Not Very Active - Diagnosed With Infection.

[Chancey]

Hi there,

My three little piggies that I brought home last Monday haven't been doing too great (we think they may have had this before we got them as they were showing symptoms then as well - milder though). They've all been sneezing and coughing quite a lot, as well as scratching - the sneezing count has been around 12+ today and one of them, Poppy, does seem to make quite a lot of noises while eating, raspy sounds that are different to their usual talking.

We took them to the vet yesterday and he did a basic checkup, though he didn't seem to check as much as I would have thought - but he did focus on the symptoms points that we informed him about, and said their temperatures were raised and said they likely had an infection - though didn't give us much more on that. So we left with a spot on treatment to battle any possible mites we couldn't see, and Baytril 2.5 - 0.16ml twice a day per guinea pig.

My worry is really their behaviour, as the first couple of days they did show a lot more activeness, and would speed around the cage but over the last two days specifically, they've been very lethargic and seem to be sleeping most of the time and only up for periods of 20-30 minutes at most to eat before sleeping again. We've brought them out for floor time and it would be the same, they explored / ate for a short period of time and then went to sleep.

I'm wondering if this could be amplified by the antiobiotics? I've tried to do a little more research in to Baytril but I'm no expert and was wondering whether this is a common effect as most I've read is possible loss of appetite / loose stool?

I also have them on Pets at Home Timothy Hay and had my own worry if it is possible that could be agitating them in terms of the sneezing and scratching?

 

[Adelle]

Hi there,

My three little piggies that I brought home last Monday haven't been doing too great (we think they may have had this before we got them as they were showing symptoms then as well - milder though). They've all been sneezing and coughing quite a lot, as well as scratching - the sneezing count has been around 12+ today and one of them, Poppy, does seem to make quite a lot of noises while eating, raspy sounds that are different to their usual talking.

We took them to the vet yesterday and he did a basic checkup, though he didn't seem to check as much as I would have thought - but he did focus on the symptoms points that we informed him about, and said their temperatures were raised and said they likely had an infection - though didn't give us much more on that. So we left with a spot on treatment to battle any possible mites we couldn't see, and Baytril 2.5 - 0.16ml twice a day per guinea pig.

My worry is really their behaviour, as the first couple of days they did show a lot more activeness, and would speed around the cage but over the last two days specifically, they've been very lethargic and seem to be sleeping most of the time and only up for periods of 20-30 minutes at most to eat before sleeping again. We've brought them out for floor time and it would be the same, they explored / ate for a short period of time and then went to sleep.

I'm wondering if this could be amplified by the antiobiotics? I've tried to do a little more research in to Baytril but I'm no expert and was wondering whether this is a common effect as most I've read is possible loss of appetite / loose stool?

I also have them on Pets at Home Timothy Hay and had my own worry if it is possible that could be agitating them in terms of the sneezing and scratching?

Hi, I'm sorry your thread has gone unanswered for so long.

I'd try them on some probiotics , given 1-2 hours after each antibiotic dose to help keep the guts ticking over nicely. Baytril is harsh on the guts. Examples include pro-c from pets at home , avipro plus from online or fibreplex from the vets.

Weigh them daily to make sure they are eating enough and if you are concerned at all with their lack of progress or breathing then take them back to the vet. If you aren't happy with your current vet you could check the recommended vet locator in the forum for a second opinion.

All the best x

 

[Chancey]

Hi, I'm sorry your thread has gone unanswered for so long.

I'd try them on some probiotics , given 1-2 hours after each antibiotic dose to help keep the guts ticking over nicely. Baytril is harsh on the guts. Examples include pro-c from pets at home , avipro plus from online or fibreplex from the vets.

Weigh them daily to make sure they are eating enough and if you are concerned at all with their lack of progress or breathing then take them back to the vet. If you aren't happy with your current vet you could check the recommended vet locator in the forum for a second opinion.

All the best x

Thank you so much! Sorry for such a late response as well - things have been super hectic recently! I've been using Pro C, so I'm hoping that did help them. They've perked up a lot near the end of the medication and we took them back to the vets once their medication was finished - their temperatures were fine and seem perfectly healthy now! Thank you again for your response!