Grunting/Oinking Sound

[iamthesunisme]

Hi there, I have two guinea pigs and one of them seems to not be doing well. He makes a grunting/oinking type of sound. He doesn't really want to eat, and he seems down and calmer than usual. My other guinea pig seems to be more gentle and caring towards him. I took him to the vet and we got antibiotics and painkillers, and at first it seemed like he was getting better but today is his 8th day of medication and there's not much of improvement. I've been giving him recovery food and even though initially he lost a bit of weight, now I managed to keep it the same. I called the vet again today, but they said I either have to book an emergency appointment which is more expensive, or book an x-ray appointment which I definitely can't afford. About a month ago his brother died and I don't know if it's in their genetics or not, but it makes me worried. It's been a long time spent in worries and a lot of money that seemed to be wasted away on appointments where we get to hear the same thing every time. I looked into exotic vets, but now after all that expenses I really can't afford a simple consultation with a specialist, I don't even want to think about the actual medication. I'd really appreciate any advice that you can give me. I just want my baby to get better Thank you in advance

 

[Piggies&buns]

I'm so sorry the is poorly.

What is his weight
What antibiotics has he been given and at what dosage?
What painkillers and at what dosage?
Is his breathing laboured?

Sometimes it can take a while for antibiotics to really kick an infection before you see any improvement - it can sometimes be weeks on antibiotics to cure a respiratory infection. It can sometimes be that there are better antibiotics for the particular infection.
If they haven't been able to tell you exactly what is wrong so far or if he isnt making any improvement then further checks will need to be carried out.

Did his brother have the same symptoms?

 

[iamthesunisme]

I'm so sorry the is poorly.

What is his weight
What antibiotics has he been given and at what dosage?
What painkillers and at what dosage?
Is his breathing laboured?

Sometimes it can take a while for antibiotics to really kick an infection before you see any improvement - it can sometimes be weeks on antibiotics to cure a respiratory infection. It can sometimes be that there are better antibiotics for the particular infection.
If they haven't been able to tell you exactly what is wrong so far or if he isnt making any improvement then further checks will need to be carried out.

Did his brother have the same symptoms?

Hi, thank you for your reply.


He is 1.250kg.
Antibiotic - Beytril 2.5% 0.8ml once a day
Painkiller - Meloxicam 0.4ml once a day

I believe his brother had kidney stones because he was peeing blood but the vet didn't say it for sure. I'm worried that they are not treating him for breathing difficulties because he didn't make these sounds when we did the consultations. I did say it to the vet, but since they are not specialising in small animals I feel maybe we didn't get the right treatment.

I want to take him for a check up but I'm afraid I'll pay for emergency appointment and they'll say the same things as usual or try get me to book an x-ray. Is there something that I can do from my side when I'm there so it helps them treat him better?

 

[Piggies&buns]

If he has a respiratory infection then baytril is the 'go to' medication for it.

If you aren't confident in the vet as they aren't used to treating small animals, then you are best to find one who does. The sooner respiratory issues are identified and correctly treated the better.

Recommended Guinea Pig Vets

 

[Siikibam]

I would find another veg rather than take him back. How long was he to be on the antibiotics?

 

[iamthesunisme]

We went to the vet again and it turned out he has blood in his urine. His breathing is fine, the vet said these are sounds because he is in pain. He gave us more from the antibiotic and a bit more from the other medicine (less stronger version of it though). I've been feeding him with critical care and blended veggies with water and I can see that he strted getting better. There's a spark in his eyes that was missing and now is back, and he also has intterest in food. Still very small, and if he eats on his own is just a bit and very very slow, but the fact that he does makes me so happy! However one of his eyes seems to be infected so I'm giving him Isathal. And today I got benabec gel because he has a veeeery soft poop, almost liquid. But I'm a bit confused about the dose because it says to give 2 times, 3 days apart. Does that mean to give him twice in a day, then again after 3 days? Or it's once, and then after 3 days again? Amd do you have any idea for how long I should do it because the description gives me the impression that is only the couse that I just mentioned and then that's it?

 

[Hope4gem]

We went to the vet again and it turned out he has blood in his urine. His breathing is fine, the vet said these are sounds because he is in pain. He gave us more from the antibiotic and a bit more from the other medicine (less stronger version of it though). I've been feeding him with critical care and blended veggies with water and I can see that he strted getting better. There's a spark in his eyes that was missing and now is back, and he also has intterest in food. Still very small, and if he eats on his own is just a bit and very very slow, but the fact that he does makes me so happy! However one of his eyes seems to be infected so I'm giving him Isathal. And today I got benabec gel because he has a veeeery soft poop, almost liquid. But I'm a bit confused about the dose because it says to give 2 times, 3 days apart. Does that mean to give him twice in a day, then again after 3 days? Or it's once, and then after 3 days again? Amd do you have any idea for how long I should do it because the description gives me the impression that is only the couse that I just mentioned and then that's it?

I would give benebac twice per day, at least an hour apart from antibiotic dose. Keep giving benebac for at least until poos normalize, but preferrably for the entire course of antibiotics. Ask your vet if you should take your piggy off of fresh veg until poos normalize. The advice I've gotten from other members on this forum is to stop fresh veg when there are loose poos. However, my vet told me to continue with fresh veg because at least my piggy was eating something on her own (in addition to the critical care that I was syringing to her). So I'd suggest to see what your vet says regarding that. I'm not familiar with Isathal so I can't advise you on that. Is that something that your vet prescribed? If your piggy continues with watery poo he will need to go back to the vet so that they can check to see if he is dehydrated. If he is, they can administer fluids subcutaneously to help him recover.

Edit: also just wanted to add to keep an eye on his weight. Especially because he's ill and in this case also has diarrhea. His weight will be your best guide to decide how much critical care to give. You'll want to weigh him daily at the same time every day.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Antibiotics can kill off the good gut bacteria so syringe feeding to replace the hay he isnt eating for himself and removing fresh veg from the diet to allow the gut microbiome to settle is standard advice. The fibre is the important part of the diet for gut function and adding fresh veg to an unbalanced gut can make things worse. Do speak to your vet if you are concerned.
Its advisable to give probitioics daily. Or use poop soup (made the very fresh poops of a healthy companion).

Please weigh him daily so you can be sure he is getting enough food

Isathal is standard antibiotic treatment for eye issues.

I hope he feels better soon

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