Guinea pig vet treatment - is this expensive???

[jobnockey]

Took my 4.5 year old girl pig to the vet to day with a suspected middle ear infection (head tilting to one side). Vet said that prognosis wasn't necessarily great but they'd treat it and see how she is in a week.

So she had an anti inflammatory jab today and we have been given a course of antibiotics and anti- inflammatories (Baytril and Loxicom) to give her over the next 7 days..

It came to £110 - which I have to admit I was a little shocked by. Obviously I have paid it, but seems so steep for such a little furry creature! I don't think I paid that much last time i took the cat?! Is my vet really expensive or does this sound normal?

I seem to remember last time one of the piggies needed antibiotics it came to about £60 so this does seem loads more...

Slightly dreading taking her back next week tbh, can't really afford another hit like that!

She's eating normally and currently sat there grooming herself so she doesn't appear too ill, but i know it's hard to tell with guinea pigs. Poor little thing may have been in pain for a while without me knowing :(

[Orangesandlemons82]

We had similar yesterday with one of our girls who had a bad eye. She needed eye drops and painkillers which came to £108! (I thought it would be about £60). From looking at the bill breakdown the consultation was £35 and the rest was the cost of the medication.

[Orangesandlemons82]

Just had a look - we have been given loxicom and that alone was over £50!

[Calmestofallthechickens]

Your vet should be able to give you a breakdown of what costs what:

For instance:
Consult £40
Painkilling injection £25
Loxicom £20
Antibiotics £25

I wouldn’t say it seems wildly expensive but if it’s a lot more than your vets’ normal price then you could check on the breakdown to make sure nothing has been charged twice or something like that.

At my practice we charge the same for a consultation for small furries as we do cats and dogs, the reasoning being that it takes the same amount of the vets’ time; likewise the drug prices are based on the price we buy the drug from the supplier so aren’t generally any cheaper than cat/dog meds.

[jobnockey]

Thanks all. This all makes sense tbh. The loxicom actually does say it's for cats on the packaging so stands to reason it would be the same costs. I think I was just a bit taken aback earlier. Fingers crossed she improves before next week then!

Anyone had any experience with this type of condition? The vet didn't seem particularly positive really... She said could be an ear infection or could be something neurological but either way not all pigs would pull through and we'd just have to see how she was...

[Calmestofallthechickens]

As your vet said there are a couple of different possible causes (and we often don’t get a firm diagnosis) and it is variable how they respond to treatment so it is a bit of a waiting game.

It’s a good sign that she’s still eating and managing to get around/groom etc. Make sure she’s on a nice soft bed (I use a fleece bed rather than sawdust/straw in case it gets in their eye while the head is tilted towards the floor).

Also with any sick guinea pig they have high vitamin C requirements so consider a supplement. Keep an eye on appetite, if she isn’t eating/pooing as much as usual then call your vet as they might want you to top up using a liquid diet from a syringe.

Fingers crossed for you and the pig xx

[randomsabreuse]

Drug prices have gone up since Brexit which doesn't help. One [drug] company in particular, one particular horse drug (which has no alternative) is about 5 times the price it was in December (from the wholesalers). Other things with alternatives from other manufacturers vets are changing to those.

Not much is licensed in small furries so it has to be Baytril, which is pricier than stuff like Synulox/TMPS which are used for cats and dogs.

[Bagelsandbrie]

Guinea pigs are much more expensive than people realise re vet treatment- I had a shock when one of mine had hay stuck in his eye and got an eye ulcer. Initially they charged £120 for drops and a visit but when that didn’t work we paid £850 to have the eye removed! I’ve learnt my lesson now and will always check vet prices for animals before we get them now.

[mineofuselessinformation]

I paid £80 some years back to be eventually told my cat had a cough.....

[jobnockey]

@Bagelsandbrie OMG my £110 suddenly not seeming like so much money now!

Thanks all, here's hoping she's okay. DS already worrying about how her sister will cope on her own if the worst happens :(

[Qwertyyui]

I paid 84 for a rat with a chest infection. That was loxicom, baytril, powder to reduce musus and injection of antibiotics. It was 30 quid more expensive than last time so all I can think is the powder is crazy expensive or they didn't give her an injection the first time around as she was not this bad. A week later I am having to take her in and it is 54 pounds to euthanise her as it has not worked and she is not doing well. Her sister has a huge tumor so we are going to say goodbye to them both at the same time as that is growing exponentially so would be sooner rather than later and at least she is not going to be alone.

I have 2 boy piggies. I will start a saving fund now for them as so far they are fine but are coming up 2. If I added up all the money I have spent on our animals I would be a lot better off but we know they have had a lovely life (even if I almost pass out when paying the vet!)

[Scarby9]

A friend's GP had an operation for just over £250 then three courses of antibiotics over the following year each at around £100.
In fairness, she was the best ever GP, and this was during the pandemic, but a cheap pet she was not.

[EspressoExpresso]

I've spent thousands on guinea pigs over the years. For example, if one of mine had the condition yours had, my vet would likely CT scan to determine whether an ear infection or neurological. My guinea pigs are insured though, so I can claim it back minus a small excess.

Exotic Direct insure, well, funnily enough, exotics! They're very good and possibly something worth considering in the future.

[Deena07]

@Bagelsandbrie that seems very expensive, I would have thought it would be the same our rabbits, around £20 for consultation, another £8 for the eye test (drop of yellow/green liquid in the eye) and some Isathal eye drops which are around £10-£15, maybe some pain meds just to make sure it isn't painful for them. So £60 probably maximum. If that didn't work another course of Isathal or some antibiotics like Baytril. Then possibly consider surgery.

@jobnockey How is your little one doing now?
I would have thought the first thought would be an ear infection, if not then run some more tests but usually treat for E.Cuniculi as it is pretty common for rabbits and guinea pigs to get head tilt with this and the sooner it is treated, the better the outcome, it is usually a 28-day course of oral Panacur, not sure if you'd need to treat them all/both if they are with others.
If the worst were to happen and your pig ends up on their own, you can usually take them along to a rescue and they can help bond another suitable one with her, you can usually get one at a suitable age to match your pig, so you don't end up in an endless loop of constantly having to have another one, when you loose one.

Some vets aren't clued up on Rabbits or Guinea pigs, so you need to find a GP savvy vet if you haven't got one already, they aren't always more expensive. I travel out of my town for a vets that we trust, as if they need an operation I have trust that they will be safe with them under anaesthetic, even though there is always a risk.

Really hoping your little one is okay and has a safe, fast recovery.