Questions about treating a URI

[popcornpiggles]

So I've recently got a new boar as a friend for my bereaved piggy, and taken him to the vet for URI symptoms: wheezing and very raspy breathing, also crusty eyes which he had before the breathing problems but I didn't think anything of it at first. The vet has given a 7 day course of 0.7ml Septrin. And, of course, I have a bunch of questions I forgot to ask the vet at the time

1. Will Septrin treat any respiratory infection? The reason I ask is, Mallow (new pig) was housed with a rabbit before I got him, so obviously I am quite concerned about bortadella.

2. Would it be advisable to seperate him from his friend? I really would rather not as they have only just bonded but of course if it is essential then I will.

3. Does 7 days seem like a short course of antibiotics? His breathing got very raspy very quickly and I'm worried 7 days won't be enough.

4. Is there anything else I can do to help his congestion in the meantime? Just so sad to hear him wheezing like this

4. Finally, drooling- the vet said his teeth are fine, a little long at the front and the molars slightly angled but he assured me that they weren't to a point they would be causing problems, so I'm wondering if the URI could be causing that too?

Sorry for so many questions! I just recently lost a pig so having a sick piggy is causing a lot of anxiety

 

[Wiebke]

Hi

Septrin/bactrim can be used for treating respiratory infections although it is not the most commonly used for them. it is however that bit kinder on the gut than the more commonly prescribed ones. Crusty eyes before the respiratory symptoms seems to rather point towards a not properly treated/fully healed out upper respiratory infection that got started up again. Yellow/green/orange mucus gunk in the eyes is a generally sign for a well developed infection in the nasal cavities.

Please assess after 5 days whether your boy still has audible breathing or not to see the vet again for another check-up if needed. See them promptly if there is a ntoiceable deterioration during the week. If there is a blocked nose and plenty of mucus, then mucus-thinning bisolvon powder from your vets may help to clear it. Respiratory illnesses are always very audible in guinea pigs since they are not much in the way of mouth breathers.

You can try and see whether a bowl of steaming water right next to the cage can help to alleviate symptoms. If it does, nebulising may help. I would not recommend to do this fully on spec since nebulising can make symptoms worse rather than better in some cases. Hence the bowl test first.

The drooling is a bit of a mystery since it is not appearing in connection with respiratory illnesses. It is generally pointing either towards a swallowing problem (teeth or oral thrush) or a blockage of some sort somewhere in the digestive tract.

Please switch from the once weekly weigh-in to weighing daily first thing in the morning for best day to day comparison. The need to breathe comes before the need to drink and only thirdly the need to eat. As long as your piggy's weight is stable it means that the need to breathe is not suppressing the appetite and that the antibiotic is also well tolerated and that the problem is not in the desperately serious range; this also goes for the salivation.

Which variety of septrin have you been given? Adult or banana-flavoured pediatric one (which is half-strength)?

PS: I would have expected bordetella to have made an appearance before the adoption if there had been an issue. Direct transmission is actually very rare; we haven't seen any cases on here for ages.
E cuniculi would be more of a concern; this would require treatment with panacur. It can manifest as a respiratory infection that is moving on into the head/brain (balance/neurological symptoms) in terms of symptoms and development. Personally, I would keep that rather at the back of the mind but contact the vet if things are not getting better or are not properly healed out, or you notice the symptoms mentioned.

PS2: It is also perfectly normal to be much more jittery in the wake of a loss. Time and positive experiences will settle that.

All the best.

 

[popcornpiggles]

Thank you so much for your response ❤

It is the banana flavoured one - should I be concerned that it is only half strength?

I took him in to the emergency vet as I was concerned about gut stasis and she gave him fluids. She also said it was pneumonia, whereas the vet I saw earlier said respiratory infection?

The vet offered to have him admitted that way he can also get oxygen treatment but I decided it would be less stressful for him to take him home. I'm now concerned that I've made the wrong choice as his breathing seems to be more rapid. I just don't know if I can afford to admit him