Fluffbabies
Junior Guinea Pig
Hi everyone,
Squeak is around 3 years old. Last night I noticed her breathing was a bit laboured with slight nodding of her head and accentuated side movements. I'd had cuddles with her in the day time and there were no signs she was unwell hours before. This morning it was a bit worse and I could hear her breathing and some clicking sounds. Her eyes have seemed runny. I noticed she isn't eating or drinking and her poops are a bit soft and stringy. She hasn't lost any weight yet. I took her to the vet and waited to be seen as there were no appointments. Vet suspects respiratory infection, prescribed Baytril and Metacam.
QUESTION 1:
Unfortunately this vet practice is the best one we have around but the vets there seem determined that guinea pigs should only have medication once a day and they prescribe very low doses. I've had to previously take my piggies up to Northampton to see Kim and have her email these vets as they wouldn't listen to me.
Squeak weighs 1150g. She prescribed 0.47ml Baytril (2.5% oral) once a day. I know we're not vets but I was expecting something like 0.4ml Baytril twice a day. This vet also prescribed only 0.07ml dog metacam once a day, which I know is very low. (My other guinea pigs who weigh 1000g and are on metacam for arthritis are on 0.35ml twice a day.) So I am concerned that the Baytril dose isn't enough, especially as two vets there emphasised that she is "very poorly" and if she isn't better in a day or two I should take her to the out of hours vet. I queried this and asked don't antibiotics take 3-4 days to start working so I wouldn't expect her to be better in the next 1-2 days, and they said I was right and to see how she was on Tuesday. Can I ask for your opinions/experience with Baytril doses please? I want to make sure she's having enough antibiotics to fight the infection asap.
QUESTION 2:
The other problem I have is she gets very irritated when I try to put any food near her. I've put hay, nuggets and probiotic nuggets scattered around the cage so she's always near some and I've tried coaxing her with romaine, cucumber and pepper. She ate a small amount of veg earlier. She's stopped going to the water bottle. She very occasionally takes some hay in her mouth but doesn't really chew it.
I'm trying to syringe feed her and only managed 5ml this afternoon/evening so far in two feeding attempts 2 hours apart. She gets very irritated and puts a lot of energy, if not all her energy, into biting everything around her. She's biting the pee pad and fluffy pad I have her on hard, bites the syringe and is trying to bite me. It's making me worried because it makes her breathing worse. In the cage she curls up in the corner or under a tunnel and doesn't come out and seems a little unsteady on her feet when she's walking around. She's quite alert but seems tired easily. She seems irritated at me whenever I check on her. I know I need to get this feed in her and be cruel to be kind. What would your advice be? I'm worried I'm making her breathing and fatigue worse. Try a few syringes more frequently or persevere longer feeding sessions so I disturb her less and she can rest?
Thank you!
Squeak is around 3 years old. Last night I noticed her breathing was a bit laboured with slight nodding of her head and accentuated side movements. I'd had cuddles with her in the day time and there were no signs she was unwell hours before. This morning it was a bit worse and I could hear her breathing and some clicking sounds. Her eyes have seemed runny. I noticed she isn't eating or drinking and her poops are a bit soft and stringy. She hasn't lost any weight yet. I took her to the vet and waited to be seen as there were no appointments. Vet suspects respiratory infection, prescribed Baytril and Metacam.
QUESTION 1:
Unfortunately this vet practice is the best one we have around but the vets there seem determined that guinea pigs should only have medication once a day and they prescribe very low doses. I've had to previously take my piggies up to Northampton to see Kim and have her email these vets as they wouldn't listen to me.
Squeak weighs 1150g. She prescribed 0.47ml Baytril (2.5% oral) once a day. I know we're not vets but I was expecting something like 0.4ml Baytril twice a day. This vet also prescribed only 0.07ml dog metacam once a day, which I know is very low. (My other guinea pigs who weigh 1000g and are on metacam for arthritis are on 0.35ml twice a day.) So I am concerned that the Baytril dose isn't enough, especially as two vets there emphasised that she is "very poorly" and if she isn't better in a day or two I should take her to the out of hours vet. I queried this and asked don't antibiotics take 3-4 days to start working so I wouldn't expect her to be better in the next 1-2 days, and they said I was right and to see how she was on Tuesday. Can I ask for your opinions/experience with Baytril doses please? I want to make sure she's having enough antibiotics to fight the infection asap.
QUESTION 2:
The other problem I have is she gets very irritated when I try to put any food near her. I've put hay, nuggets and probiotic nuggets scattered around the cage so she's always near some and I've tried coaxing her with romaine, cucumber and pepper. She ate a small amount of veg earlier. She's stopped going to the water bottle. She very occasionally takes some hay in her mouth but doesn't really chew it.
I'm trying to syringe feed her and only managed 5ml this afternoon/evening so far in two feeding attempts 2 hours apart. She gets very irritated and puts a lot of energy, if not all her energy, into biting everything around her. She's biting the pee pad and fluffy pad I have her on hard, bites the syringe and is trying to bite me. It's making me worried because it makes her breathing worse. In the cage she curls up in the corner or under a tunnel and doesn't come out and seems a little unsteady on her feet when she's walking around. She's quite alert but seems tired easily. She seems irritated at me whenever I check on her. I know I need to get this feed in her and be cruel to be kind. What would your advice be? I'm worried I'm making her breathing and fatigue worse. Try a few syringes more frequently or persevere longer feeding sessions so I disturb her less and she can rest?
Thank you!