First Aid

A list of what is needed for first aid for guinea pigs:

 First Aid to mean” initial emergency care prior to veterinary attention”. Often this first aid treatment is potentially life saving action before guinea can be assessed by a vet. Therefore the products listed will be “must haves” as opposed to what is needed for maintenance or items that have been collected due to prior issues.

Oxbow Critical Care

Oxbow Critical Care

 

  • Contact number and name of your local guinea pig friendly vet. It is important to have the name of your vet, just because one vet is known to be competent in treating guinea pigs it does not follow that all the vets in the practice share that knowledge and skills to the same degree. It is perfectly reasonable for a vet not to enjoy seeing guinea pigs, whilst it doesn’t excuse bad practice it makes sense to see a vet that enjoys that aspect of their work. For example, one vet may be an excellent surgeon and have much experience of operating on guinea pigs but it doesn’t follow that they share those expertise when doing a consult.

Your vet should be local wherever possible. Seeing a local vet and feeding back to them enhances your vets experiences and expertise with guinea pigs and therefore benefits the local guinea pig community as a whole. This is where the local guinea pig rescue is so important, a guinea pig rescue will, of course, need to see the vet with their guinea pigs more often than someone who only keeps two or three as pets. This increases the vet’s knowledge as the rescue feeds back results of treatment and useful information. A guinea pig rescue has the potential to enrich the guinea pig community greatly.

 

  • Infacol (Sugar, alcohol and colouring free, contains active ingredient simethicone). Infacol is a product manufactured for infants and should be given in the event of bloating .

The symptoms of bloat are usually quite obvious; the stomach is distended/swollen and when tapped it sounds hollow. When Angel had bloat I gave her 3 drops of Infacol before taking her to my vet immediately. Fortunately it was during the day but veterinary advice and treatment should be sought immediately as the condition will, most often, not go of its own accord and left untreated a painful death is quite likely.

Infacol is available to buy in supermarkets and chemists, care should be taken to make sure the product is still in date. Also to replace it 28 days after opening.

Infacol, keep in the First Aid kit in case of bloat

Infacol, keep in the First Aid kit in case of bloat

 

  • Syringe food, such as Oxbow Critical Care, and  1ml syringes (more than one because water must be given too). Do not confuse Oxbow Critical Care with the liquid feed, Critical Care, from Vetark which does not have the necessary fibre content. Supreme Recovery is also a good syringe food. Read this detailed and accurate article by Gorgeous Guineas before syringe feeding: Syringe Feeding Basics. 
Oxbow Critical care

Oxbow Critical care

If your guinea pig stops eating it is vital that they are syringe fed to keep their digestive system moving until (and after) they have seen a vet. Syringe feeding is not a cure but it is certainly a life saving action. Whilst your vet should have syringe feed in stock it is necessary to keep so that it can be given immediately and in case your vet does not have any in stock. The Hay Experts stock Oxbow critical Care and Supreme Recovery. Both these products have a shelf life which is printed on the packet. Rather than throw away out of date stock feed it to your well guinea pigs just before it goes out of date.

Feed to your well guineas in a bowl before it goes out of date.

Feed to your well guineas in a bowl before it goes out of date.

  • Heat stroke treatment is a simple first aid treatment (that is treatment prior to your vet seeing guinea) that guinea pig owners should be familiar with. Guinea pigs with heatstroke can deteriorate rapidly. On discovery of a guinea pig with heatstroke bring the guinea pig into a cooler setting (eg a cool room in the house) and ask someone to call your vet. Soak a towel in cool, not cold, water, while the  towel is soaking put water on guineas ears and feet (maybe stand guinea in the water so the feet get wet), this has a cooling effect.
  • Wring the towel out and wrap guinea in it.

Treat this as an emergency and go to your vet as soon as you are able.

  • When guinea’s breathing has returned to normal or improved somewhat unwrap guinea and keep in a cool room until recovered. Monitor closely for the next 24 hours, recovery time (completely) will vary from case to case dependent on severity and conditions.
  • Do not attempt to give guinea fluids while breathing is laboured, the fluids may go down the “wrong way” and end up in the lungs causing more problems. Give fluids when breathing has returned to normal; sides are not heaving, for example.

 

These items should be considered essentials in your First Aid kit as they can be used prior to vet treatment and potentially save a guinea pig suffering or maybe its life. They give the guinea pig its first help on the road to recovery.

This advice is not intended to replace that of a good vet. You are legally obliged to take your guinea pig to a vet if you suspect they are unwell.

April 12, 2013   Posted in: FaceBook/You Tube, Health, Husbandry, Inside The Hutch, Planet Guinea, Seasonal care