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On this page I will describe common guinea pig health concerns. All of the health concerns on this page either need veterinary attention or immediate treatment.
Hairloss
There are many causes for hairloss including mites, lice, fungal skin infections, hormonal imbalances, vitamin deficiencies and more.
The most common cause of hairloss is mites. This is a serious problem and needs immediate veterinary treatment once found. It causes dry flaky skin, excessive scratching causing scabbing, broken hair, and loss of hair. It is very painfull for the animal and can eventually cause seizures and death if not treated. The only way of treatment is from an experinced guinea pig vet, your vet will administer Ivermectin with injection or orally, usually three treatments are required each one ten days apart. Washes, powders and sprays will not work as the mites live under the skin.
Lice are small white/cream bugs and are easily seen running on the body of the guinea pig. Lice are easily treated with a spray or shampoo, ask you vet which product is most suitable as many products used for cats and dogs can be too strong for guinea pigs.
Ringworm usually forms a circular bald patch with dry flaky skin in the middle.
Fungal infections such as ringworm usually effect younger animals and can be easily transmitted to humans. See your vet for an anti-fungal treatment.
Hormanal imbalances and vitamin deficiencies also need a veterinarian to diagnose and treat.
Mouth and Teeth
There are several problems that can occur concerning the teeth and mouth/jaw area. The first signs are syliva around the mouth (slobbers), misaligned front teeth (vertically).
Overgrown teeth are common if not fed a diet consisting of hay and hard vegetable such as carrot, pumpkin and sweet potato. If the front teeth are overgrown your vet can trim them, if the back teeth are overgrown it can cause further problems and they need to be filed by your vet.
Abcesses can grow from infected teeth or damage to the gums. This need immediate treatment by an experinced guinea pig vet. The abcess needs to be drained and treated with antibiotics that are safe for guinea pigs.
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Signs of Illness
Common signs of illness are hairloss, loss of appetite, dyhydration, lethargy, eye and nasal discharge, large amounts of black deposits of wax in ears, slobbers (syliva around mouth), misalingned teeth, weightloss, dragging back legs, head tilting, excessive head shaking and anything not normal for your guinea pig.
If any of these signs occur please see your veterinarian as soon as possible.
I am in no way an expert or vet, but am sharing my knowledge to help others. Information on this site should not replace that of a vet, and i will take no responsibilty for use of information on this site. |
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