Pugwall And Seabass - Possible Uri?

[Carrotyd]

As per a previous thread, we recently rescued two boy piggies a couple of weeks apart: Seabass and Pugwall.

Seabass (four months) was bonded with our bereaved boy Harry, who passed away two weeks later from complications with bloat.

We returned to the rescue to find Seabass a friend and came back with Pugwall (1yr+).

Ever since he arrived about two weeks ago, Pugwall has made little hiss-like sneezes, and, which I took him (and Seabass) to the vet to get checked out about a couple of days after he got here.

The vet said she couldn't hear anything untoward and said the breathing was probably down to the change of environment.

Two weeks on, and they are both still periodically sneezing, but - over the course of the past week - Pugwall's weight has dropped from around 930g to 898g (as of tonight), and every so often you hear a cough from him, which usually follows on from him making a hoot-hoot breathing noise.

He is eating well, but the weight loss has me worried, and I've been weighing him at all times of day to account for a full bladder, etc, but it does seem to be going downwards generally.

In the interests of context, we've had Seabass (4 months) a little longer (since the second week of January) and his weight is steadily increasing from 711g when we first got him to 850g today. He's been sneezing, but has continued to gain weight and doesn't make the same hoot-hoot noise as Pugwall seems to.

I'm trying to rationalize by remembering Pugwall came from a rescue where he was living alone, in smaller accommodation. He and Seabass spend a lot of time running around in a 5x2 C&C So, maybe Pugwall's weight is just levelling off a little because of the increase in his activity levels?

Also, Seabass does tend to bother him a bit (by squeaking constantly at him) when he's eating, which usually results in Pugwall wandering off and coming back to his veggies later (for example). In the rescue, he might have been getting bigger portions on account of the fact he was alone.

Sorry if this post sounds crazy, and like I'm worrying about nothing, but we've had a rough time of it with piggies recently, and I think it's made me a little hyper-sensitive to their health and well-being, which I know is not a bad thing to be, but I feel like I should be enjoying them more and worrying less.

I'm planning to work from home tomorrow so I can take them both to the vets for another once over. Do you think I'm being overly cautious or am I right to be worried?

 

[happy_piggy]

My male piggy, Kyper, has been loosing weight and sneezing lately. He seems to be eating and drinking fine. Sounds a lot like what your pig is doing. We have not taken him to a vet though. We have just been feeding him extra.

I also get very worried with my piggys. Every little different thing they do seems to bother me lol. It sounds like you are a great piggy parent! I hope everything turns out fine for him!

 

[Wiebke]

As per a previous thread, we recently rescued two boy piggies a couple of weeks apart: Seabass and Pugwall.

Seabass (four months) was bonded with our bereaved boy Harry, who passed away two weeks later from complications with bloat.

We returned to the rescue to find Seabass a friend and came back with Pugwall (1yr+).

Ever since he arrived about two weeks ago, Pugwall has made little hiss-like sneezes, and, which I took him (and Seabass) to the vet to get checked out about a couple of days after he got here.

The vet said she couldn't hear anything untoward and said the breathing was probably down to the change of environment.

Two weeks on, and they are both still periodically sneezing, but - over the course of the past week - Pugwall's weight has dropped from around 930g to 898g (as of tonight), and every so often you hear a cough from him, which usually follows on from him making a hoot-hoot breathing noise.

He is eating well, but the weight loss has me worried, and I've been weighing him at all times of day to account for a full bladder, etc, but it does seem to be going downwards generally.

In the interests of context, we've had Seabass (4 months) a little longer (since the second week of January) and his weight is steadily increasing from 711g when we first got him to 850g today. He's been sneezing, but has continued to gain weight and doesn't make the same hoot-hoot noise as Pugwall seems to.

I'm trying to rationalize by remembering Pugwall came from a rescue where he was living alone, in smaller accommodation. He and Seabass spend a lot of time running around in a 5x2 C&C So, maybe Pugwall's weight is just levelling off a little because of the increase in his activity levels?

Also, Seabass does tend to bother him a bit (by squeaking constantly at him) when he's eating, which usually results in Pugwall wandering off and coming back to his veggies later (for example). In the rescue, he might have been getting bigger portions on account of the fact he was alone.

Sorry if this post sounds crazy, and like I'm worrying about nothing, but we've had a rough time of it with piggies recently, and I think it's made me a little hyper-sensitive to their health and well-being, which I know is not a bad thing to be, but I feel like I should be enjoying them more and worrying less.

I'm planning to work from home tomorrow so I can take them both to the vets for another once over. Do you think I'm being overly cautious or am I right to be worried?

It sounds like something building up in the airways that is then removed with a sneeze or a cough. Hooting is usually an indicator that the problem sits in the nose. Have you checked your hay for dust or your room for dry air?

The weight loss is still within the daily variance between a full/empty tummy and bladder. I would go on closer observance once there is a steady downhill trend after a loss of ca. 50g and see a vet promptly if a weight loss of 50g has happened in a very short period (a week to one day).

If there is dominance behaviour over the food, I would recommend to switch to feeding veg and pellets in a bowl each in small portions that can be eaten in one go 2-3 times a day. Place the bowls well away from each other, at least a body length, so they cannot be covered at once. If it is really bad, have a third bowl with extra food at the ready. Even the biggest food bully cannot cope with three bowls at once! Remove the bowls between meals; 80% of the daily food intake should be hay, so your piggies are not suffering. make sure that hay and water bottle access cannot be physically blocked.

 

[Carrotyd]

Thanks for the advice @Wiebke . I took them both for a precautionary vet visit yesterday morning, and he confirmed that Seabass has gained about 50g since their first visit, while Pugwall has lost the same amount of weight.

He checked them both over (bagging himself a nip or two from Pugwall in the process), and said they both seem well, but said the fact Pugwall's sneezing has progressed to a cough is a cause for a little concern, so he's prescribed him 0.4ml of Baytril twice a day (or 0.8ml in one go) as a preventative measure.

Getting him to take it is a little bit of a struggle - although I've managed it today and yesterday and there have been no more coughs since then.

As per your advice, he told us to make sure the room is well ventilated (as we've kept the window to their room closed since we got them because of the cold weather) and remove any bedding and hay that could be causing dust. They're on fleece, so there's not a huge amount I need to change, but I'll certainly be a little more picky with what hay I use.

 

[Wiebke]

Thanks for the advice @Wiebke . I took them both for a precautionary vet visit yesterday morning, and he confirmed that Seabass has gained about 50g since their first visit, while Pugwall has lost the same amount of weight.

He checked them both over (bagging himself a nip or two from Pugwall in the process), and said they both seem well, but said the fact Pugwall's sneezing has progressed to a cough is a cause for a little concern, so he's prescribed him 0.4ml of Baytril twice a day (or 0.8ml in one go) as a preventative measure.

Getting him to take it is a little bit of a struggle - although I've managed it today and yesterday and there have been no more coughs since then.

As per your advice, he told us to make sure the room is well ventilated (as we've kept the window to their room closed since we got them because of the cold weather) and remove any bedding and hay that could be causing dust. They're on fleece, so there's not a huge amount I need to change, but I'll certainly be a little more picky with what hay I use.

Baytril is singularly horrible tasting, so it is always somewhat of a struggle to get it in. You can either give it in one fell swoop and give the same amount of ribena afterwards to help wash the taste away, or you can mix the same amount of baytril and ribena and give it in two mouthfuls. (One mouthful is about 03.-0.5 ml depending on the size of your guinea pig. make sure that the first mouthful has gone down properly before you give more; especially with guinea pigs that are being treated for respiratory issues. The last thing you want to happen is things going down the wrong way!

You can also give a pinch of probiotics either 1-2 hours before the antibiotic (US recommendation) or 1-2 hours after the antibiotic (UK recommendatio) to help support the guts.

Here are tips on what you can do with uncooperative piggies:
Administering Medications

Probiotics, Recovery Foods And Vitamin C: Overview With Product Links

 

[Carrotyd]

What kind of Ribena? The stuff you dilute with water (cordial) or in a pre-mixed carton, or does it really not matter?

 

[Wiebke]

What kind of Ribena? The stuff you dilute with water (cordial) or in a pre-mixed carton, or does it really not matter?

I would use the cordial if you want to disguise the taste espec, but you can use pre-mixed if you'd rather use it to wash away the taste afterwards.

 

[Carrotyd]

I would use the cordial if you want to disguise the taste espec, but you can use pre-mixed if you'd rather use it to wash away the taste afterwards.

The Baytril definitely went down a little easier this morning with some Ribena mixed in, but the wee fella bit me while trying to administer it! He's certainly the most spirited pig I've encountered, that's for sure.

He still seems to be eating okay, but I read elsewhere on the forum Baytril can have an adverse impact on their appetite in some cases. How long after starting treatment will that kick in, if it is going to?

I only ask because I've been working from home the last couple of days to keep an eye on him, but have to be in the office on Thursday and Friday, so won't be around during the day to pick up on any loss of appetite. My other half is at home tomorrow, so it's really just today I'm overly concerned with.

 

[Wiebke]

The Baytril definitely went down a little easier this morning with some Ribena mixed in, but the wee fella bit me while trying to administer it! He's certainly the most spirited pig I've encountered, that's for sure.

He still seems to be eating okay, but I read elsewhere on the forum Baytril can have an adverse impact on their appetite in some cases. How long after starting treatment will that kick in, if it is going to?

I only ask because I've been working from home the last couple of days to keep an eye on him, but have to be in the office on Thursday and Friday, so won't be around during the day to pick up on any loss of appetite. My other half is at home tomorrow, so it's really just today I'm overly concerned with.

Thankfully, the majority of piggies have no issue with baytril apart from perhaps some slightly softer poos. If there are problems with it (or any other antibiotic), they are pretty much instantaneous, so you can stop worrying. Baytril has got such a bad reputation because it is a) still by far the most often prescribed antibiotic and b) when it comes to medical issues, the internet is full of either horror or miracle treatments/recovery stories, but rather thin as to the vast majority of normal cases! So you have to take everything you read with a large pinch of salt in that respect.

As to the tweaking, assert your authority piggy style, but make a big fuss about giving him "brrrr doctor" (as I call any unpleasant treatment) and then parise him lavishly afterwards.
" Biting" And What You Can Do

 

[Carrotyd]

Got in from work and Pugwall seems to be off fresh food now. Can't seem to interest him in any of his favourite veggies, but he is eating hay and some pellets. I weighed him as well and he's dropped a little more ( around 20g), so decided to try and get some critical care into him - I managed around 3ml before he flounced off. Will have anothet go before bed time. I'm hoping it's just the Baytril that's putting him off. I've ordered some of the P@H probiotic, which is coming tomorrow.