Poor Guinea Pig Having fits

[Max&Spike]

Hi all,

New here so sorry if this has been covered (did a search and couldn't find anything).

I have two boars, they are over 2 years old now.
They seem perfectly happy and are really good fun and interactive.

However about a year ago one of them started having fits when he was stressed (like being handled by strange people). So we stopped him being in stressful situations and it all seemed fine.

However, this morning I notice he was having a fit all by himself in his normal environment, now I am getting concerned. He seems fine after the fit, in fact if you go near him after the fit he seems to natter away to you all about it

Are fits normal Guinea Pig behaviour , or should I get him to a vet ? Does anyone know a Guinea Pig friendly vet in western Brisbane.

Any advice welcome

[MetallichicA]

Can you please explain what happens during these "fits"? That's pretty vague.

[Max&Spike]

Sorry yes , 'fits' is pretty vague.

He rolls onto his back and shakes uncontrollably, almost like you see when a human is having an epileptic fit. Sometimes he dosen't make it onto his back, and is on his side.

When I am holding him and he does it, his whole body goes very rigid and just shakes.

Thanks for your reply

[fairysari]

That doesn't sound normal. I would take him to a vet.

[MetallichicA]

I'm not positive, but it sounds like mites from what I've read on the forum, especially since it happened before when he was in a stressful environment. Get him to a vet ASAP, that sounds very wrong indeed.

[Max&Spike]

Thanks all vet booked !!!

[albert]

To me it does sound like epileptic fit and am glad to see you are going to take him to the vets. I dont know it they give any treatment for this or just let them go (with some dogs they have treatment and others dont) and live their life as normal as possible. Will be interested to know what the results are. When are you taking him?.

[Fluffball]

Are you sure he isnt just popcorning? It resembles a fit where the whole body shakes and they jump into the air. It means they are extremely happy.

If not it does sound like a fit associated with mange mites. Mange mites burrow deep beneath the skin and can cause severe irratration resulting in fits. Make sure you ask your vet for ivermectin solution. You should get three doses. One to kill the mites, second to kill the eggs and third to kill any remainding parasites.

Many Australian vet are not exotics vets and will not specialise in guinea pigs. Some may not even know how to properly treat and diagnose your guinea pig. Have your piggie treated for mites as a precaution. See http://www.guinealynx.info/mites.html.

Goodluck and keep us updated.

[Fluffball]

Here is a link for recommended exotics vets in Brisbane. See if these are more closer to you:
http://www.geocities.com/fizzyjess/i...ryvetsqld.html

[Max&Spike]

Hi All

Just back from the second trip to the Vet.
Well Spike has been checked over for Mites and other Parasites and is clean.
He also had a blood test, where they looked for toxins and was clean as well.

So looks like he has epilepscy. Good news is there are drugs to control the seizures and make them less frequent. He has a drug called Phenobarbitone.

Really happy with the performance of my Vet here in Graceville, constantly phoning a vet in Toowoomba called Bob Donnely who was most helpfull. Another pleasant surprise was the cost, all this for under $100 (which is incredibly cheap compared to a dog). So a lesson I learnt is don't hesitate to take the pig to the Vet !!

One more question to ask
Does anyone have any experince in administering an 1/8 of a pill to a Cavy ???
Could be tough, any experience welcome as Spike will be on the pill once a day for the rest of his life.

Thanks again

[Gunnedah]

I would melt the tablet in some water and then use a suringe to suck it up and give to the cavy.

Em

[albert]

You could try crushing it and putting it on a small slice of cucumber and let him eat it. Did the vet also explain to you the side affects of taking phenobarbitone.

[Max&Spike]

The only side effect my vet is that he may become lathargic , is there anything else that anyone knows of?

[albert]

Yes it can make them very quiet and tired at first. I can only speak from experience with my dogs as have had 3 that have fits (one is still with me). It can shorten their lives and send them blind. It may be different with guinea pigs I am not sure but it is worth a try with him.

[Fluffball]

From guinealynx:

Pills Try to get the pill in the back of the mouth (from the side) to the molars. A hemostat (a scissor-handled clamp used for compressing bleeding blood vessels, available at a medical supply store) is perfect for dosing pigs with pills, as they can be inserted down to the molars where it is much harder to eject.

http://guinealynx.com/tips.html

Matt&spike: I have only heard of one case of a guinea pig with epilepsy, I urge you to post about this here www.guinealynx.info/forums. They have dealt with many medical conditions and there are not only certified cavy vets on that forum but they also have the best medical advice. Owners will advise you on if your medication is right for your guinea pigs condition, and advice on living and caring with pigs with epilepsy.

They are very nice cavy slaves and even the owner of this site recommends them.

Just on a side note mange mites cannot be seen nor detected by any tests. Many tests will miss them completely, even a skin scaping is highly unreliable. Until the symptoms such as hair loss, scratching and iching occur it is very hard to even suspect mites, they can lay dormant for years under the skin and you would not even know. This is why many exotics vets treat for mites even with no symptoms its better to be careful than to loose your pig later on.

[Mikey's Mum]

I agree with Fluffball. Have your piggies ever been treated for mites?

[Max&Spike]

Guys

After several trips to the vet and many phone calls to Vet Bob in Toowoomba, he was treated for mites.

He is a very happy Guinea Pig now, really changed him actually, he is far mor confident and playfull now.

I would like to thank the vet here in Sherwood, although they might have got it wrong the first time , they never charged me when he went back and put in a lot of after hours work to phone Bob in Toowoomba.

Also thanks to you guys for helping me insist on getting treatment for Mites.

[Mikey's Mum]

Great to hear that Spike has been correctly diagnosed and treated and good for you for being persistant. You don't mention whether they were both treated or not but it is always a good idea to treat them all together.

[littlemissjoey]

Glad to hear you found the problem and your piggie is on the mend.