I've read one of your posts as I recognise the photo of your two cuties x
Click to expand...
As regards to the RSPCA they wouldn't be put to sleep. They will go in first and put things in place for her to help support her to look after the piggies better under a time frame. If then she has not done this they will support her to surrender the animals to them. Ive dealt with them twice now and they have been ok. I know it's hard to think of doing that but sometimes love can kill with kindness as people don't want to give their pets up because of this but cannot afford or physically have the tools and what not to look after them as they should be but I understand totally, where you are coming from. we are all here for when you need us. Keep up the good work! And thank you Edgar and Poe are my ginger little monsters. I Aquired mine from a breeder before I knew better as I am a first time piggie mum, but from now on will def be using rescues! This forum has been a godsend to me as I am still learning but there are some lovely and knowledgeable supportive people here. I am so glad I joined!
 
GloriousGuineaGirl said:
I know it's hard to think of doing that but sometimes love can kill with kindness as people don't want to give their pets up because of this but cannot afford or physically have the tools and what not to look after them as they should be but I understand totally, where you are coming from. we are all here for when you need us. I Aquired mine from a breeder before I knew better as I am a first time piggie mum, but from now on will def be using rescues! This forum has been a godsend to me as I am still learning but there are some lovely and knowledgeable supportive people here. I am so glad I joined!
Click to expand...


Fully agree :)
 
I have just read all of your posts, what a nightmare! I would definitely contact the lady you got the piggies from - maybe not to ask her to fund the vet bills but to definitely bring it to her attention.

I am very sorry this has happened to you, but you seem to be doing a fantastic job with them and it's good to know you had good intentions by wanting to go to a rescue (even though it wasn't what you expected)

Everyone has given good advice and I can only congratulate you on your good work and to send tons of get well wishes to your little boys x
 
Hi leahspiggies
Thank you for your kind words everyone is so lovely on here which has given me such encouragement during this difficult time, I was upset when I wrote this post but all this support I feel I'm doing the right things and I don't feel as guilty about the soaking treatment as I at the start.
I've kept the lady updated, I'm a bit worried as I honestly don't feel she would be able treat all her animals correctly she must have 30+rabbits and appox 20 guineas there would be no way she could treat them as I'm treating mine it takes me an hour each morning to empty my hutch spray every inch of it getting into all the edges/gaps I let it air dry a little bit while I spray bowls/bottle chew toys (I then rinse these items) I then wipe over the hutch with kitchen roll to make sure its dry, put in new bedding and a clean towel (my boys love hiding under a towel they seem to play a sort of chase game under it too which is funny to watch I've got a photo of the mess their game made yesterday..so sweet. Anyway went of track lol so then I give them their syringes medicine and spray them all over, popping them back into their hutch to dry and eat their veg I then spray all the things I've used eg rubber gloves brush etc . I think it would take that lady all day to do this with hers. (because my boars are babies I've taken the ladder way so they are only using the bottom floor until they are better to make it a bit easier with cleaning) x
 
Any good rescues (like the ones we recommend) have a dedicated quarantining area away from the other animals where new arrivals are kept until they have got a clean bill of health from the vet. They are routinely treated for mange mites and fungal upon their arrival. That prevents any problems with other animals becoming affected or rehoming infected animals, and it keeps the work load down. Sadly, many-shoe string rescues don't have the funds for proper vet care and in effect need rescuing from themselves. :(

I have been through ringworm with my then 16 indoors piggies. With some organisation and a different treatment to yours, it can be done. There is no excuse for any rescue not to if they don't want to be classed as danger to their animals and the public!
 
Hi! This sound similar to what happened to me. My 6 year old was soooo excited to get her guineas after 18 mths of asking and within 2 days one had ringworm. Like you we spent £140 on vet bills in the first week and then the ringworm meds. My husband went back to the breeder and got £60 back. As you it was so very stressful. The cleaning was so time consuming and makes you completely paranoid, giving meds and washing them when the guineas are supposed to be settling in was heartbreaking and stressful for everyone! I did cry too and thought we'd made a huge mistake. 2 months later the ringworm is well and truly gone and the guineas lovely and enjoy life and us. It may have even done them good with all the handling.... So glad to be able to pick them up without gloves, special jumper and get to some normality! My main message.... it gets better, hang in there!! My daughter loved looking after them and really made her work and appreciate them. Maybe a good lesson for her. Everyone on here were great and i have had some great tips and advice. Welcome!
 
Hi Anna day, thank you for taking the time to post your message it's great to hear from others who have been though this and come out the other side with a happy outcome, and from someone who has simply done the right thing like me by giving their child(ren) longed for piggies only to find out they were poorly. Messages like yours and so many others I've received are what are keeping me going though this because I've had a difficult time lately and the strain of big vet bills kept making me think what have I done :(
I took on these boys knowing roughly the monthly cost I was facing, the daily commitment and for the amount of years they can live too I was fine with all of that and with the understanding that at some point I may face the odd trip to the vets but I never expected a £70 vets bill one week after I brought them home then a call to say they needed treating for ringworm at a cost £114 a week later :( I think I may be facing another bill at the end of this treatment to check their over it, my vet is lovely and is being very supportive. I'm glad to hear your piggies are all better now and you and your daughter are enjoying them as you should of been from the start, I feel the same about the handling as my boys seem to understand the routine now which is making it all a lot easier to deal with...bless them. I enjoy carrying them around my garden in the evening so my girls can see them and spend time with them we treat them with grass and talk to them but only I can handle them until they are better this is hard for my daughters but they are old enough to understand why which is good, and my youngest Ella keeps asking how many sleeps until she can fuss them again.
I had to take my 6year old to the doctors yesterday because she has caught a mild case of ringworm from her piggies the nurse said it would of been from the first week when we didn't know about it (even though were very funny about hand washing)
Thank you once more :)
 
No worries, hope things get better! Just on vet bills, mine charged over and above and a complete rip off. The ringworm medication they said would be £80. I got a prescription from them and got the meds for 30 on the internet.... Sounds like we have had similar experiences. Hoping that is the end of the bad luck! Have fun! x
 
It does Anna, and I'm shocked by the vet prices too...mine is £25 just to see the vet before treatment so I've paid £75 for 3 visits in 3 weeks just to see her for a matter of minutes :eek: then the treatments so in total my vet bills have come to the grand total of...£ 220 and a few pence I will ask the lady if she can refund me some of the ringworm cost. I'm pleased to hear that you got some money back from the person you got your piggies from. I've been told by friends I should go online for the treatment I'm going to do this from now on if I can find a good/proper online seller oh my sister buys spot and a worming tablet from one I will ask her what it's called, I have wrote down the name of the cream that I'm using to treat my fudges eye I'm sure that tiny tiny tube would be cheaper than £11 online. (I have written the name of the ringworm treatment written down too but I hope never to need that again)
my boys seemed a little warm this afternoon due to the muggy weather today so all three were very happy to sit still and have their second daily soaking....bless them their good boys.
Thank you Anna Day x
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top