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Mystery appetite and weight loss but accepting syringe feed

Wiebke said:
BIG HUGS

I so feel for you after too many night watches with piggies of mine. It is even more draining when you have children at home all the time.

So glad that she has made it through the night. I sincerely hope that you can have her seen today. Fingers still very firmly crossed!
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Thankyou she was seen first thing and has a uri! Which explains the clicking which I actually forgot to mention! 😳
 
Emx93 said:
Thankyou she was seen first thing and has a uri! Which explains the clicking which I actually forgot to mention! 😳
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AH! The clicking in the lungs would have been a big helpful pointer. But glad that you know what it is and that it is treatable. Continue with syringe feeding round the clock until the airways have cleared enough for her to regain her appetite and thirst again.

It takes about a day for the antibiotic to start kicking in and then gradually building up over several days until it reaches optimal effectiveness so you have to battle through this. I would recommend that you push for more feed during the day until you go to bed and then again in the morning so you do not have to get up, or get up only once for a check. Try to encourage her to eat something leafy green like a bit of herb or lettuce after a bit of feed to stimulate the appetite; then finish again with syringe feed as much as needed. it is a useful way to stimulate and judge her appetite as she hopefully gradually recovers over the coming days.

Also ask your vet whether steaming would help (it can make things worse on occasion, so it should not be used without thought just because it is widely recommended online as a supportive measure).
If you try on your own, please check first with a tester whether a bowl of steaming water next to where she sits in the cage does help to ease her breathing. If yes, you can continue with topping up bowls (if necessary with a couple of drops of olbas oil or some F10 antiseptic in the water) or do a half hour session on a dry towel in the steamed up shower.

URI or pneumonia is a classic in guinea pigs with a lowered or frailer immune system as a healthy piggy can usually fend off the bacteria. But as you have seen a vet promptly within 24 hours of the first symptom, recovery chances should be good. It will just take a few more days to get her through the critical stage and keep her eating until medication is kicking in but it should hopefully get easier with every passing day.

See a vet asap if there is a sudden deterioration or no major improvement. Because of overuse of antibiotics, we have seen in recent years that response to antibiotics can vary.
 
Wiebke said:
AH! The clicking in the lungs would have been a big helpful pointer. But glad that you know what it is and that it is treatable. Continue with syringe feeding round the clock until the airways have cleared enough for her to regain her appetite and thirst again.

It takes about a day for the antibiotic to start kicking in and then gradually building up over several days until it reaches optimal effectiveness so you have to battle through this. I would recommend that you push for more feed during the day until you go to bed and then again in the morning so you do not have to get up, or get up only once for a check. Try to encourage her to eat something leafy green like a bit of herb or lettuce after a bit of feed to stimulate the appetite; then finish again with syringe feed as much as needed. it is a useful way to stimulate and judge her appetite as she hopefully gradually recovers over the coming days.

Also ask your vet whether steaming would help (it can make things worse on occasion, so it should not be used without thought just because it is widely recommended online as a supportive measure).
If you try on your own, please check first with a tester whether a bowl of steaming water next to where she sits in the cage does help to ease her breathing. If yes, you can continue with topping up bowls (if necessary with a couple of drops of olbas oil or some F10 antiseptic in the water) or do a half hour session on a dry towel in the steamed up shower.

URI or pneumonia is a classic in guinea pigs with a lowered or frailer immune system as a healthy piggy can usually fend off the bacteria. But as you have seen a vet promptly within 24 hours of the first symptom, recovery chances should be good. It will just take a few more days to get her through the critical stage and keep her eating until medication is kicking in but it should hopefully get easier with every passing day.

See a vet asap if there is a sudden deterioration or no major improvement. Because of overuse of antibiotics, we have seen in recent years that response to antibiotics can vary.
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Thankyou very much for all this information, we've never dealt with a uri before, I can't quite believe how quickly it has come out of the blue 😢 the vet seemed less concerned than I was thankfully. I'm very worried about her though the most I can currently get in a session is 3ml so there is no chance for a break overnight, plus it's actually considerably easier to feed overnight than with young kids buzzing around in the day! she's worth it though, and Thursday and Friday I willl have daddy's help! I am really wishing I'd called the emergency vet to be honest but I cannot time travel and through the night she didn't seem too bad (the clicking sound was so on and off and occasional that I actually thought she may just be clinking teeth in annoyance or something but it was a sound I've never heard before!) I've heard of piggies getting ill rapidly before but this is the first time I've seen it first hand, they sure know how to scare us these piggies don't they! Please hang in there my little diva 😢
Is this contagious? As in do I need to quarentine her or is she OK to stay with her friends? I forgot to ask the vet🤦‍♀️ I'm trying to keep her with her friends for now but I am also concerned they could catch it!
 
No you don’t need to quarantine her, if it was anything contagious they’ve already been around her and been exposed to it etc. Just keep a close eye on them too just in case xx
And bless you, must be sleepy madness at your house atm! Hope you’re ok! :hug: xx
 
alpacasqueak said:
No you don’t need to quarantine her, if it was anything contagious they’ve already been around her and been exposed to it etc. Just keep a close eye on them too just in case xx
And bless you, must be sleepy madness at your house atm! Hope you’re ok! :hug: xx
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Thankyou 💖 I'll be OK as long as fluffy is OK! :)
 
Emx93 said:
Thankyou very much for all this information, we've never dealt with a uri before, I can't quite believe how quickly it has come out of the blue 😢 the vet seemed less concerned than I was thankfully. I'm very worried about her though the most I can currently get in a session is 3ml so there is no chance for a break overnight, plus it's actually considerably easier to feed overnight than with young kids buzzing around in the day! she's worth it though, and Thursday and Friday I willl have daddy's help! I am really wishing I'd called the emergency vet to be honest but I cannot time travel and through the night she didn't seem too bad (the clicking sound was so on and off and occasional that I actually thought she may just be clinking teeth in annoyance or something but it was a sound I've never heard before!) I've heard of piggies getting ill rapidly before but this is the first time I've seen it first hand, they sure know how to scare us these piggies don't they! Please hang in there my little diva 😢
Is this contagious? As in do I need to quarentine her or is she OK to stay with her friends? I forgot to ask the vet🤦‍♀️ I'm trying to keep her with her friends for now but I am also concerned they could catch it!
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As stated above, URI is something that healthy companions can fend off on their own. There are a few - rare - nasties around that can be highly infectious and that can actually kill within a matter of hours even when rushed to the vets asap; but to be honest, in this case, infection will have most likely already happened so separation is moot unless one of the others is another fragile piggy with major health issues. In the vast majority, mates are not affected. Companionship does make a difference in recovery.

Clicking in the airways (especially the lungs) and not the mouth is typically more of a symptom of a lower rather than upper respiratory tract infection, which would also tarry with the rather quick total loss of appetite; both a sign of breathing being difficult.
Are her sides heaving noticeably or is that pretty normal? And could you hold your ear to the different parts of the respiratory tract to get an idea where the clicking is coming from as that is where the infection is sitting.
Having seen a vet yesterday evening instead of this morning would not have made a huge difference in the development of the illness, to be honest; although our advice may have differed - but she was definitely not critical when you asked yesterday evening. ;)
Piggies can unfortunately go down with terrifying speed. I've had that certainly happen to mine often enough; and in some cases irrespective of having been seen by my local vets as a life-or-death emergency within half an hour of me finding the piggy.

I sincerely hope that the antibiotic will start to kick in over the next 24 hours. You have to push through the first most difficult 48 hours unfortunately and it is always an uphill battle with a very ill piggy.

But I am glad that your partner can take over later in the week when she is hopefully starting to repond to treatment to help you catch up on some by then badly needed sleep and respite! :tu:

PS: What antibiotic and in which dosage have you been prescribed?
 
Thankyou she's booked back in the vets at 5 after two more phone calls since I last spoke with you, sadly I don't think she's going to make it, she's so weak she keeps trying to stand then collapsing on her side, she's twitching on and off 💔
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My beautiful crazy little diva and first ever pet crossed the rainbow bridge moments after I posted last, reunited with Princess 💔🌈 she passed seconds after I placed her with her friends, shes just been dropped off at the vets for cremation 💖 xx
 
Oh I’m so, so sorry :( You did everything you could for her, you have since you got her, definitely don’t feel guilty. Massive hugs xx
 
I’m so sorry she didn’t make it. But please don’t feel guilty ☹️ You did everything you could and unfortunately they’re good at hiding. Hugs.
 
I am so sorry. As everyone else has said you did all you could for her, please don't feel guilty.
 
Oh @Emx93 I am so sorry you’ve lost Fluffy, please don’t feel guilty you have filled her life with masses of care and love, sending hugs x
Sleep tight beautiful Fluffy 🌈 and be with your buddy Princess
 
Oh I’m so sorry you lost her. Please don’t feel guilty, you really did everything you could for her. X
 
I’m so sorry for your loss, I’ve recently been through this the last week. There’s some great support on this forum and like you I naturally felt guilty I hadn’t done enough. Take some time you did what you could and she knows that.
Sleep tight Fluffy xx
 
So sorry that Fluffy didn’t make it.
You couldn’t have done more for her.
You gave her a loving home and the best of care.
Be gentle with yourself as you grieve now
 
ive just seen this thread.I'm so sorry you lost your piggie,its so devastating for you.you did everything humanly possible.
 
I’m so sorry that she didn’t make it, you did absolutely everything you could and she knows she was loved xx
 
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