is my guinea pig sick?

[Prince Shrek]

Hi my guinea pig has always been active and now hes just so lazy now. I'm worried about him here is a picture of him.

 

[Prince Shrek]

i had him for almost 2 years

 

[Prince Shrek]

PLZ help

 

[VickiA]

If you have any concerns please take him to the vets.

 

[Prince Shrek]

If you have any concerns please take him to the vets.

thanks but i dont live close to vets

 

[Lady Kelly]

thanks but i dont live close to vets

Unfortunately we are not in a position to diagnose health problems online. If you feel your guinea pig may be sick then the only way to know for sure and get appropriate treatment is to take him to the vet, there is simply no alternative to this. I don't live close to a good vet either and will drive 20-60 mins depending on traffic, if I had to take the bus it would be two buses to get there and two back.

 

[VickiA]

thanks but i dont live close to vets

Whether you live near to or far from a vet if your piggy is sick you will need to take him to the vet. This is a forum - a place online to chat about piggies with other piggy owners. It isn’t a diagnostic or treatment centre and cannot replace veterinary review.

 

[Prince Shrek]

Unfortunately we are not in a position to diagnose health problems online. If you feel your guinea pig may be sick then the only way to know for sure and get appropriate treatment is to take him to the vet, there is simply no alternative to this. I don't live close to a good vet either and will drive 20-60 mins depending on traffic, if I had to take the bus it would be two buses to get there and two back.

thanks

 

[DMS260820]

Whether you live near to or far from a vet if your piggy is sick you will need to take him to the vet. This is a forum - a place online to chat about piggies with other piggy owners. It isn’t a diagnostic or treatment centre and cannot replace veterinary review.

just wondering. Is it allowed on here to say what an ilness might be and advise what people can do until they can make it to a vet.

 

[Lady Kelly]

just wondering. Is it allowed on here to say what an ilness might be and advise what people can do until they can make it to a vet.

Guidance on things to ask a vet and suggestions of what illnesses to consider is not a bad thing. As far as I know there are no qualified vets on the forum to even consider any of us qualified enough to give to diagnoses (even if it were morally acceptable to do so by not examining the animal concerned). The problem with suggesting what someone can do is that we don't recommend home treatments and often shop brought "medications" are too weak to have much of an effect (hence why you don't need a prescription to get them). If someone has a vets appointment and is seeking advice to keep the piggy going and comfortable until that appointment I see no problem, if the person is using advice instead of seeking a vets opinion for any reason then they are not fulfilling their legal duty of care

 

[DMS260820]

Guidance on things to ask a vet and suggestions of what illnesses to consider is not a bad thing. As far as I know there are no qualified vets on the forum to even consider any of us qualified enough to give to diagnoses (even if it were morally acceptable to do so by not examining the animal concerned). The problem with suggesting what someone can do is that we don't recommend home treatments and often shop brought "medications" are too weak to have much of an effect (hence why you don't need a prescription to get them). If someone has a vets appointment and is seeking advice to keep the piggy going and comfortable until that appointment I see no problem, if the person is using advice instead of seeking a vets opinion for any reason then they are not fulfilling their legal duty of care

Ok thanks. I dont think i have crossed the line. Normally i give advice on what something could be and what you could do as an emergency help until they see a vet

 

[VickiA]

Guidance on things to ask a vet and suggestions of what illnesses to consider is not a bad thing. As far as I know there are no qualified vets on the forum to even consider any of us qualified enough to give to diagnoses (even if it were morally acceptable to do so by not examining the animal concerned). The problem with suggesting what someone can do is that we don't recommend home treatments and often shop brought "medications" are too weak to have much of an effect (hence why you don't need a prescription to get them). If someone has a vets appointment and is seeking advice to keep the piggy going and comfortable until that appointment I see no problem, if the person is using advice instead of seeking a vets opinion for any reason then they are not fulfilling their legal duty of care

 

[Lady Kelly]

Ok thanks. I dont think i have crossed the line. Normally i give advice on what something could be and what you could do as an emergency help until they see a vet

I'm glad what I typed made sense, I read it back and wasn't sure it did

I've certainly not see you cross any lines. What advice is given should be a complementary to a vet visit and not instead of. That's the main rule

 

[VickiA]

Ok thanks. I dont think i have crossed the line. Normally i give advice on what something could be and what you could do as an emergency help until they see a vet

As a forum we are here to support each other, so it’s fine to suggest what a problem might be, or what might be considered. But legally only a qualified vet can diagnose and prescribe treatment for an animal and then only after an examination ie not just from details in a post or in a photo. So as a forum we have to remain on the right side of the law and recommend that a Vet opinion is sought and obtained.

 

[Flutterby]