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Pigs Won't Let Me Touch Them But They Need Medicine

Starwind Amada said:
I'm on a list but it won't get to me anytime soon. Their nails are growing every day and they won't let me hold them and I don't have the time or money for the vet. They are comfortable and well-fed but the nails growing is going to be a problem that I can't do anything about.
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There is always something you can do to meet their basic needs.
If you are worried about their nails call one of the rescues that you have been told about.
A lot of places (even if full right now) will allow you to bring your piggies in for a nail trim free of charge.
In fact many rescues offer this as an ongoing bonus to all of their adopted piggies.
Even if they don't have a place for your piggies they will have experienced staff who will still be willing to help with basic care so that they don't suffer.
 
Swissgreys said:
There is always something you can do to meet their basic needs.
If you are worried about their nails call one of the rescues that you have been told about.
A lot of places (even if full right now) will allow you to bring your piggies in for a nail trim free of charge.
In fact many rescues offer this as an ongoing bonus to all of their adopted piggies.
Even if they don't have a place for your piggies they will have experienced staff who will still be willing to help with basic care so that they don't suffer.
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No rescues near me. Just the vet but that's not close. Petco won't even do a basic nail trim because they're exotic.

Nugget just saw me type that and is like "You bet I'm exotic, NOW CLEAN UP MY POOP AND FEED ME"
 
Lehigh Valley Humane Society appears to welcome animals at all times according to their website ... and they're in Allentown.
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They also seem to have a clinic and to be interested in helping pet owners with the affordability if vet care ... they may do nail clipping, too.

Last Chance Ranch that Lady Kelly found is just in Quakertown. I seem to remember eating lunch in Quakertown when I visited Lehigh University years ago, so that should be relatively close ... Their site says they take small animals and are a no-kill rescue. Have you tried talking to them?
Logan's Heroes Animal Rescue also appears to be pretty close, though I'm not familiar with East Greenville. It showed images of guinea pigs on their site, so they could also be somewhere to reach out to ...
 
Talked to both places. One said they were full, the other never got back to me.

UPDATE: I got ahold of Oreo (trapped him in the tunnel and picked it up). He still refuses to take the medicine. I don't know what else to do. I put it in his mouth and he licked it for a second and then started resisting. The eyedrops I was able to do so there may be hope for the pinkeye. But what about the foot sores? If the medicine isn't an option, what else can I do? Softer flooring? Will the sores go away?
 
Starwind Amada said:
Talked to both places. One said they were full, the other never got back to me.

UPDATE: I got ahold of Oreo (trapped him in the tunnel and picked it up). He still refuses to take the medicine. I don't know what else to do. I put it in his mouth and he licked it for a second and then started resisting. The eyedrops I was able to do so there may be hope for the pinkeye. But what about the foot sores? If the medicine isn't an option, what else can I do? Softer flooring? Will the sores go away?
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The reality is that if you truly feel unable to cope with the care that your piggies need then the only alternative is to surrender them to one of the groups that have been listed above.
Have you taken the necessary steps to do this?
There may be a wait, and all you can do is try your best until then.
Most places ask you to fill in a surrender application to be put on this list.
Is this something you would consider?
Calling isn't the best idea - applying online means that the staff can fully review your case when they have the time to do so.
 
Starwind Amada said:
I put it in his mouth and he licked it for a second and then started resisting.
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Are you using a syringe? If you are, once the tip is in the mouth, you can just squeeze the plunger to administer the medication ... if you squirt it into the inside of the cheek, that second that you're managing may be enough.

Starwind Amada said:
But what about the foot sores? If the medicine isn't an option, what else can I do? Softer flooring? Will the sores go away?
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What type of bedding are you using currently and how often are you changing it? Does it get damp to the touch?


Great work with the eye drops!
 
Princess Dustmop said:
Are you using a syringe? If you are, once the tip is in the mouth, you can just squeeze the plunger to administer the medication ... if you squirt it into the inside of the cheek, that second that you're managing may be enough.


What type of bedding are you using currently and how often are you changing it? Does it get damp to the touch?


Great work with the eye drops!
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I use fleece blankets. I don't change them a lot because I only have a few so if I take them out they won't have anything. I guess I can buy more (but softer ones) and get enough to cover the cage when I take the old ones out to be cleaned. The ones I have now aren't even that soft. They don't get damp at all. Plus, I think the piggies are stepping on hay and dried poop and that might be causing the sores. Oddly, the sores don't seem to phase them.
 
Is there an absorbent layer underneath the fleece? I use towels under fleece for my girls. The fleece wicks the moisture away, and the towels absorb it; the towels can be old ratty ones ... nothing fancy. I change out their fleece every few days ... one cage gets changed at about 4 or 5 days, and the other gets changed at more like 3 days (water goes down faster, so cage gets soiled faster); I have a little plastic scoop to scoop out poo in between (piggies don't have to come out for scooping ... I just scoop wherever they're not standing). Works out that I can generally wash them when I have two sets from one cage and one from the other ...

You could even just buy a layer of fleece and set it on a towel as a stop gap. Fleece can be pretty cheap if you shop the remnants.
 
Meloxicam (brand name Metacam or Loxicom) is a painkiller/anti-inflammatory that tastes sweet and is usually popular with guinea pigs once they get a lick of it. Mine will stick their heads out to get the syringe, so if metacam is what you've been prescribed it shouldn't really be a battle. I hate to say it's 'only' a painkiller as obviously helping with pain is important - but metacam isn't a 'cure' for anything so if the vet gave you eyedrops and metacam they might have been for the same thing - the eye thing. Metacam will help piggy feel more comfortable but it won't cure foot ulcers.

The other meds are antibiotics which generally taste disgusting. If your piggy has open sores on his feet they might well get antibiotics for this although sometimes the treatment is soaking the feet (only the feet, not the pig!) and applying a little cream. Can you manage to get a pic of his poorly foot/feet and attach it to the post?
 
Free Ranger said:
Hi again, we've been thinking about you. Are you managing OK?
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No changes. They still are terrified of me and their nails are getting way too long. I just paid rent and had to buy holiday gifts for my parents. No overtime hours at work right now and inflation is making it unaffordable to live (thanks to.... never mind). There is nothing I can do for these guys.
 
Have any of the rescues been in touch with you for advice or updates?
How are Oreo's feet... and who is it with the eye issue - was that Nugget?
 
There is no reason for you to be angry with your guinea pigs.

Keep pushing for the rescues, invite a friend or a parent over so one of you can hold the pig while the other cuts the nails/gives medication. Anything can be done if there is will and want behind it.

Your animals deserve the best of care, no matter how difficult they are being. While we can have many pets, busy lives, school and work, they are our responsibility, and in their lives, WE are their everything.
 
All four pigs are going to the vet next week. I will have them looked at, manicured and maybe she can help me try to pick them up without them freaking out so I don't have to spend an hour trying to herd them into the tunnel (which is what I will have to do after work next Wednesday).
 
Wonderful news - I hope the vet can help you feel less stressed out about the situation x
 
VET UPDATE:
  • Thought Nugget had a lump on her foot but it turns out it's just an extra toe that poses no danger
  • Oreo has some eye irritation and needs eyedrops
  • Several piggies have redness on their feet and need oral meds
I have mastered grabbing Oreo (just have to stay still, focus on him and then move quickly before he can dart away). Oral meds are still difficult to administer but I have given him the eyedrops. Not sure if a drop went in because it gets on his face so I take my finger and gently rub it on his eye. I have to do one drop three times a day. Did one just now, I'll do one after work and then one before bed. Hope it's working. He seems to not be bothered by his eye.

Also, Nugget can scream like a banshee and Oreo smells. Oh yeah, and he had the doctor and her nurse checking out his privates and now he thinks he's some kind of ladies' pig. I saw him and Brownie high-fiving. Nugget and S'more are like "Typical boars"
 
Starwind Amada said:
Oh yeah, and he had the doctor and her nurse checking out his privates and now he thinks he's some kind of ladies' pig. I saw him and Brownie high-fiving. Nugget and S'more are like "Typical boars"
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😂

Well done on mastering the piggy catch! The more it happens and they realise it's not the end of the world and you are actually a gentle owner (instead of a scary predator) the less they should fuss.

An extra toe! Well you learn something new every day!
 
Glad to hear that you're having a better time with the capturing.

Lexa has an excellent banshee impression, as well. She's usually the quieter pig at home ... normal chatter and begging, of course, but pretty calm. However, when the vet wanted to look in her mouth, that was utterly unacceptable to her. She screamed loudly enough to have someone peek in the room to see what was going on.

One of my girls had an extra toe on one of her front feet ... made nail clipping a bit harder (that fifth toe was always the hardest), but it never bothered her.
 
I hope the eyedrops are working. Half the time they miss his eye because he starts squirming and I have to rub it in. I don't even know it they're going in.

Nail clipping will be tough. He always pulls his foot away. Brownie might be catchable but I know Nugget and S'more will be impossible (and Nugget will make the neighbors think I'm torturing a little girl). I can't afford to keep driving them to the vet just for a pedicure.
 
Strange crust on Oreo's eye. Is this from the eyedrops? I think I'm done giving them to him. His eye isn't bothering him and he seems to be able to see just fine. But how do I clear this stuff now?
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https://www.amazon.com/Kaytee-Crinkle-Tunnel-Colors-Vary/dp/B000HHJHM8

These are cheap and on-sale. This is what I use to catch the more stubborn of my girls.
In my opinion, while Guinea Pigs CAN bite (because it seems to me that's what you're worried about; if it is JUST the squirming, you can hold them a little tighter than the previous time in which they escaped), they generally don't. If you have a pair of thick winter or leather gloves, put one on and use the other hand to syringe. You can hold the piggy close to your chest while you wait for them to calm down, but make sure you wear a thick shirt or else you'll get scratched. Otherwise, I have also caught piggies by dropping a large towel on the cage-- you can see where they're at, and they don't know which direction to run to escape. Easier to corner them this way, and while not ideal, it will get you through. If all else fails grab a piece of cardboard and cut it to the width of the cage. Use it to restrict the running space; I've gone so far as "sandwiching" a pig (gently) between the wall and the cardboard. If you keep your hand low enough, they won't be able to push through the bottom.

Between medications, give them small strips of romaine lettuce. Just toss them in for three or four weeks. Start saying the same phrase every time they get the lettuce, and do not try to catch them while they're eating, at least for now. I usually just say "pigs pigs pigs!" in a excited voice. They'll start coming up to the bars of the cage eventually, and in the future it will make them easier to lure into tunnels and hideys.

Edit: unsure on the eye drops but make sure to give the medication for as long as the veterinarian recommends. If you quit too soon, the issue will come back.
 
Starwind Amada said:
Strange crust on Oreo's eye. Is this from the eyedrops? I think I'm done giving them to him. His eye isn't bothering him and he seems to be able to see just fine. But how do I clear this stuff now?
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You are doing great! Eye drops are really tricky to give, I hate them as I always had to get mine in pretty much a headlock to get any in. The crust is likely to be some leaking off and some additional cleaning fluid piggy will produce to help clean the site. Leave it be and piggy should clean it themselves soon
 
:agr: Your piggy will clean it off himself. You don’t need to do anything.

Also, please continue to give the eye drops for as long as the vet has told you to do so. Don’t stop because it doesn’t appear to be bothering him - stopping prematurely could allow continued problems
 
Oh I didn't mention carrying on but I agree, you've worked so hard at this. We know you are having a tough time and are doing everything you can, just a bit longer will be all that's needed to make sure your hard work has paid off.

You've got this 💪
 
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