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Potential URI?

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berryandpetal

New Born Pup
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My 3 yo make guinea pig started making strange sounds when trying to squeak last Saturday, sort of like a straining sound and his squeaks came out hoarse. Also he was sleeping a lot. Other than that he showed no signs of illness but I took him to the vet on Monday to check what was going on. Vet told me his lungs are clear but there is a slight ‘cracking’ sound in his throat area. He prescribed metacam for 3 days and said if he has lots of discharge or if he stops eating and drinking to get him antibiotics. So far been the second day of metacam and he seems more himself but I noticed white/grey crust around his nostrils, and now I’m wondering could this whole thing be a respiratory infection and do I need antibiotics? Any advice would be very helpful as the vet we spoke to said he was new and had little experience or knowledge on guinea pigs so I’m a little confused and concerned.
 
First, switch from the routine weekly weight checks and instead weigh him daily. This enables you to monitor hay intake more closely. An unwell piggy or a piggy struggling to breathe will reduce the amount of hay they eat and given hay intake can’t be judged by eye, the weight checks are your only way to know is you need to step in with syringe feeding.

It’s always possible that if something was starting it was too early to be heard/ diagnosed.
So if you are seeing new/an increase in any symptoms then or would be wise to speak to the vet (or a different vet) again.

Weight - Monitoring and Management
 
berryandpetal said:
My 3 yo make guinea pig started making strange sounds when trying to squeak last Saturday, sort of like a straining sound and his squeaks came out hoarse. Also he was sleeping a lot. Other than that he showed no signs of illness but I took him to the vet on Monday to check what was going on. Vet told me his lungs are clear but there is a slight ‘cracking’ sound in his throat area. He prescribed metacam for 3 days and said if he has lots of discharge or if he stops eating and drinking to get him antibiotics. So far been the second day of metacam and he seems more himself but I noticed white/grey crust around his nostrils, and now I’m wondering could this whole thing be a respiratory infection and do I need antibiotics? Any advice would be very helpful as the vet we spoke to said he was new and had little experience or knowledge on guinea pigs so I’m a little confused and concerned.
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Just an update, he’s had his course of metacam and seems very happy, eating drinking and playing like normal but he is still making this strange croaking sound when squeaking and when eating and I really don’t know what it could be. He did also feel quite hot when I checked him today but he has no discharge or anything like that. Is there anything I can do and do I need further medication? Thank you
 
Please do go back to the vet if you are concerned about him.
Metacam is an anti inflammatory so will help with discomfort but won’t do anything if there is any bacteria present.
 
Piggies&buns said:
Please do go back to the vet if you are concerned about him.
Metacam is an anti inflammatory so will help with discomfort but won’t do anything if there is any bacteria present.
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Thank you. Do you know what it could be? I just don’t want to get antibiotics if it isn’t actually a bacterial infection.
 
berryandpetal said:
Thank you. Do you know what it could be? I just don’t want to get antibiotics if it isn’t actually a bacterial infection.
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I’m afraid we can’t guess. A vet needs to assess what might be going on.
It could simply be irritation, hay dust caught in the airway etc. A bowl of steaming water next to the cage can sometimes help alleviate this kind of issue. However as a respiratory issue can quickly turn, you would be wise just to be sure
 
Piggies&buns said:
I’m afraid we can’t guess. A vet needs to assess what might be going on.
It could simply be irritation, hay dust caught in the airway etc. A bowl of steaming water next to the cage can sometimes help alleviate this kind of issue. However as a respiratory issue can quickly turn, you would be wise just to be sure
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Okay thank you so much. I will consult with a vet again.
 
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