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Please Help Urgently!

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Marble the guinea wig

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Hi my guinea pig is severly wheezing and sneezing. We have taken him to the vets and he has given us metacam and baytril to give hime. He said see how he is after 10 days what else can i do. Please help...
 
around 2 weeks but its only got worse and we started him on meds yesterday, how long shall i leave him or shall i pts :0
 
take him off sawdust/shavings instantly if hes on them as this could be making him worse
if hes seen a vet i cant suggest much else
although some more experienced on here may have advice
just make sure hes having medication if thats what vet has said
hope hes better soon
 
Please take him back to the vets ASAP. Where do you live? We may be able to recomend a Cavy Savy vet near you..

In some cases, piggie with URI's may be given a diuretic like Furosemide that may clear any fluid.



See how he is after the course, our piggies URI's have cleared up very quickly.
 
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WHAT!
pts! give the poor mite a chance
most medication takes time to kick in
24hr most often
please god dont have him pts
I'm sure if that was the only option the vet would have said so

are you for real?
 
plus hes been like that for 2 weeks and ony a vets yesterday and meds,
why not take him sooner
and now the panic to have him pts when you havent even given the meds chance to work!
geeezzzz
 
Marble the guinea wig said:
Hi my guinea pig is severly wheezing and sneezing. We have taken him to the vets and he has given us metacam and baytril to give hime. He said see how he is after 10 days what else can i do. Please help...
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I thought your post said he's been like it for 10 days after the meds.

See how he is after a few days on the course, our piggies URI's have cleared up very quickly. If he goes downhill anymore please get back to the vets.

Get a probiotic also that'll help his guts while on Anitbiotics.
 
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Aw. sorry to hear this but your vet suspects a URI and the Baytril will help.
Bit baffled as to why he gave you Metacam as it is a pain relief medication - mine never had it with antibiotics for URI's only UTI's.
Right - what dosage have you been given for your boy ? Baytril can be harsh on their little tums so would advise giving a probiotic around 2 hours after the Baytril. This will help maintain his gut flora and help prevent any soft poos.
Fibreplex is great and available from any veterinary practise for around £8.

http://www.vetuk.co.uk/rabbit-suppl...ibreplex-for-rabbits-and-small-rodents-p-1180

Any signs of diarrhoea, stop the Baytril and contact your vet - this is very important.
Make sure your boy eats well too, Baytril again may reduce his appetite so of you can weigh him every couple of days or so and keep a record. I know it is hard when they are not well and don't want to be messed around with but I have always weighed mine the same time as they've had their meds.
Have you tried a dust free hay ? Is he on any kind of shavings that may have irritated his respiratory tract...fleece blankets/vet bedding is very good for them and reduces the risk of URI's drastically I think.
Keep us informed of things - many of us have had piggies on Baytril and can help with any worries you have :))
Hope little one picks up very soon, will take a few days for the antibiotics to work into his system before he shows any signs of improvement.
Keep a close eye on him and keep him warm and dry as piggies can go downhill very quickly :(
 
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we didnt take him to the vets as we were on holiday and he has only just started to sneeze and breathe worse as before it was just sneezing. Well i just dont know what to do as he is trying breathe constantly and every breathe he makes you can hear him and he sneezes every 5 minutes. I just want to do whats best for him :...
 
Take him back to the vets now. If they do not know about guinea pigs state your location and somebody may be able to recommend one for you. This cannot be left. Really as soon as a guinea pigs begins sneezing they need to see a vet. I know you are scared but you need to be calm for a moment and get your little one help. We are all here to support you.
 
Dont know if anyone has mentioned this, but is he outside piggy, perhaps bring him in if so until he is better?
 
Thankyou I'm using dust free hay and can he suddenly become allergic to sawdust as he has been on the same one now for 3 years
 
Marble the guinea wig said:
we didnt take him to the vets as we were on holiday and he has only just started to sneeze and breathe worse as before it was just sneezing. Well i just dont know what to do as he is trying breathe constantly and every breathe he makes you can hear him and he sneezes every 5 minutes. I just want to do whats best for him :...
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Okay, try not to worry. You've taken him to the vets now and have some Antibiotics for him. They should start to work very soon.

Please weigh him regulary so you can see how much he is eating..

If you are concerned at any point, he stops eating or gets worse please get back in touch with your vet. Hope he gets well soon
 
Sawdust does not help. Hay can be dusty and sharp too. I would switch to fleece as soon as you can. In the mean time why not just use newspaper and change it twice a day. It is important no dust gets to his chest.
 
Thanks he is outside ive had to split him from his friend like the vet said but cant bring him in as ive got house bunnies
 
Marble the guinea wig said:
Thanks he is outside ive had to split him from his friend like the vet said but cant bring him in as ive got house bunnies
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He must be brought inside. It does not matter you have house bunnies if he has a lid on his cage. Being outside will make him worse.
 
he is not on sawdust actually as my mum has taken him off that just on newspaper and dust free hay and it has been longer than 24 hr since he has been on medication. I just dont know what to do :( The vet said it could be contagious and that it could be spread to are other small animals :(
 
Agree he should be indoors where you can keep a close eye on him, this changeable weather is a pain. You really need to keep him warm - have you got a snuggle pad or a hot water bottle you could wrap in a towel...
I had a tiny girl with pneumonia not long ago so understand how scary these things are but the Baytril will help.
My worry is if this has been un-noticed for two weeks, it maybe harder to treat. Who was looking after him whilst you were away may I ask ?
Offer him lots of nice tempting veggies, peppers are a great source of Vitamin C.
 
I agree about the snuggle safe heat pad. You can buy them from here http://www.vetuk.co.uk/cat-accessor...-626_325/snugglesafe-heat-pad-and-cover-p-250 or although they are more expensive, you can buy them from pets at home for around £20

Please, please, please bring him indoors and provide him with a snugglesafe and fleece if possible. You don't need an indoor cage for him to stay in, a cardboard box or cat carrier will be perfectly fine so long as you can keep an eye on him.
 
Amazon have a great offer on atm:

[ame="http://www.amazon.co.uk/SnuggleSafe-Microwave-Wireless-Heatpad-Fleece/dp/B0014LJKUA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1339429768&sr=8-1"]SnuggleSafe Microwave Wireless Heatpad with Fleece Cover: Amazon.co.uk: Pet Supplies[/ame]

I always thought it a good idea for people who have outdoor piggies to keep a cage around in case they need to be brought indoors :)
I keep a 100cm cage for quarantine purposes only as you can never be too sure.
Any updates on your boy ?
 
Guinea pig slave said:
Amazon have a great offer on atm:

SnuggleSafe Microwave Wireless Heatpad with Fleece Cover: Amazon.co.uk: Pet Supplies

I always thought it a good idea for people who have outdoor piggies to keep a cage around in case they need to be brought indoors :)
I keep a 100cm cage for quarantine purposes only as you can never be too sure.
Any updates on your boy ?
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Sorry, pressed wrong button :))

I have outdoor pigs but I also have a small indoor cage that I use to transport the girls and can be used for a poorly pig (fingers crossed I won't need it for that). I also have a very large shallow plastic box that my girls spent the winter before last in :)
 
hi, i just saw your thread on the rabbit forum and suggested this forum but i see you have already posted.

like i said on the rabbit forum, tell us whereabouts you are and we can recommend an exotics vet for you. they are much better as they are highly trained, normal vets are not trained that well in exotics.

i also agree to bring him inside to keep an eye on him and keep him warm. if he's ill his body temperature will be lower.

i have two rabbits with long term uri's. they are brothers and when one was treated and became stable, the other stayed chronic but yet his brother never caught it back from him. they are not as contagious as made out. if your rabbits have a compromised immune system then of course there is a small risk. but this is the case when housing any animals in the same space like a house. dogs, cats, rabbit etc. this is what my very good exotics vet said. so i would bring him in.

baytril is what most normal vets will give as it is the only medicine licensed and it is a good medication, but not generally for respiratory problems. they can be very complex and usually something alot stronger is needed and for a longer period of time aswell.

metacam is a very good anti-inflammatory and will reduce any swelling in the nasal passages.

i really recommed seeing an exotics vet. they will have seen this many times and will provide much better care.

also, respiratory problems can sometimes clear up and sometimes the best you may get is keeping them stable. but there are so many meds and things to try so don't give up yet.

my only advice would be to get to a decent vet asap as damage can occur inside the nose the longer the infection is left. also, the infection can sometimes be deep inside the nose, in the spores so a longer treatment time is usually needed to reach those areas aswell.

give the treatment time to work and take him off woodshavings definitely, they really irritate the lining of the nose.

best of luck and keep up updated. x
 
Hi thankyou he hs got loads of blankets, he has stopped making the noises although he seems as if he has just given up on life :(
 
Marble the guinea wig said:
Hi thankyou he hs got loads of blankets, he has stopped making the noises although he seems as if he has just given up on life :(
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he will be feeling very poorly. it's very stressful.

is he still eating and drinking ok?

whereabouts are you? i am sure we can recommend a really good vet for you. it does sound like he needs to see one asap. x
 
i notice on your other thread you are in gloucestershire.

can anyone else recommend a vets please.
 
this is good site for rcvs practices. i typed in gloucestershire and two pages of results came up. so there should be some near you. hope this helps. x

http://findavet.rcvs.org.uk/find-a-...dius=10&filter-pss=true&filter.x=0&filter.y=0

sorry to keep posting but i have been through with my rabbits and it's such a worrying time. one of my two is chronic but stable these days. we never thought he would make it so just want to offer support and say don't give up hope yet. x
 
Marble the guinea wig said:
Thanks, The vets i went to was woods which is on the list and guineapig friendly
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that's good then. just give the meds time to work but go straight back to the vets if he seems worse. or ring them for advice if you don't want to keep taking him back and forth.

really hope he picks up soon. x
 
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