My guinea pig is sick and going to the vet tomorrow afternoon...can I help him in any way before then?

Question

I have not seen him eat or drink in a couple days and he does not move from the hutch; his breathing is also labored. Is there anything I can do to make him more comfortable until the vet appointment or stop the illness from getting worse? Is there any way I can get him to eat or is that not a good idea?

I also have another guinea pig living in the same cage who is fine. Should I seperate the two or would that be too stressful? Is there a chance he is sick but just hasn't shown it yet?

If the sick pig dies, what should I do (obviously bury him but about the other guinea pig)? I've heard that you should let other gp's investigate the body until they leave, but is that the best thing to do? Will my second guinea pig be lonesome without his friend?
In the same room I also keep my gerbil and two rabbits (their cage is there but I let them run around the house) and our cat sometimes goes in there -- is there any chance that the other species will also get sick?

There is only one vet in our area that is qualified to treat guinea pigs and the only opening is tomorrow

Answer 1

If your GP is having labored breathing, you should not wait until tomorrow to be seen by a vet, call them and tell them you need to get into today or call an er vet. If you absolutely cannot get in anywhere, its important to keep him warm, ill pigs usually have a very low body temp. Place him in a box with a towel, and put a heating pad UNDER the box. If your bet carries it, there is a diet called Critical Care that can be syringe fed, or take some of his pellets and soak them in water to make a mash, then use a syringe (without the needle) to feed this to him, you can also use the syringe (or eye dropper) to give him water.

Answer 2

Yeah, sick guinea pigs who refuse to eat or drink are always heartbreaking to watch. When my guinea refused to eat or drink, I bought him some baby food, in the form of vegetables and fruits, put it into a pipet, put the guinea on his back and fed him this throught the pipet so that he wouldn't starve to death. I also did this with water. I gave him water this way about every 2-3 hours and the food about 4-5 times a day, cause it doesn't seem really filling. My guinea lost a lot of weight and couldn't even walk. I think that for the time being you should seperate him from the other guy because it could be an infection and he could give it to the other piggy. If he does pass away, then yes, the other guinea will be very sad and probably won't accept another piggy as a friend. After a loss like that, he will have to be solitary for the rest of his life, unless somehow you can get him to become buddies with another piggy, but with animals, after they lose a friend, they rarely accept another one. I doubt that the other species will get sick, but you should seperate the sick piggy from the others, since he isn't feelng very well, he may not want to be bothered. My guinea pig once got upper respiratory infection, his breathing was labored and he didn't really want to eat. This is common in guinea pigs and can be treated with antibiotics, if this is what your piggy has, then I'm sure that he'll be okay. I hope that everything works out. =)

Answer 3

why are you waiting till tomorrow? You need to now. Guinea pigs are very poor fighters when they are sick. IF they have labored breathing its a respitory infection these are quick and ultimate killers. Guinea pigs are notorious for not reponding to medication well. Be sure your vet is Guinea pig knowledgeable. Most antibiotics are poisnous to guinea pigs. They have a delicate mixture of bacteria in the gut for digestion that antibiotics will kill and essentially the animals will starve to death rather than get better. If its a respitory infection the other one will get it too. Its highly contagious to other pigs. You should bring that one with also to get medicated and checked. No need to seperate the cage mate now, but if you have other pigs near by, rabbits, or Hamsters tell your vet and be sure to get them all medicated. The cat will be fine they dont often transport or get diseases from other species. As for if the one dies the other will not really care much about its death. If they have been housed together the healthier one knew the other was dying long before you did. They deal with death on a natural basis. As for loneliness for pigs they dont get real lonely. One is often happy with out another. Give her lots of attention. If the one died of disease i wouldnt get another one till the other is fully healthy, you have disinfected everything and waited at least a month to be sure the disease is totally gone.

Answer 4

It sounds like you have enough animals to open a zoo.

Your guinea pig is probably sick because of the environment it has been living in. You need to separate the pigs before the other one gets sick.

Make sure you are changing the bedding frequently enough and giving your guinea pigs plenty of vitamin c. Guinea pigs don't have immune systems like humans do, so the only protection they have is from eating foods full of vitamin C. Try different fresh fruits until you find something they will eat. Mine really like strawberries and apples.

Answer 5

don't kill your guinea off yet. the vet might know exactly what is wrong with the little guy and will be able to tell you what to do with the other pets to keep them from getting sick too. i would just leave him be with his guinea friend and keep them warm. does he have a favorite snack? you might want to try giving him a snack that isn't good for him but some food is better than none.

just be a little patient and the vet will be able to answer all your questions tomorrow.

usually sicknesses don't travel from one species to another -- unless its really bad -- like the plague in the dark ages that people got from rats. or asian bird flu that is going around now.

Answer 6

There is a product called Critter Care that you force feed the guinea pig. You can get it at a pet store like Pet Smart. He is probably dehydrated too so if you can get some water in him it might help. Hope he will be OK!

Answer 7

perchance attempt holding him for a whilst? once you're ill, you elect to be heat, so shop him heat(: you could attempt feeding him with a syringe like another man or woman reported, and get him to the vet as quickly as conceivable! sturdy success(:

Answer 8

unknown illness and you haven't separated them - not a good plan ( other than that the more normal the environment the better - extra attention will cause stress not alleviate it )