Disolvon for piggy

[Miellez]

Hello everyone,
one of my piggy had, a long time ago, a lungs infection. Now she is fine, but when the weather tends to be more cold like those days, she does a little motorbike sound when sleeping or sometimes running or eating.
My vet (who know about piggies but isn't specialised in it, though he is good) keeps saying we should give her antibiotics. It does calm her, buthere someone suggested that a symptom managment medic could work, like disolvon.
Thought I have absolutely no idea how I should have this : do I buy like pills or watery thing ? I know I can gave her like a piece of cucumber with disolvon on it but I'm a little nervous about doing this the wrong way, thus why I need some help here.

 

[Wiebke]

Hello everyone,
one of my piggy had, a long time ago, a lungs infection. Now she is fine, but when the weather tends to be more cold like those days, she does a little motorbike sound when sleeping or sometimes running or eating.
My vet (who know about piggies but isn't specialised in it, though he is good) keeps saying we should give her antibiotics. It does calm her, buthere someone suggested that a symptom managment medic could work, like disolvon.
Thought I have absolutely no idea how I should have this : do I buy like pills or watery thing ? I know I can gave her like a piece of cucumber with disolvon on it but I'm a little nervous about doing this the wrong way, thus why I need some help here.

Hi and welcome

Please make sure that your guinea pig is getting antibiotics and that you have the airways vet checked. Pneumonia can cause permanent damage or problems later on but home treating on spec can make things worse rather than better.
Any decent vet should be able to hear where the breathing problem is located and how serious it is - the lungs, the throat or the nose and can then take it from there.

Please also keep in mind that guinea pig airways are very narrow and small. The least obstruction is always very audible and can sound alarming. Working out with a good stethoscope whether the issue is cause for concern or a minor issue is what all vets are trained for. They do not need to be exotic vets for that.
Bisolvon is a mucus thinning product; it will only be of help if there really is a build-up and overproduction of mucus especially in the nose. It won't help you if there is a build-up of fluid in the lungs (for that a diuretic is what is needed) or if there are more generic breathing issues. In the latter case, you may want to rather discuss whether nebulising with a mild antiseptic may help - while the latter is currently widely recommended online, again, it is not an all-help and can make things worse and not better if not used in the appropriate medical context.

Please respect that we cannot tell you sight unseen what is going on nor are we in any way trained to replace a vet. We offer care support and practical tips with giving prescribed medication but we do not support self-medication on spec.

What you can do right now is to try and place a bowl of steaming water next to the cage and see whether that is helping to ease the breathing or not. Please do not use Vicks; it contains substances that are noxious to guinea pigs and other rodents.

We are here to help you with practical aspects of any treatment your vet thinks will help your piggy with their particular issue.