Specialist Recurrent chest infection?

[Froggerella]

Hi everyone

Sorry, this will be a bit of a long one as I explain the main reason for this post, and then the wider context - bear with me.

Jenga

I have a 3 year old female cavy, Jenga, who I've had since she was young. A few months ago she had her first chest infection, and recently it returned. She's just finished a 2 week course of Sulatrim (trimethoprim & sulfamethoxazole, 16mg/ml & 80mg/ml) at 0.3ml twice daily. The vet had also given Ventipulmin syrup to be taken 0.2ml up to three times daily for a few days to ease her breathing. This all appeared to work, and she finished her 14 day course of abx on Saturday. However, today the 'hooting' noise she makes when she has an infection has returned - just 2 days after finishing her abx course.

She hasn't lost weight at all, and has been eating and drinking like a dream. However, I'm really concerned that this hooting is back so soon after finishing a course of medication.

I'm going to phone the vet tomorrow, but I wanted to ask those of you in the know on here first for any suggestions - whether this is something you've come across, what medications you might suggest, and what I might want to ask my vet further (in case there's a glaringly obvious question that I wouldn't think to ask!)

For context: Jenga is an indoor guinea pig (lives in a garage attached to the house internally, no vehicles are ever kept in this garage, and it's insulated while still getting good airflow). I've used the same brand/type of bedding, hay and food for her all her life, so unless she's only now developed an allergy I don't believe it's this. She lives with one other guinea pig, her daughter Sketch (2 years old). Sketch is not displaying any signs of chestiness and never has.

Other guinea pigs

Additionally, in the last week I've taken both Sketch, and her brother Etch (in a separate hutch with another adult male - who is healthy!) to the vet for different reasons. Sketch had an abscess on her shoulder drained last Monday, and has now finished a course of Baytril and the wound has healed quickly and nicely - the vet checked it over on Friday and said there was nothing left inside and that she was happy with it. Etch, I thought also had an abscess on Wednesday and I took him to see the vet that day - the vet doesn't believe it's an abscess, but an infected cyst, and has given me a steroid/antibiotic cream to put on 2-3 times a day to see if this helps to shrink it, with a view to me phoning the vet with an update this Wednesday.

I treated both my boys with Beaphar anti parasite spot on gel early last week, to protect against mites. I have held off on treating both girls due to the antibiotics, as the instructions say not to administer to ill guinea pigs.

Furthermore - we moved house at the end of September. I tried to keep this as stress-free as possible for the guinea pigs, and it was a short distance in the car (10 minutes), with minimal time out of the hutch. This may be relevant?

So;

1. Can I now administer the anti parasite gel to my girls, or at least to Sketch, or should I hold off?
2. Is this pure bad luck, or could the three medical issues of Jenga, Etch and Sketch be somehow related?
3. What can I ask my vet regarding Jenga? And has anyone had any experience of similar situations?
4. What could be going on with Jenga, if her hoot has come back so soon after the abx?
5. Is there anything more I can be doing at home to help, that the vet may not think of?

 

[DM030819]

@Froggerella Is she showing any other signs of illness? Discharge from her eyes or nose? Do her sides move in and out a lot when ahe breathes?

It could be that the med's helped but as guinea pigs have such tiny airways then they may be permanently damaged and so she would be more susceptible to URI's or allergies.

It's sometimes a juggling act trying to work out what it is. They vet may try another course or med's, or you could try steam or a nebuliser. Changing the bedding would rule out a sudden allergy.

Answers to your questions:
1) Beaphar is a waste of time so I'd get some Xeno from your vet or online if you want to dose them all.
2)I would say it is bad luck. It's unlikely that an abscess, cyst and a URI is caused by the same thing.
3) Ask about trying different med's or discuss if it may be an allergy. I had a boar with damaged airways and he needed nebulising on bad days
4)Answered above. It may not have been completely cured, or it may be allergies.
5) See how she reacts to steam when she's hooty. Have a nice hot bath and take her into the bathroom when it's all steamy, see how she reacts. You could also change things one at a time to see if it's an allergy. Change things like the hay, bedding, washing detergent etc.

Good luck!

 

[Lady Kelly]

Really sorry you are going through this. I can't add more than what's been said but I also wanted to mention that it is no longer recommended to use spot on for prevention of mites. It's pretty ineffective and helps the mites to build a resistance to the product meaning you could have difficulty treating outbreaks in future

 

[Froggerella]

Thanks Jaycey and Lady Kelly! I really appreciate the replies.

I didn't know about Beaphar being useless, so thanks for the heads up. I'll get my hands on some Xeno... When I do, will I be ok to treat Jenga with this, or should I wait?

Jenga hasn't hooted at all today to my knowledge yet, and this is the issue with getting her to the vet and making him understand what I'm talking about - she doesn't do it all the time. I'm going to have to video her doing it next time she does before I can take her to the vet, because I want to be very clear with him what I'm talking about so he can get a better idea of the problem. I'm hoping I can get a video tonight of her doing it. As for any other symptoms - nope, there's none. No discharge, no weight loss, and she doesn't appear to have any laboured breathing (which is what I assume you were referring to, Jaycey, when you asked about her sides moving in and out?) - just normal, albeit occasionally noisy, breathing.

Out of interest, how does the steam thing work - what could I expect to see? And could you possibly talk me through nebulisers for this kind of issue please?

 

[Lady Kelly]

Thanks Jaycey and Lady Kelly! I really appreciate the replies.

I didn't know about Beaphar being useless, so thanks for the heads up. I'll get my hands on some Xeno... When I do, will I be ok to treat Jenga with this, or should I wait?

Jenga hasn't hooted at all today to my knowledge yet, and this is the issue with getting her to the vet and making him understand what I'm talking about - she doesn't do it all the time. I'm going to have to video her doing it next time she does before I can take her to the vet, because I want to be very clear with him what I'm talking about so he can get a better idea of the problem. I'm hoping I can get a video tonight of her doing it. As for any other symptoms - nope, there's none. No discharge, no weight loss, and she doesn't appear to have any laboured breathing (which is what I assume you were referring to, Jaycey, when you asked about her sides moving in and out?) - just normal, albeit occasionally noisy, breathing.

Out of interest, how does the steam thing work - what could I expect to see? And could you possibly talk me through nebulisers for this kind of issue please?

I wouldn't use any products even Xeno unless they have mites. It's best to leave treatments for an infestation as the whole "preventative" thing doesn't seem to work.

Has Jenga been checked for heart conditions? I've heard that can cause hooting too.

Perhaps @helen105281 or @Wiebke might have alternative suggestions for the hooting

 

[Froggerella]

I wouldn't use any products even Xeno unless they have mites. It's best to leave treatments for an infestation as the whole "preventative" thing doesn't seem to work.

Has Jenga been checked for heart conditions? I've heard that can cause hooting too.

Perhaps @helen105281 or @Wiebke might have alternative suggestions for the hooting

Fair enough - I was wondering if Sketch's abscess and Etch's lump/cyst could potentially be down to mites, hence why I started treating for it just in case.

No, she hasn't been checked for a heart condition yet - is that typically something that could be asymptomatic for so long though? Or would you normally expect to see that from when she was young?

 

[Wiebke]

I wouldn't use any products even Xeno unless they have mites. It's best to leave treatments for an infestation as the whole "preventative" thing doesn't seem to work.

Has Jenga been checked for heart conditions? I've heard that can cause hooting too.

Perhaps @helen105281 or @Wiebke might have alternative suggestions for the hooting

Hi!

I agree about preventative treatment for parasites; any shop treatments are too low dosed to work for an outbreak and only increase the risk of developing resistance - which can be problematic down the line and sadly is not going to do necessarily do the job in prevent an outbreak. It is much better to hit hard and quick when mange mites really make an appearance.

Guinea pigs can suffer from narrowing airways, especially in the wake of a bad respiratory infection, which can cause breathing problems. In that case, nebulising can help - but only if your vet agrees. Having her heart checked by a piggy savvy vet is also an area that should be looked at when you are dealing with recurring chest and respiratory infections. Please be aware that disagnosing heart problems can be very difficult, as can lung disease. Hooting as a potential sign of heart problems should only be considered if it happens regularly and there are other indications that the heart could be involved. One off hooting is usually just something small stuck in the airways that is usually sneezed out at some stage.

All the best!