Quick fix for dusty bedding

[Wiebke]

I'm really too old to be having guniea pigs, but I love them! Just warm to me. I think their fabulous animals.

@Wiebke on a different note I literally thought my Fudge had gone. She was led down although breathing a little better. I read somewhere that if they sprawl out and sleep their content?

You get the get the fried eggs or the sausages, depending on personal inclination when they are well and are feeling at home. But piggies can sleep in all kinds of funny positions.

If they are very flat, lethargic and it is hot, then you need for heat exhaustion or a heat stroke. If a piggy is in pain, they will generally pull up.

Glad that the breathing is a bit better; I hope that you can get her through this following @eileen 's advice.
Unfortunately for you, I've never had a piggy that needed nebulising, thankfully not even in the years before it came into use for guinea pigs!

We have all ages of members on here and several men, too, so welcome to the club!

 

[Betsy]

She was led down although breathing a little better. I read somewhere that if they sprawl out and sleep their content?

Here is my Christian doing his best frog position!

 

[Gadzy]

@Wiebke well a male of 28 like myself is strange to have pigs I find. But I love them

 

[Betsy]

@Wiebke well a male of 28 like myself is strange to have pigs I find. But I love them

Nothing strange in that! @David Piggie Lover is older than that and has piggies!

 

[Gadzy]

@eileen Can you actually nubelise four times a day? I'm worried of them getting a chill!

 

[Wiebke]

@Wiebke well a male of 28 like myself is strange to have pigs I find. But I love them

There are more than you think - but few that will admit to it!

 

[Gadzy]

@Wiebke I'm not ashamed at all. Gosh knows what people think but hey ho

 

[Wiebke]

@eileen Can you actually nubelise four times a day? I'm worried of them getting a chill!

@eileen Can you actually nubelise four times a day? I'm worried of them getting a chill!

Yes, if necessary you can do it. keep her covered with a towel or in some fleece and use warm water and not cold water.
@eileen is a very experienced owner.

 

[Wiebke]

@Wiebke I'm not ashamed at all. Gosh knows what people think but hey ho

We have a few more men on here, so you are in good company.

You should see people when I tell them I have 27 piggies - and no, I don't breed, I adopt!

PS: If you need a little mood booster, try this thread from the top of our Guinea Pig Chat section: Guinea pig memes - feel free to add!

 

[Gadzy]

Thanks! I wonder what caused this congestion in my pig? Isit the very start of a URI or something? The vet thinks it's just some viral issue in the upper airways which is why we want to steam and nuberlise etc. Not sure what's going on. Maybe some sinus infection?

 

[Wiebke]

Thanks! I wonder what caused this congestion in my pig? Isit the very start of a URI or something? The vet thinks it's just some viral issue in the upper airways which is why we want to steam and nuberlise etc. Not sure what's going on. Maybe some sinus infection?

It is definitely not the start of a URI, which doesn't typically start with sneezing but with crackly breathing. I am with your vet. Viral infections in guinea pigs can happen but they are RARE so any treatment is by trial and error. Your and your vet's priority is to ease the breathing as quickly as possible.
If Fudge has been struggling with breathing when asleep then she will be rather exhausted by now.

 

[Gadzy]

@Wiebke I can steam with Olbas as much as possible?

 

[sport_billy]

@IzzyGad what would you like your username to be?

 

[Wiebke]

@Wiebke I can steam with Olbas as much as possible?

Guinea pigs have much more sensitive airways than us, so you need to work out yourself just how much oil she can cope with and how much is beneficial. Please always carefully wash out a dish with used oil as it can become very unpleasant and stinging when warmed up again.

 

[Gadzy]

@Wiebke she was just flat out asleep twitching etc. I thought she was gonna pass away. Do you think she could stop breathing asleep?

 

[Wiebke]

@Wiebke she was just flat out asleep twitching etc. I thought she was gonna pass away. Do you think she could stop breathing asleep?

Impossible to say - it depends on how bad the blockage is. There may be a certain risk (a bit like with human sleep apnoea), but you are doing all you can and will hopefully get her through this. Concentrate on what you can do and try not to fret yourself into small pieces over what is out of your control. Best go to bed and rather get up in the middle of the night to support her breathing then.

PS: Piggies do twitch in their sleep when they dream.

 

[David Piggie Lover]

Nothing strange in that! @David Piggie Lover is older than that and has piggies!

@IzzyGad as @Betsy mentioned yep I'm a male of a lengthy period.
Quickly I was subject to comments when I had a piggie (and then also a loved partner) and was ok to the leg pulling etc. When suddenly he died (piggie) i was heart broken and my reaction to losing him reflected in the way my friends now understand a little how deeply I care about these poop machines. Since then I've adopted 5 ( sadly 3 gone to rainbow ) and can't see a future without them. .
I'm sat with them 2 I have left and it's Brill.
So you not weird loving a piggie just them males that don't are. . .
Good to say hi and hope piggie keeps getting better. Dave

 

[Wiebke]

@IzzyGad what would you like your username to be?

@IzzyGad Please let sport_billy know what you want to choose for your new name. He's our admin (and another guinea pig keeping adult man)!

How is your girl this morning?

 

[Gadzy]

@Wiebke sorry, yes I'll reply back this evening.

She had a much better evening. Less congested and more lively. I just had her in the nebuliser. However, does Baytril go off and loose it's goodness and chance to work? I can't really go collecting anymore today. The Baytril is about two months old from when they prescribed it but was for Fudge who I'm treating now.

 

[Wiebke]

@Wiebke sorry, yes I'll reply back this evening.

She had a much better evening. Less congested and more lively. I just had her in the nebuliser. However, does Baytril go off and loose it's goodness and chance to work? I can't really go collecting anymore today. The Baytril is about two months old from when they prescribed it but was for Fudge who I'm treating now.

Don't worry, the baytril is fine for another 4 months - you can usually safely use it for 6 months after the presciption.

But great that the nebulising seems to be doing the trick and that she is hopefully over the worst now. You can measure her wellbeing in how active and hungry she is as the need to breathe comes before anything else, including the need to drink and only thirdly the need to eat. The better she can breathe the more energy for eating and doing normal piggy stuff she'll have.

 

[Gadzy]

@Wiebke That's great! Will use that for now.

I'm not sure what made her have a decent turn because I was doing everything. Maybe the antibiotics decided to kick in finally? When I first nebulised her she was good and then it all came back half hour later or less. I was constantly re doing the hot steam and Olbas all night which may of done something? Maybe she had a load of dust built up from before on dusty bedding and took a while to get out? Not sure what helper but I needed to try everything in my power to help her breath better. I still think she needs more time to recover so I don't want to o jinx anything

 

[Gadzy]

@sport_billy isit possible to have the name Gadzy?

 

[sport_billy]

Done for you

 

[Wiebke]

@Wiebke That's great! Will use that for now.

I'm not sure what made her have a decent turn because I was doing everything. Maybe the antibiotics decided to kick in finally? When I first nebulised her she was good and then it all came back half hour later or less. I was constantly re doing the hot steam and Olbas all night which may of done something? Maybe she had a load of dust built up from before on dusty bedding and took a while to get out? Not sure what helper but I needed to try everything in my power to help her breath better. I still think she needs more time to recover so I don't want to o jinx anything

It is likely a combination of all measures - none of which is instant. It always takes a while for any of the measures to work as I know my own decade with chronic sinusitis and life long issues with my sinuses as a result. Just keep it going but make sure that you get some sleep, too!

PS: Like your new username!

 

[Gadzy]

@Wiebke Can guniea pigs have sinus infections? I still think dust could of collected inside her somewhere and it made her ill. Well, she's better but not still 100 percent but she's not going to be yet after how bad she was! I'm worried this 2 month old Baytril might not work cause it's old like loose it's goodness to kill infections etc and thankyou!

 

[Wiebke]

@Wiebke Can guniea pigs have sinus infections? I still think dust could of collected inside her somewhere and it made her ill. Well, she's better but not still 100 percent but she's not going to be yet after how bad she was! I'm worried this 2 month old Baytril might not work cause it's old like loose it's goodness to kill infections etc and thankyou!

Take a deep breath - the baytril is fine! Full stop.

Guinea pigs can have both sinusitis or rhinitis; it's not common but can happen. But nobody can also exclude a potential viral infection, hence your vet's two-pronged approach after the baytril on its own has not worked - but not because it is out of date. Baytril doesn't deteriorate that quickly.
Please stop expecting an instant recovery; it is going to take several days or longer for her to be fully back on deck. You have just started the relevant treatment with F10 antiseptic. Please give the medications time to build up and do their work.

 

[Gadzy]

Thanks @Wiebke

Just another quick question regarding the Bisolvon. Vet said try it twice daily on food, but I haven't used it yet today and just stuck with the Baytril and Nebuliser. Is the Bisolvon like antibiotic where you have to keep doing it for days or isit more of a temporary relief when she's bad? I'm thinking of mixing a pinch with 1ml of water before I go to bed which may help with her through the night.

 

[Wiebke]

Thanks @Wiebke

Just another quick question regarding the Bisolvon. Vet said try it twice daily on food, but I haven't used it yet today and just stuck with the Baytril and Nebuliser. Is the Bisolvon like antibiotic where you have to keep doing it for days or isit more of a temporary relief when she's bad? I'm thinking of mixing a pinch with 1ml of water before I go to bed which may help with her through the night.

Please continue to give the bisolvon regularly . It is a mucus thinning medication that helps the nose to clear; it helps any much stuck in the nose to come out and to ease any blockage. You can give it any way you like.

 

[Gadzy]

@Wiebke Just have given her a dose of Bisolvon. One pinch mixed with 1ml water. Do you think I should do anymore today as it says twice daily but it totally slipped my mind. Unless I carry on with just two doses tomorrow and leave it with one for today

 

[Wiebke]

@Wiebke Just have given her a dose of Bisolvon. One pinch mixed with 1ml water. Do you think I should do anymore today as it says twice daily but it totally slipped my mind. Unless I carry on with just two doses tomorrow and leave it with one for today

Just carry on with a morning and an evening dose. The nebulising and the olbas oil are the ones that have obviously made the biggest difference but everything will contribute to a recovery.