Nebulisers - Will Using One Help My Piggie?

[Qualcast&Flymo]

Hi, I'm looking for a bit of advice from folks more experienced than myself please.

My older boar, Zebedee, is nearly 6 years old we think, and rather prone to URIs. By way of background, we adopted him in September 2015, when he was approximately 4. The rescue said he had had an infection when he arrived there, but he was better by the time we got him; they believed he had not been particularly well looked after in his first home. He went down with a URI shortly after coming to us, nearly 3 months of Baytril and Septrin didn't cure it, it was only after an exotics vet (Marie Kubiac) recommended Zithromax to our usual vet that he got better. Since then he has 3 more URIs, and just today I have had to take him to the vet with another. It's been suggested that due to the poor care in his early life, there is scarring in his lungs, and this is why he is prone to infections, poor boy I just wish I could stop him getting them.

One of the vets I see has recommended getting a nebuliser for him, and using it with F10 at the first sign of a possible infection - partly so he doesn't have to endure the torture of twice daily syringes of antibiotic etc, and partly to avoid the possibility of him developing resistance to Zithromax.

My first question is, would a nebuliser work for him in this way, ie would it nip infections in the bud, so he wouldn't get to the stage of needing antibiotics? Does anyone have experience of using one like this?

Secondly, if a nebuliser is a good idea, can anyone recommend any particular one? I guess one designed for humans will have to be adapted in some way, I can't imagine there are any designed for pets ...

Any advice would be appreciated - sorry for all the waffle!

 

[Kim Barkas]

I know nothing about guinea pig nebulisers, just human ones, so the rest of the post is based on that! Depends what the nebuliser was I guess (in humans its steroids or bronchodilators) and though these might help when there is an infection they are unlikely to prevent an infection. If they are giving an antibiotic by nebuliser, again that's unlikely to prevent anything but might make it easier for the medication to get to where it needs to go. And as you say, you could treat at the first sign of something and the quicker you can treat the better.

Hope you get some useful information and your little man stops getting the infections

 

[Kim Barkas]

As for adapting ones if you are recommended just to get a human one, you might need a neonatal (teeny tiny) mask. The nebuliser makes the drug into tiny particles and disperses it in the air, so if the mask is ill fitting you are just wasting medication. The other thing is they are bloody noisy and can make you feel dehydrated.

 

[rome_italy]

there was another post some days ago of an user who had a brilliant idea for a handmade nebuliser, using a cat carriage covered with cellophan for making a special nebulised room; I don't remember the name of this user, do some research among the thread of the last week. The piggie was comfortable inside the "carriage" breathing that wet air, the nebuliser worked from the outside.

 

[DM030819]

@Qualcast&Flymo It was me!

My boy was very similar. He'd had a few URI's early on in life which resulted in scarring. As he got old he was prone to snuffling and noisy breathing. My vet eventually suggested a nebuliser and F10 as it was rare for him to ever get to URI stage, he was just really snuffly, on and off.

Here's a photo of my cobbled together set up, which worked surprisingly well.

I had no idea what I was doing so bought the nebuliser from the same place that sells the F10, Meadows Animal Healthcare. They were only 15 mins drive from my work. It was pretty expensive, you can find them much cheaper elsewhere.

I've chatted to a few pig owners online that have used antibiotics in them too, and they believe it's more effective than oral antibiotics.

I never had to try antibiotics in it though, the F10 (antibacterial solution) was enough to keep his breathing okay.

Any questions don't hesitate to ask.

 

[Qualcast&Flymo]

Hi @Jaycey, thanks for that information. I remember now seeing something you had posted on another thread about your nebuliser setup.

Do you think that a nebuliser would stop the first symptoms (sneezing, snuffles etc) developing into a full URI? It does seem that in Zeb's case, he has some occasional sneezing or snuffles for a couple of days before the constant snorty breathing etc starts. If he had the nebuliser and F10 at that point, perhaps it would be enough for him to get over it without medication. I'll have a look online and see if I can get one like yours, and find a storage box or similar to use with it.

The vet I saw yesterday prescribed Baytril (they were out of Zithromax), I hope it works this time and quickly as he's obviously not comfortable. She also gave us some Critical Care, which I've not had before, and I need to find a way of getting it into him - he didn't seem that keen on it earlier

 

[DM030819]

@Qualcast&Flymo My boy never had to have any antibiotics after we started using the nebuilser. He did continue to have snuffly breathing but a round or two in the nebuliser always sorted it out again.

Is it the Oxbow Critical Care stuff? If so, that's only really needed if he's not eating or losing weight.

It's worth giving probiotics about 1.5 -2 hours after the Baytril as it can sometimes put pigs off eating.

 

[Qualcast&Flymo]

@Jaycey that's good to know. I hope a nebuliser will similarly help Zebedee.

It is the Oxbow CC. He is losing weight (as he usually does with a URI), about 100g since about a week ago, so CC probably is a good idea. I gave him a 1ml syringe of water with Pro-C at lunchtime today, and will carry on doing that whether or not he takes the Critical Care. I'm now weighing him in the mornings before his medicine, and if he doesn't stabilise maybe the Baytril isn't working and I'll have to insist he has the CC.