Jellybean Has A Uri.:(

[Adrianne88]

For the last several days JellyBean has had the sniffles and a runny nose, so today I took her to see her vet and I found out she has a URI. She was prescribed Doxycline and has to take it twice a day for 14 days. The vet said to continue to give her Vitamin C, since she loves red bell pepper, he said to continue to give her that. Does anyone have any other suggestions? And does anyone know what may have caused her to get a URI? I love my piggy so much, it breaks my heart to see her sick. I'm just looking for support I guess...

 

[Elwickcavies]

The only other thing I would suggest is to give a probiotic to help her digestive system as antibiotics can affect the gut bacteria too and lead to tummy upsets. I'm not sure what probiotics are available in the US. I'll tag in a few prople that might know. @helen105281, @Wiebke, @Pebble.

Try not to worry, she is getting the correct treatment and as long as she is eating and drinking, there is no reason to think she will not have a speedy recovery. URIs are relatively common in guinea pigs, but damp or drafty conditions can contribute. Let us know how she gets on. x

 

[piggyfan]

Get well soon Jellybean. Piggies pick up these things and you are not to blame for this.

 

[Wiebke]

Get better soon, Jellybean!

It would be good if you got a probiotic, if necessary from a pet shop, to bolster the effect of the antibiotic on the guts. Give a pinch about 1-2 hours after the antibiotic, either on a piece of veg, or if she doesn't like it, syringe it mixed into 1ml of water (equals two mouthfuls of fluid, so give half a syringe full in one go).
Here is our list of good quality support care stuff, which we have checked for worldwide availability online (@Elwickcavies); we recommend to always have probiotics, vitamin C and recovery food at hand, so you can support and hand feed your piggy asap in an emergency to complement the veterinary treatment. You can find more information about how to best supplement vet care for an ill piggy at home in our Caring for an Ill Piggy section, by the way.
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/...vitamin-c-overview-with-product-links.115404/

Is the nose watery runny or thick/yellow crusty runny?

 

[Adrianne88]

Thank you so much for responding! I'll be sure to start her on a probiotic. She's kept in an air conditioned room because I only have swamp cooling on the other side of the house, so the temperature in there is anywhere between 67 degrees Fahrenheit to about 70 degrees. At night it tends to get a bit colder so I drap a light towel or sheet over part of the cage. So she doesn't get a draft of any kind. And she hasn't been around anything damp, I'm really good about cleaning her cage, even if I just need to spot clean it. Her favorite place to play is inside my tub, I have a huge bathtub, but I always make sure it's dry and I line it with towels. I'm wondering if maybe her bedding has something to do with it? Right now she's using pine bedding. I've always used aspen with my guinea pigs in the past, so I'm wondering if I should switch her to that...?

The only other thing I would suggest is to give a probiotic to help her digestive system as antibiotics can affect the gut bacteria too and lead to tummy upsets. I'm not sure what probiotics are available in the US. I'll tag in a few prople that might know. @helen105281, @Wiebke, @Pebble.

Try not to worry, she is getting the correct treatment and as long as she is eating and drinking, there is no reason to think she will not have a speedy recovery. URIs are relatively common in guinea pigs, but damp or drafty conditions can contribute. Let us know how she gets on. x

 

[Adrianne88]

Get well soon Jellybean. Piggies pick up these things and you are not to blame for this.

Thank you, I appreciate you saying that.

 

[Adrianne88]

Get better soon, Jellybean!

It would be good if you got a probiotic, if necessary from a pet shop, to bolster the effect of the antibiotic on the guts. Give a pinch about 1-2 hours after the antibiotic, either on a piece of veg, or if she doesn't like it, syringe it mixed into 1ml of water (equals two mouthfuls of fluid, so give half a syringe full in one go).
Here is our list of good quality support care stuff, which we have checked for worldwide availability online (@Elwickcavies); we recommend to always have probiotics, vitamin C and recovery food at hand, so you can support and hand feed your piggy asap in an emergency to complement the veterinary treatment. You can find more information about how to best supplement vet care for an ill piggy at home in our Caring for an Ill Piggy section, by the way.
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/...vitamin-c-overview-with-product-links.115404/

Is the nose watery runny or thick/yellow crusty runny?

Thanks so much for your help! I'll be starting her on a probiotic this afternoon, I spoke to the vet this morning and he agrees that's a good idea and he also gave me a very detailed list of good fruits and veggies to ensure she gets her Vitamin C. She has a runny nose with clear discharge but it only seems to be her left nostril that's runny. She has been sneezing every now and then too and the vet also noticed that she has a little bald spot on her right front leg. She's still playful and she's eating and drinking regularly though.

 

[Wiebke]

Thanks so much for your help! I'll be starting her on a probiotic this afternoon, I spoke to the vet this morning and he agrees that's a good idea and he also gave me a very detailed list of good fruits and veggies to ensure she gets her Vitamin C. She has a runny nose with clear discharge but it only seems to be her left nostril that's runny. She has been sneezing every now and then too and the vet also noticed that she has a little bald spot on her right front leg. She's still playful and she's eating and drinking regularly though.

If the antibiotic is not doing the job or the symptoms are recurring, you may look at dust irritation or allergy next. It doesn't sound quite like your typical URI. What are you currently using for bedding?

As to vitamin C righ veg (we strongly recommend to feed fruit not more than twice a week to prevent lip and mouth infections), we have got a list in this thread here: http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/...veg-and-fruit-list-with-vitamin-c-grading.42/

 

[Adrianne88]

If the antibiotic is not doing the job or the symptoms are recurring, you may look at dust irritation or allergy next. It doesn't sound quite like your typical URI. What are you currently using for bedding?

As to vitamin C righ veg (we strongly recommend to feed fruit not more than twice a week to prevent lip and mouth infections), we have got a list in this thread here: http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/...veg-and-fruit-list-with-vitamin-c-grading.42/

I took her to the vet thinking she was having trouble with allergies too, because in Arizona, almost everything here suffers with allergies because there is so much dirt, my dog has to take Benadryl every once in awhile if her allergies start to act up too. Right now Jellybean is back to having pine in her cage. I've tried Carefresh and Aspen also, and it didn't seem to make a difference in her sneezing. And just to give you an idea, her daily diet consists of unlimited hay and pellets, clean water daily and I usually give her romaine lettuce daily or at least every couple of days with fruits and veggies as more of a snack. She seems to favor red bell pepper over everything else, today I tried a small piece of kiwi and she seemed to really enjoy it. P.S. She absolutely hates her antibiotics. She squeals so loudly and pees on me every time... It just breaks my heart... But as soon as she takes the meds she just goes back to her business of running around.


Here's a close up of her nose, so you can kinda see what I'm talking about. It seems like it's just her left nostril that's runny.