Mommy To Sophie Marie And Daisy Belle ( I Believe Are Sick )

[Lindsey Mullins]

Hi all,

I am a new Guinea Pig Owner. My first Guinea Pig was purchased 7/2013 and is a female. Her name is Sophie Marie. She is very sweet, adventurous and mischevious. When I purchased her, I had a gut feeling something wasn't right. Sneezing, loss of energy etc. I took her to the vet and found out she had a Upper Respiratory Infection. They issued antibiotics and seemed all was well. Fast forward to today, I was browsing the pet store I purchased Sophie from and they had a gorgeous little girl in the case. Tan/White and soooo sweet. I couldn't leave her. I named her Daisy Belle and she is now home where she belongs. BUT, I think they are sick

Sophie was playing in her pen and wee'd on the floor. But it almost came out like a " bubble " and slowly soaked into the towel. Her cage is especially stinky lately, like mildew almost but I am so careful with cleaning it etc, I am concerned she may be sick? Her appetite/energy/amount she wee's and poo's seems normal.. Am I just over reacting?

Daisy Belle came home, she doesn't have much energy at all. She sleeps a lot, but seems like her appetite is okay. She has a crusty nose and boogies in her eyes though. Allergies/Sick? I don't want to miss any warning signs, these guinea pigs are my children and are very close to me. I really need advice.

Thank you in advance!

Sophie and Daisy's mommy!

 

[LydiaMinx]

Hi all,

I am a new Guinea Pig Owner. My first Guinea Pig was purchased 7/2013 and is a female. Her name is Sophie Marie. She is very sweet, adventurous and mischevious. When I purchased her, I had a gut feeling something wasn't right. Sneezing, loss of energy etc. I took her to the vet and found out she had a Upper Respiratory Infection. They issued antibiotics and seemed all was well. Fast forward to today, I was browsing the pet store I purchased Sophie from and they had a gorgeous little girl in the case. Tan/White and soooo sweet. I couldn't leave her. I named her Daisy Belle and she is now home where she belongs. BUT, I think they are sick

Sophie was playing in her pen and wee'd on the floor. But it almost came out like a " bubble " and slowly soaked into the towel. Her cage is especially stinky lately, like mildew almost but I am so careful with cleaning it etc, I am concerned she may be sick? Her appetite/energy/amount she wee's and poo's seems normal.. Am I just over reacting?

Daisy Belle came home, she doesn't have much energy at all. She sleeps a lot, but seems like her appetite is okay. She has a crusty nose and boogies in her eyes though. Allergies/Sick? I don't want to miss any warning signs, these guinea pigs are my children and are very close to me. I really need advice.

Thank you in advance!

Sophie and Daisy's mommy!

Firstly welcome to the forum! From the symptoms of crusty nose and eye crust that sounds like a URI, which can easily be fatal so you'll need both to have veterinary attention asap. As for the wee, I'm not sure about that, but either way they should both be checked over as soon as possible.

I hope they're ok! Welcome again, this forum is brilliant for support and advice!

 

[PiggieLove]

Lack of energy can be normal. My two sows aren't particularly active, they sleep most of the time and don't run around much during floor time. But they are older so don't have the exuberance that younger piggies have.

But in your case, I don't think it's normal. It sounds like Daisy has an upper respiratory infection. Lethargy, crusty nose and crusty/runny eyes are a sign of URI. If she is also has wheezy breathing, I would get her to a vet ASAP. She needs medication otherwise it will just get worse and could be fatal.

As for the "bubble" - do you mean that when she peed, the pee just sat on top of the towel in a puddle before soaking through? If you use fabric softener when you wash your towels, it causes an invisible barrier to settle on the surface and pee takes a while to soak through. Totally normal. If you are using fleece in the cage and also using fabric softener to wash that, the fleece will not wick urine properly and will get smelly quickly. Make sure you use plain detergent with no softener, and change the fleece/towels as soon as you start to smell it.

 

[Wiebke]

Hi! Please have your girls seen by a vet as soon as possible!

Daisy Belle sounds like she has a URI (respiratory tract infection), which is sadly not at all uncommon in pet shop piggies. If untreated, it can kill quite quickly or cause lifelong problems. Please weigh her daily. When your vet is giving her an anitiotic, please also ask for a probiotic, especially in conjuction with baytril. You can claim the vet cost back from the pet shop if the health problem has developed within 2 weeks of her sale (quarantine period).
http://www.guinealynx.info/uri.html

I would have Sophie checked to make sure that she hasn't got urinary tract infection (very stinky urine); spring is UTI season. Have you checked that the fleece is free of any softener?
http://www.guinealynx.info/uti.html

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[VickiA]

Hello and . I think your girls need to see a vet. Hugs to you all