• 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

Impaction and Vitamin B

Status
Not open for further replies.
B

Black Jack

Adult Guinea Pig
Joined
Oct 25, 2007
Messages
2,449
Reaction score
243
Points
600
Location
Lowestoft, Suffolk
My 2 year-old boar is suffering with impaction and I have read a lot about supplementing his diet with Vitamin B dissolved in water and syringe-fed daily. Does anyone know where I can get this from? I am assuming it is different to the Vitamin B powders and tablets available for human consumption.
 
I thought it was vitamin C, as it is mainly the vitamin C poos (which they need to eat) that are involved? Guinea pigs can't make their own vitamin C, so it is vital that they get enough of it.

You can dissolve vitamin C tablets or powder in a little bit of water for syringing; I found that the most efficient way of getting the required amount into them. I have tried sprinkling on veg, but my piggy wouldn't eat the that bit. You can also supplement the diet by adding one high vitamin C veg every day. One or two slices of bell pepper/capsicum of any colour, a bit of broccoli or fresh parsley, dill or coriander. Please change the veg around.
You can use either normal vitamin C tablets from the supermarket or the more expensive ones from Oxbow (somebody else may have the link).

http://www.guinealynx.info/impaction.html
http://www.guinealynx.info/diet.html (This link also contains a vegetable chart with the vitamin C content of each veg.)
 
Had a quick read as I have 6 boars so may have to know about this! And it does say B vitamins rather than C in the Lynx text:-

"Sometimes your guinea pig will ingest some of these pellets if you feed them to him, however, more often than not, you will have to supplement his diet with vitamin B-complex (25mg per day dissolved in water, applied by syringe). "
 
gplearner said:
Had a quick read as I have 6 boars so may have to know about this! And it does say B vitamins rather than C in the Lynx text:-

"Sometimes your guinea pig will ingest some of these pellets if you feed them to him, however, more often than not, you will have to supplement his diet with vitamin B-complex (25mg per day dissolved in water, applied by syringe). "
Click to expand...

Sorry, I stand corrected. At least, I gave the right link.
 
Thanks for your replies Wiebke and gplearner.

OK, so now we've established it is B not C - does anyone know where I can get some for animals or is it safe to use the human variety? Has anyone had an impacted boar who they've given Vit B to? Everything I've read says to dissolve some in water and syringe feed, but nothing says where to get it, if it's got a special name or anything like that. I know there are loads of different Vitamin B numbers for humans. I'm just worried that if I get some of the human stuff and it's wrong that I will harm him.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top