Guinea pig with ongoing uri

[Haku]

I have a Guinea pig named Haku who is about 3 years old. For the past year or so, he has been showing symptoms of a uri(sneezing, nasal discharge, visible breathing from abdomen, sometimes audible breathing and clicking). He seems otherwise healthy and moves, eats, and drinks fine but spends a large part of the day sleeping or laying down. He is currently a single pig due to the passing of his brother, so I think loneliness and depression could be a cause which is why I have been trying to find him a new partner.
I’ve been able to take him to the vet twice—the first time he was prescribed a one week course of Baytril which didn’t seem to improve any of his symptoms, and the second visit prescribed him with a stronger 2 week course of Doxycycline. However, I couldn’t notice any improvements from either treatments and am worried his symptoms are only going to progress further. It has been several months since the last antibiotic treatment and his weight and behavior has stayed consistent. I hope to take him to see the vet again but my family is reluctant due to the first two vet trips having done little to improve his issues.
I currently use paper bedding which can create a bit of dust— could it be the bedding dust that causes his issues or maybe some kind of allergy? If I manage to find him a partner, is there a risk that he will infect the other guinea pig? I heard Guinea pigs with uris could go downhill very quickly without treatment but it seems like his has stayed stagnant for a long time, I’m worried something could happen in the future that causes his condition to get worse. Any input or advice is greatly appreciated!

 

[Siikibam]

I’m sorry your boy is unwell. After the second round of antibiotics, had his symptoms gone or were they still there? Have they improved or they’re still around the same in terms of severity? Are there any irritants where he is housed? And is the hay particularly dusty or not? Sometimes you need a different antibiotic to target the URI.

I would take him back to the vet for a check. Something that is sometimes recommended is to put a bowl of steaming water near the cage. Or you take him in the shower and run it so there’s steam in the bathroom.

With regards a friend, it may depend where you get them from. If you get him from a (decent) rescue then there would be no need for quarantining. If the new piggy is healthy they shouldn’t catch the URI. If piggy is from another source then you would be advised to quarantine completely separately for two weeks.

If under 4 months, they need to be bonded immediately as their need for companionship surpasses any risk of picking up illnesses from your boy. This is regardless of where you get him from.

I hope he will feel better soon.

PS allergies are rare in piggies.

 

[Haku]

I’m sorry your boy is unwell. After the second round of antibiotics, had his symptoms gone or were they still there? Have they improved or they’re still around the same in terms of severity? Are there any irritants where he is housed? And is the hay particularly dusty or not? Sometimes you need a different antibiotic to target the URI.

I would take him back to the vet for a check. Something that is sometimes recommended is to put a bowl of steaming water near the cage. Or you take him in the shower and run it so there’s steam in the bathroom.

With regards a friend, it may depend where you get them from. If you get him from a (decent) rescue then there would be no need for quarantining. If the new piggy is healthy they shouldn’t catch the URI. If piggy is from another source then you would be advised to quarantine completely separately for two weeks.

If under 4 months, they need to be bonded immediately as their need for companionship surpasses any risk of picking up illnesses from your boy. This is regardless of where you get him from.

I hope he will feel better soon.

PS allergies are rare in piggies.

Thank you so much for the response! His symptoms did not improve after the second round of antibiotics, but they didn’t seem to get worse either. It’s stayed the same like that for a while. Dust tended to collect in the old room where his cage was but I moved him to a different, hopefully less dusty area recently. His hay came with quite a bit of dust at the bottom but I’ve taken it and shaken most of the dust off outside before storing it. The paper bedding might be causing dust though— would you recommend switching to something like fleece? I also just found out that using plastic igloos in their cage can cause ammonia build up and respiratory issues so I’ll see if removing those will help.
Thank you for the advice, I’ll keep trying to get him to a vet. The Guinea pig I’ve arranged to try and bond with him isn’t from a rescue, it’s from someone who wants to rehome their pig. They are around a year old and seem quite healthy, but I’m willing to quarantine them just in case. I’m hoping Haku will get along with the other pig, fingers crossed!
Thank you again!

 

[Siikibam]

We always recommend you quarantine any piggy that isn’t from a rescue. You have to be aware that owners sometimes won’t tell you the whole truth if they want to pass their piggy on.

If it doesn’t work, do you have the space to have them living side by side? They’d each need a 2x3/120x60cm cage. If not, perhaps consider if you can take him dating at a rescue.

Also be aware that piggies in their teens (4-14 months old) can be trickier - but not impossible - to bond. Also make sure all hides have two exits and there is two of everything.

Hope the bonding goes well when the time comes. Exciting!

 

[Haku]

We always recommend you quarantine any piggy that isn’t from a rescue. You have to be aware that owners sometimes won’t tell you the whole truth if they want to pass their piggy on.

If it doesn’t work, do you have the space to have them living side by side? They’d each need a 2x3/120x60cm cage. If not, perhaps consider if you can take him dating at a rescue.

Also be aware that piggies in their teens (4-14 months old) can be trickier - but not impossible - to bond. Also make sure all hides have two exits and there is two of everything.

Hope the bonding goes well when the time comes. Exciting!

I hope the bonding goes well too! If I take the new one home I’ll definitely quarantine the new piggie to make sure he’s healthy. If things go well during bonding but they start to fight later on, I have enough space for them to live separated but I’d denfinitely prefer for them to be able to live together.