[Gpdd] CARE: SCAMPS - and worming!

[DebJonSara at aol.com]

I sent this email to Joan, copied to the gpdd, but it bounced back with a  
weird message, so I am trying to post it a second time!
 
I did post about SCAMPS some months back, and I knew Ladybug was eligible  
for membership, plus Penny's Piggiefriends, Satin and Pansy and Milton's  
Noodle. But there weren't that many responses, and several people posted about  
SCAMPS who had already gone to The Bridge, so I thought I'd post it again, as I  
suspect there are a lot more out there! I'd really like a record of all the 
gpdd  piggies who are aged over 5 years - just interested to see how many there 
are.  

I worm my piggies regularly because the Cambridge Cavies Trust in the UK  
recommend that one does this. They argue that if other herbivores are regularly  
wormed, guinea pigs should be too. Mine are fed on ordinary hay that comes 
from  local fields - in fact, this year I had to make my own from a meadow 
someone had  cut, because there was a shortage here due to the terribly wet summer. 
So it is  extremely likely that my piggies could catch any parasites which 
affect the  cattle in the neighbouring fields and wild animals that pass through. 
Fidget was  losing weight once before, and I think it was Cavies Castle who 
asked if he been  wormed recently. I looked up my records and found it had been 
longer than it  should have been (time flies when one is over 50!), so 
rewormed everyone again,  and sure enough, he did regain some weight. But now this 
is not happening - in  his time, he has weighed in at around 1200g (2.64 lbs), 
but he has not gone  above 850g (1.87lbs) since September last year.
 
How do you know Lady Bug is a "heart pig"? Could I tell using my own  
stethoscope here at home? My SCAMPS are not as active as they were when younger,  but 
still enjoy floor time and exploring - and eating, of course!!
 
Love to Lady Bug and you
 
Debbie