Medical Care for Guinea Pigs

Medications

These medications are based on suggestions and recommendations of fanciers and breeders. You must check with your veterinarian before using these medicines. I am not responsible for the improper use of the medications in this listing.

The medications have been classified by their types, and ordered by severity of reaction, the least reaction (1) is first with the most severe reaction (5) last. As with many human medications, those with some side effects tend to be better at solving the problem than those with lesser effects.

There is a common problem with highly specific antibiotics, such as pencillin and ampicillin along with the -mycin classes of antibiotics. Specifically, they seem to have the most effect on the gram positive flora, allowing the gram negatives to florish and cause problems, especially if given orally. Therefore they should be avoided if any of the below medications can be used to solve the immediate problem.

Another page with information about medications and their use is here. I'd check with Squeak's page too! It lists them by well known names in America, United Kingdom and Germany. Check it out!

Medicinal Information

Medication	Uses	Dosage	Side Effects	Severity
Antibiotics
Enrofloxacin Baytril	Antibiotic for infections	2.5mg/kg twice a day	Kills intestinal flora, causing diarrhea	1
Trimethoprim- sulphadiazine Tribrissen	Antibiotic for Upper Respiratory Infection (URI) or Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)	30 mg/kg twice a day injected	?	1
Chloramphenicol	Antibiotic for deep inner ear infection	20 mg/kg	Penetrates bone as well as skin. This can have a very severe risk to humans, so avoid skin contact and wash hands after use (is mainly an injestion danger).	1
SMZ-TMP, DiTrim, Bactrim	Antibiotic for URI or urinary tract infection (UTI)	15 mg/kg orally twice a day	?
Tetracyclene	Antibiotic for abscesses	50mg/kg in three doses or 250mg/8oz water for seven days	Concern with toxicity, bitter taste can be covered with Tang or other juices	5
CiPro	Antibiotic	?	?
Tresaderm	Antibiotic for Ear Infections	drops in ear (2?)	?
Gentamycin	Antibiotic for Ear Infections	injection	Not recommended for animals with reduced kidney function
Sulmet also called Sodium Sulfamethazine	respiratory infections	1 teaspoon/16oz water for seven days	bitter taste can be covered by adding Tang or other sweet juice as well	5?
Antiparasitics
Ivermectin	Kills internal, subcutaneous parasites (mites)	3 shots over three weeks	?	1
pyrethyrin Kitten Flea/Lice Powder	Kills lice on body	dust on body, careful to avoid eyes and mouth	1
Antiseptics
Chloramphenicol (Chloromycetin Palmitate) Nolvasan(?)	Antiseptic	Usually twice a day application to wound	?	1
Neosporin	Antiseptic	Usually twice a day application to wound	?	1
Miscellaneous
Actigall	oral for desolving calcium deposits	drops	?
methigel	oral for desolving calcium deposits	drops	?
gentamicin sulfate	eye drops for infections	drops	?
metaclopramide/Reglan	Oral for loss of appetite	drops	?
Griseofulvin	Antifungal agent	injection (may be available in oral form)	Should not be given to pregnant or lactating sows, can cause birth defects. Can also have an impact on human liver function if injested, use with care!
Benadryl	Antihistimine	elixer 1mg/lb of weight	drowsy? Hyper?
Isoflurane	Anesthesia	Anesthesia for surgery	Improper control can lead to pain for animal or death from overdose, however, is the best anesthesia available.

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