Pig Notes

Wellness Exams For Guinea Pigs -- A Vet's Perspective

Every animal benefits from an annual exam and even more from semi-annual exams. 

I believe that I am an experienced child care provider to my children. I volunteer with the Cub Scouts, have taught classes at the elementary school, have taken numerous classes on First Aid and child welfare and youth protection training. I also have read books on “proper’ parenting and many articles in parenting journals. On top of this, I attended medical school for four years. I take my children to have regular wellness exams.

Based on the argument that people are experienced pet owners or experienced parents/guardians, we would no longer need doctors for preventative medicine. We would be taking a step back and practicing medicine of ages past. It still needs to be acknowledged that wellness exams should not give a false sense of security; no doctor can guarantee health -- this is as true on the human side as on the veterinary side. That said, however, the benefits of wellness exams have been amply demonstrated within our lifetime.

• Most people have regular wellness exams -- the average age of people has increased.
• Most dogs and cats have regular wellness exams -- the average age of cats has increased by about 3 years, dogs up to about 5 years.
• Most people have regular dental exams/cleanings -- most people retain all their teeth throughout life.
• Many avian patients now receive annual wellness exams -- life expectancy is increasing and less severe health problems are being seen.
• More pocket pets are being seen -- requiring more veterinarians to be trained in this area, but the pets are benefiting by seeing a qualified person.
• Reptiles are now starting to be seen more regularly and they too should benefit.

I will say that a veterinarian who is inexperienced with treating guinea pigs, rabbits, birds, reptiles or anything else out of the element can do harm. Just like in human medicine, the code of veterinary medicine is to “do no harm”. I would not treat a horse or a cow because these animals are outside of my realm of experience. I do care for most pocket pets because I have trained in this area and most of my practice is comprised of birds and pocket pets (60%).

While there are things that an observant and experienced pet owner can look for themselves, I still believe that all pets benefit from a wellness exam from a qualified veterinarian. 

Sean Pampreen, DVM
Marlborough Bird & Animal Hospital, LLC
21 South Main Street
Marlborough, CT  06447
(860) 295-1595

Wellness Exams For Guinea Pigs -- An Owner's Perspective

For the nearly ten years that I've owned (err...been owned by) guinea pigs, I've taken them for annual wellness exams. Once each of them hits the age of 4, I take them twice a year for wellness exams.

This is no small expense for me, mind you. At any given time, I have three or four guinea pigs in my charge. I live in Southern Fairfield County, where everything seems to be more expensive just by virtue of stepping across the line out of New Haven County. In years where I've had vet bills for illnesses and/or surgeries, the bill for the wellness exams takes an even bigger bite out of my wallet.

But this is the choice I made, and I stick by it. I budget for it. I grew up watching my mother take the family cats and dogs for their regular exams and shots every year, without fail. It was engrained in me -- if you have a pet, you take it for checkups.

In the two years I've worked with this rescue, my resolve has only grown. I've seen just how fragile these little animals are, and how big of a toll inadequate care, neglect, and illness can take on their bodies. I've also seen how hard they'll fight, right along with Cindy and the vets at Pieper Olson, to get better if given the chance.

I consider myself an experienced, well-read owner. I check weight weekly, and I thoroughly check the pigs over daily for developing problems with their skin, feet, nails, ears, eyes...everything. I feel for lumps and bumps and swelling where there shouldn't be. I know their eating and drinking habits so well that I see the smallest changes in behavior. I monitor things just long enough to know whether we need to head to South Wilton Vet or if what I saw was just a temporary anomaly. I read Guinea Lynx so often in the beginning that I practically have their site memorized, and I routinely visit their forums. I read everything that Peter Gurney ever wrote. I've listened attentively to my vets, and read any journal articles and books they recommended. They've all told me that I have excellent instincts, and that my observation and quick action has allowed us to identify and resolve problems very early.

But I have no delusions that my knowledge is up to par with that of an experienced veterinarian. I can't hear subtle differences in heart rate, feel when arthritis is forming in a pig's leg, see a cataract until after it shows up in front of the eye. I'm a well-informed client who can work collaboratively, intelligently, and rationally with my vet. I went to college to study journalism, my vets studied exotic animal care. I nearly passed out when I had to dissect a frog in high school biology, one of my vets performed an emergency hysterectonomy on one of my pigs and saved her life. I write and edit and teach for a living. They help animals get better and save lives on a daily basis.

I know that wellness exams don't give us a free pass from illness, but for me they provide a needed comfort level, one where I can look back on a guinea pig's life and know that I always did right by him/her and always gave the best of everything. I consider myself fortunate that I can do this, because I know there are owners who struggle to pay vet bills. If I couldn't do it, I'm not sure I would have pets at all.

Whitney Potsus

Guinea Pig Owner

Wellness Exams For Guinea Pigs -- A Rescue's Perspective

A lot of new adopters ask us if guinea pigs need annual wellness exams. To answer this question, we'll give you three perspectives over three days -- rescue, owner, and vet.

At The Critter Connection, our standard reply is that we strongly recommend wellness visits, but each individual owner has to determine what is financially feasible for them. Vet visits are not cheap, and for families juggling substantial financial responsibilities, vet visits will take a bite out of already tight budgets. As we've written here and here, we do tell owners that if their pigs are showing signs of illness, or possible illness, they must get to a vet.

We know there are others who have different views on the topic. Where experienced guinea pig owners are concerned, a reasonable argument could be made for wellness exams not needing to be more frequent than once a year. For new and inexperienced owners, wellness exams at least once a year really are a necessity.

Guinea pigs have delicate physiologies that can turn for the worse seemingly on a dime if they aren't watched carefully. These physiologies can be and are compromised by breeders who don't take steps to avoid overbreeding or inbreeding. They also can be compromised by neglect, abuse, and abandonment. We spend a lot of time and effort rehabilitating the guinea pigs that come out of neglectful or abusive situations, bringing up their weight, and boosting their immune systems. They don't leave the rescue until they have a clean bill of health. But that doesn't mean that we don't worry about them a little as they get older. Certainly, for these pigs, wellness exams are a good idea.

As you think about this topic with respect to your own pets, we hope you'll drop by over the next two days to read the owner and veterinarian perspectives.