C drops a must??

**angelikness** · #1 04-25-07, 03:52 pm

If you give your guinea pig fresh fruits and veggies each day is it imperative that you still use the vitamin C drops?

**piggly wiggly** · #2 04-25-07, 03:55 pm

No you should not use the drops at all. Fresh veggies are a must and much better anyway, check the nutrition section for some great veggie ideas.

**sihschris** · #3 04-25-07, 05:02 pm

I agree. I give tomatoes, spinach, and carrots with pellots and Timothy hay.

**Ly&Pigs** · #4 04-25-07, 05:46 pm

Quote:

I give tomatoes, spinach, and carrots

That's a poor veggie diet. Not enough C, not enough dark leafy greens, too much calcium and oxalic acid. Have you seen the nutrition charts and sample veggie menus?

**sihschris** · #5 04-25-07, 05:53 pm

Actually, according to the chart that his VET gave me, he is getting plenty of Vitamin C. 2 Large carrots, 12 spinach leaves, 3 cherry tomaroes, along with the Vit C in his pellots. He's been on it for a year and no problems with Scurvy. Thank you for your thoughts tho.

**rabbitsncavyluv** · #6 04-25-07, 06:22 pm

Carrots shouldn't be given daily. Or it is one baby carrot a day at the most. Do you mean the large regular carrots? If so, that is way too much. They're sugary and high in vit K.

Tomatoes can be acidic. I rarely feed them. They need a base of leafy greens like red or green leaf lettuce, endive, escarole, etc.

**sihschris** · #7 04-25-07, 06:25 pm

Izzy's vet (specializes in Exotic animals reptiles, guineas, mice, monkeys, some fish, squirrels, etc) told me a few weeks ago his diet was fine and had good variety in it. He didn't suggest lettuce because it's watery and can cause diarrhea. Forgive me, but I'm going to take his advice. His CBC came back normal, his fecal was fine, and no signs of malnutrition or scurvy. His diet according to him is fine.

**sihschris** · #8 04-25-07, 06:31 pm

I would also like to add that according to your chart on here, carrots and cherry tomatoes are fine to give daily

http://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/...arts-info.html

**Ly&Pigs** · #9 04-25-07, 06:50 pm

Quote:

I would also like to add that according to your chart on here, carrots and cherry tomatoes are fine to give daily

Yes, but it's one small to medium sized baby carrot per pig per day and one-two grape/cherry sized tomato per day.

12 spinach leaves is a little excessive. Super huge amounts of calcium and oxalic acid. If you don't adjust his diet, he will end up with calcium stones or oxalate stones later on down the road.

It's iceburg lettuce that should be avoided. The leafy varieties such as romaine, red leaf, green leaf, boston, etc. can be given on a daily basis without fear of diarrhea.

I don't really care if your vet is the best exotics vet in the world. Just because he says it is so, doesn't mean it is. I've studied cavy nutrition for almost 2 years and am now studying to become a vet tech.

**sihschris** · #10 04-25-07, 06:53 pm

I am stepping out of this thread as I feel it has gotten out of hand. There is no reason to put my vet down, since he has been treating Izzy fine for a year, and how many other piggies for how ever long. No reason to put me down for following his advice. I'm sorry, but you're not a vet, he is. You're studying to be a vet tech, he's a 45 year old man with credentials 20 years ago. I think he's more qualified to give my piggie his care.

Again, I am stepping out, please go to the original question and stop attacking me.

And just to quote you

"I dont care if he's the best exotic vet in the world, just because he says doesn't mean it's so" or something to that effect. I can turn that around to you. Just because you say not to do something doesn't mean I shouldn't. I will trust my vet here. Thank you.

**rabbitsncavyluv** · #11 04-25-07, 07:02 pm

If you asked several other knowledgable vets, they would likely tell you different advice. If you have a respected vet, fine but so have I and I don't blindly follow their advice. You have to pick and choose the advice. One 'respected' exotics vet who has had their articles published in journals told me that topical ivermec doesn't work and to add vit c drops to their water, or to use vit c supplementation every day.

**Ly&Pigs** · #12 04-25-07, 07:05 pm

There are a hundred threads worse than this one. It has by no means gotten out of hand.

If you want to listen to your vet, go right ahead. I'm certainly not stopping you. But when another year or two go by and your cavy develops sludge or stones, just remember the advice that you were given here.

Oh and you certainly have not been "attacked".

**this_lil_piggy** · #13 04-25-07, 10:32 pm

Quote:

he's a 45 year old man with credentials 20 years ago.

No one is putting down your vet, but vets that were "credentialed 20 yrs ago" can be stuck in their ways and either misinformed with old outdated information or just too stubborn to move up with the times. It isn't to say that your vet doesn't have the best intentions, but his guinea pig knowledge in regards to diet IS outdated.

There are tons of old school vets that still push the idea that guinea pigs should be kept in tiny wire bottom cages and boars can never be housed together because they will kill each other. Some even still say not to feed veggies, and promote the use of water drops. They believe this, and promote this because it is what they were taught.........20 yrs ago.

I don't even trust my own medical doctors 100%. They are human, and believe me I have had a couple of them that made mistakes that could have cost me my life.....and one mistake that DID cost my son his life. No one is perfect, regardless of their "degree".

**sophistic_chick** · #14 04-28-07, 04:53 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by sihschris

II'm sorry, but you're not a vet, he is. You're studying to be a vet tech, he's a 45 year old man with credentials 20 years ago. I think he's more qualified to give my piggie his care.

Vet Techs are certainly qualified. I work in a Vet hospital and see exactly what techs do everyday. Sometimes techs know more than the vets do. They are an extremely important part of a veterinary hospital. I myself am not a tech, but an assistant, yet I know more about cavies than my boss!

beefsteak · #15 04-30-07, 01:05 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by sihschris

I am stepping out of this thread as I feel it has gotten out of hand. There is no reason to put my vet down, since he has been treating Izzy fine for a year, and how many other piggies for how ever long. No reason to put me down for following his advice. I'm sorry, but you're not a vet, he is. You're studying to be a vet tech, he's a 45 year old man with credentials 20 years ago. I think he's more qualified to give my piggie his care.

I'm sorry, but that has to be one of the most ignorant things I have ever read. Vets, doctors,......just because these people have a degree in hand does NOT make them gods and therefore infalible. For you to believe every word your vet is saying without doing your own research shows ignorance and closed mindedness. How many stories have I heard of people who got poor advice from their vet? Too many. The bottom line is, despite an increase of popularity in exotic animal keeping in the past decade, many vets still aren't well versed on the proper care for many of these animals. The people at this forum specialize SPECIFICALLY in guinea pigs. Your vet does not. No one is saying he's a bad vet, just that he's obviously not an expert on cavy care.

And to answer the original question posed by the thread: no.

**Jennicat** · #16 04-30-07, 01:48 pm

I'm so confused, no one said that these foods were bad, simply that eating too much of them can cause problems. Much like a human would develop dietary problems if they ate a very limited diet.

**angelikness** · #17 04-30-07, 02:38 pm

Wow, what a response! Thank you all. I feel that the vitamin c drops also were not needed as long as he was recieving a good diet. One of the things we feed are green bell peppers b/c they contain a ton of vitamin C, actually alot more than orange juice.

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