Things You Should Know

              ADMINISTERING MEDICATIONS
  A dose is measured out for each type of medication and in order for it
to be effective, it is extremely important he get the full amount.
Although some vets do recommend putting medicines in their water or
sprinkling over food, how can you be sure that he is getting the correct
dosage? There are better ways to administer medications than the hit
and miss system. If it comes in pill form, then crush the pill, mix it
with water or apple juice and administer with an eyedropper or syringe
- or you can approach his mouth from the side and push the pill in
passed the front incisors down to the molars (he cannot bite you or spit
it back out if you push it in far enough).

                             ALOPECIA
  This is a type of fur loss that usually affects pregnant or elderly sows.
Pregnancy related alopecia shows a balding spot right around the hip,
rump or underside and is considered hereditary. The cause is thought
to be a stress on her lymphatic system and there is no known treatment,
however, it does not seem to bother her. Once the pregnancy is over,
the fur will grow back.
  If your sow is not elderly or pregnant and bilateral alopecia (bilateral
means both sides, so in this case it would be a bald spot on both flanks)
appears, it could be she has an ovarian cyst and needs to be looked at by
a vet.

                           BARBERING
  There are unique guinea pigs that have a talent for trimming the hair
of cage mates. Some are so precise that both sides are completely even
and others will chew to the skin. It is suspected that these guinea pigs
could have a need for more roughage (hay) because there is never any
hair in the bottom of the cage, suggesting they are eating it. There does
not seem to be any ill effect to them either, indicating they are not
bound like cats with fur balls.

                                 FEET
  I. POLYDACTYL: A normal foot has four toes on the front and three toes on
the back. There are some guinea pigs that have four or more toes on the back feet
(called polydactyl) but this is due to inbreeding and is hereditary. Some are
attached by a piece of skin and some have a bone for full support. If you want to
do something about it, then take it to the vet and have it surgically removed. If it
does not bother the pig then you can just leave it alone because it is not hurting
anything.

  II. SPURS: Some pigs develop a hard crust on the bottom of their feet called
'spurs'. It is the same as a callous in human feet and can be cut off without
causing any pain--provided you do not cut too close to the pad.

                         ANOPTHALMIC
  If you breed a Dalmatian to a Dalmatian or a Roan to a Roan, the
result is a lethal baby called an anopthalmic. An anopthalmic pup is
born all white, as well as deaf, blind or even without teeth. Some pups
are born with small green eyes (micro-anopthalmic) and some are born
with no eyes at all. The reason this happens is because dalmatians and
roans carry the lethal gene RnRn and only one set of genes (from either
the boar or the sow) is needed to make a dalmatian or a roan.

                              OBESITY
  Overweight problems in a pig are almost the same as a human. It
leads to respiratory problems and heart disease. Read the nutrition
labels to make sure your pellets are timothy based and considerably
LESS than 2% fat. If you have pregnant sows and growing pups, you
need alfalfa-based pellets. One major sign of obesity is the pouch that
begins to develop under the chin and the widening of the hips (without
being pregnant, in the case of a sow).

                           FATTY EYE
  This is fatty tissue in the lower eyelid caused from the breakdown of
the muscle ligaments. Since it is a hereditary condition, it would be
best not to breed those affected. There is nothing that can be done for
this and it does not seem to cause any distress to the pig.

                 SCABS AROUND THE LIPS
  When scabs start to form up around the split in the nose (called the
philtrum), on the lips and around the mouth, it usually indicates you
are feeding him too many acidic items and need to stop. If the
condition does not clear up in a few days, it is most likely a fungus and
you need to see a vet. You will also need to isolate him because this
type of infection is very contagious.

                 WRY NECK/TORTICOLLIS
Pups are sometimes born with their head titled at an angel because of
their position in the uterus and usually come out of it within a week.
Other pups with more severe head tilt do not usually come out of it and
probably have a shortening of the neck muscles. They can most times
live a full healthy life but may need to be hand fed until weaned, or
they can die within a few days, depending on the severity of the tilt.
This condition can also be an inherited trait and affected pigs should
not be bred. If your guinea pig has never titled his head before and is
now, he most likely has an inner ear infection. If the infection is not
cleared up right away, it will cause hearing loss along with permanent
torticollis.