How to Know if a Pet Guinea Pig is Ill

Guinea pigs rarely recover from illness without a veterinarian's care. You can enhance your pet's chances of recovery if you recognize the symptoms of his illness early on. Follow these steps.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Flea comb
• Pyrethin flea powder

Know What a Healthy Guinea Pig Looks Like

1. Hold your guinea pig. It should feel firm and solid.

2. Check the eyes. They should look bright and clear, without any crustiness or discharge.

3. Check the nose for discharge. A healthy guinea pig won't have any.

4. Examine the teeth for evenness. They will look chisel-shaped.

5. Know that a bald spot behind each ear is normal. Baldness on the body is not.

6. Look at the genital area, which should be clean and dry.

Identify and Treat Diarrhea

7. Check your guinea pig's stool from time to time. A sick guinea pig will have black or watery droppings.

8. Eliminate fresh fruits and vegetables from your guinea pig's diet, and replace them with timothy hay.

9. Bring your guinea pig to the vet for treatment. When removing fresh vegetables from the diet doesn't work, your vet will prescribe special medications including a special bacterial biotic.

Identify and Treat an Ear Infection

10. Note the symptoms of ear infection. Guinea pigs with an ear infection will walk with difficulty. They may hold their head to one side.

11. See a vet immediately when you guinea pig presents the symptoms of an ear infection.

12. Know that timely treatment is necessary for a guinea pig with an ear infection.

Identify and Treat Fleas

13. Examine your guinea pig's behavior. If you guinea pig is scratching and has bald, scaly, or sore patches, it may have fleas.

14. Look for "flea dirt" in your guinea pig's fur, which is dark brown and granular. Use a flea comb to go through your guinea pig's hair with ease.

15. Consider consulting your vet before continuing with treatment. You can also dust your guinea pig with a pyrethin product to treat fleas.

Identify and Treat Scurvy

16. Know that guinea pigs require vitamin C in their diets. Without it, they can develop scurvy from vitamin deficiency.

17. Examine your guinea pig for weight loss, difficulty breathing, eye discharge and dehydration.

18. Provide your guinea pig with fresh fruits and vegetables daily, and check their regular food to make sure that it contains vitamin C.

Identify and Treat an Upper Respiratory Infection

19. Listen to your guinea pig breathe. Labored breathing, rattling in the lungs and discharge from the lungs may indicate an upper respiratory infection or URI.

20. See a vet immediately. Your vet will prescribe an antibiotic for the URI.

21. Know that allergies can produce the same symptoms, but due to the severity of a URI, it is imperative that you see a veterinarian. Untreated respiratory infections almost always result in death.

Identify and Treat Anorexia

22. Pay attention to your guinea pig's feeding schedule. They may seem like they are always eating, but that's normal.

23. Know that when a guinea pig stops eating, the liver cells begin to deteriorate after 16 hours.

24. Bring your guinea pig to the vet to seek the cause of anorexia and the appropriate treatment.

Identify and Treat Mites

25. Watch your guinea pig's behavior. Excessive scratching with open sores may indicate that it has mites.

26. Know that mites can be fatal.

27. Treat your guinea pig by bringing it to the veterinarian, where it will be treated with ivermectin treatments 10 days apart.

Tips & Warnings

• Rabbit food, which is very similar to guinea pig food, sometimes does not contain vitamin C. Be sure to give your guinea pig the proper pellet mix.

[rj1178]

on 10/18/2008 my duinea pig has discharge what should i do will he die?

[leen]

on 8/12/2007 thats realry great help