Guinea pig and antibiotics

[Mizuli]

Hi all I am owner of 3 piggies all 4 years old luves in Japan. One of my girl called Maru got inner ear infection 3 days ago. I took her to the vet on the same day and got medicine.
She had balance problem which is being solved by the medicine but her inner ear infection was very bad it was actually spreading to her right face itself. She has swollen eyes and nose problem as well related to this problem so the vet gave her antibiotics. Since i gave it to her she stopped eating. Vet told me to stop antibiotics until her appetite is back. Now i am syringe feeding her and i think she is slightly better after not taking antibiotics.

Problem is that she is better as she is not taking antibiotics but it wont solve infection. I need to give her antibiotics eventually which leads to loss of appetite again.
Today I got her ear drops until she can eat normally again but also was told that need antibiotics to actualy fix her problem.

Anyone know what to do if guinea pigs not able to take antibiotics at all when neccesary? Or anything to avoid having majour health issue like not eating when giving antibiotics?
Guinea pigs arent common pets in Japan so i think vets are not guinea pig expert either even though they are doing the best they can.

 

[Wiebke]

Hi all I am owner of 3 piggies all 4 years old luves in Japan. One of my girl called Maru got inner ear infection 3 days ago. I took her to the vet on the same day and got medicine.
She had balance problem which is being solved by the medicine but her inner ear infection was very bad it was actually spreading to her right face itself. She has swollen eyes and nose problem as well related to this problem so the vet gave her antibiotics. Since i gave it to her she stopped eating. Vet told me to stop antibiotics until her appetite is back. Now i am syringe feeding her and i think she is slightly better after not taking antibiotics.

Problem is that she is better as she is not taking antibiotics but it wont solve infection. I need to give her antibiotics eventually which leads to loss of appetite again.
Today I got her ear drops until she can eat normally again but also was told that need antibiotics to actualy fix her problem.

Anyone know what to do if guinea pigs not able to take antibiotics at all when neccesary? Or anything to avoid having majour health issue like not eating when giving antibiotics?
Guinea pigs arent common pets in Japan so i think vets are not guinea pig expert either even though they are doing the best they can.

Hi

I am ever so sorry for the really bad infection.

Antibiotics, especially stronger ones and in higher dosages like your girl will need, will also impact on the digestive gut bacteria and can wipe out the appetite. Guinea pigs are a bit more susceptible to this since they are mostly gut. Please be aware that you cannot just stop the antibiotics because they take several days to build for full efficiency and then gradually fade away again over the course of several days. You have one or two days before the infection will pick up speed again with force.

What antibiotic have you been prescribed?
Guinea Lynx :: Antibiotics
Guinea Lynx :: Dangerous Medications (any penicillin based antibiotic is fatal for rodents)

You need to step in with round the clock syringe syringe feeding support during treatment and for as long after until the antibiotic has gradually worn off and the microbiome/appetite has recovered. It is a very tiring battle to feed a piggy completely off their food during antibiotic treatment but it is the only way to stop the infection and save her life.

Please take the time to read these very helpful links here. They contain all the practical how-to tips and advice on how to get a piggy through a crisis. We cannot repeat all of it in every post so we have created our guides, which you can read an re-read at need. We have tried to make our guides as comprehensive and addressing as many of the 'little' questions as possible:
Not Eating, Weight Loss And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre

All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures (including a chapter on recovery formula, probiotics, poo soup for gut support etc.)

Emergency and Crisis Care as well as Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment

My fingers are very firmly crossed.

 

[Wheekallweek]

Aw, I'm sorry to hear your piggy's not well!
Unfortunately as @Wiebke has said antibiotics do tend to upset piggies tummies and they may stop eating. All you an do unfortunately is step in with syringe feeding, daily weigh in and perhaps a probiotic to help balance the gut bacteria.
I'm not sure what you have in Japan but in the UK we have products like Fibreplex and Pro C.

 

[weepweeps]

Hello. I’m sorry Maru has an ear infection. Unfortunately if there is an infection then antibiotics will be needed.

I had a piggy on really strong antibiotics for 6 weeks last year and it completely stopped his appetite. He didn’t eat hardly anything for the duration of the antibiotics.

What you need to do is give the antibiotics to clear the infection and weight your piggy every morning and if they have lost weight you need to syringe feed more critical care that day. If they have put weight on you can reduce the amount of syringe feed you give that day. Good luck. It can take a few weeks and be really tiring and stressful but you will get there. Good luck.

 

[Mizuli]

Thank you so much for your reply i was back and forth to the vets and while I was doing the other piggy just passed away suddenly without any symptom and all which was all hectic - but Maru at least is recovering well. It became very late but wanted to thank you for your advice!

Hi all I am owner of 3 piggies all 4 years old luves in Japan. One of my girl called Maru got inner ear infection 3 days ago. I took her to the vet on the same day and got medicine.
She had balance problem which is being solved by the medicine but her inner ear infection was very bad it was actually spreading to her right face itself. She has swollen eyes and nose problem as well related to this problem so the vet gave her antibiotics. Since i gave it to her she stopped eating. Vet told me to stop antibiotics until her appetite is back. Now i am syringe feeding her and i think she is slightly better after not taking antibiotics.

Problem is that she is better as she is not taking antibiotics but it wont solve infection. I need to give her antibiotics eventually which leads to loss of appetite again.
Today I got her ear drops until she can eat normally again but also was told that need antibiotics to actualy fix her problem.

Anyone know what to do if guinea pigs not able to take antibiotics at all when neccesary? Or anything to avoid having majour health issue like not eating when giving antibiotics?
Guinea pigs arent common pets in Japan so i think vets are not guinea pig expert either even though they are doing the best they can.

 

[Mizuli]

Hello. I’m sorry Maru has an ear infection. Unfortunately if there is an infection then antibiotics will be needed.

I had a piggy on really strong antibiotics for 6 weeks last year and it completely stopped his appetite. He didn’t eat hardly anything for the duration of the antibiotics.

What you need to do is give the antibiotics to clear the infection and weight your piggy every morning and if they have lost weight you need to syringe feed more critical care that day. If they have put weight on you can reduce the amount of syringe feed you give that day. Good luck. It can take a few weeks and be really tiring and stressful but you will get there. Good luck.

Thank you so much for your reply i was back and forth to the vets and while I was doing it the other piggy just passed away suddenly without any symptom and all which was all hectic - I syringe fed her for last few weeks or so and she found appetite on banana - i think its too high in suger so not the best option but Maru it worked her well and gain weight ad infection is nearly gone now. All is well now! Thank you very much!

 

[Mizuli]

Hi

I am ever so sorry for the really bad infection.

Antibiotics, especially stronger ones and in higher dosages like your girl will need, will also impact on the digestive gut bacteria and can wipe out the appetite. Guinea pigs are a bit more susceptible to this since they are mostly gut. Please be aware that you cannot just stop the antibiotics because they take several days to build for full efficiency and then gradually fade away again over the course of several days. You have one or two days before the infection will pick up speed again with force.

What antibiotic have you been prescribed?
Guinea Lynx :: Antibiotics
Guinea Lynx :: Dangerous Medications (any penicillin based antibiotic is fatal for rodents)

You need to step in with round the clock syringe syringe feeding support during treatment and for as long after until the antibiotic has gradually worn off and the microbiome/appetite has recovered. It is a very tiring battle to feed a piggy completely off their food during antibiotic treatment but it is the only way to stop the infection and save her life.

Please take the time to read these very helpful links here. They contain all the practical how-to tips and advice on how to get a piggy through a crisis. We cannot repeat all of it in every post so we have created our guides, which you can read an re-read at need. We have tried to make our guides as comprehensive and addressing as many of the 'little' questions as possible:
Not Eating, Weight Loss And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre

All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures (including a chapter on recovery formula, probiotics, poo soup for gut support etc.)

Emergency and Crisis Care as well as Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment

My fingers are very firmly crossed.

Thank you so much for your reply and your advice. I was back and forth to the vets and while I was doing it the other piggy just passed away suddenly without any symptom and all which was all hectic - after severa vet visits she found appetite on banana - i think its too high in suger so not the best option but Maru it worked her well and gain weight ad infection is nearly gone now. All is well now! Thank you very much!

 

[Mizuli]

Aw, I'm sorry to hear your piggy's not well!
Unfortunately as @Wiebke has said antibiotics do tend to upset piggies tummies and they may stop eating. All you an do unfortunately is step in with syringe feeding, daily weigh in and perhaps a probiotic to help balance the gut bacteria.
I'm not sure what you have in Japan but in the UK we have products like Fibreplex and Pro C.

Thank you so much for your reply i was back and forth to the vets and while I was doing it the other piggy just passed away suddenly without any symptom and all which was all hectic - I syringe fed her for last few weeks or so and she found appetite on banana - i think its too high in suger so not the best option but Maru it worked her well and gain weight ad infection is nearly gone now. All is well now! Thank you very much!

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you so much for your reply and your advice. I was back and forth to the vets and while I was doing it the other piggy just passed away suddenly without any symptom and all which was all hectic - after severa vet visits she found appetite on banana - i think its too high in suger so not the best option but Maru it worked her well and gain weight ad infection is nearly gone now. All is well now! Thank you very much!

I am so very sorry that you have had such a tough time with Maru and then losing her companion so unexpectedly. But glad that Maru is a lot better again.

Thank you for your feedback. It is much appreciated.

 

[Wheekallweek]

Glad to hear Maru is better, but very sorry you have lost your other piggy