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Flub's laboured breathing

It's so difficult when other's say what their vet uses/recommends and the one you see wont entertain it. My vet refused the Zithoromax as well. I was just relieved to find someone who recognised Spike was ill after months of seeing so many vets. The cycle of sick piggies in this house is like yours it's one after the other and sometimes 2 at once.
 
Flubs has been taking his meds like a champ, unfortunately they still don't seem to be doing anything. As we were giving him probiotics this lunchtime, his breathing was so awful, irregular wheezy breaths. His limbs are purple and white too. When we put him back in his cage his breathing was still horrendous but he's been pootling around a tiny bit and was keen for forage and peaflakes.

We have an appointment with the vet at 15.30 for two ultrasounds for suspected ovarian cysts but I think I'll insist they prioritise him instead. At least it's the most cavy-savvy vet I know today, so a fresh pair of eyes are appreciated. I'm so worried, he sounds so bad and he's working harder than ever to breathe.
 
Danielle Smith said:
Flubs has been taking his meds like a champ, unfortunately they still don't seem to be doing anything. As we were giving him probiotics this lunchtime, his breathing was so awful, irregular wheezy breaths. His limbs are purple and white too. When we put him back in his cage his breathing was still horrendous but he's been pootling around a tiny bit and was keen for forage and peaflakes.

We have an appointment with the vet at 15.30 for two ultrasounds for suspected ovarian cysts but I think I'll insist they prioritise him instead. At least it's the most cavy-savvy vet I know today, so a fresh pair of eyes are appreciated. I'm so worried, he sounds so bad and he's working harder than ever to breathe.
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So so sorry to hear Flubs is still not doing well :( Thinking of you all today. I hope you can get some more answers from the vet :hug:
 
So vet's first thought was heart issues, but on careful examination she thinks Flubs has improved compared to the previous consults -- he's put on a bit of weight and his heart sounds fine, though his breathing still isn't great and is representative of a URI. She's asked I continue with the baytril and sulfratrim until Wednesday and then she suggested we maybe try marbocyl.

Has anyone got any experience of marbocyl vs azithromycin? I'll be insisting on a trial of diuretic on Wednesday, I feel a bit ashamed I wasn't able to advocate for him today but sincethe vet managed to slot him in very last minute I was just thankful she could have a look a him!
 
Danielle Smith said:
So vet's first thought was heart issues, but on careful examination she thinks Flubs has improved compared to the previous consults -- he's put on a bit of weight and his heart sounds fine, though his breathing still isn't great and is representative of a URI. She's asked I continue with the baytril and sulfratrim until Wednesday and then she suggested we maybe try marbocyl.

Has anyone got any experience of marbocyl vs azithromycin? I'll be insisting on a trial of diuretic on Wednesday, I feel a bit ashamed I wasn't able to advocate for him today but sincethe vet managed to slot him in very last minute I was just thankful she could have a look a him!
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Glad to hear there’s some improvement for your little guy 🤞🏻🤞🏻
I’ve used both Marbocyl and Azithromycin, found them both effective and luckily no negative effects. Though my vet did suggest Marbocyl as one to use if the piggy is more sensitive/prone to digestive upsets.
Really hope your guy continues to improve 💕
 
I'm sorry about Flubs. As you know Womble also has a respiratory problem at the moment. Could you ask your vet about a nebulizer like I'm doing for Womble? I bought a pediatic nebulizer off Amazon. It cost £45. and the vet gave me some F10 solution to dilute and told me to pop him in a crate whilst it turns it into vapour. I will take a picture and put it up to show you.
 
Claire W said:
I think @furryfriends (TEAS) has used marbocyl before and will be able to advise x
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We've had good results with Marbocyl for upper respiratory issues, but would recommend Zithromax (azithromycin) for lower respiratory infections.
 
Thanks for the feedback @furryfriends (TEAS)! I'll be sure to ask my vet about nebulising too @Kellykels.

For the last couple days I've tried to drop Flubs down to two syringe feeds a day and I was horrified to find small, sometimes stringed together poos in his cage today and his weight decided to drop 33g this morning.

Back up to four feeds a day until his tummy evens out, it's such a fine line between them not getting enough food to keep the system running, and trying to encourage their interest in feeding themselves. That in itself is slowly getting worse though, it really does seem to be a case of breathe or eat.

He had a couple good days but is back to pretty much refusing to move between feeds :(. Oh bud, please rally round. It's not helping that both him and Toffee are still grieving I think, they've gone from a busy cage to a very quiet one quickly. Cage change day tomorrow, I might set them up a temporary cage next to my herd of four and see if that helps.
 
Last night unfortunately saw us at the emergency vet as Flubs was in real respiratory distress, squeaking with every breath. She pulled out all the stops and gave him a diuretic as well as marbocyl and loxicom via injection. She carefully counselled us that she wasn't sure if he would last the night.

Come this morning and he's eaten his syringe feed breakfast (if a little slowly), and had a couple strands of hay and a strip of spring greens, before some light pig training with Toffee and getting himself comfy in a cosy 🙌

His breathing is still laboured but nowhere near as bad as last night. I'm still preparing myself for the worst but he's got a vet appointment this afternoon to talk about next steps (more diuretic please!). Please hold us in your hearts. The big tell will be if he's able to take his lunchtime feed I think.

EDIT: Toffee is massively enjoying being side by side with Quint's herd and is flirting through the bars with them loads!
 
Danielle Smith said:
Last night unfortunately saw us at the emergency vet as Flubs was in real respiratory distress, squeaking with every breath. She pulled out all the stops and gave him a diuretic as well as marbocyl and loxicom via injection. She carefully counselled us that she wasn't sure if he would last the night.

Come this morning and he's eaten his syringe feed breakfast (if a little slowly), and had a couple strands of hay and a strip of spring greens, before some light pig training with Toffee and getting himself comfy in a cosy 🙌

His breathing is still laboured but nowhere near as bad as last night. I'm still preparing myself for the worst but he's got a vet appointment this afternoon to talk about next steps (more diuretic please!). Please hold us in your hearts. The big tell will be if he's able to take his lunchtime feed I think.

EDIT: Toffee is massively enjoying being side by side with Quint's herd and is flirting through the bars with them loads!
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Come on little Flubs, you can do it!
So glad your vet is really on it and that he’s pulled through the night. Thinking of you both 💕
 
Danielle Smith said:
So vet's first thought was heart issues, but on careful examination she thinks Flubs has improved compared to the previous consults -- he's put on a bit of weight and his heart sounds fine, though his breathing still isn't great and is representative of a URI. She's asked I continue with the baytril and sulfratrim until Wednesday and then she suggested we maybe try marbocyl.

Has anyone got any experience of marbocyl vs azithromycin? I'll be insisting on a trial of diuretic on Wednesday, I feel a bit ashamed I wasn't able to advocate for him today but sincethe vet managed to slot him in very last minute I was just thankful she could have a look a him!
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Marbocyl and azithromycin are both good antibiotics. Marbocyl is part of the same family of antibiotics as baytril. I have never been prescribed it for lung infections but have been prescribed azithromycin with great success, it was the antibiotic of choice for LRI at the vets where I used to work. Some pigs can get bloat with azithromycin, I had one who looked like a balloon! But she responded quickly to metoclop and was absolutely fine. It may be as well to have some metoclop/emeprid to hand in case this happens.
 
Well, that vet appointment could not have gone better. I was very brave (!) and managed to tell my vet in no uncertain terms that I wanted a trial of heart meds, preferably both diuretic and ACE-ihibitor. While I've nudged her towards certain medication choices before, I've never been quite so bold.

She vehemently agreed with me and said it was what she was planning to prescribe anyway, had Flubs survived the night after being given a diuretic. This was not a URI, we are now very sure. On examination she was very pleasantly surprised -- his lungs sounded much less harsh, though he was a bit crackly and starting to hoot as his initial diuretic injection was starting to wear off. She said he also looked so much brighter. She prescribed both Nelio (benazepril) and frusemide and we now just have to hope we are in time and are able to titrate the drugs so he can feel his best.

He had another diuretic injection and once I got him home, you could see he'd really perked up again (comparatively), moving a little about the cage and having a little bit of hay without me literally dropping pinches of Readigrass in front of his face. This is the right decision and I really wish we didn't have to wait for so long to come to the right option, though I know we had to treat for the obvious first.

Now time will tell, and I just really hope we can get this right for him :wub:
 
Just checking here, I'm a little confused about the dosage my vet has recommended for the benazepril: verbatim, "mix HALF a (2.5mg) tablet with 5ml water, and give 0.11ml OD".

Based on my calculations, that's only 0.0275mg a day, when the amount recommended on the Guinea Lynx heart pages is 1mg/kg BD and on TGPF the starting dose appears to be around 1.25mg per day.

I'll talk to her when I see her on Wednesday, but can others confirm if they have been asked to start on such a small dose? We're using 2.5mg Nelio cat tablets. (I know @Adelle has used these or similar [Fortekor], and @GPTV and @helen105281)
 
We've also been recommended 5mg frusemide BD, which is on the higher end of the typical amount, if anyone can comment on that.
 
I hope Flubs will feel better soon. I can't comment on anything you have been given but just wishing you and your guinea the best. Take care. 💓
 
I’ve had to copy and paste this from the OP as I forgot to quote Just checking here, I'm a little confused about the dosage my vet has recommended for the benazepril: verbatim, "mix HALF a (2.5mg) tablet with 5ml water, and give 0.11ml OD".

Based on my calculations, that's only 0.0275mg a day, when the amount recommended on the Guinea Lynx heart pages is 1mg/kg BD and on TGPF the starting dose appears to be around 1.25mg per day.

I'll talk to her when I see her on Wednesday, but can others confirm if they have been asked to start on such a small dose? We're using 2.5mg Nelio cat tablets. (I know @Adelle has used these or similar [Fortekor], and @GPTVand @helen105281)



@Wiebke @furryfriends (TEAS)
 
My Ellie was 8yrs old & had a heart murmur, she had Nelio (ACE inhibitor) & also frusimide when needed
she had nelio (2.5mg tablets for cats) my vet put her on quarter of a tablet twice daily (as evenly spaced as possible).
so her starting daily dose was 1.25mg in total. i'm not sure of the different strengths of nelio & fortekor though. although i believe they do the same job, just different names.
unfortunately i lost Ellie not long afterwards due to multiple health issues & also i believe much too long a delay (weeks) between trialling heart meds & me suggesting heart problems initially.
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Sorry I can only find this quote from when Ellie was poorly in 2015
I can't remember the dosage of Furisimide she was given, but it was to be given when she was hooting or bloaty & needed it. (I have a feeling it was half a tablet, but I'm really not sure).

I was also recommended to give her
Dioralyte Family | Dioralyte To keep her vitamin/mineral levels in tiptop condition as the Furisimide makes their potassium, etc. levels drop.
Afraid I can't remember the actual dosage of that either, sorry it was a few yrs ago now.

Have you tried putting an olbas oil cloth in the room (close but out of his reach) for Flub to help him clear his airways if they're a bit blocked?

Humid weather used to make Ellie more 'raspy' when breathing too.

@Adelle used to use 'vetmedin' too I think, it was for fabulous Fudge her heart pig.

Fingers & paws all crossed for a speedy recovery.
Xx
 
Thanks both! Even your anecdotal account is really helpful @GPTV, I was thinking of upping his fluids (he gets about 70ml a day of water and in CC, and he's not drinking for himself I don't think). He's lost 100g in two days from the diuretic injections so I need to make sure he's not dehydrated. Will discuss diuretic dosage with vet AAA
 
Sorry, phantom sending! Was meant to say will discuss diuretic dosage with vet tomorrow as I don't want to keep on this high a dosage for too long. For now I'm just happy he's a little more active and interested.
 
Danielle Smith said:
Sorry, phantom sending! Was meant to say will discuss diuretic dosage with vet tomorrow as I don't want to keep on this high a dosage for too long. For now I'm just happy he's a little more active and interested.
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With heart meds, you get either a very quick noticeably improvement or no reaction at all; so seeing that he is better, means that there is a heart problem and that you and your vet can work on that.

Unfortunately, it is one of the health issues I don't have personal experience with (any suspected heart candidates of mine never reacted to a trial course), so I cannot advise.
 
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