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Cough - Uri

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joannejuliewow

joannejuliewow

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i adopted 2 sows from a breeder they are both 2 years old.

I introduced them to my original 3 sows and things couldn't of gone better.

I think Rapunzel is a sheltie the crested one and Ariel is a Peruvian the auburn one. Not sure.

When we went to pick them up the breeder told me she has got back from the vets with Ariel as she has Hay poke and everything should be fine and it'll heal on its own. Which I hope it will.

They've all been settled together for a couple of days now and I've noticed a choking sound coming from Rapunzel and when I looked up the noise it turned out to be a cough. It's not all the time but then again I'm not always in the room. I noticed it once last night and I've been in the room half and hour and she's coughed twice, I know they lived outside, and now they are indoor I don't know if it's the change in environment or change in bedding or hay. Maybe it's allergies. I'm just looking for some advice and peace of mind. Thanks.

image.webp
 
They are a beautiful pair of ladies, for sure.
When you say you have changed their bedding what bedding were they on and what have you now for them on?
Do you hear the noise at particular times eg when she is eating, moving around, lying still etc? Are her eyes or nose at all watery? How does her breathing sound? Sorry for all the questions -just trying to get some ideas.
 
VickiA said:
They are a beautiful pair of ladies, for sure.
When you say you have changed their bedding what bedding were they on and what have you now for them on?
Do you hear the noise at particular times eg when she is eating, moving around, lying still etc? Are her eyes or nose at all watery? How does her breathing sound? Sorry for all the questions -just trying to get some ideas.
Click to expand...

I use the same things as she did but a different brand but I make sure it's dust free etc.

I have them on pets at home wood shavings and I use burgess hay, I have the same pellets that she feed them. It looks as if it's in her sleep. She is eating and drinking fine. I gave her a health check before and everything seemed fine, nose eyes ears etc.

And thanks for the questions x
 
Shavings can irritate the upper airway but if they were used to them at their last home that may not be the issue. Do you use air fresheners, candles or smoke near the piggies (any of those can cause irritation)

Piggies are good at hiding URIs so it's best to keep a close eye on it and if it persists or if it gets worse or she develops other symptoms then it would be worth getting her checked over by a vet - peace of mind if nothing else.
 
If in doubt, please have your girls checked by a good vet. URIs (respiratory infections) cannot just be acute, but an earlier infection that has not healed off properly can linger without signs. Did you conduct a quarantine, considering that the girls come from a place without mandatory quarantine and have not had a proper vet check?

Wood shavings can be an irritant to sensitive piggies. Perhaps you might consider different bedding?
Housing and Enrichment
 
I don't use anything like that in their room, I even have a dehumidifier They drink bottled water and I just use natural disinfectants. I'm so paranoid about me doing something to make them Ill haha.
 
Wiebke said:
If in doubt, please have your girls checked by a good vet. URIs (respiratory infections) cannot just be acute, but an earlier infection that has not healed off properly can linger without signs. Did you conduct a quarantine, considering that the girls come from a place without mandatory quarantine and have not had a proper vet check?

Wood shavings can be an irritant to sensitive piggies. Perhaps you might consider different bedding?
Housing and Enrichment
Click to expand...
The girls had been to the vets the morning I picked them up. They spent a few days in a separate cage before I introduced them, they seemed fine, I gave them
A flea and fly strike treatment as soon as they arrived. I hope I did everything correctly :/
 
Hope its nothing major and rapunzel settles down! She is the double of my mallow who is a white coronet :-)

image.webp image.webp image.webp image.webp
The other piggy is very beautiful too although I'm hopeless with breeds outwith my own (which i only know from the forum!)

All the best x
 
Just been to the vets, both have URI's and Ariels temp is really high

Gave me Sulfatrim for it.

The vet was lovely!
 
Hope they are on the mend soon! Might be worth giving them a probiotic to keep their guts ticking over nicely whilst they are having treatment, especially since they dont have another piggy friend not on antibiotics to steal healthy poos from. It is given 1-2 hours after each antibiotic dose, examples include avipro plus (my preference- palatible, large volume per tub), fibreplex (mostly palitable, not as great value for money as £11 tube will only last4 days with 2 piggies), or pro-c from pets at home for quickness!
 
Adelle said:
Hope they are on the mend soon! Might be worth giving them a probiotic to keep their guts ticking over nicely whilst they are having treatment, especially since they dont have another piggy friend not on antibiotics to steal healthy poos from. It is given 1-2 hours after each antibiotic dose, examples include avipro plus (my preference- palatible, large volume per tub), fibreplex (mostly palitable, not as great value for money as £11 tube will only last4 days with 2 piggies), or pro-c from pets at home for quickness!
Click to expand...

Awww Thankyou for that!
 
me again!

I posted yesterday about adopting my two sows on Saturday. I noticed them both coughing and took them to the vets and they ended up having a URI and my vet gave them Sulfatrim.

They are on their 3rd dose so far.

Ariel is eating but not drinking.
Rapunzel isn't eating or drinking and she literally just lays in a corner. They both aren't touching hay.

I'm syringe feeding rapunzel and giving them both water in a syringe too. Along with a probiotic as suggested on here!

When I went to weigh Rapunzel I noticed she's had diarrhoea and she has a white discharge.

I'm really really worried :/
 
Baytril can cause both diarrhea and loss of appetite. Please contact your vet; you may need another antibiotic or a gut stimulant.

Keep her strictly on syringe feed and give her as much water as she wants to keep her hydrated; don't give her any fresh food or juice until the poos have firmed up again. Feed as much as she will take; use the guidelines in the syringe feeding guide to work out how often you need to feed her, if necessary throughout the night. Right now, you have to treat her as a crisis piggy and just try to pull her through the rough patch.

The white discharge can be just excess calcium, as it happens in some pees. that is nothing to worry about.

I wouldn't worry about Ariel not drinking if she is still eating fresh food and is holding her weight. She is getting enough fluid in her fresh food.

I have merged your new thread with your existing one, as they cover the same problem. That way we keep all the information together and can tailor any advice much more efficiently to your specific situation and what you really need. Unlike social media, you have the option to watch a thread (on the right, just above the thread).
 
Wiebke said:
Baytril can cause both diarrhea and loss of appetite. Please contact your vet; you may need another antibiotic or a gut stimulant.

Keep her strictly on syringe feed and give her as much water as she wants to keep her hydrated; don't give her any fresh food or juice until the poos have firmed up again. Feed as much as she will take; use the guidelines in the syringe feeding guide to work out how often you need to feed her, if necessary throughout the night. Right now, you have to treat her as a crisis piggy and just try to pull her through the rough patch.

The white discharge can be just excess calcium, as it happens in some pees. that is nothing to worry about.

I wouldn't worry about Ariel not drinking if she is still eating fresh food and is holding her weight. She is getting enough fluid in her fresh food.

I have merged your new thread with your existing one, as they cover the same problem. That way we keep all the information together and can tailor any advice much more efficiently to your specific situation and what you really need. Unlike social media, you have the option to watch a thread (on the right, just above the thread).
Click to expand...
Thank you so much, sorry about the thread xx
 
Me again!

So the girls have finished their antibiotics this morning. Over the past week even when they seemed better they will barely touch food or hay, they are drinking fine. They have a little nibble on veggies and I mean a little nibble. They'll eat abit of nuggets and won't even touch hay. Now compared to my other 3 this is all really weird to me. I've tried different types of hay and they won't go near it. It's really odd.
 
From what I can gather Sulfatrim is basically the ingredient in Septrin but Septrin is a paediatric suspension whereas Sulfatrim is stronger so that may account for the loss of appetite. Septrin rarely used to cause any issues.

Have they lost any weight whilst they have been ill? are they still pooing ok?

You may need to step in with syringe feeding, here is our guide.

Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
 
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