Cold and scratched eye

[Hannah2803]

Hi all, I’m new here but am getting concerned about my piggy, Joey.

I noticed he had lost his appetite on Thursday night and by Friday night had near enough stopped eating altogether. When i got him out for cuddles Friday night to try and force food into him i noticed his eye was clouded and milky discharge was coming from it . We made a vet appointment first thing Saturday morning. The vet told us he has a scratch on his eye and is also suffering from some form of virus, similar to a cold. They prescribed us with antibiotics that I have to give twice a day, eye drops that i have to give four times a day and also recovery food that won’t last to Sunday.

The eye drops and antibiotics are going fine, however, the vet made out that Joey should be starting to eat on his own again once the recovery food is out, which was literally the following day, however this has not been the case at all. I’ve had to make my own pellet mush to give him because he’s so so lethargic and sleepy he’s just not eating st sll.

I’m wondering how long I can feed him this pellet mush and how much longer it’s going to take for his antibiotics to fully kick in after doing this for two full days i was expecting to see some sort of progress. Any advice on how i can help encourage him to start eating because the next vet appointment is in a week’s time. Thankyou

 

[VickiA]

Hello and welcome.
Poor Joey does sound in the wars.
Sometimes the antibiotic given can take away their appetite. If that’s the case then giving some probiotic can help their tummy. You can get ProC from Pets at Home. What antibiotic is it?
As for recovery foods, Critical Care and Emeraid are the ones I tend to use. My vets sell Emeraid. I would perhaps call the vets in the morning and ask them for some advice on recovery foods and ask if they can sell you some and how long to be syringe feeding for.

 

[Wiebke]

Hi all, I’m new here but am getting concerned about my piggy, Joey.

I noticed he had lost his appetite on Thursday night and by Friday night had near enough stopped eating altogether. When i got him out for cuddles Friday night to try and force food into him i noticed his eye was clouded and milky discharge was coming from it . We made a vet appointment first thing Saturday morning. The vet told us he has a scratch on his eye and is also suffering from some form of virus, similar to a cold. They prescribed us with antibiotics that I have to give twice a day, eye drops that i have to give four times a day and also recovery food that won’t last to Sunday.

The eye drops and antibiotics are going fine, however, the vet made out that Joey should be starting to eat on his own again once the recovery food is out, which was literally the following day, however this has not been the case at all. I’ve had to make my own pellet mush to give him because he’s so so lethargic and sleepy he’s just not eating st sll.

I’m wondering how long I can feed him this pellet mush and how much longer it’s going to take for his antibiotics to fully kick in after doing this for two full days i was expecting to see some sort of progress. Any advice on how i can help encourage him to start eating because the next vet appointment is in a week’s time. Thankyou

Hi!

The antibiotics should kick in between 24-48 hours, but they can in themselves knock out the appetite.
Please try to see your vet sooner. If they are open tomorrow, contact the clinic then. Is the breathing better or worse?

What medication is your piggy on, and what dosage for which weight?
Guinea pigs rarely pick up a human cold virus; their respiratory illness called URI is usually bacterial. Your vet is treating that correctly with an antibiotic, though. There are however some much rarer nasties around that you not react well to antibiotics.
Baytril is often causing loss of a appetite on its own as it can affect the gut bacteria quite badly, too.

You can place a bowl of steaming water by the cage and change it from time to time if you notice that it helps to improves the breathing.
Keep your piggy warm but not hot and allow it the option to move off a source of heat if it is getting too hot.
Probiotics (a pinch addedto the syringe feed) can help; you can get them from a pet shop. Alternatively poo soup made by soaking freshly laid poos from a healthy piggy in a little water and then syringing the water (not the poos) can be even more effective as long as the poos are absolutely fresh.
Ask your vet for gut stimulants or another antibiotic (like doxycyline) if your piggy is not picking up.


Please follow the tips in our syringe feeding guide and keep your piggy on warm (but not hot) mushed up pellets and lukewarm water. You need to feed round the clock, the more often the less you can get into your piggy. 40-60 ml in 24 hours or as close as you can come with a very ill piggy thoroughly off its food is what you are aiming for to keep it alive. It is generally a fight all the way. Ideally you feed every two hours during the day and every 3-4 hours during the night if your piggy is not eating or drinking at all. The need to breathe comes before the need to drink and only thirdly the need to eat. Between an antibiotic and breathing problems, the appetite is getting hit hard. by a double whammy.
Looking after a very ill piggy fighting for its life is very tough and draining, especially when you are tired and disheartened as well

Here is all the information for syringe feeding.
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
Administering Medications And Syringe Feed

Wishing you and your piggy all the best! You are a very caring owner.

 

[Hannah2803]

He has been given Baytril to take, it’s been a 0.4ml dosage and he weighs 1kg. His breathing never really seemed to be an issue but i have noticed a mucus type in his nostrils. A few times i’ve noticed him try to reach for his drink but then give up, i suppose this could be because he’s struggling to breathe?

Thankyou for the advice, i’ll see about getting an earlier vet appointment and i suppose the vet didn’t assume the antibiotics would worsen his appetite.

 

[Hannah2803]

Just a quick update on Joey’s situation. I took him to the vets today and the vet noticed that his back teeth are overgrown (something the previous vet certainly should’ve noticed). He has been given antibiotic injections and more recovery food to try and last him through until Wednesday morning where he will go in for surgery to have his teeth filed down. There’s a fairly good chance he won’t survive the anaesthetic really.