Pigs and a puppy?

[acydrose]

Hi guys Sorry if this post is in the wrong section of the forum!
This morning I got a 4 month old puppy, adopted a mixed husky-terrier, and after his bath I realized he's got fleas
We're waiting til tomorrow (Monday) to book his first vet visit, vaccines, grooming the whole she-bang because the person I got him from was even surprised to hear about deworming! I hate irresponsible pet parents!

The puppy isn't in the same room as the pigs and I wash my hands and arms after handling the puppy. But are my piggies at risk of getting fleas too? Or any other disease that they can get from each other? Also.. pup and pig introduction? Should I wait until he's older and trained?
Thanks

 

[lissie]

Your pigs can get fleas if they get from your pup and onto your floors.

I wouldn't introduce the pup to the pigs at all. Too risky. Terriers were bred to hunt rodents.

 

[Varcoda]

puppies are highly playful, you honestly never know when they will run and playfully bite- which would be enough to kill a piggy.

if you really wanted to though, you could make sure the fleas are gone first, and see how puppy reacts to piggy that is safely in a cage. give them lots of time to get used to each other's presence at least.

BUT know that puppy can pick up mites and fleas and other things out in the garden when he goes to poop and pee. you have to weigh what is best for your piggies

 

[HannibalLecter]

I wouldn't, there is no gain for either of them to be introduced. Dogs are predators and guinea pigs are prey.
Terriers have a high prey drive & young dogs are playful, and regardless if it goes well initially, one second is enough for something to go wrong before you can react & stop it. I'd train the dog not to take interest to the pigs at all, and see them as a higher hierarchy for ultimate safety.

My dog is trained to not to even look at the pigs in the cage, shes an old dobermann mix but I take no chances as many pigs have died from dog bites. When she walks into the pig room which she rarely does, she gives the cage space & only look for poop on the floor.

 

[pinky]

When my kids were young, their sitter's friendly black lab picked up their guinea pig in play and dropped her, killing her instantly. The animals were being supervised and they couldn't react quick enough. Dogs and guinea pigs are not a good mix. I wouldn't bring them out together and I'd make sure the puppy can't have access to the cage.

 

[KaileighRussell]

Ditto to everything that was mentioned!

My old Golden Retriever sits with the guinea pigs when I'm out and immediately supervising - but I honestly don't think I would trust my other two dogs if the girls wheeked (they sound like a toy).

I've almost had a disaster post-fire when my uncle's GF's dog came to visit, got into the girls room as I happened to go by and was about to grab one of the girls. No idea how the dog got the door open or into the room but it was close. That's also why my guinea pigs are in a raised cage - out of prying dog eyes so even if the dog does get in the room they have just learned that the weird thing on top of the table makes noise and they ignore it! It's not worth the potential disaster/fatality especially with a puppy.

Focus your training on avoidance and work on getting your dog to realize that the guinea pigs area is yours and they are not allowed there!

 

[bpatters]

Given that your dog is part terrier, I wouldn't ever introduce it to the pigs. Terriers were bred to kill rodents, and I'm afraid you'd have dead pigs. I wouldn't let my half-terrier mix get near my pigs for anything.

The pigs can get bordatella (kennel cough) from the dog. The dog can be vaccinated for it (every six months) but the pigs can't. So until the pup has been vaccinated and has had enough time to develop immunity, I wouldn't let him anywhere near the pigs.

Yes, the pigs can get fleas from the dog.

 

[pawner69]

That's not always true about terriers. I have a Jack Russel and she loves the pigs. Granted she is 12 years old so she is much more mellow than a puppy but still pretty hyper as are most Jacks. She is of course always supervised but they are buddies. The piggies love her.

 

[acydrose]

Thanks guys! If I ever do let them close to each other it would be after he's older, and supervised, for now they're not even in the same room. Even if he's part terrier he's not being as playful or active as other pups I've had.

 

[YourSoJelly]

Hershey, my chocolate lab is such a sweetie with them but I always have my eye on him. When Nala is in the cage, they will constantly touch noses, its so cute! I try not to let them touch when they aren't in the cage.

 

[lexi43]

We have a number of dogs and a number of pigs. We also have cats. The pigs are kept in their own room .. I wouldn't take a chance. I don't think they would make good playmates. Although I have to say, my cousin had a guinea pig and two cats. After the pig died one of the cats went into a depression. He used to sleep on top of the cage and talk to Chewy (the guinea pig)

 

[acydrose]

@lexi43 wow so sad! The bond between animals is amazing.

 

[bguardguy]

We have a Pom-Chi here at my apartment who will always try to find a way in my room where Tobias is kept. The cage is raised to where the pup can't get in, but they seem to love each other. Teddy will just stand at the edge of the cage and Tobias will run up to the side of the cage every single time! He wheeks and seems super happy. They will sniff each other, and finally one or the two will just lay down. Before I raised it up though I had a scare because Teddy got into my room and jumped in the cage. However, once I realized it, Teddy was laying and Tobias was curled up with him. I still would not trust them together without the cage in between them though, especially not unsupervised.

 

[SheWolfSilver]

I agree with everything that has been said! I have dachshunds which are also rodent dogs and I would never introduce them to my guinea pigs because I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I would have dead guinea pigs! You don't really know how the dog is going to react and you might not have enough time to react so, is it worth having a dead animal?

 

[acydrose]

@SheWolfSilver Definitely not worth it, I love my pigs. But once the dog is older I'd like to be able to let him in the room to visit or roam, my cage is no where near the floor and I'd never let him go there unsupervised. I keep my door locked so he doesnt go around snooping when I'm not home.