I shall try to cover here the regular checks I carry out to try and keep my piggies healthy and to help me spot any potential problems early on. No matter how well you look after your pigs it is inevitable that at some stage they will have problems.

The information I give here is mostly based on my own experience on things to check for. It is NOT meant to replace a proper consultation with your vet - it is NOT a definitive diagnosis and treatment guide - but it IS a guideline of things that I personally check regularly. It may provide useful findings for you to inform your vet about in case of a problem with one of your pigs. I am NOT advocating treating your guinea pigs without consulting a trained professional !!!

I check each of their EYES - I'm looking to make sure they are fully open, clear & dry - I would be alarmed if I saw an eye slightly shut, opaque, weeping or if any discharge was present - this could indicate that there is something stuck in it (like a grass seed) but you may not be able to see anything obvious causing the discharge, or it could be a symptom of an Upper Respiratory Infection [URI] or a blocked tear duct. A slightly bulging lower eye lid [as modelled by Splat below] is generally known as 'fatty' eye or 'pea' eye - this is not harmful and I take no action with it.

Splat's 'Fatty/Pea Eye'

Action: If you see something stuck in the eye and it is the first time you have found something in the eye PLEASE GO TO THE VET WITH YOUR PIG and learn what to do and what is ok to do at home yourself. Likewise, if you notice the eye is looking sore, scratched or bulging then take a trip to the vet / rodentologist to be on the safe side as the eye may have become infected - vets have special drops they can put in the eye which show up any damage/scratching on the eyeball. Your vet / rodentologist will also provide some solution for you to apply to the eye at home (eg Fucithalmic is what we've been given in the past).

Next, I would just spend a few moments watching them EATING their vegetables, what I would be looking for here is that they are not dropping little fragments of eg.carrot on the ground, indicating that they cannot chew it properly, and also I would check that they are all enthusiastically tucking in, just to make sure they have not lost their appetite or are not experiencing pain upon eating. If I saw them dribbling I would also be concerned. You must get eating problems resolved [whatever their root cause] as over a short period of time, if this goes un-treated your piggy will become much thinner and weak and will then die. A pig going off it's food is often the first symptom of something more serious going on.

Action: A poorly pig may lose his appetite and interest for food - identifying and treating the illness and supplementing food where necessary should restore your pigs appetite. However most actual 'problems' eating usually indicate a tooth problem (or an abcess or a fungal infection in the mouth causing pain) - most commonly this tooth problem would be malocclusion, this is where the teeth are not worn down either properly or evenly and cause the other teeth to grow either up and over the tongue, trapping it, or they can also grow outwards causing damage the inside of the mouth. You might also notice your piggy dribbling, or being wet under the chin. This condition can be genetic (one reason to check the teeth of pigs you are intending to breed ! If there are teeth problems DO NOT breed them !!). This can also occur because they are not grinding their teeth down properly - make sure they have plenty of hay etc. Maybe their front teeth (incisors) do not meet properly and so the molars don't line up and wear down - maybe they have broken teeth and this has caused uneven wear. To fix this problem you will need to get your piggies teeth trimmed down (this will probably be an ongoing task). A vet will more than likely want to sedate your piggy to do this but due to the risk of using an anaesthetic (and the regularity of having this done) you would probably be better off contacting the CCT who will trim your piggies teeth painlessly, without sedation using buccal pad separators to open the mouth . They may also refer you to your local trained rodentologist who can do this for you (or you can train and do it yourself !). You may need to syringe feed your pig whilst she is unable to eat properly - a coarse mix will be better to provide her with some grinding matter if she can manage it. Make sure you get a proper examination of ALL the teeth by someone who is trained to do it !! Simply trimming obviously overgrown teeth at the front of the mouth without identifying and fixing the problem that caused it [eg problems with the molars at the back of the mouth] is foolish to say the very least !

Occasionally teeth breakages occur - they should grow back successfully on their own but it's worth getting your pig checked by the vet as he may need to clip back some of the other teeth to enable them to grow back evenly together and also to see if he can establish the cause of the breakage - maybe the teeth are weak due to a poor diet. Depending on how your pig broke her teeth - eg, did you drop her ? she may also need a general examination. She may need help with feeding whilst her teeth regrow.

Keep a close eye on the amount of water your pig is DRINKING - some pigs drink a lot - this is nothing to worry about and could help to prevent Urinary Tract Infections [UTI's] - what you are looking for is a change in drinking habit - if she is suddenly drinking a lot more then you might want your vet to carry out some tests to see if she is diabetic - this shouldn't affect her too much and should be easily managed - be advised by your vet - she may need daily insulin - your vet will show you how to help her.

Be aware though that the amount the piggy drinks does depend to a degree on the amount of 'wet' and 'dry' food your piggy is eating - if she is eating lots of fresh juicy veggies she may not drink as much water - if she has had a hay fest she may drink a lot more !

Next, I have a quick look at the piggies scurrying around, making sure they are MOVING FREELY, and not limping or anything.

Action: If I saw any problems I would pick them up and check their feet to make sure they are not swollen/inflamed - which could be a sign of Pododermatitis (Bumble Foot) - you will need to visit a vet / rodentologist. This could be the result of a fungal or bacterial infection. However, your piggy could be limping as she may have caught an overgrown toenail and ripped it out - to avoid this always keep your piggies toenails clipped. Stiff legs could also be a sign of a Calcium deficiency or a sprained muscle etc.

Trixie once developed a slight limp on her front left paw - I took her up to the CCT to be examined and found that there was nothing wrong with her - she must have popcorned rather too enthusiastically - with a little rest & recuperation she was fine ! Always best to get this type of thing checked out though, just in case.

Sometimes guinea pigs grow a 'spur' on their feet which looks like a cross between an extra toe and a normal human toenail - these can be painlessly clipped off with nail clippers to avoid them catching and tearing off.

Next check is just a GENERAL do they look ok ? Are they looking happy or do they look sad, depressed and fluffed up ? Are they holding their heads straight and not tilted ? Are they interested in you and up wheeking for their food as usual in the mornings ? You quickly get to know what is normal for your piggy, instead of running to see you and what you have to offer them they may just curl up and not show any interest. Splat looks most fed up in the pic below, and indeed she was poorly with a URI, which she recovered from after a course of the antibiotic 'Baytril' and some loving care.

Healthy Poppy.. Feed Me !	Poorly 'hunched up' Splat

Action: This could be caused by a number of things, I would always get it investigated before anything serious developed - such as diarrhroea, bloat and tummy pain, or a URI etc. Piggies don't show ill-health as soon as they feel ill, due them being prey animals and needing to hide it, so if your piggy is starting to look 'not quite with it' she has probably been under the weather for a little while. I wouldn't delay in getting this checked out by a vet / rodentologist.

Next, pick each piggy up and run your hands over them to make sure they don't feel bonier than usual - indicating weight loss - this is a situation where it is useful if you keep a regular record of their weight - which would need investigating - are their droppings a normal size, are they pooping at all ? when Splat had her URI her droppings were much smaller than Billy's as she was off her food. The joy when they begin producing properly formed and properly sized poops again is wonderful ! If they are off their food they will need syringe feeding to keep their system working correctly and to put weight back on. Let your vet advise you what is appropriate for your pig.

Splat's little poopie

You also want to run your hands over them to see if you feel any scabs / sores or noticable hairloss which could indicate a parasitic / fungal infection or a fight wound and to also see if you can feel any odd lumps & bumps which could indicate a cyst / abcess or tumor - most lumps are harmless fatty lumps/sebaceous cysts [in fact Billy had so many fatty lumps he was like a bag of marbles to pick up !]. If you do feel any of the above symptoms take your piggy to a vet / rodentologist to get her properly checked over and get a sample done of the contents of the lump, if required, to establish what it is and whether it needs to be removed or not. My piggy Squirt had a large abscess once at the bottom of her tummy - it was lanced under general anaesthetic - it required 'flushing' with sterile solution a few times a day to clean the wound whilst it healed - she made a complete recovery.

Pain on Urination: If you see your piggy hunched up looking tentative when having a wee or you hear her squeak or she is constantly 'wet' underneath - this is normally a sign of a UTI (urinary tract infection) such as Cystitis - your vet should be able to treat this for you.

If there is blood present in the urine it could be an indication that your piggy has bladder stones. Consult a vet / rodentologist. A vet may want to test a sample of wee - one way to obtain this is to pop your piggy in a carrier on her own until she wee's then suck up the blood in a syringe and put in the sample bottle provided by your vet.

Your vet may want to give her an x-ray to see if he can see any stones/sludge in the bladder. Things you might be doing at home are keeping her on plain paper so you can see the colour of her urine and check for blood - also make sure she doesn't stop 'wee'ing - a stone may block her urinary tract - go straight to the vet ! Your vet may perform surgery to remove the stones - ask him to explain everything to you - especially after-care and special diet changes which may be required.

It often helps to give a guinea pig with bladder problems some fresh cranberries or cranberry juice (no sugar !) or home-made barley water, from either a spare bottle or via syringe - you may want to slightly dilute it with water first - please check with your vet before supplementing your pig.

It is thought guinea pigs that are 'bad' drinkers may suffer from more bladder type problems - you can try to increase the amount of water going into your pig by chopping her vegetables and placing them in a shallow bowl of water so she will take some water in when she eats her veg ! (this is a CCT idea !)

One of the most important checks I do is to scan the DROPPINGS in the pen - I'm looking to make sure they all have the 'firm jelly-bean' shape they should have and all the right size. If any droppings are looking soft, or worse, are runny, I would be very concerned. I found 'bloody' coated droppings in the pen late in 2005 - after consultation with my vet it was traced to an internal tumour that Splat has - one which sadly cannot be operated on - we are keeping her comfortable with painkillers when she occasionally needs them [we use Metacam] - mostly she is absolutely fine and happy and it doesn't bother her at all - we just notice a spot of blood every once in a while in the bedding or on her towel. If you do see blood in the bedding you will need to establish whether it is from eg a cut/wound, from her bottom or is it from the urine etc ?

99% of the time Splat is perfectly happy and not bothered by her tumour - I will not let her suffer don't worry !

Action: Most soft dropping problems are dietary related, and could be caused by feeding a little too much green/fresh/inappropriate foods or a sudden change in diet, try reducing the amount of 'wet' foods and the droppings should firm up again. If you introduce new foods to your piggy - including dry mixes, do so gradually and monitor any changes closely. You may notice discoloured urine after feeding your pigs betroot - this is normal ! When pigs are being treated with antibiotics they can sometimes get loose droppings - your vet may provide you with a probiotic supplement to give your pig which should help prevent this occurring.

Be aware though that diarrhroea can be a serious problem if your piggy should suffer from it, as it can be a fatal bacterial/parasitic infection. I have lost a piggy (Tiger) from an acute, sudden onset of extremely watery,foul, bloody diarrhroea (sorry !), it was all over within 24hours despite the prompt attention from my vet, the most likely cause was a bacterial infection - possibly from infected food (by infected mice or birds), however I did not want a post-mortem carried out so I do not know for sure. I did however, have samples from my other pigs analysed 'at the lab' and they all came back clear. Dehydration from the fluid loss can be fatal. I would always seek immediate expert care if one of my piggies produced very loose droppings. You will be advised on anti-diarrhroeal medication / rehydration fluids and further treatments. Always ask your vet 'what are you doing to stop the diarrhroea', you want to stop the symptoms to prevent further water loss, then look at what's causing it (if your piggy has recently been on a course of antibiotics this may have even contributed to the diarrhroea).

I also check their NOSTRILS to make sure they are dry, with no discharge and not showing any signs of snuffling. Be wary of any 'clicking' sounds coming from their lungs - (hold your piggy up, with each side of her chest against your ear, to check for this) which could indicate an URI (Upper Respiratory Infection) you may also hear your pig wheezing like an 'old man with a chest problem!' - Consult a vet / rodentologist without delay - URI's can be, and often are, fatal. Urgent treatment with antibiotics is required. Keep your pig in a warm, well ventilated room, provide a heatpad if you can to keep her warm, put a dab or two of Vicks Vaporub or Olbas Oil around her pen to try and help her breathing. I normally leave sick piggies in with the rest of the herd to keep their spirits up, but if she's really poorly you may need to keep her in a 'hospital' pen on her own so you can monitor her in/outgoings. Or your vet may advise it would be a threat to the health of the rest of the herd for her to stay in there because of her particular illness.

Trixie in 'hospital'	Billy's runny nose

Also check there is no hay or bedding stuck up the nose. Mouse once had a piece of hay up her left nostril - she was making a strange noise so I investigated. Luckily it was easy to gently pull out with tweazers but I was careful to monitor her for the next couple of days to make sure it had not caused an infection to set in.

• On a weekly basis I check their toenails and clip them if they are getting long.
• I have a good look at their coats to make sure all is looking well. Check for bare patches of skin, hairloss, scabs, scurf, scratching, discolouration of the skin or things moving in their hair ! Light general shedding of hair is normal - like it is with humans - regular grooming and stroking will keep on top of this - what you are looking for is obvious signs of patchy hairloss or an overall thinning accompanied by other symptoms.

There are 4 main skin problems you may encounter - Mites - Fungus (Mycosis/Ringworm), Lice and Hairloss caused by hormonal problems.

Some people believe regular shampooing with an anti parasitic / anti fungal shampoo should help prevent skin problems [except hormonal hair loss!]. Personally I'm not a great fan of shampooing when it's not required - but it depends on your individual situation - if you have a large number of pigs or regularly introduce new one's this might be of use to you. If your pig is having injections of Ivermectin for a mite problem then wait a few days before you shampoo with an anti-parasitic shampoo as you don't want to overload their system. Be advised on which shampoo is appropriate for your pig's particular problem by your vet.

But what do they have ? Well, there is no easy answer !!! Your little friend may also have several things at the same time !

MITES: These tiny little mites burrow under your pigs skin and cause them intense irritation - you will not be able to see them yourself. Mites seem to be the most common skin problem encountered but is easily treated.

Billy had a severe mite problem when he came to live with us which was easily cured			Trixie just has a 'normal' scratch !

Signs: You will see your pig itching frantically - this scratching may cause scabs to appear and you will notice hair-loss - normally thinning all over rather than in 'clean' bare patches (think mangey old fox...) - bear in mind perfectly healthy guinea pigs often scratch [like Trixie above!], just because they scratch doesn't mean it is a problem - look for the other signs.

Treatment: Easily treated by your vet administering a course of Ivermectin (Ivomec) drops / injections - in a course of 3 approx 10 days apart. It would be wise to get all your pigs treated at the same time as even if they are not showing symptoms the mites may be lying dormant waiting for the guinea pig to be under the weather or otherwise stressed or compromised before becoming active. Billy's mites were 100% cured by 3 injections and he grew a marvellous coat of hair !

FUNGUS: (Mycosis) The fungal infection most commonly affecting guinea pigs is Ringworm (beware this can infect you too !) - however, fortunately it doesn't seem to be as prevalent as mites. But be warned, you can catch this from your pig but it can be treated with Daktarin from the doctors/chemist so don't panic.

Signs: Again, your guinea pig will scratch a lot so you will also see itching and scabs but with fungus you often see a thick scurfing (like bad dandruff) on the skin of the pig, the skin may be a deep red colour and you will most likely see fairly round bald patches once the fungus is established. If you gently tug at the hair it will come out with flakes of skin/dandruff attached to the ends. Beware that fungal spores carry through the air so you may have to treat other pigs in the room and thoroughly disinfect/clean the room, even if they are in separate cages ! If the fungus becomes 'systemic' you may also notice your poor pig begins to have fits.

Treatment: Anti-fungal shampoos from your vet, you may also be given an antifungal cream to apply - you will need to 'pluck' out the affected hairs gently before shampoo'ing - be advised by your vet.

LICE / RUNNING LICE: Lice may be seen moving in the hair or clinging to hair shafts - they can also look like teeny wriggly worms.

Treatment: Shampoo with a treatment shampoo recommended by your vet that is suitable for use on guinea pigs. Be aware that lice/flea shampoos you buy in a pet shop may have too high a level of pesticide ingredient for use on a cavy and be toxic to them - so please go to your vet for advice. 'Advantage' is also another treatments used.

HORMONAL PROBLEMS: Hair loss seen over both sides [bi-lateral] of the female guinea pig is normally associated with ovarian cysts. Your vet may want to perform an ultrasound to diagnose these [see Flicky below after she had her tummy shaved ready for a scan] or he may be able to confirm this by feeling the cysts. Ovarian cysts may also cause your female pigs to be 'over-hormonal' and mount other pigs in the pen with them. However, this is also a 'dominance' behaviour so just because your females do this doesn't mean they have cysts.

Chilly tummy Flicky ?

Treatment: Your vet may want to perform a hysterectomy. Several of my pigs have had ovarian cysts - I've not had any of them operated on as they did not bother the pigs in any way. However, they can grow to a size that does cause discomfort so you may need the operation or the vet might be able to drain them. Let your vet advise you.

Bi-lateral hairloss after giving birth may also happen 'post-partum' - with care and good diet it should regrow with no problems.

I also check to see if they have any sores or scabs around the edges of their mouths - they sometimes get little sores in the corners of their mouths after eating things like apple which can irritate them, this can also be the result of a fungal infection or your piggy licking herself when she has something like cystitis. My piggy Mop has suffered from scabs around her mouth twice (some piggies are more susceptible than others - she is the only one of my pigs ever to get this), the first time I consulted Peter Gurney who advised that I pick off the scabs and apply gentian violet to the area. After a couple of weeks the scabs didn't come back and the hair regrew. Then another time, Mop developed scabs over a slightly larger area [see below], I took her up to the CCT [as we were due a visit] where Vedra applied a local anaesthetic spray, picked off the scabs, trimmed the surrounding hair and then put a layer of 'ORABASE Paste' over the sore area, this protects the weepy sore area whilst it heals over and needs to applied twice a day, without being rubbed in. However, we did notice after about a week that Mouse had acquired a liking for the Orabase and as soon as we put Mop back in pen, Mouse was trundling over and licking it all off - so, we changed to putting a thin coat of Sudocrem on the area. After about 4 more days, there was a lovely fresh coating of fuzz !

Mop's Mouth sores

'Private Investigations' Any signs of a discharge/bleeding/dampness should be investigated - also bear in mind that your piggy has certain places 'down below' where things can lodge & get stuck, for the females: check her bottom & 'other' opening to make sure she hasn't got any small bits of hay stuck, if she has, gently pull it out and keep an eye on the area for a few days to make sure an infection has not set in. For the boys: check his bottom too - check to make sure he hasn't become 'impacted' with faecal matter which can happen to older boars and will need to be cleaned out - be advised by your vet. Most importantly check his 'manhood' by pressing gently on both sides of it so it extrudes (as you would when sexing a pig) and just check to make sure he hasn't got any hay or hair wrapped around it which you would need to remove (gently!), you may also need to give your lad a bit of a clean with some damp cotton wool as they can develop a little 'build up' - this can also stop his manhood going back 'in' properly so needs sorting out asap. Billy occasionally gets hay stuck right where it shouldn't which I have to gently pull out for him. He's not neutered so doesn't have any 'cushioning' when rubbing his bottom on the floor of the pen which I'm sure contributes to it - I check this daily.

Oh Billy I bet that's uncomfy!

Regularly checking your pig for all these things will help you learn what is normal for your pig and help you compile a list of symptoms to give to your vet should your pig become ill to aid in his diagnosis. This isn't a conclusive list of ailments just regular checks that hopefully will flag up a problem in time. Now, to sum up.... I'll say it again......

Check the links listed on the Health Links page for more info.

Next >>

Prevention is Better !

Weigh Day

Syringe Feeding

Breeding your Cavy

Cavy Communication

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Page Last Updated: 10/03/06