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8 year old guinea pig with a URI

rosequartz

rosequartz

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Hi there. I have an 8 year old guinea pig named Finn. He turned 8 in January of this year.

He has quality of life and is extremely loved. His cage-mates died out over the years younger than he did, and he is the last remaining. He has since received even more love, and is probably the most trusting and affectionate guinea pig I've ever known.

Anyway cut to the point: He has a 10:30 AM appointment today, so he will be given medical attention. This is not for replacement for medical advice.

Finn developed hookworms about a month ago which has since been treated and upon a fecal examination recently at the vet, he no longer has hookworms. <3 A few days later, (this morning) I noticed that his breathing comes along with a crackling, rattling noise, and he sneezed a couple of times. I suspect he has an Upper Respiratory Infection.

He has arthritis additionally and takes Meloxicam a few times a week (on days when his pain seems enough that it's affecting him as we want to be careful to moderate usage, as the vet recommends if possible.)

He has been on Reglan (Metoclopramide) daily for about 4 weeks after the hookworms caused some loose-ish poos and a lot less of them. He is now pooping entirely normally. I will speak to the vet at his appointment today and see if it's okay to continue the Reglan daily, or if we should go every other day and see how he poops without it.

My question is basically this though: I am concerned about the Baytril my vet will most likely prescribe. I know a URI is treated with an antibiotic.

I am going to ask her to do an Xray too to see if there is fluid in his lungs.

I do not think it has advanced to pneumonia because I caught this early and am very in tune with him, but I am not a vet and of course cannot say for sure.

In your experience, is Baytril the safest antibiotic really, all things considered? That's what I'm seeing but I see sometimes Doxycycline is given.

I'm just concerned about effects or complications the antibiotic he'll need may cause, and would love any support/any experiences/any non-professional opinions, because I trust his vet a lot and will speak with her in a couple hours. She has had guinea pigs all her life and is great with them, so I'm very lucky he has her.

To be honest, some days I don't know whether he'll pass away overnight or if he has a year left to live (he very well could, and I want to continue treating illnesses as long as he is not suffering, and he's NOT at this point.)

I give him critical care on days where he doesn't eat as much (though he is almost always eating a lot) and just to maintain his weight.

I am not ready to lose him but will ultimately do what is best for Finn. I told my husband clearly that Finn will let me know when he doesn't want to do it anymore. At this point, he has quality of life, he even takes his medications eagerly (not wanting to let go of the syringe once he's gotten all the medicine from it, lol).

I am very in tune with him, monitoring him throughout each day, and I love him to death. It's gonna be such a hard loss when it happens. But as long as Finn is fighting and not suffering, I will continue to take him to the vet and treat illnesses that come up.

Any support, shared experiences, or opinions are very much welcome. <3
 
Baytril is extremely well tolerated antibiotic. Of course there are risks with all.
But all our pigs never really had any issues or side effects from it. It can make the guts a little off so a probiotic or poop soup is useful to give alongside it.

I never had a pig on doxy at all so can’t comment. Perhaps check guinealynx out for any experiences in that?

Certainly ask the question about pneumonia there are drugs they can give to help that.

I am sorry you and Finn are going through this he is lucky to have you as his piggy slave.
Sending you and him love.

Please let us know how he gets on
 
My boy was on baytril and doxycycline for over two months for CBS related ear infection.

I noticed a decreased appetite and soft stool. So I stopped veg and gave benebac but I found the benebac not effective.

I syringe fed him and then found he ate critical care from a dish which was helpful. He needed about a tablespoon of the powder a day to maintain his weight.

Once off the antibiotics my vet recommended poo soup and it took a week and a half to get his poo normal. But you could give it two hours after the antibiotics during treatment.

He's been off 9 weeks and is off the critical care and maintaining his weight.
 
rosequartz said:
Hi there. I have an 8 year old guinea pig named Finn. He turned 8 in January of this year.

He has quality of life and is extremely loved. His cage-mates died out over the years younger than he did, and he is the last remaining. He has since received even more love, and is probably the most trusting and affectionate guinea pig I've ever known.

Anyway cut to the point: He has a 10:30 AM appointment today, so he will be given medical attention. This is not for replacement for medical advice.

Finn developed hookworms about a month ago which has since been treated and upon a fecal examination recently at the vet, he no longer has hookworms. <3 A few days later, (this morning) I noticed that his breathing comes along with a crackling, rattling noise, and he sneezed a couple of times. I suspect he has an Upper Respiratory Infection.

He has arthritis additionally and takes Meloxicam a few times a week (on days when his pain seems enough that it's affecting him as we want to be careful to moderate usage, as the vet recommends if possible.)

He has been on Reglan (Metoclopramide) daily for about 4 weeks after the hookworms caused some loose-ish poos and a lot less of them. He is now pooping entirely normally. I will speak to the vet at his appointment today and see if it's okay to continue the Reglan daily, or if we should go every other day and see how he poops without it.

My question is basically this though: I am concerned about the Baytril my vet will most likely prescribe. I know a URI is treated with an antibiotic.

I am going to ask her to do an Xray too to see if there is fluid in his lungs.

I do not think it has advanced to pneumonia because I caught this early and am very in tune with him, but I am not a vet and of course cannot say for sure.

In your experience, is Baytril the safest antibiotic really, all things considered? That's what I'm seeing but I see sometimes Doxycycline is given.

I'm just concerned about effects or complications the antibiotic he'll need may cause, and would love any support/any experiences/any non-professional opinions, because I trust his vet a lot and will speak with her in a couple hours. She has had guinea pigs all her life and is great with them, so I'm very lucky he has her.

To be honest, some days I don't know whether he'll pass away overnight or if he has a year left to live (he very well could, and I want to continue treating illnesses as long as he is not suffering, and he's NOT at this point.)

I give him critical care on days where he doesn't eat as much (though he is almost always eating a lot) and just to maintain his weight.

I am not ready to lose him but will ultimately do what is best for Finn. I told my husband clearly that Finn will let me know when he doesn't want to do it anymore. At this point, he has quality of life, he even takes his medications eagerly (not wanting to let go of the syringe once he's gotten all the medicine from it, lol).

I am very in tune with him, monitoring him throughout each day, and I love him to death. It's gonna be such a hard loss when it happens. But as long as Finn is fighting and not suffering, I will continue to take him to the vet and treat illnesses that come up.

Any support, shared experiences, or opinions are very much welcome. <3
Click to expand...

Hi and welcome

Finn is clearly a much loved piggy. URIs are generally opportunistic illnesses that hit when the immune system is lowered. Healthy piggies can fend off the bacteria. Finn has been through quite a bit lately and he is now an old man and a testament to your good care.

I can of course comment on for what a hands-on vet examination of the respiratory system and heart is needed but I wish you the best.

Baytril (enrofloxacin) is in many countries still the only licensed antbiotic for guinea pigs. Doxycycline is safe to give to guinea pigs but they are unfortunately also the two antibiotics that impact most on the digestive gut bacteria. Softer poos are normal for baytril but it can also cause partial or full loss of appetite (as can doxycycline) more often than other non-licensed antibiotics. It often depends on the dosage as well.

Please make sure that you can step in with support feeding and that you are also generous with probiotics, either 1 hour before the antibiotic or 2 hours after.
Here is the link to our comprehensive guide, which also contains chapters on probiotics as well as how to improvise in an emergency with all the how-to advice:
All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures

All the best.
 
Thank you for your replies. We got home from the vet a bit ago.

She did an X-ray. Finn has the beginning of Congestive Heart Failure, but I already knew that. She's thinking it'll be time for heart meds soon and does see fluid around his heart but his heart sounded okay and she does not want to start that now while we're treating the URI.

It is indeed an Upper Respiratory Infection but she also said it was "the beginning of pneumonia."

So I'm very worried about that. He's just now had his first dose of Baytril. I really hope everything will be okay and that he'll make it through this and he can have a break from the sicknesses for a bit. I will give him a lot of cuddles and do whatever I can to take care of him. <3
 
Thank you. <3

The crackling sounds when he breathes have stopped, at least for the most part, after the one dose. He will get his second dose of Baytril today at around noon. I'm thinking of maybe dividing his Meloxicam dose up to .05 cc twice a day instead of .1 cc once a day, because it does seem to help his arthritis pain, but not for very long. The vet has said he needs the Meloxicam daily at this point, does anyone know if there's any harm in cutting the once a day dose in half and giving it twice a day?
 
He had about 8 poos overnight, which is a little bit lower than usual. However, I think he slept a little more overnight than usual. I have given him his Metoclopramide this morning. His poops seem normal this morning so far.

I will be giving him critical care soon. I've noticed him staying in his pigloo more but I have put a little hay in there so he can eat in there if he prefers to. Eating seems mostly normal.

He'd stopped being in his pigloo much previously, because he is so trusting and likes to be as near to us as he can. I can tell he doesn't feel good, but he is doing better today than yesterday and that's progress. ❤️
 
rosequartz said:
Thank you. <3

The crackling sounds when he breathes have stopped, at least for the most part, after the one dose. He will get his second dose of Baytril today at around noon. I'm thinking of maybe dividing his Meloxicam dose up to .05 cc twice a day instead of .1 cc once a day, because it does seem to help his arthritis pain, but not for very long. The vet has said he needs the Meloxicam daily at this point, does anyone know if there's any harm in cutting the once a day dose in half and giving it twice a day?
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Hi

The meloxicam dose is already about as low as they come, and as it is long term please give it once daily. It builds up in the body.

Please weigh daily at the same time first thing in the morning for best day to day comparison and support level planning and step in with feeding support if necessary, whether that is just a little top up or - with full loss of appetite - round the clock support.
Be aware that the poo output lags 1-2 days behind the actual food intake. It takes that long to pass the digestive tract. They may tell you how the gut has been doing a day ago but only your kitchen scales can give you a real time update. Please also be aware that the weight swings around in a ca. 30-40g weight band over the course of the daily. It is always lowest before the first morning feed.

Weight and Weight Loss Explained: BMI, Weighing, Poos and Feeding Support

All the best. Good that you have caught it early on. Frail old piggies have a lowered/no flonger flexible immune system and are sadly prone to giving opportunistic illnesses a chance. :(
 
Thank you!

Finn appears to be doing better. The crackling in his breathing stopped on the first day of treatment. He is moving around his cage a bit more. He is, and has the entire time, eating well and drinking water well. Pooping normally. He’s getting lots and lots of love, cuddles, and kisses and he’s a happy pig. I can tell he knows how loved he is and he gives it back.

He also has not sneezed since that first day. No runny nose or eyes. He sees the vet for a recheck today.

He does have fluid around his heart from Congestive Heart Failure, as I said he’s eight years old.

So heart meds will be the next question and I do think it’s a good idea but I’d like to know, risks of starting these meds while he’s taking Baytril for a URI? Or could it only be a good thing at this point? Risks in general? Thanks!

Finn and I see the vet at 2:30pm this afternoon and I will thoroughly ask.
 
(Oh and weight was about 850 at last vet visit (Thursday). It was prior to that 780, even when he wasn’t sick, but we’ve gotten it up with critical care. He is maintaining this weight. He has a significant loss of muscle mass from such an old age so she believes the weight is to be expected but as long as it doesn’t drop lower we’re good.
 
rosequartz said:
Thank you!

Finn appears to be doing better. The crackling in his breathing stopped on the first day of treatment. He is moving around his cage a bit more. He is, and has the entire time, eating well and drinking water well. Pooping normally. He’s getting lots and lots of love, cuddles, and kisses and he’s a happy pig. I can tell he knows how loved he is and he gives it back.

He also has not sneezed since that first day. No runny nose or eyes. He sees the vet for a recheck today.

He does have fluid around his heart from Congestive Heart Failure, as I said he’s eight years old.

So heart meds will be the next question and I do think it’s a good idea but I’d like to know, risks of starting these meds while he’s taking Baytril for a URI? Or could it only be a good thing at this point? Risks in general? Thanks!

Finn and I see the vet at 2:30pm this afternoon and I will thoroughly ask.
Click to expand...

All the best for your vet trip.

Any diuretic (fluid draining meds) and other heart meds should not interfere with an antibiotic. It is in your vet's assessment just whether they are necessary at this stage or not - i.e. how advanced the congestive heart failure is.

Other members have more experience with heart meds than I but they are generally well tolerated and can make a difference in piggies who are clearly impacted by a failing heart. Heart meds usually work either straight away or not at all.
 
Finn has an ear infection.

His Upper Respiratory Infection appears to be pretty much gone. She said I could discontinue Baytril? (It's been 5 days. I don't know if I really feel comfortable doing that though, maybe I'll call her tomorrow and check in about that.)

She X-rayed. She said his lungs look great, and his heart looks great, so he does not need heart meds at this time.

BUT he does have an ear infection.

He has been having a head tilt (he can't see out of one eye due to a cataract and slowly, a cataract is forming in his other eye so idk if that could have anything to do with it) and we couldn't figure out quite why, as five days ago at his appointment, she tested him for an ear infection and the results revealed that he did not have one. However today she caught it. Overall he does seem to be doing a lot better though. If you have any tips, thoughts, opinions, experiences or advice please let me know!

She gave him Baytril Otic
 
My boy has CBS and has had 2 ear infections. He was on baytril and doxycycline for over 2 months, but that's because with the CBS the antibiotics don't penetrate the inner ear bone.

It's painful, so does Finn have metacam? My boys symptoms the first time were whimpering when moving, loss of use of back legs, sleeping a lot.
 
Yes he does have Metacam for his arthritis. That makes me scared... I hope he doesn't have CBS though I don't know much about it
 
It would show on an X-ray.

Stripe had one X-ray that showed an ear infection and the next X-ray showed a thickening of the bulla. So CBS. But he's been off antibiotics 10 weeks and hasn't relapsed. Although he could with his condition. He takes metacam for life.

Hopefully Finn doesn't have it so don't worry but ask for an X-ray if he doesn't get better.
 
She did an Xray of his heart and lungs and she showed me the scan five days ago but not the one today - the one five days ago I THINK his ears were in the Xray but I can't entirely remember, but he has another appointment next Monday so I'll definitely check about this then
 
I will probably continue his Baytril for URI for one more day, to equal 7 days. She prescribed it for 10 then did an xray his lungs looked good and said I could discontinue. I didn’t really feel comfortable discontinuing at day 5 so will discontinue after his 7th dose tomorrow.
 
He’s doing well. If y’all have any tips for applying the Baytril Otic eardrops that would help! I wasn’t sure if I got it down in his ear canal fully or not but I massaged his ear and it seemed to go down his ear canal but just to be safe would love advice.
 
I had a guinea pig with Calcified Bulla Syndrome last year. It's much more common in the US than in Europe. Fingers crossed that Finn doesn't have it, but there is an example of what the x-rays would look like in the guide I linked. I would definitely ask his vet to double-check that on the x-rays she took to look at the bulla.

Here is the link to CBS:
CBS (Calcified Bulla Syndrome) and Neurological Problems - Symptoms and Care
 
A Guinea Pig said:
I had a guinea pig with Calcified Bulla Syndrome last year. It's much more common in the US than in Europe. Fingers crossed that Finn doesn't have it, but there is an example of what the x-rays would look like in the guide I linked. I would definitely ask his vet to double-check that on the x-rays she took to look at the bulla.

Here is the link to CBS:
CBS (Calcified Bulla Syndrome) and Neurological Problems - Symptoms and Care
Click to expand...
If he does have that, and he’s 8… what are the chances he could live another year? I know you can’t say for sure obviously but I’m trying to get an idea of how…awful this diagnosis would be.
 
It depends on the guinea pig. My girl went from no symptoms to passing in four months. Though, it can take years to get to that point, which is why you really can't say. Have you asked your vet to check her bulla on x-rays yet?
 
My boy has lived with it for six months and has had two ear infections and had to be on antibiotics for longer than most piggies. I'm hoping he lives a long life. He's my favorite.
 
A Guinea Pig said:
It depends on the guinea pig. My girl went from no symptoms to passing in four months. Though, it can take years to get to that point, which is why you really can't say. Have you asked your vet to check her bulla on x-rays yet?
Click to expand...
No, Finn has an appointment to recheck his ear infection on Monday so I will definitely ask then. Thank you for your response. :)
 
On Wednesday, the vet had me stop Finn's Baytril (after 5 days) because his URI appeared to be gone, lungs were good, X-ray looked good. So I did. Three days later, his symptoms came back. Sneezing, sort of runny nose, and that crackling breathing again. I restarted the Baytril that night.

The dose she has him on is .1cc every 24 hours. I feel it was a mistake to stop after only five days just because his symptoms were gone.

He has a vet appointment today in 30 minutes. I'm going to ask her to check his bulla and talk about the possibility of CBS, recheck heart and lungs on X-ray, and let her know that I've restarted the Baytril. I will also have her check his ear. His ear appears to be better, head tilt is gone, ear doesn't seem to hurt him anymore - he has/had an ear infection, is on Baytril Otic ear drops once a day. I do not want to stop that too early either though.
 
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