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My Guinea Pig's Ear Was Nipped By A Rose Thorn.
- Thread starter Mystiecal
- Start date
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- Tags
- health question
You can apply some gentle pressure to the ear and hope the bleeding slows down. If you have any styptic powder for nail clipping you can try that as well. Is it a big tear? I can't imagine it would be large enough to need stitching, but if it is, a vet would be able to fix it up for you.
Please see a vet if the bleeding doesn't stop within about 10 minutes or if you feel/see signs of infection in the coming week as rose thorns are laced with bacteria. there is a small chance that some may have got in despite the profuse bleeding. The infected ear will feel hotter than the one on the other side.
Guinea pigs regulate their body temperature via the blood flow in their ears, so the temperature of the ears can vary quite a lot, but it should always be the same in both ears.
Disinfect the ear once the blood flow has stopped for good, with saline solution, which you can get from a pharmacy but also can make at home in an emergency by mixing 2 teaspoons of salt into in a half pint/250 ml of boiled cooled water.
See a vet promptly if in doubt and if the ear needs stitching up, depending on how much damage the thorn has made.
Guinea pigs regulate their body temperature via the blood flow in their ears, so the temperature of the ears can vary quite a lot, but it should always be the same in both ears.
Disinfect the ear once the blood flow has stopped for good, with saline solution, which you can get from a pharmacy but also can make at home in an emergency by mixing 2 teaspoons of salt into in a half pint/250 ml of boiled cooled water.
See a vet promptly if in doubt and if the ear needs stitching up, depending on how much damage the thorn has made.