* Terrance and Phillip found their forever home with a lovely family! Yay! *

Terrance and Phillip were surrendered to Hamilton Animal Services by their owner because Phillip had an abscess on his cheek. As you can see in the photos, the abscess was so heavy, it was pulling Phillip’s lower eyelid down. Poor guy!
After an initial vet visit with Dr. Davis at Lincoln County Humane Society Animal Clinic, it was decided that Phillip could have surgery to remove the lump. Thankfully the mass is a benign tumour called a “Trichoepithelioma”. This tumour is not the type that spreads to other organs, and the surgery to remove it is not too invasive.

We got Phillip in for the surgery in early February. Dr. Davis got as far as putting Phillip under anesthesia and shaving the tumour when Philip’s breathing became laboured and he went into respiratory distress. Thankfully, Dr. Davis and her staff were able to bring Phillip back from the brink. Dr. Davis noticed a small amount of saliva in Phillip’s throat that may have been what was blocking his airway. Phillip didn’t suffer any ill effects from the brief lack of oxygen and we were so thankful he was okay!

Phillip went back to his foster home, and after a couple of weeks we got him back in to try the surgery again. This time, it went swimmingly. Dr. Davis told us the surgery wasn’t without its challenges, but with adjustments to positioning and having suction at the ready throughout, Phillip did really well. He’s lump free now! Yay!
All went well at his follow up appointment a couple of weeks later, and Dr. Davis gave Phillip and Terrance the go-ahead to finally start the search for their forever home!

Terrance and Phillip are very nice pigs. They enjoy head scratches and don’t mind being picked up…though like most guinea pigs, it’s not their favourite thing to be handled. Their foster home has provided them a large enclosure made up of a Midwest Guinea Pig Habitat, with a small animal pen attached. The set up in their new home should be no smaller than what they currently have.
Terrance and Phillip like each other, but they do have the occasional harmless squabble, which is another reason their enclosure should be spacious. More room equals less squabbles!
They enjoy a daily treat of veggies like carrot, romaine lettuce, kale, dandelion, cucumber, apple and other fruits/veggies. They also love to dig in and hang out in their timothy hay pile.

Wondering if a guinea pig is the right pet for you? Check out this website for some of the basics of guinea pig care. They’re not the simple “starter pet” they’ve been made out to be for many years…

Guinea pigs need much more room than the typical pet store guinea pig cages offer. Here are some websites that have great examples of the type of cages pigs can live happily in, so that they have lots of room to move around and explore:
GuineaPigCages.com
Midwest Guinea Habitat
Guinea Pig cage ideas on Pintrest

Can’t adopt but want to help? Monetary donations are always needed, but donations of Oxbow Guinea Pig food, Oxbow “Natural Science” Vitamin C tablets, timothy hay, small animal chew toys and fleece blankets (for cage lining) are very much appreciated! Donations can be dropped off (and purchased in store) at the Pet Valu in Dundas – 86 Main Street, Dundas. Or you can use our Amazon Wish List to have your donation delivered right to us!