Medical Care for Guinea Pigs

Basic Medical Kit

Basic Kit

• Tetracycline, antibiotic. Available in pet store from fish or bird department. Some medical books indicate that this may be toxic, so use with extreme care!
• Ivermectin, available in feed stores or by catalog order. Is actually a horse worming paste. Be careful, not all horse wormers are ivermectin! Use "zimectrin or equimectrin" and there may be others, read carefully. Administer a pea sized piece once a week for three weeks. For internal mites only.
• "Sulmet" (brand name), available in feed stores or by catalog order. Sulfa based antibiotic for respiratory problems.
• Hamster or gerbil aide, available in pet stores is also a sulfa based antibiotic for respiratory problems. Probably safer for the pigs than the Tetracycline.
• A triple antibiotic such as "neosporin" (brand name) or medicated bag balm is good for open wounds to prevent infection.
• Q-tips and baby oil or common cooking oil can be used to clean dirty ears.
• Kitten flea spray or bird lice spray is safe for piggies. Spray on hands and rub into fur to get rid of lice and fleas. You can also use 'sevin' which is a powder for use on garden vegetables. Lightly dust pig and sprinkle on bedding.
• Nutrical, a high calorie food supplement in case your pig goes "off feed". Available from veterinarian or by catalog order.
• Eye ointment, such as "terramycin" (brand name) in case of injury or irritation to eyes. Available through veterinarian or by catalog. Any eye ointment used for cats, dogs or rabbits is acceptable.
• Keopectate or some other diarrhea medicine, preferably for small children, or get the "dry tail" stuff at the pet store.
• Ear mite medication, such as "mitex" (brand name) in case of infestation to ears. Available through veterinarian or by catalog. Any mite medication used for cats, dogs or rabbits is acceptable.
• Shampoo - Johnson's baby shampoo comes highly recommended. Be sure to rinse thoroughly. I have a nice oatmeal based product called "Epi-Sooth
• White vinegar - for a refreshing rinse, mix a little with water to thoroughly remove any shampoo that is remaining.
• Dandruff problems - rinse pig with Listerine, the original formula.
• Small wooden coffee stirrers for administering ivermectin paste.
• Eyedropper for emergency feeding.
• Syringes (no needle) in various sizes; 2cc, 5cc, 10cc etc. can be used for giving medicines or for force feeding, gives better control than an eyedropper.