26
Jun
Congenital defects may be present at birth. They can help the vet distinguish between Congestive Heart Failure and respiratory disease.
Treatment of infectious diseases can be complicated by the fact that guinea pigs are more sensitive to antibiotics than other types of pets.
How long can guinea pigs live with heart disease. They can help the vet distinguish between Congestive Heart Failure and respiratory disease. However many heart pigs also have respiratory disease including pneumonia. These signs may occur daily or only occasionally.
If your Guinea pig exhibits any of these signs seek veterinary care immediately. Go only to a vet familiar with heart disease in Guinea pigs. Heart disease is a significant concern among guinea pigs especially those who are above four years old.
A guinea pig can also suffer from a heart attack at a young age depending upon their health condition. An average lifespan for a guinea pig is around six years old. Guinea pigs like other companion animals can develop heart problems.
With proper diagnosis and treatment your pet can live a longer and more active life. Veterinarians Treating Cardiovascular Diseases. Cardiomyopathy in Guinea Pigs - Kerry Beeder DVM.
Guinea pig hearts and cardiovascular system are used as animal models for various human heart diseases due to their similar structure. Mechanisms involved in cardiomyopathy are as in other species. Generally slow for acquired heart disease in adult guinea pigs.
Congenital defects may be present at birth. Heart disease is usually progressive. Signs of Heart Trouble in Guinea Pigs.
When a guinea pig is acting off and has prolonged vague unexplained symptoms it isnt unreasonable to suspect heart trouble. Early signs of heart conditions vary widely. The symptoms arent as well-known by veterinarians as other common ailments in guinea pigs.
Heart problems can mirror the symptoms of a respiratory infection. There is a big difference between a piggie suffering from heart disease and suffering from heart failure - the latter is a terminal event and unfortunately i think sometimes the word failure is used when really it should be the word disease. You cant cure heart disease - but you can alleviate the clinical symptoms and give them a few happy extra monthsyears which is a long time in piggie years before.
Some piggies will unfortunately live just a few months while others will live on for over many years. Some of the major factors that may affect your guinea pigs life span include their genetics their overall health veterinary care and quality of diet and management techniques. The answer to this is 4-8 years on average which is longer than any other popular rodents.
However there are a number of factors that can affect how long a guinea pig can live. Some dont live long enough and some make it to a much riper old age. Factors that can affect their life can include diet breed genes and medical conditions.
The UK animal welfare charity Blue Cross really hedges its bets. It puts the life expectancy of guinea pigs at four to eight years. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is more precise.
They say guinea pig life span is five to six years but some may live longer. Skinny guinea pigs tend to live the longest with a typical lifespan of 7 8 years. White Silkie Peruvian and Himalayan guinea pigs live roughly 5 8 years and Abyssinian guinea pigs usually live 5 7 years.
Keep reading to learn more about each breed of guinea pig and how you can help your guinea pig live a long happy life. This may be as often as every 6-8 weeks. Most owners of guinea pigs find that dealing with a dental problem is a frustrating and emotionally stressful experience.
They feel helpless to see their beloved pet unable to eat in pain and gradually losing weight. The best thing to do is to try and prevent this condition. I used to show guinea pigsWe kept them in wire cages but you must have at least a smooth board for them to sleep on and give their feet a rest from being on the wire.
This helped keep their coats cleaner and was easier maintenance with having a large number of guinea pigs. Wood chips are ok in the drop pans but never use cedar. Adequate room to exercise means that your guinea pigs are less likely to develop medical conditions such as heart disease diabetes bumblefoot and anal impactionsaving your guinea pigs pain and suffering and minimizing your veterinary bills.
With a roomier enclosure guinea pigs can exercise on their schedule not yours. Most guinea pigs will live between 4-8 years. However this depends on quite a few factors and circumstances.
Illness can shorten that lifespan considerably but timely and proper care can address most health issues. A guinea pigs lifestyle will also affect how long it lives. Tumors are rare in young guinea pigs but are more common in guinea pigs that are more than 5 years old.
Treatment of infectious diseases can be complicated by the fact that guinea pigs are more sensitive to antibiotics than other types of pets. Prevention of health problems in guinea pigs is key. It is recommended that they should either be brothers or they should be bonded before they are 6 weeks old.
Be aware that if there is a scent of female guinea pigs around it can disrupt their relationship. This can happen if you have female guinea pigs housed nearby or if you have been handling females and not washed your hands afterwards. The average guinea pig lifespan is between five to eight years though particularly pampered and healthy animals can reach ten years or more.
This is much longer than other small mammal pets like hamsters mice and rats but shorter than animals like dogs or cats. As mentioned the average lifespan of a guinea pig can be as short as 4 years or as long as 8. This huge range is often due to the many lifestyle and health factors that might affect it.
Lets have a look at the ones you should take into consideration.