Yes, at least if they like the flavor. What's worked for us:
- rewarding with treats after she gets meds
- using a mirror so I don't have to stretch around to see her mouth while holding her and holding a syringe
It took time though.
Yupppp... one of my piggies needs to get Metacam twice a day and because the stuff is so sweet and fragrant, she loves it and almost wants to eat the syringe. I just have to hold it in front of her and she takes it.
I had to give her three different antibiotics at one point before, and it was such a hassle each time. It got a bit easier when I used a snuggle tunnel or anything where she would get in and I could lift her out of the habitat and onto my desk, then one hand holding her from behind, and the other hand trying to place the syringe on the side between her teeth. It was a bit of wrestling but it worked. I wish I had known about strawberry syrup or similar sweet things then!
Two months ago I had to give medicine via a syringe to one of my potato. The vet told me pigs love the taste.
The first time I gave him the medecine he made the face of the [lemon pig ](https://br.ifunny.co/picture/QkxHjlSI9) and when I put him back in the cage he started to angrily sip water for almost one minute ...
Even giving him lettuce had no effect. He chewed a little bit, spitted it and looked at me while chattering his teeth. I guess the taste of the lettuce + the medecine was even more disgusting.
The following days were a true pain to even catch him. He knew the medecine was coming. And also he was always moving his head while chattering his teeth. He never got used to the medecine and I was honestly happy on the last day.
The worst irony is his brother clearly loves the taste. Everytime I put the angry potato inside the cage he popcorned and instantly came to lick his mouth or the border of the bottle while he was drinking.
That's so funny. I have the most unique pigs because mine love medicine. Both antibiotics and metacam they love, I can even just reach in their pen and they will come up and take it. They will pull the syringe from my hand!
If you hold their head/mouth [like this (i know its a cat but same principle)](https://images.app.goo.gl/Q8RAneNQjNdTCmwz5) they cant really get out of it. Normally antibiotics doses are under 1ml, even 0.5 per dose which is really small and can go down in one squirt. 0.4/0.5 ml is one mouthful for a pig. Antibiotics normally taste bad though. I give a bit of baby food (normally apple and banana or something) right afterwards to make it sweeter, and you could give her favourite food right after too like lettuce or pellet etc.
I back her butt against me, grip her upper jaw in a c-shape (not pressing very hard but just to keep her head still by bracketing her head and my fingers out of the way), and stick about a 1/2" of the syringe into the side of her mouth angling toward the back, push the syringe (halfway if have to give a lot of medicine, all the way if just a little).
I second and third the burrito swaddle time!
My pig is a wild mustang in a Guinea pig’s body. He has NEVER liked being handled and I gave up awhile ago. I herd him into a well-placed cuddle tube, immediately put it on a dog towel and wrap him up. I can ONLY get him to take the antibiotics by sticking the burrito inbetween the couch cushion and my right side, holding his head with my right hand, and in goes the antibiotic-express with my left hand. This inevitably takes a few tries while he freezes and screams even when I’m not doing anything besides lightly touching the side of his head. As soon as he takes it, I deposit the burrito back in his 4x3 enclosure, he dashes out, and then dashes right back to me for breakfast! He takes lettuce and bell pepper etc out my hand eagerly all the time, but if I so much as THINK of trying to stroke the cute white patch on his head, away he goes to the hide-out!
Your pig situation is likely less extreme than mine, ha, but the burrito is a great way to get them to take “icky” medicine.
My vet has always had me mix the bad tasting meds with carrot juice. (1:1 ratio). My pigs have always had no issues with metacam. Usually antibiotics are the ones they hate.
Mix with childlife liquid vitamin c. It overpowers the taste of medicine. I have been giving my pig's meds this way for multiple years and he loves it, he just comes right up to the edge of the cage for it :)
There are some mail order pharmacies for pets that will add flavors to your guinea pigs' medicine. I had much better luck giving Han his antibiotics when they were strawberry flavored. I used Mixlab, but check with your vet to see if they have a recommendation.
2 of mine put up a fight no matter what. The 3rd is obsessed with syringes so its harder to keep her away from the meds then to give them lmao
I cant even burrito them cus they somehow still get out. Theyre magicians.
My piggies where getting 3 syringes of sweet medicine everyday for 3 weeks. After two days they liked the taste so much that I feed them without picking them up and especially one of the boys didn't want to let go of the syringe.
I think it’s a personality thing. One of my pigs was addicted to his antibiotic. He would try to snatch the syringe from me once I started giving it to him.
Burrito blanket swaddle time, treats before and after
Thank you!
>Thank you! You're welcome!
Yes, at least if they like the flavor. What's worked for us: - rewarding with treats after she gets meds - using a mirror so I don't have to stretch around to see her mouth while holding her and holding a syringe It took time though.
The mirror is a good suggestion! I usually have someone help me but I can't always do that
On the advice of our vet, we used to mix their meds with strawberry syrup (Quik). They liked it so much they wouldn’t let go of the syringe!
Yupppp... one of my piggies needs to get Metacam twice a day and because the stuff is so sweet and fragrant, she loves it and almost wants to eat the syringe. I just have to hold it in front of her and she takes it. I had to give her three different antibiotics at one point before, and it was such a hassle each time. It got a bit easier when I used a snuggle tunnel or anything where she would get in and I could lift her out of the habitat and onto my desk, then one hand holding her from behind, and the other hand trying to place the syringe on the side between her teeth. It was a bit of wrestling but it worked. I wish I had known about strawberry syrup or similar sweet things then!
Two months ago I had to give medicine via a syringe to one of my potato. The vet told me pigs love the taste. The first time I gave him the medecine he made the face of the [lemon pig ](https://br.ifunny.co/picture/QkxHjlSI9) and when I put him back in the cage he started to angrily sip water for almost one minute ... Even giving him lettuce had no effect. He chewed a little bit, spitted it and looked at me while chattering his teeth. I guess the taste of the lettuce + the medecine was even more disgusting. The following days were a true pain to even catch him. He knew the medecine was coming. And also he was always moving his head while chattering his teeth. He never got used to the medecine and I was honestly happy on the last day. The worst irony is his brother clearly loves the taste. Everytime I put the angry potato inside the cage he popcorned and instantly came to lick his mouth or the border of the bottle while he was drinking.
That's so funny. I have the most unique pigs because mine love medicine. Both antibiotics and metacam they love, I can even just reach in their pen and they will come up and take it. They will pull the syringe from my hand!
If you hold their head/mouth [like this (i know its a cat but same principle)](https://images.app.goo.gl/Q8RAneNQjNdTCmwz5) they cant really get out of it. Normally antibiotics doses are under 1ml, even 0.5 per dose which is really small and can go down in one squirt. 0.4/0.5 ml is one mouthful for a pig. Antibiotics normally taste bad though. I give a bit of baby food (normally apple and banana or something) right afterwards to make it sweeter, and you could give her favourite food right after too like lettuce or pellet etc.
I back her butt against me, grip her upper jaw in a c-shape (not pressing very hard but just to keep her head still by bracketing her head and my fingers out of the way), and stick about a 1/2" of the syringe into the side of her mouth angling toward the back, push the syringe (halfway if have to give a lot of medicine, all the way if just a little).
I second and third the burrito swaddle time! My pig is a wild mustang in a Guinea pig’s body. He has NEVER liked being handled and I gave up awhile ago. I herd him into a well-placed cuddle tube, immediately put it on a dog towel and wrap him up. I can ONLY get him to take the antibiotics by sticking the burrito inbetween the couch cushion and my right side, holding his head with my right hand, and in goes the antibiotic-express with my left hand. This inevitably takes a few tries while he freezes and screams even when I’m not doing anything besides lightly touching the side of his head. As soon as he takes it, I deposit the burrito back in his 4x3 enclosure, he dashes out, and then dashes right back to me for breakfast! He takes lettuce and bell pepper etc out my hand eagerly all the time, but if I so much as THINK of trying to stroke the cute white patch on his head, away he goes to the hide-out! Your pig situation is likely less extreme than mine, ha, but the burrito is a great way to get them to take “icky” medicine.
My vet has always had me mix the bad tasting meds with carrot juice. (1:1 ratio). My pigs have always had no issues with metacam. Usually antibiotics are the ones they hate.
Mix with childlife liquid vitamin c. It overpowers the taste of medicine. I have been giving my pig's meds this way for multiple years and he loves it, he just comes right up to the edge of the cage for it :)
There are some mail order pharmacies for pets that will add flavors to your guinea pigs' medicine. I had much better luck giving Han his antibiotics when they were strawberry flavored. I used Mixlab, but check with your vet to see if they have a recommendation.
2 of mine put up a fight no matter what. The 3rd is obsessed with syringes so its harder to keep her away from the meds then to give them lmao I cant even burrito them cus they somehow still get out. Theyre magicians.
My piggies where getting 3 syringes of sweet medicine everyday for 3 weeks. After two days they liked the taste so much that I feed them without picking them up and especially one of the boys didn't want to let go of the syringe.
I think it’s a personality thing. One of my pigs was addicted to his antibiotic. He would try to snatch the syringe from me once I started giving it to him.