Causes of Seizures in Guinea Pigs

Foot Foot, my black Abyssinian guinea pig, laid on her back, her forelegs thrashing the air madly. But Foot Foot was just fine a second ago. What was going on? She was having a seizure. Foot Foot lived for two years with this mysterious disorder and also became paralyzed in her hind legs. She lived very comfortably with lots of food and her best friend Gweeker, who would screech whenever Foot Foot began a seizure so human help could arrive.

But even the vet could not figure out what was wrong with her. What causes seizures in guinea pigs?

Inner Ear Disorders

The inner ear is the seat of balance in the body. If you've ever had an ear infection, you know how dizzy that can make you. Guinea pigs with vestibular disorders often tilt their heads during their seizures. Guinea pigs can get an inner ear balance disorder similar to Meniere's disease in humans. This can sometimes be treated with medication such as diazepam, but sometimes the guinea pig will die.

Parasites, mange mites or ear mites can also cause a guinea pig to experience balance issues. They don't tilt their heads like guinea pigs with inner ear disorders. These are much easier to treat than an inner ear disorder. It's best to use medication from a veterinarian rather than try any home remedy. Foot Foot did not have any ear problems.

Head Injury

Guinea pigs rarely experience epileptic seizures, but they do when they've had an injury to the head. Has the guinea pig fallen recently? Has anyone sat on the guinea pig? Even if the guinea pig seems fine, a sat on or fallen guinea pig needs to go see a vet as soon as possible. Head injuries are difficult to treat, but at least painkillers can be administered.

Another type of head injury is a brain tumor. These are very rare in guinea pigs and difficult to remove. Foot Foot did not have a head injury of brain tumor.

Poisoning

Guinea pigs are voracious nibblers. Unfortunately, they can nibble where they shouldn't. Since guinea pigs can't vomit, they cannot quickly expel any swallowed poison. This can lead to poisoning. If caught soon enough, guinea pigs can be saved. Guinea pigs may not go into a dramatic seizure like Foot Foot did, but may wobble and tremble. The guinea pig will usually be unable to hold its head up. Fortunately, Foot Foot was not poisoned.

Cirrhosis

Foot Foot was my longest living guinea pig. She was almost 6 when she died. I had a necropsy performed on her, which finally revealed why she experienced seizures.

She had cirrhosis. Now, Foot Foot never touched a drop of alcohol, but her liver was grossly enlarged. We never could find out just how Foot Foot's liver had been damaged, but she could have been born genetically prone to liver damage or early liver failure. It was fortunate that I never bred her or this trait may have passed on.

References

"The Ultimate Guinea Pig Handbook." Lynn Beck. Amazon Digital Services; 2010

All Creatures Animal Hospital. "Vestibular Disease - Wry Neck." http://www.allcreaturesanimalhospital.evetsite.com/456107.html

The Peter Gurney Guinea Pig Pages. "Poisoning in Guinea Pigs." http://www.oginet.com/pgurney/poison.htm

Author's personal experience