My Piggy is Acting Odd...

Ok, so as I've been checking on Doodlebear I have found that Moon is having issues as well. She keeps opening her mouth like she is trying to cough something up, but doesn't make any actual noise. Here chin and chest are soaking wet, and it doesn't smell like urine, so I think it is drool. I'm going to the vet right now and they are going to fit me in on an emergency basis. :sorry:

good luck with your piggies, hopefully it'll be something simple and they'll all be happy and healthy soon!

Good luck.

I am back from the vet with good news and bad news. The good news is that the problem seems to have been Moon's back teeth, which had grown over her tongue and were caused her pain, so they trimmed them. They also sent me home with Bactrim and metacam in case she has something in her throat or her lungs that could potentially cause pneumonia. I am hoping she will recover without any major problems.

The bad news is that my regular vet wasn't in and I am absolutely infuriated with the vet that I did see. She manhandled my guinea pig as if she was some type of inanimate object, and would continuously pet her from her rear to her head so that all of her hair would be pushed out, and every time my poor piggy would scream in pain. The vet commented on how difficult my piggy was to work with, and then told me she would have to use an anesthetic to look into her mouth because she "wouldn't cooperate."

I'll have you know that my girl Moon is a complete doll, a sweet, loving girl who would never puts up much of a fight, and the only reason she was reacting that way is because the vet was so rough with her. I was extremely reluctant to put her under anesthetics unless it was absolutely necessary, but the vet said it was the only way she could examine her teeth. She let me come in the back room and watch as they gassed my piggy in a plastic container while talking to one another and laughing. I was so upset, I wanted to cry and scream at them to not touch my pig one more time.

And then, the vet said "We've seen, like, three of these things today, haven't we?" in reference to my guinea pig- who is NOT a thing, thank you very much, she is my pet, a living, breathing creature that I love and care for with every fiber of my being. The whole experience was so upsetting.

From now on I am going to specifically request Dr. Hawk, who is the vet I normally see, every single time I ever visit that office again- she is always so gentle and sweet, and she talks to my piggies to calm them down so they hardly make a squeak. I cannot stand the lady I saw today. She kept casually talking to the vet tech and tossing my guinea pig around like a doll, while I stood there doing every possible thing I could to keep myself from screaming at the top of my lungs.

Sorry, I needed to rant.

Oh dear envisionary, I'm sorry to hear your piggies are having troubles. Good luck at the vet's - my thoughts are with you! Let us know as soon as you can how it went!

How's Doodlebear doing?

I'm so sorry for your horrible experience. Was the vet an exotics vet?

Oh man!!! I'm sorry that happened to you envisionary!!! It's awful of her to treat your piggie like a "thing"!!! I'm glad you do have a good vet though, and will always request to see her from now on.

I'm glad you took such prompt action with Moon and she should be feeling better real soon I'm sure! I too was wondering how Doodlebear is doing now?

Thanks for your concern, I appreciate it. Doodlebear has been asleep since I got home so I'm not sure what the status is there. I'll be keeping a very close eye on her tonight. My vet said the Revolution I treated everyone with should still be effective, so I'm hoping she's just got a really bad case of PMS.

Yes, the vet I saw was an exotics vet, amazingly enough. I have never seen her before, I've only seen Dr. Hawk, and she is fantastic. Since I haven't slept in over 24 hours I've been extra emotional about the whole thing. (I stayed up all night writing an essay and studying for an exam) :melodrama

It's really sad how an exotics vet would be that way. You'd like to think that you can trust your babies with a specialist. Hm. Good luck with your babies.

At least you are an awesome owner your piggy can come home to. I'm glad you went straight to the vet when you noticed issues and that says somethin about you.

About the vet - I would say something to her about how she treated your pig. Your piggy was going through a tough time and I'm sure was very glad you understood her and that vet needed to be gentle and loving. There is no reason to call an animal a 'thing' and I would be outright offended. I'm sorry you had to watch that but we are here for you. I am glad that you have a good vet, Dr. Hawk, who can take care of your piggies properly and make sure everything is wonderful.

You know how your piggy truly is and you love her, and she knows that. She was just irritated with that stranger treating her like that and didn't like it. I'm very sorry you had to deal with that. There is no reason a PROFESSIONAL (of all people) acted in such a way. Is there any way you could file a complaint or write a letter explaining the issues?

Regardless, I am glad to hear your pig is going to be doing better. Again, good job on being the awesome owner you are and taking care of them. Try not to worry about what has happened, just make your piggy as comfy as possible and deal with the vet the most appropriate way you can.

Thank you so much for your kind words, I really appreciate it right now. I really did want to say something to the vet but I didn't know how to, and I was so upset that I was scared of crying or yelling without meaning to. I did ask if I could hold Moon so she could examine her teeth, but she had the vet tech do it instead. The vet seemed like she was having a bad day because she kept yawning and coughing and generally seemed irritated to be there, but I still don't think that is an excuse to treat an animal like that. It was obvious that I was on the brink of tears the whole time, but they didn't try to comfort me or explain the procedure as they gassed her, they just kept talking to one another the whole time. Dr. Hawk always explains everything to me as she does it because she knows how protective I am with my guinea pigs, and I just wish they would have been a little nicer. The lady would say things like, "Oh, if it's not mites than it's something funky," or "Yeah, something's going on with all those piggies itching," it was so unprofessional. Anyway, I am going to request that I only see Dr. Hawk from here on out. I'll probably give her a big hug the next time I see her because she is so wonderful and I appreciate it so much more now!

You're welcome. Maybe you should talk to her whenever you are ready to or even mention something to Hawk next time you see her. She can probably mention something. I get super emotional sometimes and just CAN NOT deal with things sometimes - so I know where you are coming from there. You just choke up and feel like you are going to lose it right there. It's hard to deal with these kinds of things. People don't understand that these piggies literally become your adopted children and you expect the same treatment for them as you would your own flesh and blood.
You are doing everything (and then some) of what you need to be. She needs to be questioned on her professionalism as well as her etiquette. Your pig is probably over this right now. She has her loving mommy and probably won't even remember it.

I am very lucky to have an awesome vet. I have only had to go in a couple of times so far, but he is amazing - so nice, calm, willing to talk and explain things. He seems to understand how much people care about their pets and is really good. I would be very upset too, if I had to see another vet for an emergency and was treated the way you were. I know how you feel when you want to say something so bad but are afraid or just don't know what to do or say. I too get very emotional and it's tough to be assertive without losing it and looking like a crazy woman!!!

Getting that upset would not have helped your piggie either, so I think you did the right thing by not saying anything at the time. Now you can think about it and deal with it how you wish - either by lodging a complaint, speaking to the woman in question, or just talking to your wonderful vet Dr. Hawk. That woman may not have had very good ettiquette, but at least you got her the treatment and the meds that she needed, so good for you!!!

Now you realize just how good you've got it with Dr. Hawk and you will appreciate her even more. Make a point of telling her how wonderful she is next time you see her and how much you appreciate the way she is with you and your animals. I made a point of telling my vet how great he is. I think they need to hear it, and to know what a great job they are doing.

Wow that really stinks that you had to go through that. I'm glad you figured out the problem and that she's doing better. It's a real bummer that the vet was that mean though.

I've actually told Dr. Hawk how grateful I am after every visit with her, over and over again at times. She has a way with animals, as if she feels what they feel- and I have always felt that connection with animals myself ever since I was a very young child. I think I will talk through the situation with her rather than file a complain, I just wouldn't feel comfortable doing that since I will be needing to visit that office again in the future. I am going to give Dr. Hawk a big hug when I see her, though. I'm actually planning to make her a personalized card using some of the guinea pig pictures I have been taking lately, I think she would really like that.

Thanks again everyone for your responses. A lot of times I just feel that most people don't understand how much I love my guinea pigs, or don't relate to it I guess. They really mean so much to me, I can't imagine life without them.

envisionary, I think you would make an amazing exotics vet!!!!!

Haha, thanks clotho! That thought has crossed my mind many, many times. Honestly, though, I am an artist first and foremost, and being a photographer is my true calling.

envisionary I am so sorry that you had to go through that. There is no reason for a vet to treat an animal that way. If I were you I would call them on Monday and say something about the way your piggy was treated. If you feel comfortable with your regular ver then it might be good to say something to her about it. I hope that Moon starts to feel better soon. Keep us updated!

Envisionary, I'm so sorry that I didn't see this thread until now. I had a bad vet experience once myself and five years later I still don't like to talk about it. At least that thoughtless stupid vet didn't do any physical harm. I think your idea of telling Dr. Hawk is a good one. She will know how to report it if it needs reporting.

I also agree that being a photographer is your true calling. A photographer can do a lot for us animal lovers too. I so wish I had an envisionary picture of the dog I lost during that bad vet experience.