Contents of a Guinea Pig Medicine Cabinet

Contents of a Guinea Pig Medicine Cabinet should include:

• Critical Care by Oxbow. This keeps in your freezer and is great for when your piggie stops eating. Most exotic vets will sell you a package of this if you tell them you just want to keep it on hand for emergencies, or you can order it off Oxbow’s website.

• Assorted sizes of syringes or eyedroppers for feeding medicines and Critical Care.

• Pedialite or Dioralyte. This is a great energy/nutrient booster for very ill piggies.

• Children's Liquid Sudafed. A few drops twice a day for up to three days can help a congested cavy.

• Vick's Vapor Rub. Again, this is helpful for congested piggies. It is also useful to revive sickly critters suffering from heat stroke, etc.

• Styptic Powder or Corn Starch or Flour. This can be applied if you cut the quick of your piggie's nail, or for other bleeding surface wounds inflicted to your guinea pig.

• Nail Clippers. I prefer guillotine style, but many people use human nail clippers.

• Mineral Oil or Vaseline. This is used to assist in cleaning boar's perineal sacs.

• Infant Gas Relief Drops (Simethicone). This helps relieve pain in a bloated guinea pig.

• Ear Cleansing Solution. This can be picked up at any vet. It is great for removing debris in ears. It’s also great for when your piggie accidentally gets water splashed in his ear during a bath.

• Neosporin or equivalent. This can be used for small surface wounds on your piggie – wipe off excess amount so your piggie does not ingest any.

• Probiotics. These are recommended to give your cavy after it has been on antibiotics for awhile.

• Vitamin C. Just like in humans, extra Vitamin C should be given when your piggie is sick. The liquid form may be administered with a syringe/dropper, children’s chewables may simply be eaten by your guinea pig, or adult tablets may be disintegrated in water. Be careful when adding vitamins to water, as they only remain effective up to 8 hours.

Others items most people have in their own medicine cabinets or around the house:

• Old towels / blankets

• Cotton Swabs / Cotton Balls / Gauze pads

• Saline Solution

• Sterile Water

Author: Gina M. Rowlee