The absolute importance of quarantine

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Vikki

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Please can I just make a point that quarantining piggys is very important. Not only has there been a recent case of the guinea pigs in aviaries carrying the mystery yellow poo illness, but if guineas are moved around a lot all sorts of underlying conditions can occur eg mites, ringworm etc. Please be sure to quarantine new guinea pigs away from existing ones for a minimum of 4 weeks as I have had lots of calls lately where a newcomer has brough in illness and infected existing piggies.
Guineas are quarantined here before re-homing it does make the process longer but we can be sure we are not passing on any problems. It has prevented several problems that coud have occured had quarantine not been followed as many of the guineas arriving here have come from poor conditions, some problems took several days after arrival to surface on what can appear initially a fit and healthy pig.
Please quarantine new piggys or piggys passing through your shed/home - recently a lady who brought a guinea pig from a 'rescue' locally took it home and it had ring worm treated it with the ointment the guinea pig dealer had given her the guinea died from exposure to this 'ointment' and her existing guinea got infected with ringworm too luckily she had learnt her lesson about the dealer and her own guinea was treated by an experienced vet.
There are infectious problems out there that a few simple precautions would protect your guineas alcohol scrub and seperate smocks/clothing (my old uni lab coats come in very useful here) when handling new arrivals are quickly used precautions that can be invaluable in making sure no cross contamination occurs also being careful to do them last out of your guineas.
They may seem well but in my opinon it is not worth the risk. If you have a new piggys coming to you please if he/she has not been quarantined before he/she came to you please do so yourself.
 
worth publicising the bad "rescue" place so other may also be forewarned about specific bad places? What was the ointment & how was it known death ws cause of this?

Otherwise quarantine thing & showing how important it is is good stuff :D
Ta
Si
 
Bad 'rescue' place has now stopped housing guinea pigs due to pressure from local sanctuaries and rescues O0
Ointment was of unknown origin probably parrafin based the vet who saw the guinea after ointment had been applied and he became sicker confirmed a case of ring worm, within 3 days of the ointment being applied the guinea passed away and the vet attributed this solely to the ointment applied as ringworm is treatable and does not cause fatality is such a shiort period of time.
Such a sad case I would hate to see repeated.
 
Well written Vikki, my 'auction boys' are in a separate room, fed and cleaned last and it's alcohol cleanser for the hands all round if anyone handles them. They look fit and healthy but you can't be too careful. The last thing you want to do is infect your own pigs, or pass on problems to new owners by ommiting to quarantine - it's just too risky.

:)
 
Dug up this old thread because of a suggestion elsewhere for a 'sticky' on the importance of quarantine.

Having been caught myself with ringworm early on, I'm now probably overcautious - but would rather be that way!

Just because a piggy looks healthy on arrival, it could be carrying all sorts of things that won't come out for a few days or weeks.

If you are bringing new piggies in, no matter where they are from - a petshop, a breeder, an individual, auction or rescue... they should be quarantined! This means keeping them somewhere away from the other piggies, feeding them last, cleaning them last, handling them last... and thorough washing of hands.

It may seem over the top but it will save lives

Thanks

Sophie
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Same here...

I always treat new piggies as if they are lepers, bless them! Even if they come from pet homes, you just don't know what they've been exposed to.

Apart from hearing horror stories of people who have introduced a new pig and then lost all of their piggies, I'd just not risk my own piggies by not quarantining new guys.

Plastic cages are great for quarantine as they can be properly scrubbed out and cleaned!

Also remember things spread through air, so separate cages in the same area is not enough... they need to be out of air contact too.

Sophie
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I didnt know they had to be quarantined in different rooms! My boar Elvis is in quarantine at the moment but has been in the same room as 3 of the others for the last 4 days (he has been quarantined for 4 weeks so far). Should I move him?
 
4 weeks is plenty - don't worry! Ideally a different room because things can spread through the air not just contact... but if he's been in quarantine that long I'd feel quite happy.

Sophie
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