One commonly known condition in guinea pigs is scurvy!
Arr! Beware the guinea pig pirate!
Scurvy, most commonly known for pirates becoming diseased at sea due to a lack of fresh fruit and vegetables, can also effect guinea pigs, despite their land lubber ways.
Scurvy, more scientifically, is a deficiency of vitamin C, or hypovitaminosis C. You can check out more in humans at wikipedia:
Yeah, i know, never use wikipedia as a reference, but in this case it’s quite handy.
What sort of clinical signs can you see in a guinea pig with scurvy?
As vitamin C is used in enzyme reactions and tissues, namely collagen, everything breaks down when there isn’t enough:
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Lethargy
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Reluctance to move
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Weakness
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Hopping instead of walking (the guinea pig lameness)
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Weight loss
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Pain
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Rough coat or hair loss
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Diarrhoea
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Bruising/haemorrhage
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Discharge from eyes and nose
How can we treat it?
A convenient way to treat vitamin c deficiency / scurvy is with 50 mg/kg vitamin C PO every day as required, until clinical signs disappear. This can be achieved by dissolving half of a 100 mg chewable vitamin C tablet in water and then slowly administering this solution by syringe into your cavy’s mouth.
Leaving the vitamin C in the water source is risky as you bring a lot more factors into play – water consumed, sunlight, plastic, spillage. It’s inaccurate. Dont do it.
How can we prevent it?
The best way to prevent scurvy in guinea pigs is to provide a diet high in vitamin C.
This is most easily achieved with 80% grass hay, 15-20% green fresh vegetables and 0-5% treats and pellets.
Good sources of vitamin C for guinea pigs include:
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Broccoli
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Kale
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Spinach
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Parsley
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Bok choy
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Capsicum
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Kiwi fruit and strawberries – in moderation – remember to avoid high carbs!
For more on diet, check out the Exotics Vets post on diet here: https://exoticsvets.com/diet/
Popcorn to it!
References
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Melbourne Rabbit Clinic. Rabbit & Guinea Pig Emergency Manual 2014. MRC. 2014.
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Unusual Pet Vets. Scurvy in guinea pigs – and the importance of vitamin C. https://www.unusualpetvets.com.au/news-blog/scurvy-in-guinea-pigs-and-the-importance-of-vitamin-c/ UPV. 2018
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QLD Guinea Pig Refuge. How to identify scurvy in guinea pigs. http://www.qldguineapigrefuge.com.au/scurvy.html. 2018.
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Guinealynx. Scurvy: Vitamin C Deficiency. http://www.guinealynx.info/scurvy.html. 2016.