Anemia

Anemia is the medical name given for a low number of red blood cells circulating in the blood (some vets may describe it as iron deficiency). Red blood cells are important, as they are the key carriers of oxygen around the body. These cells are made in the bone marrow before being released into the bloodstream. Once there life is over they are filtered out by the liver.

©Jess Death

There are many different causes of anemia in guinea pigs but the main causes may be:

• Kidney disease: due to the kidneys playing a key role in the production of red blood cells when they are damaged there will be less red blood cells made
• Cancer: cancers such as leukemia (blood cancer) and lymphoma (cancer of the lymph nodes) are likely to cause anemia, but other types of cancers will effect red blood cell production
• Inflammation or infections: if a guinea pig is suffering from a long-term illness (such as dental disease) or an infection in the body this is likely to cause a disruption in the production of red blood cells
• Blood loss: ongoing external blood loss from a wound or internal bleeding will cause low red blood cells
• Auto-immune hemolytic anemia: this is where immune system attacks its own blood cells, killing them off quicker than the bone marrow can produce them, it is rare in guinea pigs

With mild anemia some guinea pigs will show no signs at all as they are very good at hiding signs of illness. But general symptoms of anemia can include:

• Weakness, sometimes wobbly gait from feeling weak or occasionally collapsing
• Lethargy and generally dullness
• Pale or white feet, ears, tongue and gums (the pink coloring within the skin is due to red blood cells)
• Cold extremities (such as feet and ears)
• A low body temperature
• Increased respiratory rate
• Collapse in advance or acute cases

If your guinea pig is showing any of these signs then you should consult your vet and get your guinea pig in for an examination.

Your vet will give your guinea pig a full thorough clinical examination including listening to the heart and checking your guinea pigs temperature. If they suspect your guinea pig is suffering from anemia then the only way to confirm diagnosis is to take a small blood sample to test. If your vet is worried about any underlying causes for the low red blood cells they may want to do other tests such as run full blood analysis or an ultrasound to look at the kidneys for example. Your vet will guide you on what to do next.

Depending on if the underlying cause for the anemia is treatable will depend on the outcome. In some cases such as with minor blood loss or infection then your guinea pig may respond well to supportive care, this will likely include fluid therapy, pain relief and antibiotics if an infection is present. Sadly in many cases where the underlying cause cannot be cured such chronic (long-term) kidney disease or in cancers then it may be that your guinea pig can only receive palliative care for the remainder of its life until the time is right to say goodbye.