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Why? - New guinea pig with URI and lice

Sadly this can be common with pet shop bought animals. I absolutely would not give her back.
The pet shop should help cover the cost of her treatment if you have only recently bought her.
Has she been seen by a vet?
 
Sadly breeders and pet stores can say anything. Equally, depending on how long you’ve had her, she may not have been showing symptoms when you bought her so they may not have known

Yes it’s painful. Has she seen a vet?
 
her age is irrelevant to the cost.
She will require antibiotics, painkillers and lice treatment

Have you seen a vet?
Have you informed the pet shop thar she is ill
How long have you had her?
 
She needs a vet. A pet shop cannot help her. Any medication you can buy from a pet shop will not help - it isn’t strong enough to deal with the problem plus she needs a formal veterinary diagnosis
 
Just wanted to add that Guinea pigs on a whole are really expensive animals, I’ve spent a good few thousand on vet bills in the past 3/4 years of owning Guinea pigs. They are not cheap pets at all. And vet care is absolutely necessary as guinea pigs go downhill very fast once they get ill. Do you have 2 guinea pigs? They must live in pairs as they are herd animals. Some places in the world have even banned owning single guinea pigs as it’s completely unfair to them. Just a heads up.
Pet shops and breeders always sell guinea pigs that have health problems, they’re seen as products not live animals. That’s why on the forum we advocate using rescues.
She needs to be seen by a vet and diagnosed with all her conditions before treatment begins
Where in the world are you, can you add your country to your profile?
 
PeachesMyPrincess said:
The pet store gave my a guinea pig with a UTI and lice, should I give her back or keep her? Are this cheap to treat?
Click to expand...

Hi!

Sadly too many pet shops are negligent and sell ill guinea pigs in the knowledge that most owners won't call them out.
However, it is well within your customer rights to reclaim any vet cost arising from exposure and infection at the shop because you have in effect been sold damaged ware.

You can find more information on our customer rights (it is handled slightly different in various counries) and on the most common problems pet shop piggies can come with. The safest place for adoption is and remains a high welfare standard rescue where only fully quarantined/vet cared healthy, not pregnant and properly sexed piggies will be put up for adoption.
New guinea pigs: Sexing, vet checks&customer rights, URI, ringworm and parasites


As you haven't added your country to location in your account details (accessed via clicking on your username on the top bar) in order to make it appear with every post or mentioned your country in your initial post, I can't comment on vet cost (which vary greatly from country to country) nor how things are handled exactly in your own country. We have members and enquiries from literally all over the world and jump between too many different threads in a day, not to mention in weeks or months to remember where every single member is from for any length of time.
 
Live won’t necessarily be treated with injections. My four piggies had lice and were given xeno-450 by the vet (active ingredient is ivermectin). One treatment for each was enough.

Please don’t trust the soap that the pet shop is giving you. Piggies have sensitive skin and shouldn’t be washed with any old soap. Go to the vet and see what they say. Then contact the pet shop with the bill. They should pay since they sold you ‘ill fitting’ goods.

I would actually email the pet shop before you go to the vet. And perhaps also follow it up with a phone call to the one you got her from - if they’re open. Then once seen by the vet you send them a copy of the bill and call them again.

Pet shops are in it for the money. They don’t really check the piggies’ health. Many on here (and not) have gotten piggies from pet shops who have been missexed, resulting in pregnancies. Or already pregnant when they take them home. And ill as well. I'm sorry you’ve been caught in their net. Unfortunately that’s a risk you take with them.

PS check to make sure that the insurance will cover the treatment. There may be a clause about existing conditions that were there before the insurance started. Read tour policy carefully. Another thing is piggies are expensive when it comes to vet fees, more so in the US.

Good luck and with the advise above tour piggy should hopefully be in good health soon. Do let us know how you and she get on.
 
Pet stores OFTEN sell sick animals. It's a really common problem. They are in it for the money. Glad you are seeing a vet, as respiratory tract infections can be rapidly fatal to guinea pigs. They should be able to give you a treatment for lice too. I would have the vet assess the problem before trying any pet store soap. Best of luck!
 
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