Help Me! Uri - Deterioration

[Nicolebethhh]

My female guinea pig is just over 4 years old. I took her to the vet on Sunday, she was diagnosed with an upper respiratory infection and given pain medication as well as antibiotics. Within the first couple of days she was improving, but this morning it seems as if were right back at square one. She has no interest in food or water and she barely holds her head up.
I'm calling her vet again first thing in the morning but I'm already sick with worry.
Is this a side effect of the antibiotics? Can anyone help me?

 

[helen105281]

Was she given probiotics to have 1-2 hours after the antibiotics as they can affect the gut? Also did the vet check for fluid on her chest? if there is fluid she will need a diuretic to help clear it. Do you know what the antibiotic you have been given is?

 

[Wiebke]

Please ask your vet:
- to check for fluid build-up in the lungs and/or chest area, and give a diuretic if needed.
- check for mucus and give bisolvon powder if necessary to easy the breathing.
- consider whether a stronger antibiotic like marbocyl or zithromax may do the trick, depending on his findings.
- a gut stimulant to help stimulate the appetite
- ask him for probiotics (to help counter the effect of any antibiotic on the gut fauna) and recovery food

What you can do at home:
- place a bowl of steaming water next to the cage to help ease the breathing.
- give extra vitamin C to help boost the immune system.
- weigh your girl daily at the same time to monitor her food intake and start hand feeding asap, including syringing water. The need to breathe comes before the need to drink and thirdly the need to eat.
Information on probitoics, recovery food, vitamin C and how to hand feed can be found here: https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/complete-hand-feeding-guide.115359/

My fingers are very firmly crossed!

 

[Nicolebethhh]

She is on baytril and metacam for pain.
We weren't given any probiotic and he said if she didn't improve that I should bring her back in and they could do an xray on her.
Unfortunately as much as I love my piggy I can't afford to take her to an emergency vet, otherwise I would.

 

[Wiebke]

She is on baytril and metacam for pain.
We weren't given any probiotic and he said if she didn't improve that I should bring her back in and they could do an xray on her.
Unfortunately as much as I love my piggy I can't afford to take her to an emergency vet, otherwise I would.

You should be able to get probiotics from a pet shop. Otherwise, you can make poo soup by soaking some fresh poos from a healthy guinea pig in a bit of water, then syringe the water; this also contains the right stuff for her guts. It's a bit gross, but it mimics what ill/recovering piggies do instinctively.

Baytril is quite an appetite dampener/killer. Please start hand feeding to keep her guts going and to maintain the strength to fight her illness.