Concerned mommy - URI and UTI questions.

[Kittykatindeed]

Hello all.
I have a 2 month old himi, who was took to the vet for possible signs of a UTI and a URI, sneezing , some coughing while eating, as well as some sludge. The cavvy savvy vet prescribed Ditrim, which she said would knock out both as a precaution, though she gave him a clean bill of heath.
It was prescribed for 7 days, though I’ve kept him on it for 10. The sneezing has let up , but he still has a few as well as a few coughs still while eating.
I guess my question is, is this a good antibiotic ? Should I be more worried about a stubborn URI?
He’s active, eats like a horse and is gaining weight like crazy! We have a recheck on Thursday, but I wanted advice maybe from previous users of the antibiotic.
He’s also on Bene Bac !

 

[Wiebke]

Hello all.
I have a 2 month old himi, who was took to the vet for possible signs of a UTI and a URI, sneezing , some coughing while eating, as well as some sludge. The cavvy savvy vet prescribed Ditrim, which she said would knock out both as a precaution, though she gave him a clean bill of heath.
It was prescribed for 7 days, though I’ve kept him on it for 10. The sneezing has let up , but he still has a few as well as a few coughs still while eating.
I guess my question is, is this a good antibiotic ? Should I be more worried about a stubborn URI?
He’s active, eats like a horse and is gaining weight like crazy! We have a recheck on Thursday, but I wanted advice maybe from previous users of the antibiotic.
He’s also on Bene Bac !

Hi!

Coughing while or just after eating is usually caused by greedy eating and not by a respiratory illness.

Ditrim is a brand name for trimethoprim sulfamethoxazole, which is usually better known as septrin or now new as sulfatrim (the UK licensed brand for guinea pigs); in the US it is known as bactrim. It is the preferred medication for bacterial infections in the urinary tract but can also be prescribed for milder respiratory infections.

However, bladder sludge doesn't disappear on its own. How is your vet addressing that?
Please take the time to read our diet advice for guinea pigs with urinary tract problems to minimise the risk of building up more sludge or even bladder stones. Keep in mind that more calcium can come into the diet via the water or the pellets than via the veg although a high calcium veg diet can lead to stones if the balance is just wrong, and if too much pellets and veg rather than hay is being fed as the mainstay of the diet.
This link here will take you through it all, including specific long term tweaks to our recommended general diet for bladder problem piggies: Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

 

[Kittykatindeed]

The vet did an ultrasound and X-ray on his urinary track, and diagnosed it as too much calcium in the food, which he gets orchard grass hay, oxbow garden select pellets all day since he is only About 10 weeks old. And he gets red bell pepper, green and red leaf lettuce everyday and tomato or Apple once a week.

when I saw the sludge, I had given him Kale and Alfalfa on top of his normal hay, so the vet recommended the antibiotic as well as to reduce the kale and legumes, which I have and haven’t seen the grit in quite a bit besides a little pop up a few days ago. My other boar never gets kale due to the calcium amount and him being about a year old, so I’ve cut it out completely.

looking at the link, I’ll have to make the changes which I’m sure my little man won’t mind ! He’s not too picky.

 

[Wiebke]

The vet did an ultrasound and X-ray on his urinary track, and diagnosed it as too much calcium in the food, which he gets orchard grass hay, oxbow garden select pellets all day since he is only About 10 weeks old. And he gets red bell pepper, green and red leaf lettuce everyday and tomato or Apple once a week.

when I saw the sludge, I had given him Kale and Alfalfa on top of his normal hay, so the vet recommended the antibiotic as well as to reduce the kale and legumes, which I have and haven’t seen the grit in quite a bit besides a little pop up a few days ago. My other boar never gets kale due to the calcium amount and him being about a year old, so I’ve cut it out completely.

looking at the link, I’ll have to make the changes which I’m sure my little man won’t mind ! He’s not too picky.

The extra amounts that babies need are in fact very small. It is easy for new owners to overdo them, meaning well.
You can give him 2 tablespoons of low calcium pellets until he is 4 months old if you wish to, or 1 tablespoon of higher calcium pellets. The diet guide also contains a link to a UK pellet brands chart.

But the more hay you are feeding, the better for long term health and longevity. Offering different hays can be an enrichment; alfalfa/lucerne is a legume and not a grass hay. It is only recommended for pregnant and nursing sows and at the best nursing babies.
Like with pregnant sows and their embryos, it is a good general hay based diet that is more important than any other small tweaks you make it.

All the best! Encourage your baby to drink plenty to wash the grit out of the body but never force any water down.