Hi everyone, I'm here asking for some help for my poor piggie Coco whom I rescued from some rather abusive and neglecting owners about a little less than a month ago after they listed him on Craigslist. Coco was subject to no exercise time and was locked in a tiny cage (those awful ones from the pet store) with little to no interaction, given food with bits that have artificial coloring and kept on that cedar bedding/wood shaving bedding. His nails were also all out of control COMPLETELY and wound around in rings you would have thought belonged on a spiral notebook! 
I was told he is 2, but I have had the continual feeling that he is likely older...
He's always been a quiet piggie, and he has since adoption gotten much better and is so sweet and friendly. Now that he's sick it's just breaking my heart and I can't even sleep when I see him rub his poor piggie nose and at some points I thought I was going to lose him.
Anyway, more to the point: Coco recently caught a URI from a baby guinea pig named Peanut whom I rescued from a friend who had purchased him from a pet store (though Peanut was fine before the day my friend decided to give him up to me). Peanut is now quarantined and completely recovered after a two week round of antibiotics.
But, as for Coco, I had taken him to the vet and he was put on Doxycycline, since he's a three pound piggie (approx 1.36 kg), my vet had prescribed 1.5cc every twelve hours for him, and so far, he's been doing well. At first it was up and down, but his eye that was originally red and extremely watery has completely gone back to being pure white and clear, there is no more eye crust, and the level of sneezing and nose crust is going down as well! But Coco has shown some other problems and now I am seeking help because I just don't know what to do. I've been crying over it endlessly because I just want him to get better.
Though he has been improving on the Doxycycline (he has been on it since Saturday night, which makes this about five or four or so days now, technically four), he still has a bit of the sniffles, though his breathing is wheeze-free. But, for some reason he is eating less even though I have him on probiotics and Vitamin C. He usually is a very voracious eater, whereas now he will eat maybe only a 1/4 of the hay I dish out, and only a handful of pellets. Oddly he seems to not be rapidly losing weight or anything, but I can't help but worry... I did make him a salad yesterday consisting of some dark leafy greens and his favorite bell peppers and cucumbers, which encouraged him to eat a bit more, but he still doesn't have his full appetite back and for some reason, he has now stopped drinking water. I also noticed that his droppings although correct in consistency have turned a lighter brown color (kind of like a dark mocha if you will). He shows no signs of painful pooing or peeing, of which he does both fine, but to a lesser extent (probably due to the fact that he eats and drinks less now)... Coco is decently active and reacts well to his surroundings, oinks fine, but I was wondering if it's supposed to take this long to clear up a URI? His sneezes have become rarer but he still has teensy white mucus when he sneezes and I feel so bad about it all.
I've tried to do my very best with syringe feeding some mashed pellets and some vitamin c, and water as well but he's suddenly begun putting up a fuss about taking his medicine and being fed from the syringe, even though he really doesn't seem lethargic in addition to that.
And what's worse, my boyfriend noticed yesterday that his feet were strangely swollen on his bottom pads while I haven't been well and in and out of the hospital with pneumonia while trying to juggle Coco's health as well... Initially, when I adopted Coco his feet were a tiny bit red and when I brought that up to my vet, he said that it didn't seem too concerning, and "not to worry about it". But how can I not now? :{ I've been reading up on so many academic journals and pages about bumblefoot and URIs and the fatality of all of it and if it has to do with heart problems and so much other stuff! I just feel so torn up about it because I feel bad for not initially following my gut. He is walking fine and runs around during floor time no problem, as well as in and around his CC cage, which I clean twice a week at the LEAST and I can guarantee you he has been living in a good environment!
The soles of Coco's feet on his back legs are red on the ankles and all of his paws are quite puffy and a bit dry, but I see no intensive swelling. They do feel a bit warm, and though he doesn't seem too irritated when I poke at the top of his back legs, he pulls away and hides when I touch his front paws and gears up as if to nip me, though the sweet little thing would never ever do that anyway. He doesn't bite at it and his fur on all his paws is still perfectly fine. Is it bumblefoot? I'm at such a loss...
I'm taking Coco in to see another (supposedly cavy familiar and experienced) vet this Friday, and the appointment alone costs a $58, no treatment included. While money isn't my main concern at all, I am a student based in the US and I'm paying my own tuition, rent and grocery bills, and if things start piling up, I will feel absolutely horrible for not being able to give Coco the care he needs...
What can I do to help him and alleviate his pain in the meantime? Please, please help us!
Here are some photos of Coco:
(Here is from the front, a few good pictures of him and his eyes and how he is, just taken now) ... He looks so normal to me, how could anyone even suspect...
Originally his sick eye
His normal eye
One of his back feet
Other back foot
Front paw
Last paw
I was told he is 2, but I have had the continual feeling that he is likely older... He's always been a quiet piggie, and he has since adoption gotten much better and is so sweet and friendly. Now that he's sick it's just breaking my heart and I can't even sleep when I see him rub his poor piggie nose and at some points I thought I was going to lose him.
Anyway, more to the point: Coco recently caught a URI from a baby guinea pig named Peanut whom I rescued from a friend who had purchased him from a pet store (though Peanut was fine before the day my friend decided to give him up to me). Peanut is now quarantined and completely recovered after a two week round of antibiotics.
But, as for Coco, I had taken him to the vet and he was put on Doxycycline, since he's a three pound piggie (approx 1.36 kg), my vet had prescribed 1.5cc every twelve hours for him, and so far, he's been doing well. At first it was up and down, but his eye that was originally red and extremely watery has completely gone back to being pure white and clear, there is no more eye crust, and the level of sneezing and nose crust is going down as well! But Coco has shown some other problems and now I am seeking help because I just don't know what to do. I've been crying over it endlessly because I just want him to get better.
Though he has been improving on the Doxycycline (he has been on it since Saturday night, which makes this about five or four or so days now, technically four), he still has a bit of the sniffles, though his breathing is wheeze-free. But, for some reason he is eating less even though I have him on probiotics and Vitamin C. He usually is a very voracious eater, whereas now he will eat maybe only a 1/4 of the hay I dish out, and only a handful of pellets. Oddly he seems to not be rapidly losing weight or anything, but I can't help but worry... I did make him a salad yesterday consisting of some dark leafy greens and his favorite bell peppers and cucumbers, which encouraged him to eat a bit more, but he still doesn't have his full appetite back and for some reason, he has now stopped drinking water. I also noticed that his droppings although correct in consistency have turned a lighter brown color (kind of like a dark mocha if you will). He shows no signs of painful pooing or peeing, of which he does both fine, but to a lesser extent (probably due to the fact that he eats and drinks less now)... Coco is decently active and reacts well to his surroundings, oinks fine, but I was wondering if it's supposed to take this long to clear up a URI? His sneezes have become rarer but he still has teensy white mucus when he sneezes and I feel so bad about it all.
I've tried to do my very best with syringe feeding some mashed pellets and some vitamin c, and water as well but he's suddenly begun putting up a fuss about taking his medicine and being fed from the syringe, even though he really doesn't seem lethargic in addition to that.
And what's worse, my boyfriend noticed yesterday that his feet were strangely swollen on his bottom pads while I haven't been well and in and out of the hospital with pneumonia while trying to juggle Coco's health as well... Initially, when I adopted Coco his feet were a tiny bit red and when I brought that up to my vet, he said that it didn't seem too concerning, and "not to worry about it". But how can I not now? :{ I've been reading up on so many academic journals and pages about bumblefoot and URIs and the fatality of all of it and if it has to do with heart problems and so much other stuff! I just feel so torn up about it because I feel bad for not initially following my gut. He is walking fine and runs around during floor time no problem, as well as in and around his CC cage, which I clean twice a week at the LEAST and I can guarantee you he has been living in a good environment!
The soles of Coco's feet on his back legs are red on the ankles and all of his paws are quite puffy and a bit dry, but I see no intensive swelling. They do feel a bit warm, and though he doesn't seem too irritated when I poke at the top of his back legs, he pulls away and hides when I touch his front paws and gears up as if to nip me, though the sweet little thing would never ever do that anyway. He doesn't bite at it and his fur on all his paws is still perfectly fine. Is it bumblefoot? I'm at such a loss...
I'm taking Coco in to see another (supposedly cavy familiar and experienced) vet this Friday, and the appointment alone costs a $58, no treatment included. While money isn't my main concern at all, I am a student based in the US and I'm paying my own tuition, rent and grocery bills, and if things start piling up, I will feel absolutely horrible for not being able to give Coco the care he needs...
What can I do to help him and alleviate his pain in the meantime? Please, please help us!
Here are some photos of Coco:
(Here is from the front, a few good pictures of him and his eyes and how he is, just taken now) ... He looks so normal to me, how could anyone even suspect...
Originally his sick eye
His normal eye
One of his back feet
Other back foot
Front paw
Last paw
