I am not sure what criterion show it would be established, but it does not have its own website or building. They have foster families that take care of the pigs and these people kind of set everything up and show the pigs along with caring for some.Originally Posted by Kim37040
Yeah, a vet visit is a must with all shelter/rescue animals I have ever had in my life. I just would have gotten her in this week instead of making a same-day appt.
Argh - I am so used to predator pets! These prey pets are surely different. Thank you for the advice! Here I am, 40 years old, and I am freaking out like when I was a teen, lol. Hey, at least I am concerned with her well-being.
dont worry! we are all here to help :)
She doesn't need alfalfa specifically, she just needs more calcium than a fully grown pig, regardless of where it comes from. Plenty of veggies are good natural sources of calcium. I took home Kwee at 2 months old, and have never given her alfalfa hay or alfalfa-based pellets, only timothy pellets, orchard grass hay and lots of veggies, and she's in fine health now at about 6 months.
As for weaning, I believe males are typically separated at 3 weeks because they are old enough to knock a lady pig up after that. But either way, 2 months old is perfectly fine. Even one month would be acceptable.
Whew, I am feeling better. Thanks everyone for talking me down, lol. My husband did say I was worrying too much. She wouldn't drink today but we finally got some water in her via syringe. She was great while I held her and husband squeezed the syringe for her to drink. (still going to vet asap)
Don't have much to add, just my well-wishes for her quick and thorough recovery! Poor little baby...she sounds miserable! Good thing she has a caring new human mommy to take care of her! Good luck!
Kelly9 (06-25-12)
Show them, as in show them to prospective families? Or show them as in at guinea pig shows?
Show them to prospective families.
HI all,
I have the guinea pig that smells like a horse. Somehow I couldn't edit my original "help me" post to include an update, so I made a new post.
We went to the vet today. My little pig is definitely only 8 weeks, no more. She got a clean bill of health except for being slightly underweight (.15 kg or 150 g) and TWO abscesses! Right under her chin/throat area. The vet says this is from another pig biting her and it getting infected. So she is getting Baytril for the infection.
Unfortunately, she is not eating well. Or drinking. The vet gave me a mash to join with water and use the syringe to feed her. Every now and again she will eat a few pieces of hay. No veggies yet. She doesn't use her water bottle AT ALL, which scares me. I syringe her water too. But how do I know she is getting enough?
On a good note, the rescue emailed back wanting to know how she was fitting in with my family. And after I fed her, she is cuddled in a towel on my lap and starting PURRING! It didn't last long, but she did it! Yay!
Baytril is usually prescribed for adult guinea pigs and not young ones because it can stunt their growth. Bactrim is the preferred drug for young guinea pigs. Baytril also upsets their gut flora so a probiotic should be given with it since it causes them to lose their appetite.
Aww nuts. I even went in there with a list of dangerous antibiotics. Needless to say, I will talk to the vet tomorrow. And here she loves working with the exotics and rodents.
Yes, switch to Bactrim. Also, antibiotics alone rarely get rid of abscesses. Did the vet draw out some of the contents of the lumps with a needle to see what they are? Most abscesses need to be removed, or at the very least lanced and flushed out.
Be very careful with offering water in a syringe. If you're not careful, she can aspirate it into her lungs which can lead to pneumonia. The syringe should be inserted between the gum and teeth and you should watch for her to start chewing. Then, slowly squeeze water slowly into her mouth as she continues chewing. If she eats any leafy greens, soak them in water before you offer them and she'll get her water that way. You might want to ask the rescue if she was drinking from a bottle when they had her. Have you shown her the water bottle by placing the tip near her mouth and using your finger to push in the metal ball so some water comes out? I also agree that you should contact the rescue to let them know the health problems she has and ask if they'll cover your medical expenses. You shouldn't be paying for medical care for a baby that should be healthy.
Thank you for the syringe info and how to get her to drink from the bottle. I did try but she just looked at me, lol. I will keep trying so I don't need to syringe her.
I wrote to the rescue and they basically said she a traumatic start in life, coming to them at 1 week with her mother and 2 sisters. They were all muddy. The rescue will do a surprise check on the foster home but they think that what I am seeing was what happened BEFORE she go tto the rescue. I am htinking - how can you have a pig 7 WEEKS and it still smells? Her smell is already going away with the fresh bedding. And they didn't notice the abscesses. They made no mention of returning money when I said I was contemplating asking for a refund.
I am glad I got her because someone needs to take care of her.
Having a dog that had some lumps, I made sure to ask about the aspiration of the lumps. The vet showed me the lumps and then automatically said she would check to see what exactly was in there. She did the aspiration and also lanced and flushed out what she could. There was more blood than a normal aspiration would be so I know she lanced it. Now I have to check to see if they go down on their own. One can hope, right? lol
The vet did say if they didn't improve in 4-5 days to bring her back for removal.
Here I thought her head was so much bigger than her body but it was the abscesses. With the hair shaved short you can easily see them. they are hard so I think that is how I missed them, they feel like part of the body. I swear, next time I get an animal I am just taking the vet with me.
Oh, absolutely switching to Bactrim.
Abscesses need to have the pockets cleaned and kept open so they heal from the inside out. If they're allowed to heal up, the pus starts building up again and it grows. A solution of chlorhexidine and water diluted to a light blue color is good use to flush out the pockets. Your vet should have small, plastic bottles that can be used to flush out wounds. I've cleaned an abscess that way when my male had an abscess and I used a Qtip to clean out the abscess my female had on her forehead.
These abscesses are huge. Like the size of , well, they go from side of her throat to the other and stick out to her mouth almost. Like a small bouncy ball or half a golf ball size. That is why I thought her head was so big. It was the abscesses.
That's all the more reason for the abscesses to be cleaned out. The one my female had on her head was big enough that I could not only fit a QTip in it, I could scoop out the pus and see the inside of the pocket. Surprisingly, Twinkie wouldn't fight me when I cleaned it out. The first few times I tried, she was scared but it got to be a routine. The abscess was in a spot where she couldn't get at it and I separated her from her companion after she got bit so my vet told me to squirt some Neopsporin in the pocket after I cleaned it out. It shouldn't be used in a spot where they might ingest it. Sometimes if the abscesses are in a place where it's hard to clean or they keep recurring, the vet will surgically remove the whole abscess and stitch up the wound.
Kelly9 (06-26-12)
*Ahem* no offense but I actually love the way horses smell I was just at the barn today ahhhhh the sweet smell of hay and horses is just heavenly to me so if my girls smelled like horses I probably would spend half my day sniffing them haha. I use this shampoo on my pigs Cat Shampoo :: earthbath® - totally natural pet care. It smells like cherries ( naturally scented of course) and after I bathe them they smell mildly of cherries but no stink at all so you could try this.
Here's a good shampoo just for guinea pigs: Gorgeous Guineas
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