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3 month old guinea pig had bloat and now developed a URI confined to nose?

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Mockingjay13

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Hello everyone,

Have had to take my young guinea pig to the vet last Friday with suspected early bloat, was given emeprid and meloxicam initially and told to give recovery food as well. Have been doing this diligently and by Sunday her motility was pretty normal as was her appetite and energy, she has two other piggie friends. She has continued to improve and recover and regain her energy, she’s popcorned etc during floor time. She also has maintained and put on weight this week in line with her being in her growing stage. However, this morning she was very quiet very lethargic and is doing what I can only describe as a hiccup type body movement but with no sound. I rushed her to my vet for opening and was seen promptly by the vet who treated her last Friday. She examined her, palpated her and took a temperature which was normal. She also reported normal gut sounds. She was perplexed by the movement, which she did whilst there which was useful, the vet took her away to consult with a vet who is more knowledgeable and they determined that she was ‘sneezing’ as she seemed to have clear discharge coming from her nose. So I am now at home with her and have given Baytril, she has a five day course and will continue to support feed her and give a probiotic. She’s sat on my lap now and looks very tired and is still doing this hiccup type movement and I’m so worried that I’m going to lose her to something undetermined. Any reassurance or experience with something similar or advice would be most appreciated. Thank you.
 
I'm sorry, that's sounds worrying. Unfortunately, I have no experience. Except I suppose it's to be expected that your little piggie girl would be even more exhausted after a vet visit, so that may hopefully ease up soon.
Sending good wishes to your little girl and you.
 
Piggies can get hiccups but I have never seen it described as sneezing.
Is it happen every now and then or is it rhythmically and regular?
Was the vet sure she isn’t diaphragmatic breathing? That would be of concern
 
Piggies&buns said:
Piggies can get hiccups but I have never seen it described as sneezing.
Is it happen every now and then or is it rhythmically and regular?
Was the vet sure she isn’t diaphragmatic breathing? That would be of concern
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Thank you for your reply. Just every now and then and for maybe 15 to 20 seconds, it’s happened on four occasions since 8:30 this morning.
 
Have just received a phone call from my vet who is an exotics vet and she has said she’s comfortable on pain medication at the moment but for her own curiosity she took and x-ray to discover that she has 3 bladder stones. One of which she believes will pass and she said the others whilst there and causing pain are not an immediate issue. She believes quite possibly that the ‘seizures’ could in fact be related to the pain from the bladder stones. And hopefully if she stabilises overnight it will give them a better view moving forward as to what to do in the next 24 hours. I’m am quite frankly shocked as she is 3 months old and I have kept guinea pigs for over 20 years and have never had such a young guinea pig suffer with stones. Is this a genetic issue/breeding and if so moving forward what more could I possible do that I don’t already? Thank you.
 
I’m so sorry to hear that.
In a young piggy it is most likely to be a genetic issue unfortunately
 
Mockingjay13 said:
Have just received a phone call from my vet who is an exotics vet and she has said she’s comfortable on pain medication at the moment but for her own curiosity she took and x-ray to discover that she has 3 bladder stones. One of which she believes will pass and she said the others whilst there and causing pain are not an immediate issue. She believes quite possibly that the ‘seizures’ could in fact be related to the pain from the bladder stones. And hopefully if she stabilises overnight it will give them a better view moving forward as to what to do in the next 24 hours. I’m am quite frankly shocked as she is 3 months old and I have kept guinea pigs for over 20 years and have never had such a young guinea pig suffer with stones. Is this a genetic issue/breeding and if so moving forward what more could I possible do that I don’t already? Thank you.
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Stones at that young age is exceptional and definitely not your fault if you haven't had any stones with your other piggies in all that time.

It is most likely a genetic problem with the complex calcium absorption process in your baby at such a young age. Unfortunately, there is still so very little we can currently do apart from dietary measures; but they usually don't necessarily work for piggies whose metabolising has gone haywire as they are comparatively crude and take weeks to filter through. :(
 
She has been put to sleep. It was believed some sort of neurological/genetic issue was running out of control and my vet said Rowen had a very guarded prognosis unfortunately and quite probably would have had long term quality of life issues, I did not want that for her so she is now at peace. I am heartbroken at losing such a wonderful little vivacious character, she will be sadly missed but always remembered. Thank you everyone for your warm words during this difficult time.
 
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