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Jasmined

New Born Pup
Joined
May 1, 2020
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Location
Wiltshire, UK
Yesterday morning I noticed I could hear Teddy breathing a little heavier than normal after I’d heard her sneeze a few times.
by the afternoon her breathing had become more noisy and her sneezes sounded a little wet, some crustiness round her nose.
By Luck managed to get her a vet appointment immediately and I suspected perhaps a URI

I’ve not had any experience withURI yet and was totally panicked but my vet seemed not at all worried & said she can’t hear anything on her lungs etc but prescribed 1 week of antibiotics as obviously URI is common & said to keep an eye on her housemates

she did also ask if there was changes in bedding etc. They’re on fleece & no change except I switched to Natures Own sweet green hay. Has any one ever had allergies/dusty issues with this brand?
Any advice would be amazing as I was kind of in a state of panic & didn’t ask the relevant questions at the time

is there anything I can do to help her out? She’s on her antibiotics but anything else? She’s absolutely fine in her self & weight is good, still eating well etc it’s just the sneezing/wheezing etc
 
I’ve tried to attach a video of her breathing but can’t seem to be able to 😬 but just sounds like a blocked nose in a human. The ‘wheeze’ is on her out breath not in breath if that helps
 
Usually if it is dust irritation in their airways, then the will sneeze clear it and it will be fine/last no more than a couple of hours.

If it has gone on longer than a few hours, getting worse, and accompanied by other symptoms (the crustiness), then yes I too would suspect a uri.

Keep an eye on her, it’ll take a few days for the antibiotics (I’m assuming shes been given baytril) to kick in. If she seems to get worse, then speak to your vet. How long is her course of antibiotics?

Otherwise, keep an eye on her weight - you should weigh a poorly piggy daily at the same time each day - to ensure she is still eating enough hay. Antibiotics can upset their tummies so you might want to give her a probiotic (pro-c, Fibreplex etc) to help combat any effects.
Probiotics, Recovery Foods And Vitamin C: Overview With Product Links
Not Eating, Weight Loss And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
 
:agr: fully with @Piggies&buns .

If you have started a course of antibiotics, you always need to finish it. The effectiveness builds up over several days; if you stop, you won't get the full benefit and will contribute to the growing headache of resistance which we are now starting to see in guinea pigs, too.

Please take the time to read the links.
 
Usually if it is dust irritation in their airways, then the will sneeze clear it and it will be fine/last no more than a couple of hours.

If it has gone on longer than a few hours, getting worse, and accompanied by other symptoms (the crustiness), then yes I too would suspect a uri.

Keep an eye on her, it’ll take a few days for the antibiotics (I’m assuming shes been given baytril) to kick in. If she seems to get worse, then speak to your vet. How long is her course of antibiotics?

Otherwise, keep an eye on her weight - you should weigh a poorly piggy daily at the same time each day - to ensure she is still eating enough hay. Antibiotics can upset their tummies so you might want to give her a probiotic (pro-c, Fibreplex etc) to help combat any effects.
Probiotics, Recovery Foods And Vitamin C: Overview With Product Links
Not Eating, Weight Loss And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
Thank you! Yes she has been given Baytril on a weeks course, once a day.
I’ve read through the links so I’m prepared if things get worse but at the moment she seems good in herself & I'm weighing everyday at the mo & she’s actually put on weight if anything.
Thanks so much!
 
:agr: fully with @Piggies&buns .

If you have started a course of antibiotics, you always need to finish it. The effectiveness builds up over several days; if you stop, you won't get the full benefit and will contribute to the growing headache of resistance which are now starting to see in guinea pigs, too.

Please take the time to read the links.
Thank you as always!
 
Also, do you think it’s likely her house mates will get it too? She’s one of 4 & I’m weighing them everyday & checking for symptoms twice daily just in case.

They won’t necessarily get it - it’s like a sickness bug in a household, one member can get it and the others not. You are doing right by keeping an eye on all your piggies though
 
Its very good that you are being so diligent and checking on all your piggies, that's an excellent thing to do, being super cautious, but please dont worry too much- you caught the possible URI very early, and hopefully the baytril will clear it right up in a week. Although some URIs can be serious, some are just like a mild sore throat infection and dont get any worse and don't spread if they are treated promptly, our Blodwen pig had a mild URI like that, she was honking and quacking like a duck instead of squeaking, and snoring when she was asleep! But a prompt vet trip and a week of baytril fixed her right up and none of her friends caught anything, I hope this is the same for you :)
 
Sounds like you caught this early and got vet treatment quickly, so with luck this should clear promptly. I’ve never had a URI spread from one piggy to another. I’m always a bit mystified why one piggy will get one and the others be fine, but I guess it’s like us humans - some people will catch a cold and others will not.
 
Its very good that you are being so diligent and checking on all your piggies, that's an excellent thing to do, being super cautious, but please dont worry too much- you caught the possible URI very early, and hopefully the baytril will clear it right up in a week. Although some URIs can be serious, some are just like a mild sore throat infection and dont get any worse and don't spread if they are treated promptly, our Blodwen pig had a mild URI like that, she was honking and quacking like a duck instead of squeaking, and snoring when she was asleep! But a prompt vet trip and a week of baytril fixed her right up and none of her friends caught anything, I hope this is the same for you :)
Thank you! It’s so easy to always see worst case scenario, trying to stay positive and not freak out at every sneeze 🙂
 
Sounds like you caught this early and got vet treatment quickly, so with luck this should clear promptly. I’ve never had a URI spread from one piggy to another. I’m always a bit mystified why one piggy will get one and the others be fine, but I guess it’s like us humans - some people will catch a cold and others will not.
Thank you, fingers crossed none of the others pick it up & she recovers soon 🙂
 
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