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Infection Possible MRSA

cldhatteras

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Hey guys! I am new here and a brand new Guinea Pig owner. My son is 6 1/2 and has begged and begged for a Guinea Pig for months. Well, this past Sunday we broke down and got him the one he had been looking at for the past two weeks at Petsmart. He's a really handsome fella. Problem is, after we got him home we noticed a dry scabbed over sore under his nose. Petsmart told us to bring him back in and return the pet for a refund and they would have their vet take a look at it and then we could purchase him back. Turns out, their vet thinks he has MRSA. He will have to stay at Petsmart for 7 days of treatments. My question is.... Should we repurchase him once he is cleared or should we have our son pick out a different one? I just want to be sure if we repurchase this one he will be healthy. We have both fallen in love with this little Guinea Pig we named Patches.

Thanks for any advice that can be offered.
 

madelineelaine

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Hi there! Welcome to the Forum.

Unfortunately, a majority of pet store pigs are either miss sexed or ill when they are purchased.

As you are a new guinea pig owner here is a link to a post with very helpful links on cavy care: https://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/threads/113176-Information-for-new-guinea-pig-owners

One thing I'd like to add is that piggies really are social animals! It is best to keep them in pairs so they have a long healthy and happy life. I always recommend having a look at local shelters and guinea pig rescues to see if you can adopt a bonded pair from them. There are so many guinea pigs out there looking for furever homes!
 

cldhatteras

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Thank you! I do think we are going to keep this little guy because my heart just won't let me take him back. We plan to re-purchase him once he has been cleared to come home. However, If something does happen to him we will definitely look elsewhere for a new little one to love. Once he is medically cleared we will look into another young one to have him partner with. I appreciate your advice!
 

bpatters

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Please don't buy another pig. Pet store pigs are bred and raised in horrible conditions, and as you've found, are often sold sick, missexed, and/or with parasites. There are many, many guinea pigs in shelter and rescues that need good homes, and taking on of those doesn't condemn some poor sow in a breeding mill to be kept continually pregnant until she's too old to breed.

Is the PetCo vet an exotic vet? If not, I'd want to take him to an exotic vet for a careful exam -- small animal (dog and cat) vets are not trained to care for exotic pets. And in many years on this and other guinea pig forums, I've never heard of a guinea pig with MRSA. I have heard of dozens with fungal infections around their noses, and that's far more likely to be the problem than MRSA.
 

cldhatteras

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bpatters,
I'm not sure if they are a true exotic pet vet??? It's Petsmart and they have a vet in their store. Banfield Animal Clinic. I know the vet that I use for my dogs has two doctors that specialize in exotic animals and that's where we had planned to take him once he is out of the 14 day pet guarantee period. Now you have me worried that they aren't treating him properly. I have such a soft heart for these animals. I am going by there as soon as I get off work and see what I can find out. Thank you for your response!!!

Oh, how do I go about finding a rescue near me? I live in Eastern North Carolina and when I did a search I didn't see anything pop up.
 

bpatters

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I can almost guarantee you that a Banfield vet is NOT an exotic vet, and I wouldn't take my pig to one.

Look on Petfinder for guinea pigs. Contact a rescue even if it's not apparently very near you -- they're usually just groups of foster homes, and there may be a pig much closer to you than their mailing address indicates. Sometimes they'll meet you halfway.
 

cldhatteras

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Hey guys! I truly appreciate all the great feedback each of you have given me. I wanted to give a little update. I am currently in a battle with Petsmart as I try to get my sweet little Patches back in my possession. I have already reached out to a close friend that lives a few hours away but she is an exotic vet in her area and told me that MRSA isn't very common in guinea pigs. MRSP is common but would ONLY be an issue for a human if the human is immunosuppressed. No one in my immediate family that would be around this little guy is immunosuppressed. I also reached out to two of the vet office in my area that treat exotic pets to get two different opinions and they told me pretty much the same thing. So, I am waiting to call the Petsmart General Manager when they open at 9:00 this morning. My husband called the customer service line last night and was told that he couldn't find a policy that states they couldn't sell the animal back to us. We would have to sign a health disclaimer but I'm good with that. I know he will be in better hands with us and our vet than where he's at now. I am VERY passionate about all animals and can't stand to get the run around when it comes to animal care.

Oh, and once we have Patches back and he's all better we will be introducing a new friend for him to play with! Based on your recommendations I have reached out to a few Guinea Pig Rescues and I will be working with them to find the perfect little friend!
 

bpatters

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Here's hoping you get him back quickly.
 

cldhatteras

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UPDATE!!! I have my sweet boy back at home and the vet confirmed that he didn't have MRSA. He looks like nothing is wrong since he's been on the fungal meds. He should be 100% better. Plus, Petsmart is allowing me to take him to my exotic pets vet and they are going to pay for it. He seems so happy to be home. I will have one super excited boy when he gets out of school.
 
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