Best Piggie in Kansas

[LindsayAnna]

This is too negative of a group for me or my pig to be apart of. Thank you but no thank you. <br><br>My specialist as you call THEM are trained vetrenarian groups of people from my vetraniarian doctoral program on campus that specialize in small animal care. I do not go to the students for help but instead the professors who have 30 years plus of knowledge on small animal care. Please take your guinea pigs to a vet before listening to the advice of a forum on a website with .com at the end. <br><br>Your comments are rude, and distasteful. 

 

[ellisa]

I am very sorry you feel this way. I am not trying to fight with you at all. I am just saying what I believe. If you truely disagree then you can choose not to follow it. I am not going to hunt you down and make sure you don't use a leash on your piggie. We can just agree to disagree.
If you do choose to leave I wish you the best of luck with your piggie and finding him a friend. I believe you are a good owner and will find a lovely homeless pig to be paired with your current one.
Oh, and don't worry. I have an awesome vet that has helped me with everything I need for my pets. She has successfully helped my piggie in removing a tumor on his face and a lipoma on his side. Unfortunately, not all vets know much about cavies, so this site is an excellent resource that I reccomend to anyone and everyone.
Best luck to you.

 

[cavycuddler91]

Try Google to see the damage harnesses have done to guinea pigs? Or perhaps get a second opinion.. It's a fact that the spine on guinea pigs cannot bend.. I don't see how one can argue with science.
Vet's can recommend the craziest things. I've talked to one vet stating guinea pigs don't need fruits and veggies, that pellets and hay on occasion are okay. SURELY, that is false. I've talked to another vet that said guinea pigs are fine as outdoor pets, SURELY, that is also false. Vet's are not perfect. You cannot go by one person's view.

 

[bpatters]

Why do I think you're not in a "vetraniarian doctoral program" if you can't spell it right?

 

[KristenMatejka]

[MENTION=20521]LindsayAnna[/MENTION], as ellisa said....We are not trying to make you feel like a bad pet owner nor are we trying to make you feel insulted or be upset. All we are simply trying to do is to let you know what is best for your guinea pig! They know what they're talking about, like they said just please take their advice into consideration. Accidents always do happen and you never can be prepared for them.
Also, just because someone says they are a SPECIALIST on small animal care doesn't mean it's correct. Just like petsmart and petco...they sell some things harmful for guinea pigs with guinea pigs on the label.
Just try to see we are here to help not argue with you or to make you feel bad. We just love talking about our piggies and sharing photos and cute stories of them!

 

[Kelly91513]

This is too negative of a group for me or my pig to be apart of. Thank you but no thank you.

My specialist as you call THEM are trained vetrenarian groups of people from my vetraniarian doctoral program on campus that specialize in small animal care. I do not go to the students for help but instead the professors who have 30 years plus of knowledge on small animal care. Please take your guinea pigs to a vet before listening to the advice of a forum on a website with .com at the end.

Your comments are rude, and distasteful.

The only person being rude and distasteful is you. These people have had guinea pigs for a long time. You need to understand that many people will read your thread and will want to get their guinea pig a harness/leash is a good idea and will unfourtunately and by accident harm their pig. I'm not saying you don't know a ton of vets with 'pig leash training experience' but most don't and it's not a safe idea. Trying to inform people of this is their jobs are moderators. They are not being rude but actually helpful. If you take it negatively then maybe it isn't a good idea to be on this forum. This forum is nothing but helpful and you chose to come on this ".com" forum.

 

[Pretty Piggies]

Don't feel bad! We're just trying to help you! Let me just say to all that have commented....arguing and quoting can really make people feel sad. Even if we diagree, we are representing this website, and whatever we say new people are going to believe this site is all about. Theses are real people we are talking to, with a life. There's no reason to ruin part of it. Does no one see the yellow box above this thread? Maybe we need to read it again. Would you listen to someone who appeared to be yelling at you, even if they weren't? My answer is no.

Why do I think you're not in a "vetraniarian doctoral program" if you can't spell it right?

And some things are better off just in your head.

 

[Paula]

I get the impression you're rather set on the idea that this pig needs to be out and about in the City - which isn't realistic. Guinea pigs are prey animals. They are afraid most of the time. They aren't like dogs, who enjoy being outside interacting with new people and animals. It would be much better to make an enclosure, perhaps with extra grids, and set up a safe play area outside on your lawn or a safe place on your apartment/condo grounds. It's nothing difficult and a great deal safer and more enjoyable for a guinea pig than trying to put them on a leash and let them interact with the world like a dog would.

Also - citing a veterinary program as a means to bolster your argument isn't necessary and really not at all effective. I'm sure if you searched long and hard enough, you could find a vet who would recommend feeding Chex cereal and low fat dog food to your guinea pig, too.

There is no doubt you love your pig and no doubt you have a wonderful little guy - which I think means you'd love to hear information that can help you be a better caregiver for him and provide him the safest possible life. Which is what this forum represents and hopes to help owners be, by providing information and educating them on dangers they may not be aware of otherwise. No one means to attack you or make you feel the need to be defensive - just let you know that there's a better way to do things. Which, I suspect, is probably why you joined because you obviously love and care about your pet and want the best for him. Right?

 

[CavyMama]

Leash laws have nothing to do with it as guinea pigs should not be "out and about" in a city or town. Leashes or harnesses are unsafe for guinea pigs as they can damage their spine and it's unnatural for them to be walked like a dog. If outside at all, they should be in a supervised enclosure in a backyard.

As for the advice from your veterinary program professors, I've had vets that are supposedly cavy savy who recommended yogurt for probiotics, even though guinea pigs are lactose intollerant. So I wouldn't take everything they tell you at face value.

I'm not sure what "negativity" you saw unless you meant that people were telling you something other than what you believed to be true. That's not negativity. That is people who have guinea pig experience, telling you what they know to be true.

You are free to leave, of course, but then you will be missing out on valuable information from experienced guinea pig owners.

 

[Japonica26]

Leash laws have nothing to do with it as guinea pigs should not be "out and about" in a city or town. Leashes or harnesses are unsafe for guinea pigs as they can damage their spine and it's unnatural for them to be walked like a dog. If outside at all, they should be in a supervised enclosure in a backyard.

As for the advice from your veterinary program professors, I've had vets that are supposedly cavy savy who recommended yogurt for probiotics, even though guinea pigs are lactose intollerant. So I wouldn't take everything they tell you at face value.

I'm not sure what "negativity" you saw unless you meant that people were telling you something other than what you believed to be true. That's not negativity. That is people who have guinea pig experience, telling you what they know to be true.

You are free to leave, of course, but then you will be missing out on valuable information from experienced guinea pig owners.

I totally agree with all the voices of reason on here re: leashes. Aside from the spine issue, I would never do it in a million years. Why?

My neighborhood is full of dogs...rotties, staffies, pit bull crosses, you name it. If my sweet piggies were on a leash, they would look like a welcome snack. And even if their dogs are on a leash (not all the time...I've seen neighbor dogs running free in the front yard when the owner comes home), it only takes a moment for them to get away. My piggies would not stand a chance.