Darcy Has Me Very Confused

[Amy Barton]

Okay so I posted last night as Darcy was haveing extreme difficulty breathing and was stumbling around the cage after eating. She was quite lethargic and puffed up all night although she did eat her veg when I wasn't looking. Her breathing was very noisy and laboured and still was this morning I took her to the vets as soon as possible. The vet had a look in her mouth but unfortunately could not see anything as she had just been munching on some hay and it was all in her mouth. She listened to her breathing but the. The noise had stopped but it was slightly fast so she decided to give her some antibiotics just to be safe. However, as soon as she got home and I've spent £50 on a vet visit and medicine Darcy has decided she feels much better and is acting near enough normal again with only very slightly laboured breathing. I'm really confused as to what this could have been. Obviously I'll give her the antibiotics to make sure she is okay. One question I do have though is I have glandular fever is there any chance I could pass anything onto the pigs? I have been keeping my distance and asking other people in the house to feed and clean them when possible to avoid making them ill.

 

[Wiebke]

Okay so I posted last night as Darcy was haveing extreme difficulty breathing and was stumbling around the cage after eating. She was quite lethargic and puffed up all night although she did eat her veg when I wasn't looking. Her breathing was very noisy and laboured and still was this morning I took her to the vets as soon as possible. The vet had a look in her mouth but unfortunately could not see anything as she had just been munching on some hay and it was all in her mouth. She listened to her breathing but the. The noise had stopped but it was slightly fast so she decided to give her some antibiotics just to be safe. However, as soon as she got home and I've spent £50 on a vet visit and medicine Darcy has decided she feels much better and is acting near enough normal again with only very slightly laboured breathing. I'm really confused as to what this could have been. Obviously I'll give her the antibiotics to make sure she is okay. One question I do have though is I have glandular fever is there any chance I could pass anything onto the pigs? I have been keeping my distance and asking other people in the house to feed and clean them when possible to avoid making them ill.

Glad that Darcy has made it through the night and is better again! Please give her the course of antibiotics. Did the vet check her heart?

There are relatively few issues that can transmit between guinea pigs and humans, but it is always good commonsence practice to handle piggies as little as possible and to use good hygiene whenever you do so during the time to are not well.

 

[Amy Barton]

yeah the vet didn't think there where any heart issues however if her breathing gets worse again or continues go be slightly laboured after the antibiotics we will investigate it further. I also forgot to ask Darcy has lost a slight bit of weight (I admit i need to weigh them more often then I do) but would I be right to think this is likely due to the fact I have reduced the amount of pellets she gets significantly (by well over half) as I was overfeeding pellets.

 

[Wiebke]

yeah the vet didn't think there where any heart issues however if her breathing gets worse again or continues go be slightly laboured after the antibiotics we will investigate it further. I also forgot to ask Darcy has lost a slight bit of weight (I admit i need to weigh them more often then I do) but would I be right to think this is likely due to the fact I have reduced the amount of pellets she gets significantly (by well over half) as I was overfeeding pellets.

If you have reduced the pellets, then she is bound to lose any disposable overweight.
Have a look at this guide here to see how you judge whether a piggy is a good weight for its individual size:
The Importance Of Weighing - Ideal Weight / Overweight / Underweight

 

[Amy Barton]

Thankyou for your help! Do you think o should spectate my pigs o completely forgot to ask my vet this morning. They don't live in the same cage but they are only separated by c&c grids. I just feel the stress of separating her could cause her more stress making her condition worse

 

[Janice C]

Thankyou for your help! Do you think o should spectate my pigs o completely forgot to ask my vet this morning. They don't live in the same cage but they are only separated by c&c grids. I just feel the stress of separating her could cause her more stress making her condition worse

you are right in thinking separating them could cause stress so just continue as they are.
Remember to finish all the antibiotic course and take her back to vet if you are worried at all.x

 

[Wiebke]

Thankyou for your help! Do you think o should spectate my pigs o completely forgot to ask my vet this morning. They don't live in the same cage but they are only separated by c&c grids. I just feel the stress of separating her could cause her more stress making her condition worse

Just leave them as they are!

Separation is only necessary if a guinea pig is so ill that it is moving itself away from its friends (the famous sitting in a corner and staring at the wall in a cage where space is limited) or if there is a highly infectious problem. the more you can leave a piggy in its own familiar surroundings and with it usual routine, the better.

 

[Amy Barton]

Thankyou for your help everyone! (Btw I did not realise how bad my spelling was until I put my glasses on)