Respiratory infections?

[jadielin]

Hi everyone,

I took my sweet girl to the emergency vet yesterday as the randomly stopped eating, wouldn’t move, and would not go to the bathroom. The vet gave her a shot of vitamin C and said she may be deficient and that could be the cause of her symptoms. However, she said she heard a ‘crackle’ or wheeze when she listened to her chest, so she put her on Baytril for 10 days to fight any potential respiratory infections. She does not have any other of the symptoms of a respiratory infection. I also have another girl that lives with her (they are now in separate cages, 2 feet apart) but the vet won’t treat her as she has no symptoms. My question is, has one of you piggies gotten a respiratory infection and been in contact with another, and they did not get sick?

The vet had said sometimes their immune systems are good enough that they won’t get it, however last time one was sick I had to treat both!

 

[Piggies&buns]

Your vet is right, it is entirely possible for one to get an infection and the other to remain fine as their immune system fights if. This is why we do not recommended separating piggies. Separating them causes them stress which in turns lowers to immune system and can then put them more at risk of opportunistic infections. Poorly piggies always feel much better if they are kept with their friend. Separating them also means they run the risk of it affecting their bond and some piggies can refuse to go back together again after a medical separation. Please do reintroduce your piggies and put them back in the same cage - your other piggy has already been exposed to any bacteria so separating them now is futile.

Switch from the routine weekly weight checks is and instead your poorly piggy every day, particularly if she isn’t eating hay properly. This will enable you to adjust the amount of syringe feed you give her accordingly to maintain her weight while she is unwell. It can also be beneficial to give a probiotic to a piggy on antibiotics as this can help settle the tummy.

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