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Potential Uri?

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Reese & Rollo

Reese & Rollo

New Born Pup
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Hello, I'm posting on behalf of my friend.

She just got her pig a few hour ago and we've noticed that he's very sneezy and his nose looks a little runny. His cage mate, who I held, sneezed a few times then started to have a coughing fit.

She's new to pigs, and I have three of my own but I've never dealt with a sick pig.

We're not sure what to do or what he might be sick with.

Suggestions?

On another note, should we be worried about his cage mate? I've heard a lot of horror stories about PetCo pigs, and am willing to go get his cage mate if he needs to be rescued.
 
They both should see a vet as a precaution as if it is a URI it can be deadly if not caught early enough. It can be contagious to piggies with a run down immune system, some cagemates never contract it whereas sometimes they both go down with it and if both from petco and in a new home it could bring it on especially the stress of being in a store. I think your friend needs to take them to see a vet asap and get them both looked over and health checked as better to start out with two healthy piggies then two poorly ones, if they are ill I think petco should foot the bill.
 
Does sound like a URI and can be fatal. Needs anti-biotics from the vet. If an anti-biotic is prescribed be sure to also get a pro-biotic. Anti-biotics can upset piggy tummies by killing the good bacteria as well as the bad so the pro-biotic is to put the good ones back in. With upset tummies piggies can stop eating which is not good.

Yes, sounds like the cage mate has the same illness. The shop should not be selling ill piggies. I don't know about US laws though.
 
I agree both pigs need to see a vet as soon as possible for antibiotics and also diuretics if they also have fluid on their chest. A product like Bisolvon would also be good if they are snotty which I assume vets in the US would stock or an equivalent. URI can kill very quickly if left untreated.
 
Hey there, mommy of the piggy here! I'm wondering if I should be able to feel his ribs?
 
If he is young then yes it is a possibility but ideally no.
 
He's definitely gained some weight since I've brought him home, and he's also getting veggies in his diet now as well. Not to mention he's loving his new cage! But he's still sneezing quite a bit, so I'm going to call Petco again tomorrow and see if they will get him into a vet, if they won't I do know a good vet that will see him as well.
 
How about asking if Petco will cover your vet fees?
 
Someone on another thread very recently managed to get Petco to cover fees just yesterday; so I'm sure with something as serious as a URI you could! It is likely to be illegal for them to have sold you them that way. Whatever you do though don't let them take them away to treat them, it will only cause them more stress
 
Looking on the customer contract, it says that they have to if I report the illness within 15 days of purchase as long as Petco approved it first., and it's only been three. I called again and the pet care manager wasn't in yet, but he will be within a few hours and I was told to call again then. So we'll see, I might just have to bring him in anyway.
 
Quick update:
I called Petco back and spoke to the pet care manager, and he told me I'd have to return my piggy and they would take him to the vet, which is not something I would like to do, so I made an appointment for him with the vet my cats currently go to as they have a vet who specializes in small animal care. I'll update again after the vet appointment.
 
Glad he is seeing your own vet, at least you can monitor his recovery that way. Did you mention that his brother that was still in the store was also ill?
 
Not to the vet, but when I called Petco I mentioned it and the manager got mad and started telling me that he's just fine and they don't sell sick animals, etc. I'll probably end up going to get him too.
 
Right? But like I said, I'll probably end up going to get him as well. Time to order more C&C stuff!
 
Aww, thanks. I'm not too worried about vet fees. I'd rather pay some fees than have a sick piggies.
 
That's good, the piggy world needs more people like you. Shout if you are not sure about what the vet prescribes etc.
 
I wish pet stores would take more responsibility, especially with all the '5 freedoms' nowadays. They ought to just be honest, sometimes they can't prevent illness either I guess. I do wish that they would tell you when you buy them key signs of illness as I only knew about our URI because I took them to the vet for a check up (I'm a bit paranoid about my buddies)
 
The Petsmart I used to work for was pretty good at it, but it also helped that they had a veterinary clinic in the building as well. I would have had no idea of any potential illness if my friend (the original poster) hadn't said anything when I bought him. Though his cage mate sounded like he was screaming every few seconds when held, it was actually a sneeze/cough, so we knew something was wrong. We'll know soon enough! My Snickers has a vet appointment at noon tomorrow.
 
Well I hope it goes ok! Love to little snickers, hope he feels better
 
Vet update!

The URI has been confirmed, but the vet said it hadn't gotten too bad. His heart and lungs both sounded great, and he is completely healthy other than the URI. She prescribed him TMP Sulfa as an anti-biotic and Metoclopramide as a pro-biotic. She also gave me some vitamin C tablets to use as well as giving him his daily salad because he's so little just to give him some extra!
 
Ah same as my babies, hope they're getting better soon!
 
Glad you have a diagnosis and it is not too developed yet. One thing to note, Metaclopromide is a gut stimulant not a probiotic so you may need to look at getting some of that too. I am not sure what brands are available in the US but you should be able to find out on Guinea Lynx.
 
Mine must already be feeling better, saw some serious popcorn ing when I put fresh hay in :D
 
Snickers13 said:
Vet update!

The URI has been confirmed, but the vet said it hadn't gotten too bad. His heart and lungs both sounded great, and he is completely healthy other than the URI. She prescribed him TMP Sulfa as an anti-biotic and Metoclopramide as a pro-biotic. She also gave me some vitamin C tablets to use as well as giving him his daily salad because he's so little just to give him some extra!
Click to expand...

Hi again, I just posted a new thread on the health and illness forum about everything I've found useful over the last month with my baby piggies and their URI in case you're interested. If you do have a look I hope you find it helpful :)
 
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