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How long for meds to work?

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Leigh P

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My 2.5yr old boar piggie went to the vet this morning as he was very quiet and his breathing was quite laboured (he was fine last night when I gave him his evening parsley treat). I managed to get him seen within the hour which was a relief.

The vet checked his lungs and said that there was some noise, so gave him a Baytril injection and an anti-imflammatory for any pain. She said that his teeth seemed fine and that there was no sign of abscess etc in his mouth.

My question is... how long will it take until I see some improvement (if there is going to be any)? I need to start giving the Baytril tomorrow morning, and am also syringe feeding some Recovery aswell (quite watery at the moment so that he doesn't dehydrate).

Also, how often do I need to give the Recovery if I am getting approx. 5ml into him each time?

I always bring the hutch in at night, and the bedding is Megazorb and meadow hay, so hoping this is good for respiratory system.

Thanks for any help given, I really don't want to lose this piggie x
 
I am sorry your piggy is poorly.

You should start to see an improvement within a few days. I can't advice on the critical care as I've never had to use it myself.

As for the hutch, bringing him in at night and putting him out during the day isn't advisable as guinea pigs do not cope well with temperature fluctuations.

If your boy has a URI, you may like to keep him indoors for now so you can keep him warm and keep a closer eye on him.

I hope he feels better soon x
 
Thanks for your reply.

Once my piggie is better, should I leave them outside all night and not bring the hutch in? I thought that with the temperature drop in the evenings/night that they would be better off indoors (I normally bring them in at about 7pm before the temp drops outside).

When they are outside (apart from when I put them in their run), they are in a solid hutch under a shelter, so out of draughts.

Any help is much appreciated.
 
Hi,

If he's not eating you should be syringe feeding every few hours to prevent gut stasis (even through the night), there is a feeding guide on both recovery and oxbox on the packet. Recovery is good but it tends to clog, Oxbox Fine Grind is better as it makes a smoother paste, it also has papaya in it which helps with digestion. If he isn't eating I would ask your vet to give him metaclopramide to stimulate gut movement.

I'd keep him indoors as you can monitor his breathing and faecal output. He will also struggle to regulate his temp when ill so he's be better indoors and on a heat pad if required. Give him his fav foods to get him eating well on his own and you could bed on hay as they tend to graze where they sit when poorly rather than move to a food source, plus the anti inflam may make him sleepy.

Wishing you all the best and hope he gets better soon. x>>
 
I am a bit happier - Chip is eating some baby spinach that I grow in the garden (which is better than his lack of appetite this morning), so hoping that the meds have made him a bit more comfortable. Will keep up with the Recovery though, and look into the other supplement that was mentioned :))
 
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