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Guinea Pig breathing funny possibly URI

sorry last thing can you adminster all medicine in one sitting ?
 
So sonnie is still very weak and doesn't want to move , we found that he does move around in he's cage, example is 4 moves noticed in 4hrs , he cannot eat more then the tiniest pieces of food , and struggles to even break a nugget in half , we are giving him he's medicine when it's required and hand feeding as whenever he decides to take a bite.... it doesn't seem like since yesterday he had got any better , we have decided that unless we see a huge change by Sunday we may choose to let him sleep as we feel he might be struggling , on Sunday it would have been he's 7th day on medication with no real change except the tiniest bit of eating... would anyone know if we should we wait longer ? This is so hard to watch him.
 
Oh my heart goes out to you.
I wish I had a magic answer . .
Come on little piggie fight pal fight. x
 
I’m sorry to hear that. Are you syringe feeding him? Without more food than a few nibbles he will not get better, regardless of the meds.
 
Syringe feeding what ? I have a fibre recovery satchel , but not anything else at the moment .? The breathing is why he wont eat much
 
Is the satchet called Critical Care? Then yes, that’s what he should be fed, I linked the syringe feeding links in previous posts which I hope is helpful.
 
sonnie!boy! said:
I went back to the vets at 7pm and they said there has not been an improvement on he's fast breathing , and they have gave him an injection i think that is the diuretics , but they said if he doesn't improve i will have to make a decision ,

the part me and my partner are really struggling with is how soon is a decision ? he was fine on Saturday ( maybe didn't notice sat evening) and it was all of sunday we was really worried for him.

so here are all the facts , - since yesterday 3 x syringed baytril , & 2 metacam while with me, and all i see him eat was some hay and a few bits of cucumber ,
-moving onto this morning , i managed to get him to eat a few leafs of spinach and some cucumber again , but then from 12noon onwards no more... :-(

so since 4pm he has been on oxygen and diuretics , and they said they cant force feed him because he will aspirate.

is it too soon to give up on him ?
should i bring him home to die in he's home or leave it in there hands. ?
i just feel its all a bit too fast for any illness? I'm scared we will make a bad choice

this is our first guinea pig and we are so sad right now because he was such a personality & we loved him so much.
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Hi!

Guinea pigs can unfortunately go downhill frighteningly quickly; they are only small animals when it comes to the sharp end. :(
It is always more difficult when the cause is not quite obvious and you can only treat the symptoms as they appear - but that is any vet's daily job; and even the right medication straight away is sometimes not enough as I know from piggies of mine. There are some nasties out there and there are also some health problems that can happen at any age out of the blue. :(

If you have to make a decision, go with the one that a) has your piggy's welfare upmost in mind and that b) you feel you can live with best in the long term after you have gone through the inevitable period of guilt and doubt that come with the onset of the grieving process but are stronger when you have had to make the decision yourself. As long as you put Sonnie first and not your own fears and desires, you cannot go wrong, whichever way you decide. You have shown him your love every day and have seen a vet promptly and done your best for him. That is all that is asked of any good and loving owner; the rest is not in your control.

Hang on in there and send Sonnie loving loving and healing thoughts whenever you feel swamped by panic and doubts. ;)
Fingers crossed that the diuretic is working for him!
 
Wiebke said:
Hi!

Guinea pigs can unfortunately go downhill frighteningly quickly; they are only small animals when it comes to the sharp end. :(
It is always more difficult when the cause is not quite obvious and you can only treat the symptoms as they appear - but that is any vet's daily job; and even the right medication straight away is sometimes not enough as I know from piggies of mine. There are some nasties out there and there are also some health problems that can happen at any age out of the blue. :(

If you have to make a decision, go with the one that a) has your piggy's welfare upmost in mind and that b) you feel you can live with best in the long term after you have gone through the inevitable period of guilt and doubt that come with the onset of the grieving process but are stronger when you have had to make the decision yourself. As long as you put Sonnie first and not your own fears and desires, you cannot go wrong, whichever way you decide. You have shown him your love every day and have seen a vet promptly and done your best for him. That is all that is asked of any good and loving owner; the rest is not in your control.

Hang on in there and send Sonnie loving loving and healing thoughts whenever you feel swamped by panic and doubts. ;)
Fingers crossed that the diuretic is working for him!
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Thanks for all of this , we managed to turn loads of nuggets into like a paste last night and fed it to him.... more importantly we saw the biggest improvement in he's state this morning he walked up to he's food bowl and made the tiniest chirping noise and when I took he's veg bowl out to fill up with fresh food, he starting making the excitement noise for about 3-4 seconds, we haven't heard that in days , he managed to munch on some pepper and lettuce, I would like to assume these are very good signs and I should just keep doing what I'm doing. I know how important It Is to keep these forums updated.
 
Great news. It doesn’t hurt to keep feeding some pellet paste every few hours to get his strength up. Fingers crossed
 
sonnie!boy! said:
Thanks for all of this , we managed to turn loads of nuggets into like a paste last night and fed it to him.... more importantly we saw the biggest improvement in he's state this morning he walked up to he's food bowl and made the tiniest chirping noise and when I took he's veg bowl out to fill up with fresh food, he starting making the excitement noise for about 3-4 seconds, we haven't heard that in days , he managed to munch on some pepper and lettuce, I would like to assume these are very good signs and I should just keep doing what I'm doing. I know how important It Is to keep these forums updated.
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Thank you for the update!

Yes, it is a VERY encouraging sign that Sonnie is showing interest in food again, as that means that his breathing problem is no longer so bad to completely suppress his appetite for both drinking and eating.

Please continue with weighing once daily at the same time to monitor the food intake and continue with syringe feeding support until he is eating fully on his own and can hold his weight. Please keep in mind that hay is making over 80% of the daily food intake while veg should should be around 10% and pellets 5%; more information on amounts and frequency and how to adjust it in our syringe feeding guide - it is all too easy to underestimate them when you do not take the hay proportion into account!
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

Hang on in there but take a deep breath; you are hopefully over the acute crisis now and can concentrate on recovery, which is going to take some more days. But it looks like the diuretic has done the trick and the meds are kicking in now.
 
update: still very weak but definitely moving around a bit more , but seems to want to lay down all the time , I'm managing to give at least 6ml of recovery fluid every 4hrs , i also included 1ml of fibreplex , also crushing up nuggets and feeding as much as possible.

he has the slightest purring going on when i stroke him , and he does nibble at lettuce for a few mins then rest's.

my minds playing tricks now because hes breathing has slowed down so much that I'm worried its too calm lol... Cant win.

ive ordered some critical care aswell to include from tomorrow, this is a huge improvement...

Can i ask from what your reading , how long would this recovery take including the medicine's ( Am i missing anything ? )

Thank you x
 
sonnie!boy! said:
update: still very weak but definitely moving around a bit more , but seems to want to lay down all the time , I'm managing to give at least 6ml of recovery fluid every 4hrs , i also included 1ml of fibreplex , also crushing up nuggets and feeding as much as possible.

he has the slightest purring going on when i stroke him , and he does nibble at lettuce for a few mins then rest's.

my minds playing tricks now because hes breathing has slowed down so much that I'm worried its too calm lol... Cant win.

ive ordered some critical care aswell to include from tomorrow, this is a huge improvement...

Can i ask from what your reading , how long would this recovery take including the medicine's ( Am i missing anything ? )

Thank you x
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Hi!

You need to work up to as close as you can to get 60 ml of fibrous mushed pellets/recovery formula into your piggy in 24 hours; that means feeding every 2 hours round the clock ideally. Your boy is running our of steam from lack of food; less than 30 ml in a day is simply not enough. Just nibbling on a lettuce is NOT enough to count as self feeding! :(
 
Is the resting/laying down a new thing? Eg just the last few days?

I am not sure I can add anything in terms of advice at this point but the answer to the query above may help more experienced owners to help answer your question.

Ps well done on everything, it’s been a rough week for you!

(Edit: my post crossed with wiebe’s)
 
I literally try my hardest to get him to take the mushed pellets , but seriously 60ml... argghh he won't even let me do 2ml he closes he's mouth and just won't have it... he seems so much better , I don't know why he won't eat , he's breathing is fine...

I will start must pellet feeding every 2hrs , from now.
And the clinical care arrives tomorrow , is the clinical care the same as mushed pellets?

Cheers
 
sonnie!boy! said:
I literally try my hardest to get him to take the mushed pellets , but seriously 60ml... argghh he won't even let me do 2ml he closes he's mouth and just won't have it... he seems so much better , I don't know why he won't eat , he's breathing is fine...

I will start must pellet feeding every 2hrs , from now.
And the clinical care arrives tomorrow , is the clinical care the same as mushed pellets?

Cheers
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Yes, critical care can replace the mushed pellets feeding (mushed pellets is more of a back up when no critical care on hand I think).

It’s best with lukewarm water, not cold water (but also not hot) and see what consistency works for your piggie. I used to make it quite thick and then realised how much easier it was for my pig when I made it a bit thinner. Trial and error.

Are you weighing your piggie to see how he’s doing?
 
I managed to feed him about 7ml of crushed nuggets , and I'm going to do this every 2hrs , I'm worried he is becoming to stressed , our bond is strong but he definitely is giving me the evil eyes , I'm sure he is getting stronger but like people say , he needs way more then what he is getting
 
Sorry late to this, what a nightmare you've had with your little lad. Hope you're both ok.

Have you tried feeding the mashed pellets on a spoon to him? Far less stressful if he'll eat them (if not syringing's the only way to get a decent amount in his belly). Or you could try soaking pellets in a bowl (can leave them soaked or mash them up), a bit easier to chew if still having troubles with his breathing.

My chinchilla currently has a bowl of slop (really watery pellets), mashed pellets and soaked so he's got a variety. Is worth a try in case he has a bit of a preference!
 
So I've been feeding him 6 or 7 syringe 1ml each every 2hrs approx , I have the critical care now, that seems to go down easier , he still is lethargic and doesn't care about hay at all... he does have strength tho as he fights me like a demon , but then just lays down after and looks at me ,he is getting more and more vocal and puring ever so often.

He is going the smallest of poos, they lool like mites , so small... I'm hoping tomorrow will be different.
 
When my piggy was ill and he couldn’t walk to his hay, I would give him a hay cookie instead. Obviously it’s not as good as the real thing but he would happily munch away at it so might be worth a try.
 
Thank you for the updates - really appreciate them. You’re doing really well. Keep it up. What weight is your piggie - in my experience if you give fibreplex after the syringe feed and then put some hay in front of them they will most of the time eat some.
 
1.2 kg , someone said he might be really depressed now so he won't eat or move , not sure how true that could be
 
I'm not 100% sure but I think we have got through it , he seems spritely , he is drinking on he's own constantly which is weird because he was never the drinker , started to attack the hay lil by little , and he is being quite sociable... purring like crazy , and he is even jumping up on top of he's house, which take a good bit of effort, needles to say I'm exhausted myself And I'm pretty sure he is more the strong enough to fend for himself , I.will still keep a close eye... 😁😁😁😁😁😁
 
I still have the issue of him being lethargic , but he does eat some hay when he wants to, I can't put him through force feeding anymore, so I'm praying he will start to realise he is safe , because I generally feel he is being depressed now, he has been traumatised by this whole experience.
 
Guys I need help and advice again , sonnie has massively improved and is munching away except he still doesn't poo alot , and when he does it's in.weird big chunks or lots of tiny ones... could he be compacted or is there another issue ? I stopped all meds 2days ago, is there something I can do to get him going normal again ?
 
It is Good that he is munching. This is why weighing him is important, we can’t see by eye how much they eat- if his weight is still dropping I’d take him to the vet, if his weight is going up then he is coming around.

If his poops are irregular then continue with the fibreplex once a day, perhaps twice but it depends on how much he weights and whether his weight is still declining or improving.

We can’t replace vet care and it is difficult to say what he needs from the forum. If you think his gut needs more help then take him back to the vet for a gut motility shot and further advice (not saying we’re not here to help anymore, I’ve started caring about your piggie a lot! Just saying we’re not able to do the job of a vet online!).

Gut issues shouldn’t be ignored but there is a bit of a delay between things going in and coming back out - hence my suggestion to keep on the fibreplex until he is fully ok again. But please do weigh him as it is the most important symptom and the easiest one to keep track of.
 
OK , I will give him some fibre plex today and make a vet appointment for Friday so i can at least monitor for the next few days , i have also ordered better weighing scales which are coming tomorrow , he has more energy now and some evenings destroys he's gem lettuce when he wants to but he stops earlier then he used to.

i didnt want to go back to syringe feeding as he seems to be able to eat , but like you say is he getting enough ?
Do you think it's worth getting him x-RAY''d ? , i don't want to stress him out too much but maybe it will uncover the problem,

thank you @Elthysia @Wiebke :-)
 
I’d be hesitant to have him xrayed right this moment based on the very limited info I have if it Involves general anaesthetic if he’s out of the danger zone but I would ask the vet what they think.

I’m worried that we don’t know whether he is really doing well or still declining - the scales will tell. Once you have the scales, try weigh him at the same time every day, eg just before he gets breakfast. Weight can fluctuate by 30-40 grams based on a full or empty bladder etc so don’t be panicked by that. But weighing regularly for a week or so will help to start build an image as to whether he’s actually improving.

Be careful on volume of veggies - it may be better to chose veg with good nutrition eg good vit c over those they like but have less nutritional value - peppers are a good choice, but not cucumber whilst his gut is improving. Lay off gassy veg like beans, cabbages like broccoli etc for a while. You want him to eat hay right now, lots and lots of it if possible.

Vet appointment for Friday is a good idea. Fingers crossed. From what I hear he is not in emergency trouble right this moment but whether he’s on the up or not is still a bit in the balance.

You’re a wonderful and caring owner, keep up the good work.
 
Actually just mulling this over - i remember we “spoke” early on about visiting a specialist. Perhaps rather than going to the normal vet on Friday you may want to consider taking the step of seeking out a cavy savy (a vet with Guinea pig experience more than the average vet, don’t think “specialist” means that you’ll have to pay more but you may just have to travel further) and bring a sheet bullet pointing how things have been so you don’t forget at the time.

They may be able to figure out the underlying issues without unnecessary general anaesthetic X-rays etc.

There’s a list of recommended vets on the site.
 
Elthysia said:
Actually just mulling this over - i remember we “spoke” early on about visiting a specialist. Perhaps rather than going to the normal vet on Friday you may want to consider taking the step of seeking out a cavy savy (a vet with Guinea pig experience more than the average vet, don’t think “specialist” means that you’ll have to pay more but you may just have to travel further) and bring a sheet bullet pointing how things have been so you don’t forget at the time.

They may be able to figure out the underlying issues without unnecessary general anaesthetic X-rays etc.

There’s a list of recommended vets on the site.
Click to expand...

Where can i find the list of specialist's ? Sorry I'm new to the site.

Thank you
 
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