How to Know if a Pet Guinea Pig is Ill

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.