Reading Guinea Pig Rescue

January is going very fast and before we know it the Piggy PM (20 February) will be upon us. Flyers and Press Releases have been sent out but let us know ifyou want one to distribute.

No guinea pigs have been rehomed yet and there are no prospective homes lined up so we start the year as we ended last year- as long as we continue to get quality homes that has to be a good thing!

Thank you for the donations of hay etc through the horrible weather,

Karen

RGPR is now closed for home visits but will remain open for rehoming to homes that have already been visited and approved, including those that have previously adopted, after the Animal Welfare Act of 2007.

We reopen for home visits on the 9 January after a well deserved rest!

Karen (Looking forward to Christmas )

The 2010 Piggy PM will be on the 20 February at 2-5pm. Gorgeous Guineas, Planet Guinea and The Hay Experts will be there along with Jenny the vet. Jenny sees lots of guineas every wheek along with Hannah and Sally at the School Road Surgery (Active Vetcare).

The theme will be nutrition and preparations are well underway but help is always greatfully received and already we have some newcomers to Piggy PMs that will be coming along for a look at how it all works. Please contatct me on karen@readingguineapigrescue.co.uk if you want to help. We can always find something for you to do, you’ll be suprised!

Also important, of course, are our audience, so ‘just’ coming along for the afternoon is great too .Most important is that everyone has a good time though, that’s compulsory!

Karen

Krystal and Gem arrived at Reading Guinea Pig Rescue very pregnant and littered down 4 days after arrival. However, all did not go well. On discovering the birth had started I found a pup still in her sac which I removed but was unable to revive her. Three live pups had been born, two of which were uncharacteristically wobbly. Krystal had finished birthing and was cleaning herself up in between paying attention to the babies who were running inbetween the 2 sows. Gem was still straining and after 20 minutes had passed and no pup had arrived I investigated further; there was a pup but it was breech. There is no time to call the vet in these situations as time is of the essence, supporting Gem and gently manouvering the pup helped the process, Gem wasn’t interested in removing the sac so I did it for her but the pup was dead so I ‘gave’ it Gem to see. It was obvious there was another, probably dead, pup inside Gem. Although I could feel it there was no movement and I immediately called the vet to tell them I was on my way with an emergency patient.
The pup was born in the car on the way there and was dead on arrival. Gem needed antibiotics, Oxytocin to help her pass any matter left in the uterus and a fluids injection as a general boost. I brought the dead pup home and put it in the cage where Gem and one of the other pups groomed the dead body. After they had moved away it was removed.
The three resulting sow pups are very healthy, probably because they shared their Mums, all three pups fed from both of them. One has since gone to a lovely home with a group of guineas where she has settled in well with her fellow guineas in their large purpose built shed.
Most guinea pig births go smoothly, this goes to show what happens when they don’t and how important it is to know when to assist and when to leave the sow to manage the birth. It is likely that in this case the sow would have died too, thanks to Sally Ward and everyone at Active Vetcare for their care and expertise in helping Gem have the best possible outcome. Thanks also go to Chrissie Slade who drove me to the surgery at a moment’s notice.
More on www.thepigissue.co.uk

If you are computer literate and have access to programs such as Microsoft Office we would love to hear from you. We have several things planned for future events that will need the use of Office type programs so it would be great to have you on board!

Contact karen@readingguineapigrescue.co.uk

Karen

In The Heat Of The Moment…
… you may be required to treat your guinea for heatstroke. Whilst all guinea pig treatment should be prompt heatstroke requires attention immediately- attention to the guinea pig as opposed to phoning for a vet.
Guinea pigs may come from South America but they have the freedom to move out of the heat, often down abandoned holes dug by other animals. They do not search out the nearest lake and go for a swim, they do not have access to a fridge with some ice, neither do they apply suncream! A guinea pigs instinct is to prevent the problem happening in the first place- ie get out of the heat.
Guinea pigs are unable to control their heatloss through sweating and panting- they can do neither of these. The excessive rise in body temperature coupled with dehydration can lead to death if not treated promptly.

Whilst it goes without saying that guineas should be kept in the shade, it should be remembered that the sun moves round and the shade may need altering too.

Going out in the run:
Guineas pigs are safest when put out in the run in the late afternoon. South facing gardens with little or no shade are great suntraps, place the run under a parasol for shade, or put damp towels over the run. These will need moving periodically.Water pistols are great for maintaining wetness and great fun for any little Humans you may have! Put a water bottle in the run and make sure it is in the shade. Guinea should at least have the choice of whether to drink or not. Check guineas at least every 20 minutes.

Fungal Guineas:
Currently fungal guinea pigs and those that have previously been fungal are even more at risk from heatstroke. Monitor them more frequently than 20 minutes and be prepared to act promptly should you discover heatstroke.
Marbles was in his run late one afternoon, in full shade and receiving 20 minute checks from his Human but still managed to suffer from heatstroke and nearly lost his little life to it. Marbles had previously been fungal.
Guineas with respiratory problems need close monitoring too.

* Often indoors is cooler than out, indoors can be a shed or a house- as long as its cool. An air conditioning unit is a good investment and better than a fan which simply moves the hot air around.

* Plastic drinks bottles filled with water and frozen and wrapped in a towel can make good coolers for guinea to lie against if he wishes. A cool atmosphere is best though.

* Plenty of water should be available, where there are a lot of guineas kept in a group provide each guinea with a bottle- no one should need to wait for a drink in the hot weather. Ensure water bottles are working.

* Food should be fed at the usual temperature- room temperature, frozen foods (even when melting) are dangerous, they can upset the digestive system and cause fatal diarrohea. Ice will do little to hydrate a guinea pig, it is water they need.

* Nothing need be applied to the skin, if it is that hot then guinea will be safer inside.

* Wooden houses or cardboard boxes are better houses than plastic igloos that will be like an oven. If towels etc are draped over all the run there is no need for houses.

* Ceramic tiles that have been in the freezer overnight provide some relief from the heat.

* Longhaired guineas should have their coats thinned and trimmed, most will grow again.

Signs of heatstroke can range from:

* A limp body, guinea may be on his side and unwilling to move.
* Slobbers: a wet chin.
* Laboured breathing
* A rapid pulse
* May feel hot too touch, particularly the ears.

On discovery of a guinea with heatstroke:

* Ask someone to call a vet and make an appointment.
* Remove guinea from the immediate environment and bring him in somewhere cooler.
* Fill a bowl with tepid not cold water. Cold water can send guinea into shock.
* Dab some water on the ears and just behind them (where there is no hair).
* Put guineas feet in the bowl of tepid water- let him stand in it if its shallow enough and he is able to stand.
* Soak a towel/flanel in the tepid water and wrap guinea in it, it is of great importance that you do not use cold water.

This action should be sufficient until you can get to the vet where guinea will need rehydrating. Do not attempt to give fluids yourself- this can be dangerous if breathing is not normal- do offer guinea water though either in a dish or bottle.

New Grass: Guineas going out on grass for the first time (as in first few wheeks) should be introduced gradually and only given 30 minutes at a time on the grass. Another option is to put a lot of guineas in a smallish run to limit their intake, that way they can stay out longer.
Prior to grazing they should be given a meal of hay to ensure the gut is moving well.
Bloat is a very painful condition anhd often fatal, take care to introduce the new grass gradually. Call your vet at once if you see a balllooning of the abdomen that sounds hollow when you flick it.

This is not intended to replace good veterinary advice. You have a legal obligation to seek good veterinary care if your animal is sick.

©www.planetguinea.co.uk

All over now! We raised £224.98 and lots of awareness. This was a much quieter afternoon than last times but it gave us the oppurtunity to talk! There was a definite flow of people going from one stand into Jenny in the vet room and coming out to either speak to myself about adopting a guinea pig or buying one of our Welfare packs.

Whenever I looked in the guinea pig room there was someone being held, though Genie was ‘retired’ from being held half way through because she uncomfortable. Turns out that she had some dead skin that had come off and was still attached to her via her long hair. Genie had a Melt a couple of weeks ago so I assume this is why there was a flake of dead skin and it hadn’t become dislodged with bathing, with short haired guineas thats OK because it works its way out but I suppose this didn’t because Genie has ‘growing hair’.

The Lush raffle went well and Jenny was excellent with it. Happy to have a company like that there

Planet guinea, The Hay Experts and Gorgeous Guineas were well placed a good reps of guinea pig friendly people (though the Hay Experts admit to being more Bunny knowledgable, but thats OK!).

Guinea Pig Welfare had an improved space on last time and learnt a lot about how they need to set things out next time; all in all lots of info packs went out and lots talking happened, as with everyone.

I enjoyed the calm of this one that just wasn’t present at the last one and it was constant, previously we have had a big rush then nothing.

The money raised will be put with the last Piggy PM fund and jointly there will be enough money for Animal Welfare Act Compliant hutches and some improvements to the security and land outside the shed that will enable matching up to be in wet weather too (unless really bad!).

Special thanks go to Jenny for indulging us and inviting us back for ‘the next one’!!! Steady on Jenny, lets have a break first!

The ‘next one’ is being planned already (verbally) and will happen around the end of October!

Karen (who is happy for guineas to take over her life but not the house!)

Jenny’s room, all set for demonstrations of syringe feeding and tablet giving

The Humans needed to have a little light refreshment too

All lined up, ready for our first visitors.

Genie Rainbow and Sienna having a snooze before we let everyone in.

Gorgeous Guineas brought their whole range out, pretty much!

Guinea Pig Welfare demonstrating how to present hay, and the rosettes for those answering the ‘20 questions’.

Hope and Caprice help newbie Aura settle into the part of playing guinea pig for Jenny. They all enjoyed their Oxbow Critical Care and the Oxbow GTN tablets Will have to bring ‘wriggly pigs’ next time though, Jenny says these were well behaved…!

The Gorgeous Guineas for Humans! Pigture shows the Lush REACH campaign.

Planet Guinea brought their EasiGrow grass once again, this time only 7 days old! Also Happy Soles fleece bedding, and shampoo and some Bags of Fun!

The Hay Experts with a range of hays and other products.

We were recently contacted by someone wishing to find a friend for their lone guinea, the reasons why this poor guinea was a lone guinea were extremely unfortunate to say the least. The guineas were housed in a hutch that had a ramp, one of the guineas, who was perfectly healthy, came off the ramp too soon and injured his spine which, after a vet visit, led to him being put to sleep.

I have never liked ramps, nor would I recommend them for guineas but I now will not rehome to homes that provide hutches with ramps. This won’t stop the sale of double decker hutches but it will stop any of my guineas becoming fatalities because of them. Guinea pigs are not meant for climbing, if they were they would have tails for balancing!

Karen                                                                    

Everything’s arriving here for The Piggie PM, and invites have started to go out. Just some literature and fine tuning to do and, of course, some bathing when I’ve chosen the Lucky People that will go along for the afternoon

It’s been confirmed, the date for the Spring Piggie PM is the 25 April (Saturday) from 2pm-5pm. The aim is to raise awareness of basic good guinea pig care. As always the open afternoon will be held at the Tilehurst Branch of Active Vetcare- 0118 9428240 who treat all our guinea pigs and have held all outr Piggie PMs

If you would like to help then we’d be pleased to hear from you, from making a poster to making cakes! From supplying newspaper to giving us a helping hand on the tombola.

Or perhaps just come along and see what goes on, if you enjoy your guinea pigs you’ll enjoy our Piggie PM.

Watch this space for more updates!

Karen (counting the days till April now!)

The gorgeous Marley, the first guinea to find his Forever home this year, has gone to live with Truly, a previous guest on Planet Guinea. Marley and Truly live in a Cavy Cage in the ’spare room’ (except it’s not spare any more…!) I’m told Marley loves to do laps of his spacious new home