Possible Uri? Guinea Pig Is On Heavy Meds.

[Nikiguineapig]

Hi, So my 7 month old guinea pig has been with me for about a month now. The day we got him he started to sneeze but no other symptoms. He still sneezes (Mainly when I am holding him) and makes a popping noise when he breathes (vet says its not fluid in lungs.). He is acting completely fine and has no discharge from his nose. He eats and poops a lot. He is very active and has been sneezing for a month now but is acting just like a regular guinea pig should.
We took him to the vet and she said URI. and she gave us two medications, Doxycycline and Baytril. She didn't give us any pro bionics and said he will not have any side affects. I looked it up and Baytril is bad for their gut and shouldn't be given to Guinea Pigs that are still growing (he will only be on it for two weeks.)
Is this too much for a 7 month old guinea pig with no symptoms? Is one of them better then the other? Does he even have a URI? Or could it be allergies? I just don't want this medication to make him worse as he is acting completely fine.
We have lost two guinea pigs before we got him and I don't know if I can handle loosing felix.
Thank you,
Niki

 

[Guinea pig slave]

Doxycycline and Baytril can be prescribed together and I always give a probiotic 2 hours after due to bad experiences previously
Have you eliminated anything that may be causing the sneezing i.e. bedding/hay ?
I would contact your vet again if you are concerned - is it a practise you are completely happy with or maybe you'd like a second opinion.

 

[Nikiguineapig]

Doxycycline and Baytril can be prescribed together and I always give a probiotic 2 hours after due to bad experiences previously
Have you eliminated anything that may be causing the sneezing i.e. bedding/hay ?
I would contact your vet again if you are concerned - is it a practise you are completely happy with or maybe you'd like a second opinion.

Thanks so much for your Reply!
I checked and there are no probiotics at my local pet store. We might just try him on Doxycycline for now as that is less harsh on him and he is still acting well. Its been a day and there has been no sign of improvements as of yet.
We were using care fresh bedding but about 2 weeks ago went to newspaper, and there is no change. We use timothy Hay and he enjoys eating it.
Our vet is the only one in the area and she seemed slightly unsure of what he had because he is showing no symptoms, if starts to have symptoms or continues sneezing we will call the vet and then try Baytril.
Thanks again,
Niki

 

[Freela]

Since a URI in guinea pigs can become serious and even fatal pretty quickly, I would definitely err on the side of giving the meds. Some pigs seem to do pretty well with Baytril but others have digestive upset with it. If you can't find probiotics where you are (I know I can't find any that are aimed at guinea pigs and noted to be safe here) and if you have more than one pig, you can try 'poop soup' where you dissolve the poop of a healthy guinea pig in water and then feed it via syringe. It sounds disgusting, but guinea pigs naturally eat their own feces and it does help to replenish the gut flora with healthy bacteria from the pig not on antibiotics. However, it's possible that he will do fine with the antibiotics (out of my pigs, one had stomach issues on Baytril, two were completely fine.) Hope he feels better!

 

[Keiko The Pig]

Try fleece bedding to keep him warm and comfy and make sure he's not in any cold drafts of air as this can be detrimental to his recovery. Also avoid things like strong perfume or other sources of strong scents as piggies have sensitive noses. Sounds like you're doing all you can and being a great piggy slave without a probiotic really make sure you monitor his food/hay intake. I've noticed with my boys whenever their poos get a bit watery (probably my fault, they just love lettuce and I can't say no!) brown cardboard goes over really well and gets them right back to normal

 

[VickiA]

Thanks so much for your Reply!
I checked and there are no probiotics at my local pet store. We might just try him on Doxycycline for now as that is less harsh on him and he is still acting well. Its been a day and there has been no sign of improvements as of yet.
We were using care fresh bedding but about 2 weeks ago went to newspaper, and there is no change. We use timothy Hay and he enjoys eating it.
Our vet is the only one in the area and she seemed slightly unsure of what he had because he is showing no symptoms, if starts to have symptoms or continues sneezing we will call the vet and then try Baytril.
Thanks again,
Niki

If your qualified vet has prescribed 2 meds together I would be wary of stopping one without speaking to her first. Remember resistance to antibiotics is in animals as well as humans. You should really complete the course unless you are not happy and in that case seek a second opinion from a different vet. You can order probiotics online or P@H always stock ProC which is fine.