Guinea Pig With Pneumonia

[TiffanyJordan28]

Hey guys, this is my first post so I'm sorry if I'm not doing things totally correct but I need help. I had two Guinea pigs, Max and Theo. Max unfortunately passed away Monday morning so to be safe, I took Theo to the vet. They said he has pneumonia. They sent me home with antibiotics and critical care because he isn't eating. It's now been 2 days and he's still not eating on his own. He's taking the critical care well and he's eating green bell peppers when I hand them to him. But when I put him back in the cage, he just sits in his igloo, won't eat or drink on his own. How long should it take for him to eat on his own again?

 

[Lady Kelly]

I'm sorry to hear of your predicament. It's hard to say why your piggy isn't eating. It could be the pneumonia but as he has lost his friend and is now alone it could be acute pining (some piggies go into a very deep grieving process and stop eating). Have a look at our rescue locator and see if there is a reputable rescue near to you. They might be able to support with seeing if he will perk up and eat when there are other guinea pigs that he can see and hear. If that is the case then you will know its because he is lonely and if its not then a trip back to the vets to see how he is recovering would be in order

 

[TiffanyJordan28]

I'm sorry to hear of your predicament. It's hard to say why your piggy isn't eating. It could be the pneumonia but as he has lost his friend and is now alone it could be acute pining (some piggies go into a very deep grieving process and stop eating). Have a look at our rescue locator and see if there is a reputable rescue near to you. They might be able to support with seeing if he will perk up and eat when there are other guinea pigs that he can see and hear. If that is the case then you will know its because he is lonely and if its not then a trip back to the vets to see how he is recovering would be in order

Where would I find that?

 

[gizzy]

Pneumonia Infection in Guinea Pigs

Keep on giving him the food that he will take off you ! He could well be greaving , and your presence could well help him not feel alown ,
the link are a list of symptoms that are present when a guinea pig has pnmonea !

 

[Wiebke]

Hey guys, this is my first post so I'm sorry if I'm not doing things totally correct but I need help. I had two Guinea pigs, Max and Theo. Max unfortunately passed away Monday morning so to be safe, I took Theo to the vet. They said he has pneumonia. They sent me home with antibiotics and critical care because he isn't eating. It's now been 2 days and he's still not eating on his own. He's taking the critical care well and he's eating green bell peppers when I hand them to him. But when I put him back in the cage, he just sits in his igloo, won't eat or drink on his own. How long should it take for him to eat on his own again?

Please keep at it for as long as it takes. The antibiotics take time to kick in. Has your vet given you some diuretic to help drain the lungs or would they consider doing so? What dose of what kind of antibiotic are you on?
Please also be aware that especially baytril is an appetite dampener/killer, so Theo is currently dealing with a double whammy on top of the loss of his friend, which has an impact on his immune system, too.

How much are you feeding? Please be aware that the need to breathe comes before the need to drink and only thirdly the need to eat. 80% of the daily food intake is hay, which you cannot control. Continue to feed around the clock, as much in syringe feed and water as he will take. The minimum food intake to keep him alive is 40 ml in 24 hours. A healthy guinea pig is taking in about 120 ml. Make sure that you syringe only about 0.3 ml in one go and wait until he swallowed. Anything that goes down the wrong way is making it worse. You need to feed the more often the less you get in one go.
Much more detailed and helpful tips are in our syringe feeding guide: Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

You can try and help ease his breathing a little by placing a bowl of steaming water next to the cage and keeping it refreshed.

 

[Lady Kelly]

Where would I find that?

Its in the top bar just under the "the guinea pig forum" logo

 

[TiffanyJordan28]

Please keep at it for as long as it takes. The antibiotics take time to kick in. Has your vet given you some diuretic to help drain the lungs or would they consider doing so? What dose of what kind of antibiotic are you on?
Please also be aware that especially baytril is an appetite dampener/killer, so Theo is currently dealing with a double whammy on top of the loss of his friend, which has an impact on his immune system, too.

How much are you feeding? Please be aware that the need to breathe comes before the need to drink and only thirdly the need to eat. 80% of the daily food intake is hay, which you cannot control. Continue to feed around the clock, as much in syringe feed and water as he will take. The minimum food intake to keep him alive is 40 ml in 24 hours. A healthy guinea pig is taking in about 120 ml. Make sure that you syringe only about 0.3 ml in one go and wait until he swallowed. Anything that goes down the wrong way is making it worse. You need to feed the more often the less you get in one go.
Much more detailed and helpful tips are in our syringe feeding guide: Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

You can try and help ease his breathing a little by placing a bowl of steaming water next to the cage and keeping it refreshed.

He is on Baytril, 0.75 twice a day(4am and 4pm). I have alarms set so I can make sure he gets them right on time. I'll syringe feed as long as I have to, I just want to make sure he is improving so I don't lose him too. He's becoming more active while out which makes me happy but I'm still extremely worried. Thank you for your help!

 

[Wiebke]

He is on Baytril, 0.75 twice a day(4am and 4pm). I have alarms set so I can make sure he gets them right on time. I'll syringe feed as long as I have to, I just want to make sure he is improving so I don't lose him too. He's becoming more active while out which makes me happy but I'm still extremely worried. Thank you for your help!

As long as he is starting to pick up, things are going in the right direction. It takes at least 1-2 days for an antibiotic to start kicking in; you have to allow for that. Hopefully he is getting better with each passing day.

You can add some probiotic to the syringe feed to help prop up his guts. I would also recommend to shift the medicating times to a more comfortable morning/evening rythm, but to get up once or twice in the night until your boy is picking up and eating more for himself.
You can give him the next dose of baytril at 5 or 6 am and continue to shift the night hour back to when you usually get up. You have got 1-2 hours wiggle safe wiggle space between medicating. Night shifts and a disrupted sleep really get to you after a two or three nights round the clock care!

 

[TiffanyJordan28]

As long as he is starting to pick up, things are going in the right direction. It takes at least 1-2 days for an antibiotic to start kicking in; you have to allow for that. Hopefully he is getting better with each passing day.

You can add some probiotic to the syringe feed to help prop up his guts. I would also recommend to shift the medicating times to a more comfortable morning/evening rythm, but to get up once or twice in the night until your boy is picking up and eating more for himself.
You can give him the next dose of baytril at 5 or 6 am and continue to shift the night hour back to when you usually get up. You have got 1-2 hours wiggle safe wiggle space between medicating. Night shifts and a disrupted sleep really get to you after a two or three nights round the clock care!

As long as he will be okay with not getting his medication exactly 12 hours apart. I just went off the time that the vet gave him his first dosage. I have a bottle of warm water covered in a towel in the cage so he can cuddle up to it for the heat if he wants it. And I just heard him take a little but out of his water bottle! I'm constantly cleaning the igloo, the food dish and the water bottles to make sure it doesn't get gross. I just feel so helpless and dumb because I really don't know much other than what the vet or Google tells me. This website really is a lifesaver for me.

 

[Wiebke]

As long as he will be okay with not getting his medication exactly 12 hours apart. I just went off the time that the vet gave him his first dosage. I have a bottle of warm water covered in a towel in the cage so he can cuddle up to it for the heat if he wants it. And I just heard him take a little but out of his water bottle! I'm constantly cleaning the igloo, the food dish and the water bottles to make sure it doesn't get gross. I just feel so helpless and dumb because I really don't know much other than what the vet or Google tells me. This website really is a lifesaver for me.

It is safe to move the times to a pattern that suits you better as long as you do stay within 10-14 hours of the last medication. I am always adjusting the rhythm to one that is sustainable for me and have never lost a piggy because of that.

It sounds like the baytril is kicking in now and that the breathing is easing enough for your boy to start eating on his own. Please weigh him once daily at the same time in the feeding cycle (just before dinner or breakfast is a good time) to monitor his food intake. That helps you to adjust the syringe feeding. If your boy is taking 10-15 ml in one go, you can switch to only one nightly feed. By 15-25 ml you only need to feed 2-3 times a day and eventually not at all when he is no longer showing any interest.

Now that he is starting to eat again and is obviously through the worst of the crisis, you can also consider boosting his immune system by giving him some extra vitamin C for a couple of weeks. Information on that is in the syringe feeding guide.

Take a DEEP breath! Your boy is going to make it!

 

[TiffanyJordan28]

It is safe to move the times to a pattern that suits you better as long as you do stay within 10-14 hours of the last medication. I am always adjusting the rhythm to one that is sustainable for me and have never lost a piggy because of that.

It sounds like the baytril is kicking in now and that the breathing is easing enough for your boy to start eating on his own. Please weigh him once daily at the same time in the feeding cycle (just before dinner or breakfast is a good time) to monitor his food intake. That helps you to adjust the syringe feeding. If your boy is taking 10-15 ml in one go, you can switch to only one nightly feed. By 15-25 ml you only need to feed 2-3 times a day and eventually not at all when he is no longer showing any interest.

Now that he is starting to eat again and is obviously through the worst of the crisis, you can also consider boosting his immune system by giving him some extra vitamin C for a couple of weeks. Information on that is in the syringe feeding guide.

Take a DEEP breath! Your boy is going to make it!

Thank you so much! I'll continue to post updates and questions as they come. You are a life saver!

 

[TiffanyJordan28]

Hey guys! So update: Theo seems to be doing very well. He is eating and drinking quite a bit on his own now, however I noticed another issue. His pee spots seem to be a little red. I just thought it was because he has been eating red bell peppers daily(he loves them and they're packed with vitamin C). But while giving him his antibiotics this morning, I noticed his private area was swollen and pink. It looks pretty gross but I wasnt sure if it should be looked at by a vet or if it is just because he's starting to eat and drink again so he is urinating more.
Here's a picture..

 

[Piggyluv+2]

I'm sorry to hear of your predicament. It's hard to say why your piggy isn't eating. It could be the pneumonia but as he has lost his friend and is now alone it could be acute pining (some piggies go into a very deep grieving process and stop eating). Have a look at our rescue locator and see if there is a reputable rescue near to you. They might be able to support with seeing if he will perk up and eat when there are other guinea pigs that he can see and hear. If that is the case then you will know its because he is lonely and if its not then a trip back to the vets to see how he is recovering would be in order

When our little Monica got pneumonia, it took her about 4 days, hope your baby feels better soon