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Poorly Young Guinea

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SueJ

SueJ

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Hi I'm new to the group. We got two young guineas in June and poor Crunchie had started tilting his head to one side so we took him straight to the vet. He was given a weeks worth of Baytril but I took him back to vet a few days later as still not right. He was given a steroid injection. Separated him from his brother last night as he wasn't getting any peace. This morning he seems to have noisy breathing and wants to eat but each time he does he seems to act like he is going to be sick. Been syringe feeding him water to keep him hydrated but think he has given up. So sad but I'm thinking he'll need putting to sleep. My 8 year old son is devastated as Crunchie was his birthday present who he loves very much :(
 
Hi Sue, welcome to the forum. Please could you confirm your location?

I think he needs to see a vet today, have a look on our recommended vets locator if you are in the UK. Baytril is not always the best antibiotic to use though it did help my Phoebe recently with a head tilt. The head tilt could be caused by a number of things - ear infection, E-Cuniculli, or even a stroke so it is important to know what is causing it. The breathing does worry me though and it is possible he has now developed a URI as he will be run down. Also, has he been outside in the heat at all? or in sunlight indoors? heatstroke is a real problem in this weather.
 
Hi there,they are kept indoors out of direct sun so heat isn't the problem. Both vets seem to be unsure of what's wrong and just said probably inner ear infection. Personally I think it's more like a stroke. He was eating mostly cucumber and carrot but only if you held it to him,seemed confused where it was if placed in front of him.
I am in Scotland near Aberdeen
 
I agree with @helen105281. it is likely has he has developed a secondary respiration due to the hot weather in the UK; the last week has been very tough on any elderly and ill piggies. Can you have him seen by an out-of-hours vet (contact number available from your vets answering machine)?

Head tilts can have a variety of causes, not all are easy to diagnose. Ear infection is only one of them, although the most common, apart from ear mites (for which your vet will have checked). If it is a neurological problem, then there is very little you can do about it.
 
Thanks for all the advice,sadly we had to have poor Crunchie put to sleep. This has left his young brother Oreo alone he is only three months old so I hope to introduce a new friend to him as soon as possible. I know it's not nice for them to be kept alone. My son is devastated as are we x
 
HUGS!

I am ever so sory that Crunchie hasn't made it! By the sound of it, you were really up against it despite doing all you could. Sadly, guinea pigs are very small animals and don't have the sheer body mass that can slow down illness. You are most welcome to post a tribute to Crunchie in our Rainbow Bridge section whenever you feel the time is right for you.

We have got a recommended good standard rescue locator on the top bar for our UK members. I can also provide contacts for rescues in the US, Canada and Australia. Most of the recommended rescues offer bonding at the rescue under expert supervision with their quarantined piggies, so you will only come home with a guaranteed healthy companion if there has been success and you do not have worry about ending up with two boys that won't get on. A rescue will also offer support for the whole lifetime of any of their piggies, so you are not left to deal with a mess on your own. You may find that a good age gap between two boars will strengthen the bond, as only one boar is going through the stroopy teenage hormones at any time. The key to any successful piggy bond is character compatibility; hence the dating - letting the piggies choose each other is crucial.
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/pages/guinea-pig-rescue-locator/
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/looking-after-a-bereaved-piggy.110463/

As Crunchie has come down with URI in the end, I would strongly recommend to wait 2 weeks (the incubation period) before you do any intros, unless you get a piggy that has not undergone quarantine and will need to have one itself in a separate room. But the gap will hopefully give you time to look around and contact all rescues within your reach. Please note that many rescues don't advertise any single piggies that they keep for bonding with bereaved or fall-out piggies, so you will have to ring up or email and ask.
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/importance-of-quarantine.108034/

PS: With members from all over the world, we are very grateful if you added your country, state or or (for the UK) your county, so we can always give you the appropriate advice and recommendations straight away. Click on your username on the top bar, then go to personal details and scroll down to location. In the same section you can also upload your avatar, the picture that appears with every post you make. Thanks!
 
Thank you so much for your kind words,it's a very sad day. I'll take all your advice thanks x
 
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