Top 100 Cavy Breeders

Pingley Dell Cavies · Posted: Wed Jan 03, 2007 7:11 pm Post subject: What's In Your Cavy Medical Box?

What do you keep on hand in case of illness and first aid? It will be really useful to know what everyone has, so we can stock up if we're missing anything useful:)

My Box

Sudofed Children's syrup. For congested breathing. (serious infections require Baytril)

Cystitis powder, sodium citrate. I use tesco's own cranberry flavour. For cystitis/bladder infections.

Calpol and baby aspirin. For pain.

Acidopholus capsules. For probiotic during diarhea or when on AntiB's

Oxbow critical Care For hand feeding by syringe

Carrot and peach baby foods For making syringe feeding yummier.

Vitamin C For boosting ill cavies.

Syringes My mum is a nurse and I can get some free. If you're ever stuck let me know, I can send you some.

Calgel baby teething gel. For sore mouths. Specially after dental treatment, gets the pig eating again.

Manuka gel from Gorgeous guineas. For sore/broken skin

Germolene cream (or Savlon--thanks Lilaccavies!) For open sores or wounds

Equimec horse wormer paste For mite prevention. Use only the type of paste with 1.87% Ivermectin in. Others could be dangerous/not work.

Revolution Cat flea liquid drop on. Kills mites and all lice. I use this for lice, and active cases of mites. Brings relief faster than paste.

Tweezers, cotton wool, teatowel to wrap naughty pigs in, cotton buds, baby oil

THINGS I NEED TO ADD

Panacur wormer Get this from the CCT for worming.

Colloidal silver antimicrobal spray apparently great for abcesses.

Vitamin A oil capsules Hard to get hold of, great for eye injuries.

Charcoal tablets used in case of poisoning.

Medical Liquid Paraffin Use with charcoal in case of poisoning.

I want above anything to be able to get hold of some Baytril. It is so expensive to go to a vet for it, and they often underdose. Prescription Only though. Grrr.

Diuretic tablets Also POM. Essential according to Vedra of the CCT for getting lungs cleared of fluid during chest infections.

Diocalm For diarhea.

Have I missed anything that anyone could recommend? Got any great tips to share?

lilaccavies · Posted: Thu Jan 04, 2007 1:31 pm Post subject:

What a great list Pingley! Smile

I will have to go see what is in my box soon!

There is an unfortunately wording in your list Laughing

"Charcoal tablets for poisoning.

Medical Liquid Paraffin Use with charcoal for poisoning"

It sounds like you are going to use them for actually poinsoning your piggies, but I am quite sure that is not what you mean lol Laughing

..... I hope you didn't mind me pointing that out! Wink

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Coronet, Sheltie, Merino, Lunkarya & Tortoiseshell Guineapigs!

Website: www.lilaccavies.piczo.com

Pingley Dell Cavies · Posted: Thu Jan 04, 2007 6:17 pm Post subject:

Blimey!

I just re-read it and its too funny! Charcoal and L.P. are used in case of poisoning, I should have put that! LOL

Wheekster · Second in Comand Joined: 09 Oct 2006 Posts: 545

Brilliant list Pingley and I've changed the bit about being poisoned, LOL! The only thing extra that I have in mine is Dynamite which is great for fungal infections, mites etc. We need Sally from Eggstar to add to the list, she has some wonderful products ideal for helping piggies but I can't remember them all Sad

Sally..... where are you?!?!?! Wink

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Pingley Dell Cavies · Posted: Thu Jan 04, 2007 7:31 pm Post subject:

Thanks Wheeks! That could have been confusing! LOL

Oh yes how could I forget the Dynamite? I keep mine in the grooming box, with all the shampoos and clippers.

I want to know what Sally has in her Medical box now too!

lilaccavies · Posted: Sat Jan 06, 2007 12:15 pm Post subject:

LOL, I thought it looked funny too Pingley, but I didn't want it to scare a newcomer to the fancy lol Laughing

.
Is Dynamite for blowing them up instead of poinsoning then? LOLOL Laughing

.....
I do apologize, I do have a warped sense of humour lol Rolling Eyes

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Coronet, Sheltie, Merino, Lunkarya & Tortoiseshell Guineapigs!

Website: www.lilaccavies.piczo.com

Wheekster · Second in Comand Joined: 09 Oct 2006 Posts: 545

Eggstar Cavies · Posted: Sun Jan 07, 2007 8:31 pm Post subject: Whats in your medicine box???

Hi All I am hear now, I love allthe things in oyur medicine box Vicky, I didnt know you could give them Diacalm how much do oyu give them, I use a herbal powder from Galens Garden, infact I use an awful lot of their products and Belinda is so so helpful, their website address in on my Friends / useful Links page check it out/

Anyway a few thing si have in my medicine shed!!! are:-

1) Hibiscrub - for cleaning wounds etc, this has to be diluted with water and should always be rinsed off, I by a 500 ml bottle frm my vets but yu can use it on all animals (hence the big bottle) but I have seen it at equestrian centres.

2) Aloe Vera Gelly - for soothing and helping promotion of wounds to heal, this is expensive but its very good and I love using it on all my animals.

3) Brolene Eye Ointment - Its about £5.50 from a chemist and can be used yet again on all pets with eye infections, cheaper than drops from a vet.

4) Betadine Antiseptic Ointment - Well my good friend Naomi (cacophony cavies) told me abou thtis little gem / its magic belive me, just put on cut and next morning its healed over is great!!! only pro is its yellow but you can wash if off next day, its about £3.25 from a chemist and i certianly would not be with out that in my medicine shed!!

Hope this helps you out and it anyone does try out the Betadine or has used it let us know your views.
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I love hearing my piggies wheek at food time!

Pingley Dell Cavies · Posted: Sun Jan 07, 2007 11:04 pm Post subject:

Hi Sally,

Peter Gurney recomends Diocalm, half a tablet crushed, mixed with water and syringe fed. But I think I prefer the sound of something herbal--shepherds purse worked on one piggy visitor I had with slightly loose beans. I've never used Diocalm, as I haven't had a bad case of diarrhea to deal with. (Yet--knock on wood!) But then if it was bad and you need to stop it, the tablet would be essential in this case as it works fast.

Betadine sounds great--I will grab some when I'm next in Boots!

Pingley Dell Cavies · Posted: Tue Jan 09, 2007 12:36 am Post subject:

Something really important I want to share, from Vedra of the CCT. This advice was in the annual newsletter, and says that if a piggy has a chest infection and is on Baytril, you need to give a diuretic tablet to get the fluid off the lungs. Otherwise the antiB's can't do much and the pig may die because of this fluid build up. Same goes for victims of heat stroke, they need a diuretic tablet. You give half a 40mg tablet for either case.

These tablets are hard to get hold of though, I'm currently trying. They are prescription only (most things that are effective are!) so i will have to sneak my way into getting hold of some, Vedra suggests asking elderly relatives as they often have them. My mum is a nurse so I'm attempting to convince her to help me out!

I wish I had known this before my favourite girl was taken from me due to a chest infection. I think she could have made it if she'd had the diuretic.

Wheekster · Second in Comand Joined: 09 Oct 2006 Posts: 545

I never knew that Vicky, but it makes so much sense.... what would we do without Vedra! Do you think that maybe there is anything 'natural' that could be used as a diuretic rather than medication? Might be worth looking into, although maybe it wouldn't be as effective *shrug*
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Pingley Dell Cavies · Posted: Tue Jan 09, 2007 7:37 pm Post subject:

That's exactly it, the herbal form of diuretic such as dandelion are not as effective and take longer to work. The tablets are the ones you want when the pig's life is at stake with a chest infection. My mum commented that 20mg (half a 40mg tablet) is a lot to give, but piggies metabolise medications fast (anaesthatising a pig takes as much anaesthetic as a fully grown labrador as they process it out their system and constantly need topping up)

Taking that into account as well as the fact that for a small animal a pig has quite big lungs (ha ha--they have to in order to WHEEEK!) that large dose is needed to get the fluid out of the lungs pronto. Otherwise they effectively drown.

A piggy who has heart troubles would do really well to be given a small supply of diuretic herbs in their diet, as a gentle ongoing thing. Dandelion would be great for this.

I love this site, talking about piggy meds strangely makes me happy! I like to know that I am armed and ready against any problems my babies may have!

Pingley Dell Cavies · Posted: Thu Jan 11, 2007 2:38 pm Post subject:

I forgot Infacol drops. These are for babies with colic, which is something cavies can get too! Bloat can be fatal, and in a matter of hours too--the drops can save a life! The ingredient to look for is Simethicone. This disperses the air that is trapped. Great to have on hand in case of bloat--give a couple of drops in the cavy's mouth. You'll know a pig has bloat, it will be miserable as it really hurts! and the tummy will be hard, and well, bloated. Listen to the tummy, and you won't hear any gurgling or movement. That's when to jump in with the drops, which get to work within half an hour.

I'm off to go stock up and I just remembered this one!! Its one of those emergency things to always have just in case!

Poppy · Posted: Wed Feb 14, 2007 11:21 am Post subject: medicial box

Calpol sound good.. I got some which i use for my children..

how mych do you give to guinea pig 5ml sound alot for guinea pig that is the dose for children..

where can i get shepard purse any idea?

Pingley Dell Cavies · Posted: Wed Feb 14, 2007 3:57 pm Post subject:

The cavy dose for Calpol is 0.3ml every 4-6 hours. Overdosing calpol would be dangerous as it is paracetamol, and 5ml would be a huge dose for a little animal.

I prefer aspirin as I think it is more effective for pain relief. One pill 65mg, crushed and mixed in a mil of apple juice, and syringed in orally. Can be given every 6 hours.