The total life expectancy of a healthy guinea pig is about 10 years. These animals, on the whole, are not very susceptible to viruses and infections, and they are extremely ill. And yet, if you notice something in your pet's condition that causes fear, you should immediately seek advice from a vet doctor.
Symptoms of the disease in guinea pigs
You do not miss the disease if you are attentive to your furry pet. So, you should not hesitate to go to the doctor if your beast:
- lies, not responding to stimuli, with closed eyes;
- quick and breathless;
- coughs;
- Drinks too much;
- his hair falls out;
- there are purulent discharge from the nose, ears or eyes;
- the skin formed sores;
- trembling with a small tremor;
- suffers from diarrhea;
- falls into paralysis.
Pseudotuberculosis
The most common disease of guinea pigs. Her pathogens are bacteria that get to the animal through poor-quality or improperly stored food. Symptoms of this disease are severe diarrhea, poor appetite and rapidly progressive depletion, which leads to paralysis. The sick guinea pig should be urgently isolated and addressed to the veterinary clinic. The disease is difficult to cure, but with timely treatment, the chances of the animal recovering are there.
Paraffin
Its causative agent is a microbe, which the animal can get infected through feed or water. With fast-flowing (rapid) form of the disease, the animal is inactive, does not eat, suffers from diarrhea. In chronic form, his appetite decreases, his hair becomes ruffled, the animal is sluggish, and on the 6th day of illness there is diarrhea. As a treatment, a special bacteriophage protiviphytic and a course of antibiotics according to the prescription of the veterinarian are given.
Diarrhea
If you are firmly convinced that there is no infectious disease, then with diarrhea give your guinea pig a raw potato - it has a stiffening starch stool. Of the drugs you can advise phthalazole and etazol (remove inflammation) by 1/8 tablets 2 times a day. In water (a small amount) add 3 drops of potassium permanganate until the pink solution is formed.
With diarrhea, all juicy foods are completely excluded from the ration of the animal. It gives "Bifitrilac" (0.1 ml per kilogram of weight), "Sera diropur", "Lactobifadol". You can dilute the floor of a tablet of activated carbon in the water or give Smect (one-third of a teaspoon of 5 ml of water).
The eyes are watered
To drip eye drops "Iris" (1 to 2-3 times a day for 1 week), rinse the eyes with chamomile broth, drip Levomycetin (1-2 to 2-3 times a day for 3 days).
Conjunctivitis
The first signs are reddening and edema of the eyes, gluing of eyelids, fear of light, severe tearing. At a later stage - the expiration of pus from the eyes, inflammation of the skin around the eyes. In the most neglected cases, the cornea begins to fade, a complete loss of vision occurs.
Purulent crust should be soaked with a 3% solution of albucid, and then removed with a cotton swab. Eyelid ointment - hydrocortisone or tetracycline - is placed under the eyelids (Solcoseryl gel can be used). With opacity of the cornea, the injection into the eye of Kalomel with powdered sugar (mixed in equal parts) helps. Such injections are performed 2 times a day until complete cure. At the initial stage of the disease, usually 5-6 blowing is enough.
Wounds and fractures
A wound is cut around the wound, the wound itself is cleaned of dirt and washed with a 3% peroxide solution. Then you need to lubricate the wound with Vishnevsky ointment (you can use streptocidal, prednisolone, sintomycin ointment). Treatment of the wound is performed daily. On the 3-4th day, you can sprinkle a dried up wound with a streptocid or a special combined powder (xeroform, boric acid and streptocid in equal parts). Immediately after treatment, apply a light bandage.
At fractures of bones in the animal will be observed swelling of the limb, severe pain, lameness, fever. With open fractures, the soft tissues are damaged - then the wound itself is treated first, and then a plaster bandage or lulochki is already applied. With an open fracture, the dressing is applied in such a way that the wound can be treated daily. Gypsum is removed after three weeks. If the bones are not yet consolidated, then the bandage is applied again.