I cannot stress enough that the information on this website is not meant to be used as a substitute for a trip to the vet or advice from a more knowledgable cavy expert when these are needed. It is meant only as a guide to educate you on some of the most common problems in cavies so you will understand them better if your cavy comes down with them. Cavies go downhill very fast once they show symptoms of a disease, because they hide it very well in the earlier stages. In the wild this helps to protect them from potential predators who tend to pick the weakest in the herd to pounce on. At home it means that by the time you know your cavy is sick, it is very sick indeed and needs to see a vet immediately.
Prepare, don't repair - When you get a pet, you are completely responsible for it. This includes the obvious things like feeding it and cleaning out its cage, but this also includes medical care which is either taking it to the vet, or in less serious cases, buying medicine to treat your pet at home. The sad truth is, many people don't take this part of pet ownership into consideration when they bring home a cute cuddly baby guinea pig, or any other animal for that matter. Many animals that could have been saved have died because their owners were not prepared for something like this to happen. They either were not educated and didn't know that their pet's problem was serious, or were hesitant to bring it to the vet because of the bills. Hopefully you are reading this now to gain a better understanding of the problems that can happen to cavies so you will be prepared in the event that it one day happens to your little friend. But remember, information won't cure your pet when a problem occurs - and it will, sooner or later - I've learned this from sad experience. Keeping an emergency fund of at least $100 per pet, the more the better, may turn out to be very valuable. Also depending on where you live, pet insurance maybe be an option worth looking into to make sure you are prepared when love isn't enough to heal them.
Catch it early -
Getting to know each individual guinea pig you own and monitoring their health and behavior will help you catch problems before they get worse. As I mentioned before, by the time a guinea pig displays symptoms of a problem it has usually progressed far already, so every day counts. Weighing your guinea pig weekly is a good idea as many diseases start out with weight loss. Refusal to eat is a bad sign in any animal, but especially in guinea pigs who aren't called "pigs" for no reason. And of course, you should always be on the lookout for common parasites like mites and lice. These are a few of the most common signs that something is wrong, but there are many, many others. If something tells you there's something wrong, you're probably right. Below I'll tell a bit about the problems I've experienced with my own pigs or have heard a lot about. This is a work in progress and currently shows only a very few of the numerous problems which can affect cavies. It will be added to from time to time as I gather enough information about other problems to be worth posting here.
Impaction - Impaction is when a guinea pig, usually an older intact male, loses the ability to push out all of his feces and it begins to build up in the small sac between his testicles. When this happens the first thing to do is place your cavy's rear end in warm soapy water for awhile to loosen the feces. (Remember to rinse him well after this.) Then lay your cavy back and gently pull apart the testicles. Use a wet Q-tip to gently scoop out all of the feces you can. Then you can use another Q-tip to apply some petroleum jelly or mineral oil on the skin inside his sac. This will act as a lubricant make it easier for him to pass his feces. Some guinea pigs are impacted daily and for others the problem only happens once in awhile. Check your males routinely for impaction by pulling apart the testicles and looking for a lump of poo that is stuck so it doesn't have a chance to become a serious problem. If your pig is impacted frequently, you should supplement his diet with vegetables rich in Vitamin B which he would normally get from eating the soft poops which get stuck in impaction.
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Lice - Lice are small parasites which live in a guinea pig's fur. They are very common so it's important that you check your cavies routinely for lice. Part the hair in different places all over the body, especially around the head and face, and watch for tiny yellowish-white insects scurrying away to hide; these are lice. If you can't see well you might want to use a magnifying glass. If you have other cavies living in close proximity to the infected one, you will need to treat them all as lice spread fast. They aren't usually a very serious problem - lice in cavies is the equivalent of fleas in dogs - but they're annoying and are quite uncomfortable for the affected pigs. The good news is that they are species specific and can't spread to you. There are several treatments for lice in cavies. I prefer to use the shampoos. A puppy or kitten flea shampoo with a pyrethrin level of 0.05% or less is usually okay to use for cavies. However, a shampoo with a pyrethrin level of higher than this should not be used as it can kill a cavy. If you have any doubts about the shampoo you have, call a cavy-competent vet. When you're confident that your shampoo is okay, wet the cavy thoroughly, including the face - which you should never do with a regular bath but this is unfortunately neccesary to kill the lice, whose favorite place is the head and face. Work in the shampoo well, using special care not to let any drip into the eyes. Let the shampoo sit for a few minutes. Keep your cavy still and do not let it lick itself. Then rinse the shampoo off thoroughly, it's very important that you get it all out as a cavy's favorite thing to do after a bath is lick itself all over. Towel dry your cavy, and as usual keep it warm until it's dry. (See the Bathing Page) Clean the cage well before putting your piggie back in, in case there are any lice hiding out in the bedding. If your piggie acts strange after its bath or an eye becomes runny and irritated, call a vet right away for advice.
Mites - Mites are parasites that live under a cavy's skin. They are invisible to the naked eye but can usually be diagnosed easily. Affected cavies will begin to lose hair in small patches which are often scabby from frequent scratching. Mites are a serious problem and can kill a cavy who goes without treatment. If you suspect your cavy has mites, separate it from any companions as mites are contagious and take it to a vet ASAP for treatment. Even if you don't think it's mites, bald patches of any kind (except behind the ears and inside the front paws) can indicate a serious problem and need to be checked out by your vet.
Upper Respiratory Infections (URIs) - Upper Respiratory Infections are a serious, and unfortunately quite common disease in cavies. The first noticable symptom is a 'clicking' in the breathing which can be heard by placing your cavy's stomach by your ear. Gradually this will get worse and you may be able to hear it without putting your cavy near your ear. The cavy will lose weight and eventually stop eating. It will lose interest in life and die within a few days. If you think your cavy may have a URI, you should separate it from any cage mates as it can be contagious and go to the vet immediately. The sooner it's treated, the better the prognosis is for your cavy. URIs are usually treated with oral antibiotics. There are some antibiotics, however, which can kill a cavy and a vet who isn't very experienced with guinea pigs may prescribe one, so it's important to know what is safe and what is poisonous. The list below should be of some help:
Safe Antibiotics - These are okay to use for piggies.
-Bactrim (also called Tribrissen or Trimethoprim Sulfamethoxazol)
-Baytril (also called Enroflaxin)
-SMZ - TMP
-Cipro
-Metronidazole
Deadly Antibiotics - these should never be used.
-Amoxicillin
-Ampicillin
-Bacitracin
-Cephalexin (Cefadroxil)
-Cephalosporins
-Cephazolin
-Chlortetracycline
-Clindamycin
-Dihydrostreptomycin
-Erythromycin
-Lincomycin
-Oxytetracycline
-Penicillin
-Streptomycin
Printing this list and taking it to the vet with you is a good idea. You should use a small syringe to give antibiotics, which your vet will usually provide for you. Squirt the medicine a tiny bit at a time into the side of your cavy's mouth. You'll know he's eating it if he chews after you squirt.
Weight issues - When guinea pigs are sick, they often stop eating causing them to lose a lot of weight which you will need to help them gain back. Grass is something that nearly all guinea pigs like - some will actually eat it when they're too sick to want anything else - and it's great for helping them to gain weight. Feed just a little per day at first, and gradually increase the amount until your guinea pig is eating all it can every day. If you just give him a huge pile of grass all at once without this slow introduction it can cause bloating which is quite uncomfortable for the piggie. Also, adding oats to dry foods such as pellets can help with weight gaining. For that matter, feeding unlimited pellets whereas normally you should only feed a small amount per day can help with weight gaining as well. If none of this seems to work, you can soak a small piece of bread in whole milk and feed it to your piggie. Though many breeders advise against this I personally have used it with no ill effects and if you can get your piggies to eat it it works great for weight gaining. Once your guinea pig is up to a good weight for its size (it should have a good layer of flesh over the ribs and its bottom shouldn't feel too boney), put it back on a normal diet of hay, veggies, and a small amount of pellets.