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9 Week Old With Uri

Katiedid

Katiedid

Adult Guinea Pig
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Hi my new baby has an URI indeed both do but one is very poorly with it.

I've been to the vet, I have antibiotics (baytril), probiotics eye drops and critical care for her. I have managed to get about 3 ml of critical care in (how much per feed should I aim for) . She is on my knee nibbling grass.

She has a snuggle safe heat pad in her hide - not heated to fill temp. What else?
 
Katiedid said:
Hi my new baby has an URI indeed both do but one is very poorly with it.

I've been to the vet, I have antibiotics (baytril), probiotics eye drops and critical care for her. I have managed to get about 3 ml of critical care in (how much per feed should I aim for) . She is on my knee nibbling grass.

She has a snuggle safe heat pad in her hide - not heated to fill temp. What else?
Click to expand...

Hi! Here is our syringe feeding guide with all the details. You feed the more often the less a guinea pig is eating and the less syringe feed you get into it in one session. Be very careful not to give more than 1/4 - 1/3 of a syringe max to a baby at a time (one mouthful) as anything that goes down the wrong way can acerbate the URI and cause pneumonia.

In order to keep a severely ill piggy alive until the meds kick in and it is getting better, you are aiming at 40-60 ml in syringe feed or solids in 24 hours (which can include any food your piggy is eating by themselves); healthy guinea pigs in their prime eat up to 120 ml in a day (in hay, veg and pellets). If necessary and depending how badly your piggy is, you may want to get up once or twice during the night for more feeds, too.
Please take the time to read our detailed step-by-step guide with all the information on how often to feed how much in which situation etc. Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

As your piggy is still nibbling, it is not yet critically ill, if that is any consolation to you - the need to breathe comes before the need to drink and only thirdly the need to eat, so loss of appetite is common in severe URI. But your home care can make all the difference in pulling a piggy through the rough bit.
 
Tonight she gobbled down almost 15 ml of critical care - what was left was what was smeared over us. It took about an hour but by the end she was looking for it. I then gave her some water by syringe, which again she lapped up. She then picked at some parsley on my lap - whilst pooping and eating her poops.

After I cleaned her face up and popped her back she started to search round for food and since then her and her sister (her sister is ill too but not as ill) have been quite active and eating. I'm hoping this is a good sign.
 
She is still alive. Less active than last night and a little cold - neither were on the snuggle safe! I've given all meds she has had about 7ml of critical care in the night and another 7 ml this morning. She is sniffing around eating now.
 
She has been eating and running about popcorning today with her sister. I am not counting my chickens but it's a very different pig to the hunched limp piggy at the vets yesterday.

One question when she arrived on Thursday night she was 200g (I know underweight) she has steadily crept up to 235g today. This is ok, I'm not missing something am I?
 
Sounds like things are looking up. Keep up the good work, and good luck to you and your piggies!
 
I am cautiously optimistic that after the week from hell things are finally looking up.

2 little ones are still sneezing but the one who was really poorly is gaining weight and running around like a loon, her sister is maintaining weight and running around (she lost a little weight but has put that back on), I am still syringe feeding them both (although the really poorly one is wanting less and less food - in favour of more and more play).

Jet seems to be picking up - he has put 40g of the 100g he lost, he is asking for cuddles again, he is chomping hay like no tomorrow. I didn't syringe feed him this morning as he was stuffing himself with hay, although I may see if he wants any tonight.

Biscuit - I don't even know if she has been ill - she has had the occasional wet sneeze rather than her usual dry ones and lost a little weight but she is a private one (I don't think she would ever let on that she was ill - hence dragging her back to the vets), she tends to keep a very steady weight but had gone down 20g this morning, I'll check this evening again but according to hubby she has been like a guinea pig vacuum today. Between that and her usually leisurely sleeping she seems ok.

I am keeping everything crossed that we have turned the corner.
 
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