respiratory infection

[joanne marie]

Hi I'm so worried about my guinea pig, yesterday literally out of nowhere she stopped eating and making a clicking noise in chest and also breathing really fast she been at the vets all day today an they have give her painkillers and antibiotics for resppiratory infection ive just got her home and she still hasnt ate and breathing really fast

 

[Piggies&buns]

What meds has she been given?
Are you continuing the course of meds at home yourself?
Were the vets syringe feeding her today?
Have you stepped in with syringe feeding?
Switch from weekly weight checks to daily weighing so you can monitor how much food she is getting. If she isn’t eating any hay then you need to aim for at least 60ml of syringe feed in a 24 hour period (although as I said, her daily weight checks are your guide as to whether she is eating enough).

Not Eating, Weight Loss And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

 

[PigglePuggle]

As @Piggies&buns says its important to step in with the syringe feeding if she isnt eating, if she has been at the vets all day I would hope they've monitored her breathing carefully and think her condition is stable.
Possibly she just needs some time to calm down from the stress of going to the vet today, and then it will take a few days for the antibiotics to start to work. Hope she is ok x

 

[joanne marie]

Hi she is on antibiotics and also anti inflammatory the vet gice her these for the first 2 day and i give her them this morning, good thing is that she is eating a little bit more although not much, her chest sounds terrible its braking my heart, this is day 3 o medication

 

[Piggies&buns]

Hi she is on antibiotics and also anti inflammatory the vet gice her these for the first 2 day and i give her them this morning, good thing is that she is eating a little bit more although not much, her chest sounds terrible its braking my heart, this is day 3 o medication

Hopefully the needs will kick in soon and she will feel better.

Its very important you syringe feed her though while she isn’t eating enough hay for herself (veg and pellets are simply snacks so eating those doesn’t really count). Weigh her every day so you can be sure she is getting enough hay and her weight is stable (any weight loss and you need to increase the syringe feeds.

Antibiotics can sometimes make them feel a bit off and reduce appetite, so giving a probiotic (not at the same time as an antibiotic dose, you need to leave it an hour after an antibiotic dose) can help settle an upset tummy due to antibiotics

 

[Free Ranger]

If the antibiotics are going to work you should start to see some improvement now. These things can take between 24 and 72 hours to kick in. If you do not see any improvement by tomorrow morning (assuming you are in the UK) you should get back to the vet asap and let them know. What painkillers did you get? These won't 'cure' her but are to make her more comfortable. Keep going with syringe feeding either recovery food or soaked and mushed pellets... if she stops eating and pooping it's really serious. Be gentle with the syringe and only do a very little at a time (like 0.3 ml even)so she doesn't get frightened and either fight it or choke, which will make the URI worse. If she is eating a little bit more she wants to get better - it's up to us humans to help her do it!

 

[joanne marie]

If the antibiotics are going to work you should start to see some improvement now. These things can take between 24 and 72 hours to kick in. If you do not see any improvement by tomorrow morning (assuming you are in the UK) you should get back to the vet asap and let them know. What painkillers did you get? These won't 'cure' her but are to make her more comfortable. Keep going with syringe feeding either recovery food or soaked and mushed pellets... if she stops eating and pooping it's really serious. Be gentle with the syringe and only do a very little at a time (like 0.3 ml even)so she doesn't get frightened and either fight it or choke, which will make the URI worse. If she is eating a little bit more she wants to get better - it's up to us humans to help her do it!

I'm trying my best. she is eating bits of hay throughout the day just not a lot, does this still require syringe feeding? also today she actually ate a whole leaf of spinach. its the noise from her chest i am concerned about

 

[joanne marie]

I'm trying my best. she is eating bits of hay throughout the day just not a lot, does this still require syringe feeding? also today she actually ate a whole leaf of spinach. its the noise from her chest i am concerned about

the inprovement i have seen is that she isnt breathing as rapidly

 

[Free Ranger]

If she's losing weight...
If she's not eating properly...
If she's pooping less/smaller/dryer poops...
Then she's not getting enough in the top end (and the pooping runs a bit behind - maybe a day or two)
I would still be trying to supplement with the syringe although if she's eating some things I personally wouldn't be getting up in the night to do it but it would definitely be something I did in the day time. The worst that can happen is that she'll be too full to eat anything on her own but that's not usually a problem people talk about! She needs nutrition and energy to fight off her disease. It gives her the best chance. She might not feel like it and it might be a bit of a battle but there are ways to make things easier like wrapping in a towel (the piggy burrito) and 'piggy whispering' to show you are trying to help but with love
Understanding Prey Animal Instincts, Guinea Pig Whispering And Cuddling Tips
You won't have to do it for ever but just to tide her over until her meds start to take effect and she can eat for herself.

 

[Piggies&buns]

I'm trying my best. she is eating bits of hay throughout the day just not a lot, does this still require syringe feeding? also today she actually ate a whole leaf of spinach. its the noise from her chest i am concerned about

If she isn’t eating enough hay as normal and not enough to maintain weight then yes it’s essential she has syringe feeds. Syringe feeding directly replaces the hay she is not eating for herself. Without hay/fibre their guts don’t function. Eating the odd bit of veg doesnt count. Veg only makes 15% of their daily food intake (when they are eating normally), hay makes 80% so without eating enough hay (or having hay replaced by fibre rich syringe feeds), then any reduction in hay intake is a problem given it is their main food source.

 

[joanne marie]

If the antibiotics are going to work you should start to see some improvement now. These things can take between 24 and 72 hours to kick in. If you do not see any improvement by tomorrow morning (assuming you are in the UK) you should get back to the vet asap and let them know. What painkillers did you get? These won't 'cure' her but are to make her more comfortable. Keep going with syringe feeding either recovery food or soaked and mushed pellets... if she stops eating and pooping it's really serious. Be gentle with the syringe and only do a very little at a time (like 0.3 ml even)so she doesn't get frightened and either fight it or choke, which will make the URI worse. If she is eating a little bit more she wants to get better - it's up to us humans to help her do it!

also its a respiratory

If she's losing weight...
If she's not eating properly...
If she's pooping less/smaller/dryer poops...
Then she's not getting enough in the top end (and the pooping runs a bit behind - maybe a day or two)
I would still be trying to supplement with the syringe although if she's eating some things I personally wouldn't be getting up in the night to do it but it would definitely be something I did in the day time. The worst that can happen is that she'll be too full to eat anything on her own but that's not usually a problem people talk about! She needs nutrition and energy to fight off her disease. It gives her the best chance. She might not feel like it and it might be a bit of a battle but there are ways to make things easier like wrapping in a towel (the piggy burrito) and 'piggy whispering' to show you are trying to help but with love
Understanding Prey Animal Instincts, Guinea Pig Whispering And Cuddling Tips
You won't have to do it for ever but just to tide her over until her meds start to take effect and she can eat for herself.

thank you that is really helpful i mashed up her feed and am using this in a syringe x

 

[Free Ranger]

That's brilliant. Sometimes they really take to it. Last time I was sitting on the floor syringing a poorly pig her chunky cage mate kept hovering around and licking up any dollops that were spilt! I used to boil the kettle and make tea (they run on fibre - I run on tea) and then put a bit onto a little bowl until the water had cooled down. When cool I added the pellets. A few minutes soaking and I could mush them up enough to go through the syringe. For my last girl I was doing this for a long time so we got in the proper stuff (from my vets) because I think there's more fibre in it but I'm talking weeks here and hopefully your beauty will be back to normal very soon

PS: Sorry, when I put URI I meant Upper Respiratory Infection. I have to abbreviate as my spelling is shocking!

 

[joanne marie]

thank you i have just noticed something her poops look very strange small and wet and some sort of clear poop sacks i dont know how best to explain i have attached pics

 

[Piggies&buns]

It’s suggestive of reduced hay intake (hence the need to syringe feed enough to replace what she isnt eating for herself). Daily weight checks are the way to know if she is getting enough hay/fibre.
As explained in my previous reply, antibiotics can cause a digestive upset - soft poops. Removing veg from the diet until it settles (then reintroducing slowly when she feels better) and giving a probiotic (an hour after a dose of antibiotics) can help settle an upset tummy.

 

[joanne marie]

It’s suggestive of reduced hay intake (hence the need to syringe feed enough to replace what she isnt eating for herself). Daily weight checks are the way to know if she is getting enough hay/fibre.
As explained in my previous reply, antibiotics can cause a digestive upset - soft poops. Removing veg from the diet until it settles (then reintroducing slowly when she feels better) and giving a probiotic (an hour after a dose of antibiotics) can help settle an upset tummy.

thanks will try and get some more syringe food down her now

 

[Piggies&buns]

It’s her daily weight checks which need to be your guide as to how much syringe feed to give in a 24 hour period.

 

[joanne marie]

It’s her daily weight checks which need to be your guide as to how much syringe feed to give in a 24 hour period.

thank you, just give her antibiotics, painkiller and syringe feed she wasnt inpressed lol if only they could understand that just trying to help lol x her chest sounds much better I'm so relieved

 

[Piggies&buns]

It feels so hard when they’re fighting and you just want to help them.
I’m glad she is starting to sound better.

 

[Bill & Ted]

Do keep up with the syringe feeding, every couple of hours if at all possible, you could give her a feed around 11.00 pm and then 6.00 am the following morning as its important to get some sleep x

 

[Free Ranger]

Oh what a relief she's sounding better. Keep up the good work! Come on little girl, you can do it

 

[joanne marie]

does anyone knownis it normal for her to still have a crackly chest this is day 5 of antibiotics x

 

[Piggies&buns]

does anyone knownis it normal for her to still have a crackly chest this is day 5 of antibiotics x

How long is the course?
It can sometimes take a couple of courses and/or a course of a different antibiotic to clear a URI. Its just going to be depend on case by case basis. If she isn’t better a couple of days before the course ends then take her back to the vet so they can listen again and prescribe more if appropriate

 

[joanne marie]

How long is the course?
It can sometimes take a couple of courses and/or a course of a different antibiotic to clear a URI. Its just going to be depend on case by case basis. If she isn’t better a couple of days before the course ends then take her back to the vet so they can listen again and prescribe more if appropriate

thank you, also i dont know how relevant this is but she has very dry flaky skin on her ears and a little bald patch seems to be developingon her back under the fur, i have been the vet a few times about this but they just prescribed mite ointment

 

[Free Ranger]

My pig had antibiotics once for a urinary infection for nearly 3 weeks, then 2 weeks later it came back and she had another 3 weeks... and the vet said it just happens sometimes! Like @Piggies&buns said it can sometimes need more/a different dose/a different antibiotic to finish the disease off.

There's mites, there's lice (but you can usually see them, like nits on kids) and there's fungal infection. All can cause itching and shedding and bald patches in different place, all are contagious between piggies (and 'ringworm' fungus can also be transmitted to and from people) and all need a proper diagnosis and treatment from the vet. There's probably other things too but these are most common. Sometimes things can hang around unnoticed at low levels until the immune system is struggling with something else and then they take advantage. All piggies should be treated for whatever at the same time as the cage-mates probably have mites too and can pass them back after treatment!
Ivermectin 'spot-on' solution (one brand is Xeno) is commonly prescribed for mites and lice. It's dobbed onto bald patches of skin like behind the ears and then left to soak in. The treatment needs to be repeated after 2 weeks (and ideally again after another 2 weeks) because it kills the live critters but not the eggs so you have to wait for the eggs to hatch to kill them, hence repeat treatments. Dose depends on piggies bodyweight which is why it needs a vet to do the proper maths and give the right solution. Off-the-shelf pet shop stuff is usually not effective enough and the low levels of medication can encourage resistance to develop. Mites can't be seen with the naked eye (not my eye anyway!) but if after applying the meds to an itchy pig it triggers a storm of scratching and discomfort for a few hours they probably were carrying quite a few. The mites 'spasm' as they die off which causes this scratching, but it should calm down by the evening and hopefully not be so bad on the repeat doses. Sometimes the pigs have no problems with the meds at all and don't even notice. If you don't do the repeats they come back though.
Fungal infection needs quite different stuff. Check out the ringworm guide on here if you suspect fungus.

 

[joanne marie]

thank you she has a vets app this afternoon so i think i will mention i think it could be a possiblt fungal infection