Tiny Paws Cambs - Home of The Guinea Pig Groomer

17/01/2025

Just a reminder that we are closed for another 11 days... I'm getting to the stage I can begin to reply to boarding and grooming requests but please be aware I'm technically taking my only real "time off" each year, so the more you can provide me with from the outset the more likely I'll be able to respond while I'm "off work".

Grooming bookings - ensure a complete details form AND Square appointment request, both are on this page:
https://www.guineapiggroomer.co.uk/grooming-request

Boarding bookings (incl availability calendar, if no colour coding then availability is good, will be updated with colour coding for the full year); again please compete BOTH the details form and submit a drop off date in the Square system (don't worry about the time you choose as this can be updated nearer the actual booking, it's just really helpful if you get that initial Boarding Drop Off into the system especially if you're a first timer):
https://www.guineapiggroomer.co.uk/boarding-forms

For pricing queries/quotes I have broken it down for both boarding and grooming, to prices for one pig up to 5 for every service available:
https://www.guineapiggroomer.co.uk/pricing

The more you can fill out the quicker I can get to your request and confirm it 🙂

15/12/2024

Genuinely made me jump out my skin. Roo never used to be a cage door devotee. Timmy has changed that. Standing up to have all 1585g of teddy bear an inch from my nose was a shock to the system. I screamed, he ran. Not stopped him trying it again though!

12/12/2024

A post I've been meaning to share for nearly two years regarding proper pain relief for guinea pigs.

The article I've linked to below by The Guinea Pig Vet is hands down the best I've personally read in 20 years of dealing with the species. And this side by side comparison of Woody, who suffers with degenerative arthritis, complements Ellie's article - in terms of highlighting visually the difference the correct dose of pain relief makes - beautifully.

Woody is now on 0.4ml 2x day of the 1.5mg/kg meloxicam at a bodyweight of 1.3kg.

I know of multiple guinea pigs across multiple vet practices being treated with the correct - or more "suitable" - dosing practice, and safely and effectively prescribing additional analgesic drugs - gabapentin or tramadol.

It's clear once you have the information that 0.2ml of 0.5mg/ml obviously isn't going to touch the sides. Is it better than nothing? Probably. But not enough.

I implore you if you are a guinea pig owner or a professional working with guineas, keep this article to hand, save it, reread it, share it, and don't be afraid to speak up for your pigs.

Woody probably wouldn't be here if I'd accepted his original dose.

https://www.theguineapigvet.co.uk/post/problems-with-pain-relief-in-guinea-pigs

05/12/2024

Soooo, now Auntie Kim has given him the all clear...

More to follow!

05/12/2024

Oh boy, I am so looking forward to my Christmas dose of Meatball pig 🥹 As we come to the last weeks of 2024, I feel physically and mentally drained 🫠

Couple of things to address while I'm online:

I'm not happy with the way the TimeToPet app is going. Luckily I've not invested funds into it yet, but the trial will be expiring if I don't make a decision imminently.

I will have a quick look at an alternative app, but if neither is working, then I will have to give up the idea until next year.

Unless there are any app developers out there able to cut me a deal to incorporate client profiles and the current Square system? 😭

_b_So for now please continue to use the old system._b_

Second, a full Vanilla Bean update is coming. Thanks to your donations, the cost of Leaf's consult and PTS were fully covered, and I've got VB booked in at Northampton tomorrow morning for a full check. There's enough to get him neutered when he's big and old enough and to cover any potential post op complications.

He's doing really well though. New name. New look. New buddy.

More on all fronts tomorrow once we've got back from Northampton. :)

28/11/2024

Thank you so much to those who donated to the vet fund for Leaf and Vanilla Bean.

I was fairly certain Leaf wouldn't make it to Northampton, so I made an appointment with Church House vets for 4.15pm on Tuesday.

The vet heard his full story (all 6 days that we know of) and on checking him over found his temperature was very low at 33⁰, and his heart was slow and skipping beats. His guts had pretty much stopped.

I made the difficult decision to let him go. I could have tried to get him to fight, with fluids and syringe feeds and a whole host of medications, but even if successful in getting him back eating and pooping and bright eyed, that would still leave us with the heart issue. At such a young age, so frail, with everything he'd already been through...it felt cruel to force so much upon him, and deep down I knew. I've had to help a lot of pigs pass and I've been with a lot who I tried to fight for but died naturally, my intuition has rarely been off. I did consider treatment. I honestly believe too that, had we managed to get to Northampton, the discussion and decision would have been the same. And it was knowing that which helped my decision to let him go in peace, no suffering.

I held him as he fell asleep and as he had his final injection. There was no struggle. He was ready to let go and rest.

He wasn't "ours" so to speak, but the least we could do was to bring him back here and give him a forever resting place, where his existence mattered and will be remembered.

Needless to say there are a lot of emotions tied up with this particular loss. His age, his situation, a life not lived and not being loved for nearly long enough. That's why I've held off for 2 days on the update. The anger and heartbreak at the injustice of it all, the people who dumped him and Vanilla Bean in freezing November weather... It's not for here.

Right now I just want Little Leaf to be seen and remembered for the innocent, sweet soul that he was.

💙 Sleep safely now, Little Leaf. You are loved. 💙

25/11/2024

You may have noticed I've not been active in the TimeToPet portal or indeed available much. As usual, you commit to something and something else comes up 🫠

Last Wednesday's rescue of the two baby boars was unexpected but obviously leaving them was never an option. Little Leaf (black and tan Aby) is very poorly at the moment with nasty diarrhoea. I'm hoping to get him in to the vets tomorrow, and if possible to get Vanilla Bean checked out at the same time as well.

The plan is to bring both to good health (everything crossed for Little Leaf) and have them neutered. If I can bond one or both baby boys to one or both of my big boys, then I will, but by neutering the babies when they're sound enough means I can rehome them to live with either sows or boars.

I did volunteer to take these boys on, but as it stands, they are rescues. I am not a rescue, but rescues are struggling. I can't try either of the youngsters with my boys for another week or so, thus I can't know if either can stay.

I'd like to open up a PayPal fund for the veterinary bills for Vanilla Bean & Leafy. I am happy to cover the cost of hay, food and keeping a roof over their heads for as long as needed. Donations would be used to assist with the necessary vet bills to get them a clean bill of health and set them up for their futures, whether that future is with me or not.

I will be aiming to get Leaf at least to Kim at Cat & Rabbit Clinic as early as possible tomorrow. Poor timing as piggies do so manage, I'm having surgery to remove the scar on my arm tomorrow evening in Cambridge, so I'm going to be tight on time, but I won't be able to drive for a few days after, and I really do need Leaf seen by an expert rather than a more local but inexperienced vet, so we really need to get him seen ASAP.

I can get him by with some first aid measures (rehydration, offering high fibre syringe feeds, probiotic therapy and hygiene) but he's so delicate.

I'll start a PayPal fund for the Northstowe Boars to help on the vet costs, and add the link here shortly. Please don't feel obliged to donate, but know that every tiny bit will help so much.

I'll work on something as a thank you to all donors once we've got both Leafy and myself through the next few days. ❤️‍🩹

https://www.paypal.me/tinypawscambs
Please send via friends & family and add a note that your donation is for the Northstowe Pigs.

22/11/2024

As a nail clipping video it's not very useful - but as a Dorothy appreciation video, it's the best 🥹🩷

19/11/2024

We have our own app (kind of)!

I’m still working on finessing a few areas, including pet details, but the majority of the necessary work has been done. I expect the app/portal to be *fully* functional by the end of this week (w/e 24th Nov ’24) but please do bear with me as this is a learning experience for me as well as for you! I’ve tested everything there is to test and all seems ok, but it will remain a work in progress.

I am however hopeful that this is the change that needed to happen to make the business admin far easier, thus freeing me up for a lot more of the interesting work!

All existing clients have been emailed, but just in case you didn't receive it, all the info is here!

We’re Undergoing A Big Change Change of Platform I am currently investing time and money into moving away from the current system of Square appointments and payments and online forms. All boo…

12/11/2024

2025 Tiny Paws Guinea Pig Groomer Calendar A4 ring-bound calendar (opens out to A3) full of photos taken by Laura here at Tiny Paws. Featuring the following piggies (full names so no confusion): COVER - Woody & Rupert De Stefano (The Residents) Alfie Polhill Oreo Mutsaerts Cookie Dough & Pickles Cooper Cloud Outhwaite Teddy & Milo Layton Spotty Elliot Rocket Calver…...

2025 Tiny Paws Guinea Pig Groomer Calendar A4 ring-bound calendar (opens out to A3) full of photos taken by Laura here at Tiny Paws. Featuring the following piggies (full names so no confusion): CO…

27/10/2024

This little guy is cracking me up! He's so nosy 🤣

27/10/2024

Photo of my boys for attention, I need a quick sweep of opinions.

Before introducing new arms to the Tiny Paws herd of services in 2025 I'm working out how I deliver everything to you. Obviously I'm a pain to pin down at times as it is. Potentially I might end up being worse as each development rolls out. I'm not prepared to sacrifice the personal element but, if I can grow and still keep you feeling close to me personally, I have to at least consider it.

I need to know how you, either as an existing or hypothetical client, would feel if I overhaul the current system (my website for submitting forms; Square appointments; Square invoices and payment; WhatsApp messages for contact and updates) in favour of an app which you download, which contains:

* profiles for each of your pigs
* your key details as owner
* signed contracts/agreements
* detailed home visit, boarding and grooming logs
* appointments, booking requests, invoices and payments
* direct private messaging.

All areas would be accessible by both myself and yourself.

I'd be investing a reasonable chunk of time and finances into such an app, so it's only worth doing if the majority will use the service. There's a good chance it will provide the nearest thing to my own app: a portal which both I as a professional and you as an owner can both access and update, which logs all appointments and payments, and where you can book in without needing to fill in any forms ever again.

I'd love my own app designed just for Tiny Paws, but that's way into the future. I have a chance to create something akin to it now, but using a preexisting petminder app that can be personalised to Tiny Paws.

It's free for you as the client to download and use. The question really, is would you download and use it if it were my main or even sole booking/records/gallery/contact/payment system?

If you can let me know by dropping a comment with a quick Yes, No, or Maybe, it would be hugely appreciated!

And if you have any suggestions on what you want to see in the app, please do let me know. Or if you have any questions or concerns about the idea of putting everything into an externally hosted app, I want to hear those too.

I feel if I'm going to make a change that affects my current way of doing things, it needs to be sooner rather than later, before things get bigger and busier next year.

My priority is and always will be the piggies, but my success over almost twenty years of working for and with them isn't just because of that. It's because I know the people in these piggies lives are also extremely important, in a million ways. My clients are at the heart of what I do, the relationship between the guinea pigs I see and their owners is what I work off/with.

Any changes I make to the business needs to work for everyone. It's not about what's easiest for me. It's delivering what I believe would be a positive thing for all of us. 🫶🏼

25/10/2024

Tell me it's half term without telling me it's half term...

🥬🫑🥒🥕🌽🥦🍅

15/10/2024

We all know how hard it is to find a vet we can trust. That's why awards like these are so important. If your vet practice, your vet surgeon, or your vet nurse has genuinely made a difference, please nominate them. It does make a difference. I'll share my nomination in the comments. 💙

Do you know a veterinary professional who truly stands out in their expertise in caring for and treating rabbits and small animals? 🩺💙

We have a range of categories dedicated to celebrating individuals who consistently go above and beyond to enhance the lives of small animals. 🐰🐹

Take a look and don't hesitate to nominate someone (even yourself!) 😍 🐾 🏥
https://www.burgesspetcare.com/events/burgess-excel-vet-awards/

15/10/2024

🤞this works...

I'm planning the options for the 2025 Tiny Paws calendars. The problem is, I have too much choice!

Can you please fill out the form in the attached link so I can get an idea on numbers, theme and whether there'd be any interest in something a little personal to me with funds from that to go to rescues.

Calendars can be mailed worldwide or collected in person.

I expect each calendar to cost around £15. Anyone whose piggies are featured can get theirs for £12.

As a thank you, I'll give away 3 calendars to anyone who's opted in to enter the lucky dip. Winners will be drawn at random and notified on 11th November... Woody's 3 year rescue anniversary 💙