dead litter and problems with sow

Question
hello,

My g.p pip gave birth 2 days ago, it was her first litter and everything seemed fine until the day of labour. I could feel the babies moving for the last 3 weeks. On sat I checked on her at 9am and felt her pelvis opening, at 12 I checked her again and found 4 large dead pups. one had been cleaned but the others still had sacs around their faces so I presume they suffocated. I was deeply upset as everything seemed fine a few hours earlier and was annoyed with myself for not checking on her sooner. Apart from the dead babies she seemed well and was eating straight away, however today I noticed her leg is sticking out at an odd angle, prehaps dislocated? she has a bald patch near her bottom which looks sore. I can't seem to find any info if this could be to do with her birth or not and would be very grateful for some advice. thank you vic.

Answer
Hi Victoria,

I'm very sorry for the loss of the litter. It's always hard to lose a piggy, especially when they're so young!

I'd strongly recommend that you take the Mother off to a specialist small animal or exotic pet vet as soon as you can. It sounds as though she suffered complciations during the birth, and it's very important that you make sure she doesn't have an underlying condition that caused it. She will also need the sore on her bottom treating. A sticky-out leg can be an indication of a blockage, so it could be that there is another baby trapped inside. It could also be that she injured it during the birth, and may need a splint.

How old is your guinea pig? A sow should be under 6 months old when she has her first litter, otherwise her pelvic bones will have fused and she will be unable to successfully deliver a litter.

You need to give her lots of extra cuddles and her favourite foods. Guinea pigs feel very similar emotions to humans, and she will be grieving for her dead pups.

I hope everything works out.

If you have any other questions; just ask.

Jenny.