Lakeside Veterinary Center, LLC
(301)498-8387

Guinea Pig Neuters

Whyshould I fix my male guinea pig if he is not broken?

• Older boars are prone torectal blockage as they get older.  Thiscan be painful and require cleaning daily or more often. Neutering is the bestway to reduce this problem.
• Some adult male guinea pigswill develop testicular cancer.
  
  

Frequently Asked Questionsabout Guinea Pig Neuters

1.    Why shouldneuters be performed at 3-6 months of age?

There seems to be less risk with anesthesia inyounger pigs.

2.    How longwill my guinea pig be in the hospital?

Surgeries are done on an outpatient basis.  Pets are dropped off between 7:30 and 9am anddischarged in the evening of the same day. Surgeries are admitted byappointment only.

3.    What doI need to do to prepare my guinea pig for surgery?

Nothing special.  He should eat and drink normally untilarrival at our facility.

4.    Will hebe in pain?

Before surgery, he will receive a painmedication and a mild tranquilizer. After about 20 minutes, he will receive a general anesthetic and bekept asleep with oxygen and isoflurane anesthetic gas.  Prior to surgical incision, local anesthesiais injected and a different long acting local anesthetic is injected in thearea once surgery is completed.  Most pigswill receive and additional injection of pain medication once they are wakingup from anesthesia.  All patients aremonitored closely for comfort once they are recovered.  In the rare instance a guinea pig seems to bein pain, additional medications are given to make them comfortable.

5.    What canI do to make it easier for him the day of surgery?

We have been using Laser surgery (instead of ascalpel blade) for over 12 years with great success.  The Laser reduces pain, swelling and bleedingas compared to a scalpel blade.  Use ofLaser is an option provided to you. To learn more about Laser surgery click .

We strongly recommend the use of some painmedications at home for about 7 days after surgery.  This is an option provided to you.

6.    What arethe risks of surgery and anesthesia? How can I reduce that risk?

The risks of surgery include bleeding and woundinfection.  These risks are minimized foran experienced surgeon and our veterinary staff has over 30 years of experiencewith surgery.  The Laser reduces bleedingand sterilizes as it cuts; it is a great option to choose.

The risks of anesthesia include the developmentof abnormal heart rhythms, decreased blood pressure (may exacerbate kidneyproblems), and in very rare cases, death. We offer to you a preoperative EKG (checks heart rhythm) andpreoperative blood tests to check for anemia and kidney or liver disease.  These tests tell us if your pet is as healthyas possible to undergo elective surgery. Both the EKG and the blood tests areoffered as an option to you.

One of the risks of anesthesia in surgeryunique to guinea pigs and other herbivores is the chance of developing gastricstasis. All pigs are fed as soon as they are alert enough to swallow appropriately.  They are assist fed every 30-60 minutespost-operatively until discharge from our facility to prevent gastric stasis.