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Overwhelmed (a bit)

H

hayethusiasts

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Good morning everyone

I just want to ask please - I have read a previous thread here that some guinea pigs do not like being touched on their sides? Is this still the case please? :) I have always known one of my boars not liking to be touched on his sides but I have been to vets for another thing and they were concerned with him not liking to be touched on the side. They did not palpate any mass.

Thank you!
 
I think many vets are more oriented to cats and dogs and flinching when touched in a dog or cat could be a sign of an issue. It is more difficult to isolate the behaviour in guinea pigs. My piggies will let me stroke them when they are inside something that makes it harder for me to pick them up as they don't like being picked up and taken out of their familiar cages. Late at night, however, when they are fairly sure out of cage time and health checks won't happen and they are feeling fairly chilled anyway, they will like in the open area of the cage and let me stroke them. So he may be anticipating being picked up. Or may be defensive about being touched on the more delicate areas underneath him. It's very difficult to say. If this is a week established life long behaviour, it shouldn't mean trouble, but best to discuss it with your vet as he or she is best qualified to recognise health issues 🐾♥️
 
Truffolo said:
I think many vets are more oriented to cats and dogs and flinching when touched in a dog or cat could be a sign of an issue. It is more difficult to isolate the behaviour in guinea pigs. My piggies will let me stroke them when they are inside something that makes it harder for me to pick them up as they don't like being picked up and taken out of their familiar cages. Late at night, however, when they are fairly sure out of cage time and health checks won't happen and they are feeling fairly chilled anyway, they will like in the open area of the cage and let me stroke them. So he may be anticipating being picked up. Or may be defensive about being touched on the more delicate areas underneath him. It's very difficult to say. If this is a week established life long behaviour, it shouldn't mean trouble, but best to discuss it with your vet as he or she is best qualified to recognise health issues 🐾♥️
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This is where i am feeling overwhelmed as i understand we need to always follow vet's advice.

the reason for their vet apointment was to check for mites. They were treated for mites a month ago and just wanted them checked again because the fur on Dobby's sides still has not grown back (I am not sure how long it takes for fur to grow back). It looks a bit better but still has a bit thinning.

When the vet told me "i don't see any mites" this is where I became reluctant because she examined their fur using her naked eye!

This is our 2nd vet now in just over a year. The first vet - Kreacher was wheezing so I had him checked. The first vet told us it is Bordotella (i know how fatal this is) and gave us twice the maximum antibiotic dose (0.9ml of baytril 2x a day). It was soooo traumatic for me and my piggies - they went into bloat and I thought I was going to lose them. Only to find Kreacher still wheezing after the course. The solution? I had to shake their hay twice to get rid of dust. That was it.

I hope you can appreciate where I am coming from :( and sorry for the long read!
 
Thank you for sharing with us, it is interesting (and worrying) to hear this. It is very difficult to find a vet who is really good with guinea pigs 🙁 It makes sense if Dobby has had mites and fur loss his skin could be sensitive. I'm very relieved to hear Kreacher has stopped wheezing. It is so worrying when they are unwell. Scary about the Baytril 🙁. The forum has good guides on health care and you could take them when you are your vet perhaps. They are expert guides so they might help 🙏♥️
 
Truffolo said:
Thank you for sharing with us, it is interesting (and worrying) to hear this. It is very difficult to find a vet who is really good with guinea pigs 🙁 It makes sense if Dobby has had mites and fur loss his skin could be sensitive. I'm very relieved to hear Kreacher has stopped wheezing. It is so worrying when they are unwell. Scary about the Baytril 🙁. The forum has good guides on health care and you could take them when you are your vet perhaps. They are expert guides so they might help 🙏♥️
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Thank you.

I do feel some guinea pigs do not like their sides being touched as I read here on the forum but it was a post from 2015 so i wanted to double check if this is still the case 😅

the vet did not palpate anything. She palpated Dobby 4x. Bless him. He probably got confused about what was happening!
 
It can be very normal for them to not want to be touched in certain places, it’s not necessarily indicative of a health issue.

Hair growing back can take about a month after the treatment has finished.
 
Hi

HUGS

I am very sorry that you are struggling a good vet. Sadly, guinea pigs still don't feature much on a general vet's curriculum because they are classed as exotics. :(

Bordetella only needs to be considered if you:
- Have a dog or had a visiting dog with kennel cough, or a dog within 3 days of a kennel cough jab in the same room as the piggies.
- Are keeping rabbits and guinea pigs together or next to each other. The recommendation is now to keep the two species in different rooms and always feed and clean piggy dishes and cages first and separately to rabbits (potential e.cuniculi transmission via rabbit food debris falling onto guinea pig dishes - it has happened to a member).
- Are keeping guinea pigs in a hutch that is open to wild rabbits.
It is an airborne infection that is transmitted by shared air space. Rabbits can be silent carriers without showing any symptoms.

If your boy has had mites of some sort (I assume hay rather than mange mites?) and the vet is poking an area that is still or has recently been tender/sensitive, then of course they will be more reluctant when touched or prodded. The sides/abdomen are not one of the prime areas where piggies like to cuddled or stroked, generally, although there is an individual variance.

Please try to take a deep breath and see this as part of your individual learning experience. Some things we learn from by stumbling into them; you can never know everything.

For your learning process, you may find this guide here helpful: Contagion - Inter-species Transmission and Pet Care During Owner Illness/Pregnancy (incl. Covid)
 
Wiebke said:
Hi

HUGS

I am very sorry that you are struggling a good vet. Sadly, guinea pigs still don't feature much on a general vet's curriculum because they are classed as exotics. :(

Bordetella only needs to be considered if you:
- Have a dog or had a visiting dog with kennel cough, or a dog within 3 days of a kennel cough jab in the same room as the piggies.
- Are keeping rabbits and guinea pigs together or next to each other (the recommendation is now to keep the two species in different rooms and always feed and clean piggy dishes and cages first and separately to rabbits (potential e.cuniculi transmission via rabbit food debris falling onto guinea pig dishes - it has happened to a member).
- Are keeping guinea pigs in a hutch that is open to wild rabbits.

If your boy has had mites of some sort (I assume hay rather than mange mites?) and the vet is poking an area that is still or has recently been tender/sensitive, then of course they will be more reluctant when touched or prodded. The sides/abdomen are not one of the prime areas where piggies like to cuddled or stroked, generally, although there is an individual variance.

Please try to take a deep breath and see this as part of your individual learning experience. Some things we learn from by stumbling into them; you can never know everything.

For your learning process, you may find this guide here helpful: Contagion - Inter-species Transmission and Pet Care During Owner Illness/Pregnancy (incl. Covid)
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I am really thankful for this forum really. I did read about Bordetella even before the first vet mentioning it that's why the moment she mentioned it i did not feel she was saying the right thing. Kreacher was only wheezing once a week before followed by a big sneeze then gone. I had an idea it may come from dusty hay but I had him checked before just to make sure. Turns out I had to shake their hay twice, once I started doing that he has not wheezed since.

I do not mind spending money for my piggies. I just feel at this point I am having to find a good vet and spending money whilst doing so. It is what it is but i just want to find a good guinea pig savvy pet :( the first vet was even exotics so i have major trust issues at the moment.
 
hayethusiasts said:
I am really thankful for this forum really. I did read about Bordetella even before the first vet mentioning it that's why the moment she mentioned it i did not feel she was saying the right thing. Kreacher was only wheezing once a week before followed by a big sneeze then gone. I had an idea it may come from dusty hay but I had him checked before just to make sure. Turns out I had to shake their hay twice, once I started doing that he has not wheezed since.

I do not mind spending money for my piggies. I just feel at this point I am having to find a good vet and spending money whilst doing so. It is what it is but i just want to find a good guinea pig savvy pet :( the first vet was even exotics so i have major trust issues at the moment.
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HUGS
 
Hi all. 40 mins to travel to vets reasonable? Not sure if the journey is too long for guinea pigs?
 
hayethusiasts said:
Hi all. 40 mins to travel to vets reasonable? Not sure if the journey is too long for guinea pigs?
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Hi

Piggies travel well and that is a very normal time to see a decent vet. 👍

Piggies have traveled all the way from Edinburgh and Cornwall to see a specialist vet in Northampton for dental issues... That can be as much as 8 hours one way. The clinic is about an hour's drive from Coventry and the trip can take as long or longer if I go by train.

American or Australian guinea pigs may travel even longer to see an exotics vet in the next state over.

Here is our collection of practical advice and helpful tips:
- Tips For Vet Visits
- Travelling with guinea pigs
 
Wiebke said:
Hi

Piggies travel well and that is a very normal time to see a decent vet. 👍

Piggies have traveled all the way from Edinburgh and Cornwall to see a specialist vet in Northampton for dental issues... That can be as much as 8 hours one way. The clinic is about an hour's drive from Coventry and the trip can take as long or longer if I go by train.

American or Australian guinea pigs may travel even longer to see an exotics vet in the next state over.

Here is our collection of practical advice and helpful tips:
- Tips For Vet Visits
- Travelling with guinea pigs
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Thank you @Wiebke :) i asked a guinea pig rescue where they have their guinea pigs checked so i feel this it it. Dont know why i did not ask them in the first place!
 
hayethusiasts said:
Thank you @Wiebke :) i asked a guinea pig rescue where they have their guinea pigs checked so i feel this it it. Dont know why i did not ask them in the first place!
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Always a good place to ask because that vet clinic will see guinea pigs very regularly.
 
Hi all. Just wanted to say thanks again for your reassurance! Dobby was checked by a wonderful vet named Rachel and have prescribed them Selamectin (they have had ivermectin before).

I just gave it to them; i administered it by parting the fur between their shoulder blades. Is it normal for some to go on the fur?

Thank you so much!
 
hayethusiasts said:
Hi all. Just wanted to say thanks again for your reassurance! Dobby was checked by a wonderful vet named Rachel and have prescribed them Selamectin (they have had ivermectin before).

I just gave it to them; i administered it by parting the fur between their shoulder blades. Is it normal for some to go on the fur?

Thank you so much!
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No, it needs to go into the body via the skin.
 
Glad Dobby is ok.

As long as most of it went on the skin it should be ok.

Are you going to give a second round of treatment?
 
weepweeps said:
Glad Dobby is ok.

As long as most of it went on the skin it should be ok.

Are you going to give a second round of treatment?
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Thank you. I did my best to part the fur but some of it still went to the fur so i got a bit worried!

Yes they have been prescribed 1 pipette of the selamectin every 2 weeks for 3 doses :) the vet was brilliant. First time i felt at ease after a vet visit
 
hayethusiasts said:
Thank you. I did my best to part the fur but some of it still went to the fur so i got a bit worried!

Yes they have been prescribed 1 pipette of the selamectin every 2 weeks for 3 doses :) the vet was brilliant. First time i felt at ease after a vet visit
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I’ve recently found a vet I like too. It really makes all the difference. 👍🏻
 
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