Amanda1801
Senior Guinea Pig
Guinea pigs in captivity can have a lifespan of 6-8 years, some may even get as old as 9 or 10! It's inevitable that at some point during their lifetime, they are going to become unwell and need veterinary attention.
Who is responsible?
As a pet owner, whether you own an elephant or a hamster, you are legally responsible to seek veterinary attention if your pet becomes unwell. If you are under 16 years old (in the UK, other countries may vary), your parent(s) have assumed this responsibility, although most veterinary surgeries will require you to attend with an adult if you are under 18 years old.
Withholding veterinary treatment is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act (2006) http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2006/45/contents
How can I be prepared for vets bills?
There are two main ways in which you can prepare for those unexpected vets bills.
1) Open a savings account. You can put some money aside each week/month, creating a vet fund that you can use to pay your vets bills. This requires an amount of self discipline not to spend the money that you've saved on other things!
2) Pet insurance. You can set up an insurance policy that will pay for vets bills after you have paid a small excess. It's important to read the small print, and is probably best to call and discuss it with a customer services advisor. Currently, the only company to offer pet insurance for guinea pigs in the UK is Exotic Direct (https://www.exoticdirect.co.uk/)
What if I have an unexpected vets bill that I cannot afford?
If your pet requires veterinary attention and you cannot afford it, BE HONEST with the surgery from the beginning. They may only ask for a percentage up front and may be able to set up a payment instalment plan. This is one reason why it is important to use one vet that you are happy with regularly, so that you can build up a relationship with them; a lot of surgeries will be reluctant to set up an instalment plan for clients that they have little financial history for. Your vet may also be able to point you in the direction of services that may be able to help.
If the above is not possible (not all surgeries will agree to instalment plans. Owning a pet is a luxury and a responsibility that you should only undertake if you can afford to do so), some charities exist to help with funding, based on the fact that peoples financial situations can and do change, although they do have eligibility criteria. They are charities that survive on public funding and should not be abused. Examples of such charities include:
PDSA
Eligibility criteria: The owner should be in receipt of housing and/or council tax benefit and live within their catchment area http://www.pdsa.org.uk/pdsa-vet-care/eligibility
RSPCA
http://www.rspca.org.uk/in-action/whatwedo/vetcare
Blue Cross
http://www.bluecross.org.uk/1714/Visit-us.html
If you cannot obtain veterinary treatment after exhausting all of the above avenues, you should consider signing your pet over to a reputable rescue, where they can receive the medical treatment that they require at the time, and in the future.
Added 2013:
We have now created a piggy savvy UK vet locator for our members.
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/pages/guinea-pig-vet-locator/
Who is responsible?
As a pet owner, whether you own an elephant or a hamster, you are legally responsible to seek veterinary attention if your pet becomes unwell. If you are under 16 years old (in the UK, other countries may vary), your parent(s) have assumed this responsibility, although most veterinary surgeries will require you to attend with an adult if you are under 18 years old.
Withholding veterinary treatment is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act (2006) http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2006/45/contents
How can I be prepared for vets bills?
There are two main ways in which you can prepare for those unexpected vets bills.
1) Open a savings account. You can put some money aside each week/month, creating a vet fund that you can use to pay your vets bills. This requires an amount of self discipline not to spend the money that you've saved on other things!
2) Pet insurance. You can set up an insurance policy that will pay for vets bills after you have paid a small excess. It's important to read the small print, and is probably best to call and discuss it with a customer services advisor. Currently, the only company to offer pet insurance for guinea pigs in the UK is Exotic Direct (https://www.exoticdirect.co.uk/)
What if I have an unexpected vets bill that I cannot afford?
If your pet requires veterinary attention and you cannot afford it, BE HONEST with the surgery from the beginning. They may only ask for a percentage up front and may be able to set up a payment instalment plan. This is one reason why it is important to use one vet that you are happy with regularly, so that you can build up a relationship with them; a lot of surgeries will be reluctant to set up an instalment plan for clients that they have little financial history for. Your vet may also be able to point you in the direction of services that may be able to help.
If the above is not possible (not all surgeries will agree to instalment plans. Owning a pet is a luxury and a responsibility that you should only undertake if you can afford to do so), some charities exist to help with funding, based on the fact that peoples financial situations can and do change, although they do have eligibility criteria. They are charities that survive on public funding and should not be abused. Examples of such charities include:
PDSA
Eligibility criteria: The owner should be in receipt of housing and/or council tax benefit and live within their catchment area http://www.pdsa.org.uk/pdsa-vet-care/eligibility
RSPCA
http://www.rspca.org.uk/in-action/whatwedo/vetcare
Blue Cross
http://www.bluecross.org.uk/1714/Visit-us.html
If you cannot obtain veterinary treatment after exhausting all of the above avenues, you should consider signing your pet over to a reputable rescue, where they can receive the medical treatment that they require at the time, and in the future.
Added 2013:
We have now created a piggy savvy UK vet locator for our members.
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/pages/guinea-pig-vet-locator/