Pig Notes

Pet-Friendly Hand Sanitizers

Folks who have pets often feel they need to use a quick hand sanitizer, for pet-related reasons and not, but worry if their pets (especially the little ones) will have adverse reactions to the sanitizer when they come in contact with your hands again.

Super Pet has a gentle, effective, clean smelling Hand Sanitizer Gel. This gel features light cucumber-melon scent that neither human nor animals will mind. The product can be easily in online pet supply stores, and in some bricks-and-mortar stores (with a little more difficulty).

Another excellent product is Method's Hand Sanitizer, which comes in eucalyptus mint, green tea, and sweet water scents. It, too, is gentle and effective -- and earth friendly to boot. We especially like them for their "humanifesto," which states: "We see ingredients that come from plants, not chemical plants, and guinea pigs that are never used as guinea pigs.

Method products can be purchased online at their own e-store and are easily found at Target. Some grocery stores are also beginning to carry at least a small portion of Method's product line.

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.

5 More Reasons Why Christmas Is A Bad Time To Bring A New Pet Home

This weekend, I started talking about why giving pets as gifts is a bad idea.

To that topic, I'll add a few more reasons why Christmas Day is not the day to introduce a new pet to your household.

• Being introduced to a new home at any point in the year is stressful for a new pet and for any pets you already have. You need to devote time and attention, and a quieter house, to smooth the transition.
• The commotion of holiday guests, kids running through the house with new toys, and the general din created by doorbells, oven timers, barking dogs, meowing cats, squawking birds, and sports fans watching the Christmas Day football game will further stress the new pet.
• The general exuberance and excitement of the holiday can potentially make children grabby, a little less careful in the way they pet and handle animals, and even quarrelsome as kids fight to hold the new pet (we've seen it happen). 
• The commotion of the holiday makes it difficult for adults to keep track of kids, animals, and the safety of both. 
• Pets given as gifts meet the same short attention span as the other gifts a child receives. Eventually, the novelty of the video game, the tech gadget, or the pet does wear off.

If you want to bring home a new pet after the holiday, you can certainly use Christmas Day to announce it.

• Buy some necessities, accessories, and toys and wrap those up with a picture of the type of pet you'll be adopting (dog, cat, guinea pig, rabbit, etc.).
• Make it a post-holiday family outing to head to a shelter or rescue to find your new buddy or buddies. (Bring along some toys or treats to leave for the other animals waiting for adoption.)
• Ask shelter workers for advice or handouts they might have for giving your new friend a successful, stress-free introduction to their new home.
• Keep the house relatively peaceful for a couple of days to allow everyone time to get settled in.

Bringing home a new pet should be a happy time for both animal(s) and  humans -- and should be the beginning of a long and beautiful friendship. But it all comes down to the right timing and the right decision making.

Why It's A Bad Idea To Give Pets As Gifts

With Christmas just a week away, parents everywhere are still trying to round out their shopping for their kids, still looking for that one gift with a "WOW!" factor. Stumped for ideas, not wanting to resort to more tech gadgets or video games, they start to think about their child's request -- or outright pleading -- for a pet. "Maybe," they think, "I should get them that guinea pig [or rabbit or dog or cat or lizard or...] that they've been wanting."

To that we say simply:

Don't. Resist the impulse.

Pets of any species are not gifts -- they're long-term commitments that carry with them responsibility, accountability, and stewardship. They carry all the things that -- and let's all be realistic here -- a majority of children just are not programmed for.

• Hamsters and gerbils can live 2-3 years.
• Guinea pigs can live as long as 8 years.
• Rabbits can live as long as 10 years.
• Dogs, depending on their breed, can live 10 to 20 years.
• Cats can live as long as 20 years.
• Birds, depending on their breed, can live as long as many humans (60+ years).

Don't get me wrong -- I'm not criticizing kids. Childhood is not the time in our lives in which we're wired for lasting commitments. We're learning, we're growing, we're being taught by our parents and teachers about things like responsibility and discipline. Kids can learn a lot from watching their parents care for animals, and even more from carrying their little chores (such as refilling the water bottle every day) to help their parents care for animals, but kids are not yet ready for assuming sole responsibility for a life. They're nowhere near ready for assuming sole responsibility for their own lives.

• Pets need to be introduced to a household as a family pet, with the adults assuming primary responsibility for the welfare of the animal(s). This is the only scenario in which the addition of a pet will truly work, the only one in which the decision -- and all subsequent decisions -- has the best interest of an animal in mind.
• Pets need to be introduced to a family after some amount of research has been done to determine whether the specific type of pet is appropriate for the household (lifestyle, schedule, other animals in the house, etc.). Children can be included in this process, and lots of information can be found at the local library and from reputable sources all over the Web.

Even if you are bringing an animal in as a family pet, have done the research, and understand that YOU -- the adult -- will be the primary caregiver for the duration of the animal's life, Christmas is still a bad time to introduce an animal to your household. I'll list a few more reasons in my next posting.

Why Specialty Vets Are Needed

A lesson from our friends, the turtles.

Recently, I was at South Wilton Veterinary Group with what has turned out to be an obstinate and finicky patient, when I met a gentleman from western Fairfield County who rescues lizards, snakes, and turtles. He was waiting to reclaim and take home two large turtles who were visiting SWVG for the first time.

While both turtles were feeling poorly (that was how they’d come into his rescue), one was in particular trouble as the result of treatment he’d received earlier in the week from another vet. Its medical condition was something I can neither pronounce nor figure out how to spell well enough to find the correct spelling in an online dictionary. It was gravely ill, and that’s enough to know.

The gentleman grimly told those of us in the waiting room that he’d been following the other veterinarian’s orders and administering Ivermectin to the turtle, only to watch its illness turn frighteningly worse. Upon entering the exam room with one of SWVG’s specialty vets, he quickly learned that Ivermectin was a no-no. The SWVG vet was doing what she could to turn the situation around; if he and her treatment could get the turtle through the weekend, there would be a good chance the turtle could survive. But 48 hours is a long time when you have a life in the balance.

As he and his wife got up to help the vet techs carry the tubs that the turtles were in out to their SUV, the rest of us in the waiting room reached into our carriers to pet our cockatiels, guinea pigs, chameleons, African Greys, cockatoos, cats, and iguanas, thanking Whoever Runs The Universe that we’d found good vets who wouldn’t put our animals in that kind of jeopardy — vets that some of the patients had made an hour-long trip to see.

And we all exchanged comments like “I hope things turn out all right for him” like prayers to the cosmos. Our animals were having difficulties of their own but their lives weren’t hanging in the balance like that turtle’s was. We didn’t envy the man the weekend he was going to have, but we pitied him for it because we knew all too well how hard the next 48 hours were going to be.

I haven’t been back yet to find out how he fared, but I sure hope Mr. Turtle is alright.

Pet Guardians

I recently received something in the mail from the Humane Society of the United States that included a quick reference to a Web link for information about including your pets in your will. (Okay, so this is a gloomy topic. But it's a gloomy, rainy week here in Connecticut and, after a few days, it's bound to affect your state of mind.) The Web link leads to a page with lots of information, and directions for ordering a kit (which they say includes a brochure, wallet alert cards, emergency decals for windows and doors, and caregiver information forms).

It's a valuable thing they're offering, when you think about it. We invest a lot of time, money, energy, and love into the care of our pets while they're with us. Subconsciously, I think we've all made the assumption that we will outlive them. But life has a way of throwing curve balls that can incapacitate us in this life or send us on our way to the next one.

If we have given even a passing thought to the possibility that we might not outlive our pets, I suspect that many of us have made the assumption that spouses, siblings, adult children, parents, and friends will assume the guardianship of our guinea pigs, rabbits, ferrets, dogs, cats, birds, reptiles, and so on. But the thought may not have -- or ever -- cross their minds. They may have no idea what our assumptions or wishes are. We owe it to ourselves -- and, more importantly, our beloved pets -- to have the necessary conversations and make the proper arrangements.

If you can't name "pet guardians," your next option is to make sure your family knows if there is a particular rescue your pet(s) should go to...someone you trust with your furkids and trust to find a suitable home. Last year, one of our rescue's first adopters contacted us to say she'd just been diagnosed with cancer and was trying to attend to some details ahead of time, while she was able to, in case things didn't go her way. One of her first concerns was the welfare of her pets. She wanted to know, if and when she needed us to, whether she could bring her guinea pigs to us for either short-term care or placement into a new adoptive home. In her darkest hour, she looked out for her animals; the love she demonstrated was remarkable, memorable, and a lesson in grace. (By the way, the guinea pigs are still with her and, the last we heard, she was responding well to treatment.)

So, take a few moments to visit the HSUS Web site, read or print out the information they have there, and send a request for the kit. The kit is free, but consider donating a few dollars to cover postage costs and support their cause. It's a small price to pay for protecting the animals and raising our awareness.

12 Tips For Warm Weather Care

The warm and humid weather this past Friday, and news of several upcoming days of 80-plus-degree and sometimes-humid weather, sent me scrambling to put my air conditioners in my windows. Despite the lack of sun, the air was uncomfortably humid and I'd be hard-pressed to say who "wilted" faster that afternoon...me or the guinea pigs. Some four hours after I turned the air conditioners on, the five of us started coming back to life.

The next morning as I arrived for an appointment, another customer -- who recently adopted two guinea pigs from a town shelter -- greeted me with questions about what the guinea pigs would need in this weather. Experienced in caring for special-needs cats, guinea pigs are new territory for her and she was concerned about whether her non-air-conditioned, minimally-fan-equipped house would be okay for her new charges.

Below are some suggestions. For those who have menageries of pets that include some combination of guinea pigs, rabbits, cats, dogs, hamsters, ferrets, birds, and more, several of the tips and routines have applicability to your entire brood.

1. Make sure the water bottle is full when you leave in the morning. Depending on how warm the day gets, your guinea pig(s) could drink a full bottle of water in the 8-ish hours you're at work.
2. On days when you have to run in for dinner and then run back out for a few hours in the evening, check your animals' water supplies before you go back out. If they drank a lot during the day, they may have little water left by the time you get home...and won't have enough to make it through the hours you're gone in the evening.
3. Ensure that water comes out of the drinking spout when you touch the metal ball at the tip. This metal ball bearing can sometimes get stuck, preventing water from coming out properly or at all.
4. Ensure that the water bottle is big enough for the number of guinea pigs you have. Consider buying a bigger bottle or a second bottle to hang in the cage.
5. Make sure the bottle and drinking spout are clean. Buildup can make for icky-tasting water that the pigs won't drink. If your water bottle has a black rubber ring inside the cover (as opposed to clear rubber), dry it with a light-colored towel. If you see black smudges on the towel, you need to replace the water bottle -- the rubber ring is breaking down, adding a taste to the water that will cause your pigs not to drink. While you wash out the water bottles, this is a good time to wash out your other pets' water bowls (which can get a little slimy in humid weather).
6. Include "juicy" items -- like romaine lettuce, slices of cucumber, chunks of honeydew melon or cantaloupe -- in your pigs' diet morning and night (but don't go overboard). Some guinea pigs just don't drink a lot by nature, and enticing them with juicy fruits and vegetables ensures that some extra fluids are getting in their systems.
7. Leave the house cool and/or well-ventilated for your animals while you're gone. Have as many windows open as you can, leave fans going, or leave your air conditioning on low. But remember: Even in warm weather, guinea pigs can get sick from drafts so don't open windows that are right next to their cages or leave a fan (even an oscillating fan) going that can blow air directly into their cage. You can open windows in another part of the same room, or position the fan so that it will cool the room without blowing on your pigs.
8. If the guinea pig cage is right next to a window that gets a lot of sun, closing the shades, adjusting the direction of the Venetian blinds, or partly closing your curtains can filter out the sunlight (and the resulting heat) from their cage.
9. Move the guinea pig cage into a different room where you know your pigs will be cool enough. This might be a room in a shady corner of the house or one that catches a steady breeze, or it might be a room with an air conditioner in it. This way, you can close the door, set the air conditioner on low (so the room doesn't turn into a freezer), and keep your electricity bill manageable. 
10. Putting the cage outside -- even in a shady location -- is NEVER an option.
11. Check the cage daily, and spot-clean areas of the bedding that have gotten wet during the day. Leaving such wet spots in the cage can lead to skin problems for guinea pigs.
12. Keep extra bedding on hand to accommodate daily spot-cleanings and more frequent bedding changes. During hot spells, you will go through a little more bedding than usual. However, the cost of extra bedding is still cheaper than the vet bills, time spent travelling to and from the vet office, and time spent nursing your guinea pigs if they come down with a skin problem as a result of having to live on wet bedding.

Summer weather always presents challenges for pet owners. Some days turn out to be hotter or stickier than predicted, and aging animals of any species become less tolerant of the heat. Keeping your animals amply stocked with water, keeping them in cool environments, and knowing what the early warning signs of heat exhaustion or heatstroke are for the different species in your house will go a long way toward keeping your animals healthy and safe.

If you have more warm weather pet care tips, use the Comments link below to share them with us.

Sage Advice For Pet Adopters

We were delighted to see the May 7th article titled "Bring Home The Best Pet" in the PARADE magazine in our Sunday newspapers. Partly, it was because the authors recommended guinea pigs as good, kid-friendly pets because they're active during the day, highly sociable, big enough to be handled safely by most children, and will live five to seven years with proper care.

What we really liked was the authors' advice and comments on responsible pet adoption -- especially after the influx of guinea pigs we've taken in this year from owner surrenders...usually from families where kids regrettably lost interest in a pet. (Recent conversations with some of the dog and cat rescues in Connecticut revealed that they're seeing the same thing.)

But getting back to the article...

Authors Sarah Wilson and Brian Kilcommons talked about pet adoptions ranging from dogs and cats to exotics to birds to reptiles and fish. And some of the points they made likely received a chorus of "Here! Here!" from pet adopters and animal rescues around the country. We'll highlight a few here:

• "Adopting a living creature must never be a spontaneous decision."
• "As a parent, you must be fully prepared to take responsibility for the animal....No matter what lessons you hope your child will learn from this experience, the animal doesn't exist to teach. Any living creature in your home is the adult's responsibility."
• Include children in the pre-adoption research process, preparing for the pet's arrival, and tasks in the daily care routine that they can manage. Adopting an animal (any animal) is a great way to teach your kids about responsibility, but keep in mind that there are some tasks that small bodies with small hands can't do.
• Keep pets in a common area, not in a child's room, so their health and care can be monitored, they can be part of the family's activity, and a child's handling of the pet can be supervised by an adult.

If someone you know is thinking about adopting a pet for the first time for their family, encourage them to check out the PARADE article online. 

If you have stories to share about your own experiences with adopting pets, or additional tips about kids and pets, use the Comments link below to let us (and others) know.