1 Before you need to see a vet
- Accustoming your guinea pigs to their carrier
- Finding a good vet
- How soon do I need to see a vet?
- How to find an out-of-hours vet in an emergency
2 Care until you can see a vet
- Emergency and bridging care advice and resources
- How to improvise crucial feeding support
- Skin problems
3 Transport to the vet
- Travelling tips
- Provisions during a vet visit
4 "Paw-holding" companionship
- For regular visits and check-ups
- Emergency, severe illness, euthanasia/pts
5 Questions to keep in mind for a vet visit
- Making a list of questions or taking human company if you are easily upset
- Questions to ask if you guinea pig has not been eating/drinking well or needs an operation
- Double-checking medications with a vet not experienced with guinea pigs
- Pet Owners Anxiety: Practical tips for sufferers and supporters
6 After a vet visit
1 Before you need to see a vet
Accustoming your guinea pigs to their carrier
If possible, get your guinea pigs used to their carrier during run time and in a positive setting, so they don’t have negative associations. A little veg or grass treat inside the carrier is a great lure.
Finding a good vet
- Recommended vets UK: Guinea Pig Vet Locator
- Recommended vets in other countries (courtesy of Guinea Lynx): Veterinarians - The GLX-Files
How soon do I need to see a vet?
You will find the links below written by an experience exotics vet nurse helpful in judging how quickly you need to see a vet.
With a several ill guinea pig please make an urgent vet appointment before coming into the forum for ongoing support!
How to find an out-of-hours vet in an emergency
If there is an out-of-hours service for emergencies in your area, you can usually pick up the contact number from your regular/local vets’ answering machine. Prices for out-of-hours services can vary enormously. It is worth looking for cheaper out-of-hours services if you are living in or near an urban setting, especially in the UK. Be aware that it is potluck what kind of vet to get on an out-of-hours service, so don't hesitate to ask what the vet is injecting etc.
How to contact a vet out of hours
IMPORTANT: Please be aware that vets require upfront payment in a number of countries.
Please make sure that you budget saving up for a vet fund on a weekly or monthly basis as part of their regular living cost right from the start, so you can afford any necessary basic medical care whenever needed. Illness and emergencies never happen at a convenient time. Insurance for guinea pigs can be very patchy or even non-existent.
2 Care until you can see a vet
Emergency and bridging care advice and resources
Advice and resources on judging whether you are dealing with an emergency or not; how to find an out-of-hours vet; looking after your guinea pig until you can see a vet and what to do if your guinea pig is going into organ failure before you can see a vet can be found in this guide here:
How to improvise crucial feeding support
Please syringe feed and water any guinea pig that is not eating/drinking properly straight away.
Go on alert at 30g/1 oz short term weight loss and start syringe feeding when the weight loss is exceeding 50g/2 oz.
It is absolutely vital to keep the guts from closing down (gut stasis) and to keep the body weight up as much as possible, so a guinea pig has a better chance to fight any illness. This also goes for ongoing eating/drinking issues after a vet visit and, if necessary, after an operation. Your care in keeping your guinea pig going is as important as the medical care it is about to receive!
A guinea pig that is losing 100g/ca. 3 oz from one day to the next is a guinea pig that has not eaten or drunk in 24 hours and that needs to be seen by a vet as an absolute life-and-death emergency!
Never give more than your guinea pig can swallow. This can vary from 0.1-0.5 ml depending on the size and weakness of your guinea pig. Always wait until your guinea pig has swallowed. If it can't swallow anymore or lift its head, please stop feeding. Your guinea pig is dying.
Weigh your guinea pig daily at the same time in the feeding cycle (ideally before their dinner), so you can check the actual food intake until it has fully recovered again. Just watching a guinea pig nibble on a piece of veg can be misleading as to the overall food intake since up to 80% should be unlimited hay.
Skin problems
Please see a vet first before you put anything on the affected patch!
Home treating mange mites with a low-dosed broad-spectrum shop brand on spec or bathing guinea pigs with skin problems before the consultation can delay the appropriate treatment or be misleading for a diagnosis. Mange mites and fungal issues can look very similar especially in the early stages, so you should never treat at home and seek a vet diagnosis instead. As unpleasant and upsetting as it is, it is much better to wait with any measures until you have seen a vet.
Using low-dosed products to prevent mites is not necessary and can lead to resistence to ivermectin products. We have got warnings that this is increasingly happening. Please see a vet promptly in an acute case and treat with a full course of at least three treatments, spaced 1-2 weeks apart, depending on the product used.
New piggy problems: URI - ringworm - skin parasites
If in any doubt, please ask the clinic/vet if there are things you can do safely at home until your ill guinea pig can be seen when you book them in, especially if it is not on the same day.
3 Transport to the vet
Travelling tips
Guinea pigs can generally travel longer distances quite well, whether that is by car, train or bus.
A collection of practical travelling tips in all weathers can be found in this thread here:
Provisions during a vet visit
A little hay or a small handful of freshly ripped grass helps to mask any strange scents and nibbling on it can be calming when you set out. Please only use a little and only soft hay; stalks can cause injuries. Too much hay acts as an insulator and can cause overheating, especially on a warm day. NEVER leave any living beings in your car on a warm day!
If you are taking your guinea pigs for an operation, you are always welcome to take their favourite (clean) cosy and their favourite treats for the pre-op wait and the post-op recovery.
- Accustoming your guinea pigs to their carrier
- Finding a good vet
- How soon do I need to see a vet?
- How to find an out-of-hours vet in an emergency
2 Care until you can see a vet
- Emergency and bridging care advice and resources
- How to improvise crucial feeding support
- Skin problems
3 Transport to the vet
- Travelling tips
- Provisions during a vet visit
4 "Paw-holding" companionship
- For regular visits and check-ups
- Emergency, severe illness, euthanasia/pts
5 Questions to keep in mind for a vet visit
- Making a list of questions or taking human company if you are easily upset
- Questions to ask if you guinea pig has not been eating/drinking well or needs an operation
- Double-checking medications with a vet not experienced with guinea pigs
- Pet Owners Anxiety: Practical tips for sufferers and supporters
6 After a vet visit
1 Before you need to see a vet
Accustoming your guinea pigs to their carrier
If possible, get your guinea pigs used to their carrier during run time and in a positive setting, so they don’t have negative associations. A little veg or grass treat inside the carrier is a great lure.
Finding a good vet
- Recommended vets UK: Guinea Pig Vet Locator
- Recommended vets in other countries (courtesy of Guinea Lynx): Veterinarians - The GLX-Files
How soon do I need to see a vet?
You will find the links below written by an experience exotics vet nurse helpful in judging how quickly you need to see a vet.
With a several ill guinea pig please make an urgent vet appointment before coming into the forum for ongoing support!
How to find an out-of-hours vet in an emergency
If there is an out-of-hours service for emergencies in your area, you can usually pick up the contact number from your regular/local vets’ answering machine. Prices for out-of-hours services can vary enormously. It is worth looking for cheaper out-of-hours services if you are living in or near an urban setting, especially in the UK. Be aware that it is potluck what kind of vet to get on an out-of-hours service, so don't hesitate to ask what the vet is injecting etc.
How to contact a vet out of hours
IMPORTANT: Please be aware that vets require upfront payment in a number of countries.
Please make sure that you budget saving up for a vet fund on a weekly or monthly basis as part of their regular living cost right from the start, so you can afford any necessary basic medical care whenever needed. Illness and emergencies never happen at a convenient time. Insurance for guinea pigs can be very patchy or even non-existent.
2 Care until you can see a vet
Emergency and bridging care advice and resources
Advice and resources on judging whether you are dealing with an emergency or not; how to find an out-of-hours vet; looking after your guinea pig until you can see a vet and what to do if your guinea pig is going into organ failure before you can see a vet can be found in this guide here:
How to improvise crucial feeding support
Please syringe feed and water any guinea pig that is not eating/drinking properly straight away.
Go on alert at 30g/1 oz short term weight loss and start syringe feeding when the weight loss is exceeding 50g/2 oz.
It is absolutely vital to keep the guts from closing down (gut stasis) and to keep the body weight up as much as possible, so a guinea pig has a better chance to fight any illness. This also goes for ongoing eating/drinking issues after a vet visit and, if necessary, after an operation. Your care in keeping your guinea pig going is as important as the medical care it is about to receive!
A guinea pig that is losing 100g/ca. 3 oz from one day to the next is a guinea pig that has not eaten or drunk in 24 hours and that needs to be seen by a vet as an absolute life-and-death emergency!
Never give more than your guinea pig can swallow. This can vary from 0.1-0.5 ml depending on the size and weakness of your guinea pig. Always wait until your guinea pig has swallowed. If it can't swallow anymore or lift its head, please stop feeding. Your guinea pig is dying.
Weigh your guinea pig daily at the same time in the feeding cycle (ideally before their dinner), so you can check the actual food intake until it has fully recovered again. Just watching a guinea pig nibble on a piece of veg can be misleading as to the overall food intake since up to 80% should be unlimited hay.
Skin problems
Please see a vet first before you put anything on the affected patch!
Home treating mange mites with a low-dosed broad-spectrum shop brand on spec or bathing guinea pigs with skin problems before the consultation can delay the appropriate treatment or be misleading for a diagnosis. Mange mites and fungal issues can look very similar especially in the early stages, so you should never treat at home and seek a vet diagnosis instead. As unpleasant and upsetting as it is, it is much better to wait with any measures until you have seen a vet.
Using low-dosed products to prevent mites is not necessary and can lead to resistence to ivermectin products. We have got warnings that this is increasingly happening. Please see a vet promptly in an acute case and treat with a full course of at least three treatments, spaced 1-2 weeks apart, depending on the product used.
New piggy problems: URI - ringworm - skin parasites
If in any doubt, please ask the clinic/vet if there are things you can do safely at home until your ill guinea pig can be seen when you book them in, especially if it is not on the same day.
3 Transport to the vet
Travelling tips
Guinea pigs can generally travel longer distances quite well, whether that is by car, train or bus.
A collection of practical travelling tips in all weathers can be found in this thread here:
Provisions during a vet visit
A little hay or a small handful of freshly ripped grass helps to mask any strange scents and nibbling on it can be calming when you set out. Please only use a little and only soft hay; stalks can cause injuries. Too much hay acts as an insulator and can cause overheating, especially on a warm day. NEVER leave any living beings in your car on a warm day!
If you are taking your guinea pigs for an operation, you are always welcome to take their favourite (clean) cosy and their favourite treats for the pre-op wait and the post-op recovery.
