a cold that wont go away

[RabbitParachute]

my guinea pig brownie has been making this honking nose for awhile now. it used to be only when she was eating sometimes, she'd start making this nose and then almost like.. sneeze? and it'd stop.

now, she's making it more frequently and i don't know what to do. she seems completely fine otherwise, and i've already taken her to the vet and given her meds. they said she was having trouble breathing and that it was probably a cold. they gave me two medications: smz suspension and vrs omega benefit 200ml. i gave them to her every 12 hours for 2 weeks and she hasn't gotten better. she stopped for a couple of days and now she's doing it again.

i don't know what to do. i still have some medication left, should i just keep giving it to her and hope she gets better? like i said, she's still eating and drinking fine, i just feel bad because i don't want her to be in pain

could it possibly be the hay? i haven't changed their hay but i did notice it was making me cough suddenly around the time this started happening.. it's oxbow hay. the other pig is fine though.

thank you

brownie (pictures of brownie)

 

[Piggies&buns]

Welcome to the forum

Guinea pigs do not get colds. They get bacterial respiratory infections which is why you were given the antibiotics.
I’ve not heard of vrs omega benefit but it seems it’s not a medication, it’s a supplement for healthy coat, joint health, blood pressure benefits and immune support.

If the antibiotics haven’t worked then it is either because it isn’t the right type of antibiotic to deal with the bacteria present or the dose needs to be adjusted; the alternative is that it isn’t a bacterial issue and therefore antibiotics are never going to work.

If it isn’t a bacterial issue (and you need a vet to confirm whether it is or isn’t) then you would be looking at an environmental issue such as hay dust, the air being too dry etc.
Generally the advice for hay dust is - change hay source; if it is a nasal obstruction caused by hay dust then a sneeze will clear it and the issue goes away, if it doesn’t clear or returns then see a vet as it may then mean it is an infection rather than just irritation.
If the air is too dry which can happen such as when home heating starts to be used then putting a bowl of steaming water by the cage to see if the reintroduced moisture in the air helps her breathing ease.

We can only suggest you return to the vet to have her checked again in case there is now something more easily diagnosed going on with her.

Otherwise the normal care advice is to make sure you are keeping up with the routine weekly weight checks, switching to daily weight checks if you are concerned, as it is the only way to monitor hay intake.

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

 

[Merab]

Welcome to the forum.
Sorry that Brownie isn’t well.
The advice @Piggies&buns has given you is excellent.
Hope Brownie recovers soon

 

[Rinoa]

my guinea pig brownie has been making this honking nose for awhile now. it used to be only when she was eating sometimes, she'd start making this nose and then almost like.. sneeze? and it'd stop.

now, she's making it more frequently and i don't know what to do. she seems completely fine otherwise, and i've already taken her to the vet and given her meds. they said she was having trouble breathing and that it was probably a cold. they gave me two medications: smz suspension and vrs omega benefit 200ml. i gave them to her every 12 hours for 2 weeks and she hasn't gotten better. she stopped for a couple of days and now she's doing it again.

i don't know what to do. i still have some medication left, should i just keep giving it to her and hope she gets better? like i said, she's still eating and drinking fine, i just feel bad because i don't want her to be in pain

could it possibly be the hay? i haven't changed their hay but i did notice it was making me cough suddenly around the time this started happening.. it's oxbow hay. the other pig is fine though.

thank you

brownie (pictures of brownie)

Medication helps from the vet (Baytril or Doxycycline both meds for URI). Also a nebulizer helps sometimes since this helps clear airways. You buy them or build them using a air tight container. I got a nebulizer machine, then got a container big enough for her, drilled a hole in the container and put the tube (from machine) in there.
After using it my guinea stopped making this breathing sound the next day. Normally id call the vet but i tried a nebulizer for the first time and it worked before i had to get her to a vet.

She also behaved normal. Just made a wierd breathing noise. It seems to happen around the cold such as December/christmas time. Dust can cause this also. I put thier hay in a plate, shake the hay while its on the plate and you can see all the dust that falls or is left on the plate. I throw away this bottom dust and only give them the hay that is left (dust free). I now do this everytime before giving my guineas hay. It not only helps them but me also because the dust can get in your nose/mouth etc and affect you.

So its related to dust or temperature. Heard eating food fast can also cause this. Now i run my veggies through warm water before giving it to them to be sure they arent eating really cold food.