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Is my guinea pig ok?
- Thread starter seep
- Start date
Betsy
Anniversary Herd
Could we have a bit more information please? How old is your piggy, does she have a friend, is she fit and well, has she seen a vet.
Hi and welcome
Could you please copy in a video that you have uploaded elsewhere on a public setting? Your information is unfortunately too vague.
If you are worried about your girl's health, please switch from the rgular weekly weigh-in to a daily one to make sure that your piggy is still eating normally and that it is not a pain related issue. Over 80% of the daily food intake should be unlimited hay which you cannot control by eye. See a vet as soon as your piggy has lost over 50g/2 oz. Kitchen scales from the supermarket will do the job.
This is the first step in monitoring for potential illness.
Weight - Monitoring and Management
Poor girl! That sounds rough and sore!
Please have your piggy seen ASAP for a respiratory infection (URI)!
Rasping is to be taken serious, as are any loud breathing noises that persist for more than just a few hours or that return.
If untreated, respiratory infections can kill or permanently damage. The sooner she can be treated with an antibiotic, the better!
Unfortunately, most guinea pigs fall ill with something or other throughout a 5-7 years life span even with the best of care at some point or other. The trick is to catch it early, so recovery is much quicker and easier; it can also make the difference between survival or not.
New piggy problems: URI - ringworm - skin parasites (includes more information on URI)
Lady Kelly
Senior Guinea Pig
You need an appropriate antibiotic to start fighting the infection. Is there no vet that will prescribe medication for you if you knew what to ask for? (I know in some countries it's impossible to find a vet with the right knowledge to treat piggies)
Can you please tell us where you are located (country, state/province/UK county).
In the UK, any antibiotic is prescription-only.
OK!
Baytril is the antibiotic that is licensed for guinea pigs. Doxycycline is also safe to give for respiratory infections.
Guinea Lynx :: Medications
Please make sure that you also give a pinch of probiotics either an hour before (US recommendation) or 1-2 hours after the antibiotic (UK recommendation), either works equally well. This is in order to protect the gut bacteria that are vital for the digestion.
Probiotics, Recovery Foods And Vitamin C: Overview With Product Links
Please make sure that any air conditioning (I imagine that you have one?) is not directly aimed at your guinea pig cage; this can cause respiratory infections. Guinea pigs are not equipped for a desert climate like in the US Southwest or in your country; they often suffer from recurring/permanent breathing problems in these situations (whether they are infectious or not is impossible to say without a vet exmination).
Any air conditioning will additionally dry the air. Try and see whether a bowl of steaming water next to the cage will ease the breathing.
The respiratory tract in guinea pigs is very small and narrow. They can also not breathe through their mouth. The noise your guinea pig is making is in my experience typical for an infection in the upper respiratory tract (throat/bronchia). You can in a pinch check roughly by holding your ear next to the head/nose, the neck (throat/bronchia) or chest (lungs) of your guinea pig to try and figure out where the rough breathing is coming from.
It would help both parties a lot if you please added your country to location in your account details (accessed by clicking on your username on the top bar). This makes it appear with every post you make and allows us to tailor any advice to what is relevant and available where you are straight away.
We have members and enquiries from all over the world but as long as not stated otherwise our default is UK based, which has got much stricter laws re. medications, often different medical brand names, not to mention widely available vet access. It also means that we can take the climate and climate related problems into account.
Leafy Lou
Junior Guinea Pig
I think this would possibly be toxic for guinea pigs, just going on what I found online. I am sure Wiebke can confirm though. One of our piggies had baytil and then septrin for her URI.
Are there any vets, any vet doesn't matter if they are guinea pig vets in your area that could prescribe the antibiotics at all?
Yes, it is on the safe list of antibiotics for guinea pigs and has been prescribed for forum guinea pigs, who didn't have any problems with it.
List of safe antibiotics: Guinea Lynx :: Antibiotics
List of dangerous medications for guinea pigs: Guinea Lynx :: Dangerous Medications
I have never seen tylosin used for guinea pigs and would be very wary to use it.
Hi!
It takes between a day to a week for improvements to show. Antibiotics build up in the body for full efficiency, which is why you always need to do a full course.
All the best!
Please monitor the weight. Antibiotics can also impact on gut bacteria which are crucial for the digestive process. Since the need to breathe comes before the need to drink and only thridly the need to eat, guinea pigs with respiratory problems are at an increased risk of loss of appetite.
You can find our syringe feeding support tips in this illustrated step-by-step guide if that happens (including how you can improvise). Please never just squirt the syringe contents into a mouth; it can end up going into the nose or lungs. Just give only as much as your guinea pig can hold safely in its mouth and swallow; this can be 0.3 - 0.5 ml but as little as 0.1 ml in very week guinea pigs that struggle to swallow.
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
Leafy Lou
Junior Guinea Pig
Hi Seep,
All I can add to Wiebke's wonderful advice and knowledge is, just try to relax and spend good time with your little one and I am hoping your little one makes a recovery, be patient and let the antibiotics do their job.
Best wishes xx
All I can add to Wiebke's wonderful advice and knowledge is, just try to relax and spend good time with your little one and I am hoping your little one makes a recovery, be patient and let the antibiotics do their job.
Best wishes xx
Thank you all for your help
Betsy
Anniversary Herd
Has she finished all her medicine now?
Wonderful news - well done for finding a solution to help your guinea pig.
I think many of us with access to good vets can sometimes take this for granted, and forget that it isn't always easy in other countries.
I think many of us with access to good vets can sometimes take this for granted, and forget that it isn't always easy in other countries.
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Just caught up with this thread.
Well done in finding a treatment and nursing her back to health.
Hope she makes a full recovery
Well done in finding a treatment and nursing her back to health.
Hope she makes a full recovery
Leafy Lou
Junior Guinea Pig
That's great news, wishing a speedy recovery xx