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please help!

  • Thread starter Thread starter syna
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syna

I have recently taken charge of my roommate's 3 guinea pigs. He originally had 10. 6 of the 7 who passed away have died of a similar illness. The only care they were receiving from him was food and occasional cleaning. I have watched the illness very closely. It begins with the pig acting slightly less active and enthusiastic for food. They then start to lose mobility in their back legs. Eventually they lose interest in pellets, then hay, then vegies. After this, their eyes get crusty because they stop grooming themselves. Within a few days they would die. Often a few days later their cage mate would show similar symptoms. This led us to believe it was an infection. I noticed one of the three left started showing these symptoms and immediately took her to the vet. He gave me an antibiotic for all three of them and gave her metacoprimide to get her digestion moving. She started getting better but she has been off of the medication for less than a week and seems to be hobbling a little. The vet seems to still want to give her the meds but I have a feeling it may be related to something else. Does anyone have any experience with this? Any suggestioins would be appreciated! Syna
 
It could be severe vitamin C deficiency. What kind of pellets and veg are they on? As an emergrncy treatment, you could try to syringe vitamin C tablets that have dissolved in cooled down boiled water.

http://www.guinealynx.info/scurvy.html
 
PS: Please do not just put vit. C in their drinking bottle - you can't control the intake that way.

Veg containing lots of vitamin C are the best way to give vitamin C (peppers of all colours, broccoli, parsley), but you need to introduce new veg slowly and never more than one at a time, so you do not upset their tummies.

Guinea pigs cannot produce the vitamin C they need (unlike other rodents like rabbits; that's why they need their own pellets and should not be kept together with rabbits).

Here is a link for a balanced diet; it also contains the amount of vit. C guinea pigs need regularly: http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=37030
 
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