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I'm So Sorry - Another Thread - Uri/conjunctivitis

Katiedid

Katiedid

Adult Guinea Pig
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Ziggy - got her she was ill with a URI (not as bad as Binky who we thought would die), 10 days of antibiotics (baytril) and eye drops finished last Monday.

Yesterday I couldn't work out if the eye was slightly more closed when they were begin bonded with the others (thought she may have hit it as it was fine at lunchtime).

Noticed when I checked on them in the night she was upstairs alone and this morning again she was, I picked her up and she ran back. Went home at lunch as I was worried - gummy eye, lively but not her usual self. In with Cavy vet at 3.45 today. Do I ask for a different antibiotic if it is a URI?
 
Poor you. You are having a rough time with the piggies at the moment. Hopefully your Vet will suggest another antibiotic as a matter of course as the Baytril hasn’t cleared the original problem completely.
 
You can ask your vet to take a nose swab, he will transfer it to a culture dish and in 2 or 3 days it will be ready for interpretation by the lab tech, this will help identify what antibiotics to use

A lot of vets have there own in house laboratory
 
gizzy said:
You can ask your vet to take a nose swab, he will transfer it to a culture dish and in 2 or 3 days it will be ready for interpretation by the lab tech, this will help identify what antibiotics to use

A lot of vets have there own in house laboratory
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Thank you.
 
Katiedid said:
Ziggy - got her she was ill with a URI (not as bad as Binky who we thought would die), 10 days of antibiotics (baytril) and eye drops finished last Monday.

Yesterday I couldn't work out if the eye was slightly more closed when they were begin bonded with the others (thought she may have hit it as it was fine at lunchtime).

Noticed when I checked on them in the night she was upstairs alone and this morning again she was, I picked her up and she ran back. Went home at lunch as I was worried - gummy eye, lively but not her usual self. In with Cavy vet at 3.45 today. Do I ask for a different antibiotic if it is a URI?
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I usually pull a screwed up face if my vets tell me they are going to give baytril as it just doesn't seem to do anything other than for uti's. I've been given other antibiotics before and last time (my first time) I had a pig with a uri we were prescribed zithromax by the cat and rabbit clinic in Northampton. I am led to believe that this is the best antibiotic to work against Uri's so it might be worth requesting and if your vet isn't sure on prescribing then perhaps they could call Northampton for information on dosage etc
 
She has a URI - he wouldn't consider anything but Baytril and a nebuliser. Binky seems fine. I am thoroughly defeated, I thought we had turned a corner, they were all so happy to be together yesterday. I have dropped them home with Hubby and the kids and gone back to work to get some headspace.
 
We have had lots of success with baytril in the past with URI's. If there is no improvement would he consider trying septrin possibly? As with humans different infections respond to different antibiotics

Ziggy is the poorly piggy yes? When did she start the antibiotics first course? Did she get better after them?
 
Ziggy is the poorly one. She started antibiotics 2 weeks and 3 days ago had 10 days on it (so finished a week ago yesterday) and yes she got better (although she seems to have lost her voice she has been really quiet since we got her even when you expect her to scream and if you listed she is making a noise but its hoarse and quiet). She had a baytril injection yesterday.
 
Has anyone had a pig lose their voice with a URI? I’m convinced the lack of sound isn’t because (as we first suspected) she is deaf nor that she is quiet, I was syringe feeding her tonight and she was full and having none of it and squeaking but it was the quietest squeak and she was really struggling to get it out. I’ve only heard her make any real noise on the first night we had her.
 
My Tansy just finished a 10 day course of Baytril but my Vet put her on the highest dose available for piggies of her weight etc. She was on 0.9 mls and her weight was 1120 grams.
Do you know what dose Ziggy was on?
 
Katiedid said:
Ziggy is the poorly one. She started antibiotics 2 weeks and 3 days ago had 10 days on it (so finished a week ago yesterday) and yes she got better (although she seems to have lost her voice she has been really quiet since we got her even when you expect her to scream and if you listed she is making a noise but its hoarse and quiet). She had a baytril injection yesterday.
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So the URI did in fact go away, but seems to have come back now? Hopefully the baytril will work again, sounds like it quite didn't kill of the bugs last time.

Hmmmmm the quiet wheek..... tagging in @helen105281 @Jaycey @Freela @Elwickcavies @furryfriends (TEAS) for ideas
 
Janice C said:
My Tansy just finished a 10 day course of Baytril but my Vet put her on the highest dose available for piggies of her weight etc. She was on 0.9 mls and her weight was 1120 grams.
Do you know what dose Ziggy was on?
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She was on 0.2ml and weighed 300g
 
Katiedid said:
She was on 0.2ml and weighed 300g
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I have a small old piggy who weighs about 720 grams and she was on 0.6 mls. I think this is about the normal? Dosage for a piggy according to my Vet but she went through to research whether Tansy could have a higher dose then came back to tell me this is the optimum for Guinea Pigs. It may be worth asking your a Vet about looking into doses?
 
Yep I was thinking about asking that and asking if we could extend it for 2 weeks. I suspect she will still be hoarse at the end of the one week course.
 
I have a feeling she is getting worse not better. I am trying to pile the critical care into her but she is protesting - a lot - whereas before she was taking a syringe and a half before protesting - and last time if I left the bowl around full of critical care she would eat it. The only thing she even seems to want to eat is watermelon. Which clearly she can't have a lot if - I give her a tiny sliver, and I mean tiny - enough to get a pinch of the meds on - to get the bisolve (not sure of spelling) and the probiotics into her. I think I need to pick up the nebuliser and try that.
 
My Vet suggested also putting Olbas oil onto her hot water bottle and I felt this helped clear her lungs a bit. I put a few drops on the bottle then covered it with some hay. She always loves lying either on top or next to the bottle. Do you feel the nebuliser is helping?
 
I haven't got the nebuliser yet. I was told if there was no improvement in 2-3 days to go collect it and use it - so I think now may be the time to go in. She is so skittish at the moment (which is unlike her - but she is in a new cage and ill) she has holed herself upstairs away from the others - Biscuit (when she can be bothered to climb the ramp) goes up and cuddles with her. Binky and Jet visit her to invite her to join in zoomies (which she sometimes does). She has a heat pad, loads of hay and pellets and critical care in a bowl (what I can't get into her when I syringe goes into a bowl).
 
Great! Just pop the Olbas onto her heat pad! Tansy has one for overnight so I put the Olbas onto that. May help clear her tubes. I often sprinkle Avipro which is a probiotic onto their favourite piece of veg to make sure they take it! Tansy seems to like the taste!
 
we have biolapidis - which goes on a sliver of watermelon - because watermelon is a rare treat so you never know when you will get it again (just don't tell my daughter as it's her watermelon).
 
Has your vet considered diuretics too? it depends if the infection is all in the airways or if there is anything going on further down, but they really help clear any fluid if there is any. I aIso second the Zithromax recommendation.
 
helen105281 said:
Has your vet considered diuretics too? it depends if the infection is all in the airways or if there is anything going on further down, but they really help clear any fluid if there is any. I aIso second the Zithromax recommendation.
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Thank you, no diuretics weren't mentioned - but he did say the lungs sounded clear it was all in the head/nose. I can't help but wonder if we didn't get rid of it as she was still sneezing and hoarse after the first round. The inability to squeak must have something to do with it.
 
If the original antibiotic didn't clear everything, it may be worth trying another one. Sometimes the antibiotic isn't a good match for the bacteria causing the problem. Last year Hadley went through a couple of antibiotics for a minor URI... the first one caused an improvement but not 100% and she quickly relapsed once it was stopped, but fortunately she responded better to the second one and cleared the infection. I would definitely ask about switching.
 
My Buzz had a very husky wheek after a bout of Pneumonia and it never came back. Also, Tabitha has narrowed airways and her wheek is very similar to what Buzz's was like.
 
I've left a message for the vet re the nebuliser (and everything else). Ziggy has had quite a bad day today - she was very withdrawn this morning and I only got 2ml of cc into her. I went home at lunch to feed her and managed to get 9ml into her at lunch time so I suppose that is better - but she had hardly moved since morning.
 
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