Euthanasia is often a very challenging and emotional time for both you and your veterinary surgeon. It is also a very important moment for you as a pet owner. Understanding the process more clearly and the possible options available may help to make the process a little less daunting for you. The process begins with a conversation between you and your vet. The decision is never an easy one to make. There are often many factors playing a part in the final decision. The key points to consider are the quality of life your pet has, the potential implications of treatment options if available, and ..read more

Conditions affecting guinea pig eyes are relatively common due to the prominence and positioning of the eye. In addition guinea pigs have characteristics that predispose them to eye trauma. They blink less frequently than other animals, often sleep with their eyes partially open and have a tendency for burrowing and foraging through hay. Eye conditions can be very painful and can progress rapidly if left untreated. It is important you, as a guinea pig owner to regularly check your pets’ eyes and be familiar with what is normal. Guinea pig eyes are located on either side of the head. The cross ..read more

*Warning - Image of surgically removed uterine cancer included.* Like all animals, guinea pigs can develop cancer. As guinea pigs are living longer, with good veterinary care; and owners are becoming more observant of their conditions, cancers are being diagnosed more frequently. Cancers can be either benign (meaning they do not have the potential to spread elsewhere) or malignant (which can spread elsewhere). Benign cancers carry a good prognosis; however, malignant cancers carry a much more guarded prognosis. The cancers I see most commonly in guinea pigs in practice are lymphoma, mammary tu ..read more

Guinea pigs can suffer from a number of skin parasites or infections. These can cause hair-loss and itchiness (pruritus) and require treatment. It is important to diagnose which parasite or infection is causing your guinea pig's skin lesions in order to treat them appropriately. In this blog I will run through the most common skin lesions in guinea pigs. Ringworm: Ringworm is not a worm but caused by a fungal infection, usually with a fungus called tricophyton mentagrophytes. Young animals are affected more often than older animals. Lesions are usually found around the head area and typical sh ..read more

Guinea pigs have a relatively long gestation compared to other small mammals. The duration of pregnancy is 60 to 70 days, because of this guinea pigs give birth to well developed young. Guinea pig newborns are fully covered with hair, have open eyes and ears and have teeth present. This is of benefit to them as prey animals, and it allows them to be able to escape predators. However, it also means that guinea pig babies are quite large. Despite guinea pig babies being 'large', the birthing process is often straightforward if the mother guinea pig has not experienced the fusing of the pelvic ca ..read more

Heart disease is not uncommon in guinea pigs, with the most common abnormality seen on echocardiography (ultrasound scan of the heart) being a pericardial effusion (reported to be found in 63% of guinea pigs presenting with heart disease). Pericardial effusions in guinea pigs are not well documented and are still not completely understood in terms of their cause. Guinea pigs with a pericardial effusion appear to present most frequently with sudden onset dyspnoea (difficulty breathing). Other general signs of poor heart function can also occur, including lethargy, anorexia, respiratory noise, n ..read more

If you notice that your guinea pigs is breathing heavy or quickly, it is best to take them to a vet as soon as possible. A common clinical sign we see during appointments is increased respiratory rate or effort. https://video.wixstatic.com/video/71c940_6ccbeef2ec4e4629a746e5b6dd4853b9/1080p/mp4/file.mp4 There can be several causes for this, the most common of which include respiratory disease and heart disease. In this blog we are going to talk about heart disease. Heart disease occurs relatively frequently in guinea pigs, it can be due to problems with the heart muscle, the heart valves or th ..read more

Owners often ask me about pain relief (analgesia) for guinea pigs. Sometimes pain in guinea pigs can be hard to assess and there is no universal pain scale in use for guinea pigs. Dogs, cats and rabbits have a universal pain scale that allow the veterinary profession to objectively assess the animal’s level of pain based on set criteria with a scoring system (i.e. 1-10, 1-5). This type of scale does not exist for guinea pigs as this is an area of research that needs to be developed. Because guinea pigs are prey animals, they typically hide signs of pain. An observant owner, with a well-trained ..read more

Buzz was presented to us in early August for a second opinion, with one of the biggest lumps we have ever seen! He had developed a swelling to the side of his face in December 2019. A biopsy had been taken at a previous vets which confirmed the swelling was a lipoma (fatty growth). Due to its size and location it was deemed inoperable. Buzz's mass continued to grow. It was now pulling on his lower eyelid and ulcerating the skin due to the size of the mass stretching the skin. Buzz's owner sought a second opinion prior to possible euthanasia due to the effect the lump was now having on buzz's ..read more

; A good diet for guinea pigs is important to reduce teeth, gut and bladder problems. Hay: 80% of the diet should be hay and/or grass. Timothy hay is ideal, it is low in calcium good for the guts and coarse for the teeth. Avoid too much new growth grass or clover, it can cause bloat. Pellets: Approximately 1 egg cup full of pellets a day per guinea pig. Pellets must be labelled for guinea pigs, as they will contain a vitamin C supplement. Rabbit pellets do not have a vitamin C supplement. Pellets are better than muesli mix, muesli mix can cause selective feeding. Fresh Vegetables and Fruit: V ..read more