poggle
Forum Donator 2023/24
Hi all, I have a question about the use of antibiotics in young guinea pigs.
A couple of weeks ago we welcomed Nixie into our family along with her mother and their (neutered) bonded boar. A few days later she started sneezing and sounding maybe a little congested at times (we weren't too sure), so we took her to the vet who advised that her chest was clear, she had no nasal/eye discharge and that it was likely to do with the stress of the move. As Nixie is only about 3.5 months old he was concerned that the antibiotics we might use for a URI have possible side effects relating to teeth and bone growth, so we opted to wait and see how she went with the proviso that if she got worse or if any discharge appeared, we would come back promptly for antibiotics.
Since then we have changed their hay and made sure not to use anything strongly scented around them, just in case it was environmental. It's now a week on and she's at least no better; we caught her coughing last night and with what may be some clear discharge from her nose, so we decided that the possible side effects were outweighed by the risks of continuing to observe. We now have some antibiotics (Sulfatrim) from the vet which we'll get started tonight. We based our decision on the premise that yes, she might have issues later but we have to give her the best shot of having that future, especially as respiratory issues in piggies can turn nasty quickly and as prey animals they are notoriously good at covering up symptoms until they're very sick indeed. Nixie is otherwise bright and eating, maybe a little quiet - hard to tell as our other sow is right at the peak of her season at the moment, and I think I'd be staying in my bedroom as well with all the disruption outside. We had not been weighing her as we were trying to minimise handling during the settling in period, but have now started and will continue to monitor.
My question is more a request for reassurance - are we doing the right thing, given the vet's concerns around side effects? The vet has experience with exotics and small animals like pigs in particular, and certainly came across as knowledgeable during the consultation, but I've not heard of this before - although it's also true that I've not needed to give antibiotics to such a young guinea pig before. Also, if I remember correctly, is it true that Sulfatrim is more often prescribed for urinary issues than respiratory - could the decision to use it be to do with avoiding the side effects mentioned, and I'm worried for nothing?
Thanks in advance, I appreciate that we're not vets here but any insight would be gratefully received.
P.S. For those with keen memories, you may remember that on my previous post I was adamant that I would not get a trio as we only have the minimum square footage required for three (10.5). I of course promptly fell in love with the first trio I saw and now we're looking to upgrade our cage already!
A couple of weeks ago we welcomed Nixie into our family along with her mother and their (neutered) bonded boar. A few days later she started sneezing and sounding maybe a little congested at times (we weren't too sure), so we took her to the vet who advised that her chest was clear, she had no nasal/eye discharge and that it was likely to do with the stress of the move. As Nixie is only about 3.5 months old he was concerned that the antibiotics we might use for a URI have possible side effects relating to teeth and bone growth, so we opted to wait and see how she went with the proviso that if she got worse or if any discharge appeared, we would come back promptly for antibiotics.
Since then we have changed their hay and made sure not to use anything strongly scented around them, just in case it was environmental. It's now a week on and she's at least no better; we caught her coughing last night and with what may be some clear discharge from her nose, so we decided that the possible side effects were outweighed by the risks of continuing to observe. We now have some antibiotics (Sulfatrim) from the vet which we'll get started tonight. We based our decision on the premise that yes, she might have issues later but we have to give her the best shot of having that future, especially as respiratory issues in piggies can turn nasty quickly and as prey animals they are notoriously good at covering up symptoms until they're very sick indeed. Nixie is otherwise bright and eating, maybe a little quiet - hard to tell as our other sow is right at the peak of her season at the moment, and I think I'd be staying in my bedroom as well with all the disruption outside. We had not been weighing her as we were trying to minimise handling during the settling in period, but have now started and will continue to monitor.
My question is more a request for reassurance - are we doing the right thing, given the vet's concerns around side effects? The vet has experience with exotics and small animals like pigs in particular, and certainly came across as knowledgeable during the consultation, but I've not heard of this before - although it's also true that I've not needed to give antibiotics to such a young guinea pig before. Also, if I remember correctly, is it true that Sulfatrim is more often prescribed for urinary issues than respiratory - could the decision to use it be to do with avoiding the side effects mentioned, and I'm worried for nothing?
Thanks in advance, I appreciate that we're not vets here but any insight would be gratefully received.
P.S. For those with keen memories, you may remember that on my previous post I was adamant that I would not get a trio as we only have the minimum square footage required for three (10.5). I of course promptly fell in love with the first trio I saw and now we're looking to upgrade our cage already!
