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Respiratory Infection :(

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blade100

blade100

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So I'm pretty certain teddy has a RI he's making the usual noises and it's the same that my rats make when they get a flare up.
I'm taking him to the vets tomorrow to get some baytril.
What I'd like to know is how long the course should be for a piggie? With rats they recommend 2 weeks or 1 month.
It's just so I can say to the vet to give me plenty.

Thanks
Amy
 
If you can, ask for Septrin, though I know some vets prefer to go down the Baytril route first. Zithromax is also effective. I think a standard course is about 2 weeks but it is that long since I used Baytril that I could be wrong. You could always ask for more in case, so you can give a further course if needed. Also ask for probiotics too if you don't have any already.

If it is a URI and he is snotty then Bisolvon would be good to to help shift the mucous. If there is any sign of fluid on the chest he will also need diuretics.
 
His eyes have been running a bit and going crusty.

Thanks for the advice, is septrin in a liquid form?

Yeh I've had Zithromax for one of my rats, I had to divide it up into 3 lots.
 
Yes it is and usually tastes of banana.

That makes sense with the Zithromax, It's great stuff though.
 
Brill, I will ask for septrin.
Is it better than baytril then? Just incase my vet asks why I want septrin instead of baytril.
 
Baytril can have a bad effect on the gut and Septrin does generally appear to be more effective when dealing with a URI. See what the vet says though as Baytril is effective in some cases.
 
Ok back now.
I asked for septrin and she gave me some. Although at 2ml once a day that seems a small dose for a 1kg boy?
Its 100ml x 30ml of that helps.
I've given that to my rats who weigh less than 1kg twice a day although that's on baytril.
 
That actually seems quite high as the dose I usually give is 0.4ml twice a day but I am not sure of the concentration of the Septrin I am usually given.
 
Both my boys have recently been on Septrin (one for ear infection and the other for URI). The little one weighs 1 Kg and was given 0.4 ml a day, Susp 100 ML x 20, so 2 ml sounds a lot.
 
blade100 said:
So should I take it down to 0.2ml x 2 a day?
Click to expand...

I wouldn't change medication without consultation with your vet, but it might be worthwhile checking with them again? Did they mention to also give some probiotic one hour after you have given the antibiotic?
 
Nope nothing at all.
All she said was he didn't sound chesty so it could nasally.
His eyes sometimes go a bit crusty and he gets a little white mucus in corner of his eyes. Not all the time though.
 
I think Helen mentioned it already above, normally if you are giving a guinea pig antibiotics, you should give a probiotic a while after you have given them the antibiotic. As in humans, antibiotics destroy the gut flora in guinea pigs, which can be detrimental. I think you can buy probiotics online. With regards to the septrin dosage, maybe you need to wait until one of the more knowledgeable members comes and comments. It depends how much you trust your vet and whether she/he is good with guinea pigs. Having had some bad experiences in the past, I would be a bit worried if a vet doesn't mention probiotics alongside antibiotics.

My little one was only on it for a week, and we are now nebulising (because it's not on the chest). With the older one, he has been on Septrin for quite a while and will stay on it for another 2 weeks (since it was 2 weeks ago since he has his last ear infection symptoms). It is possible that they were both on lower doses, so check with your vet to be sure.
 
I would speak to your vet and mention the doses we have said. I have always dosed at 0.4ml twice a day based on a pig that is around 1100g but without looking at the bottle I am not sure of the actual suspension we use. Do you know if they consulted their formulary?
 
Well I rang my vet and it turns out that she had given out the incorrect dosage! She had two med books one was 2007 the other this year. She worked out the dose from the old version. So she re worked it out and she said to give him 0.5ml x2 a day.
He's got the child version of septrin not adult.
Nope no mention of probiotic.
I hope I haven't hurt him by giving him a dose last night at 2ml :( he seems ok today.
Where do I look for the probiotic
 
That sounds much more reasonable. I would think it would be ok, long term dosing at that dose my have had an effect but a one-off should be ok. Just keep an eye out for any signs of his gut slowing down.

You can get probiotics from Vet UK, and other sites:

http://www.vetuk.co.uk/dog-suppleme...probiotic-products-c-5_172/avipro-plus-p-1225

http://www.vetuk.co.uk/rabbit-suppl...o-lapis-sachet-for-rabbits-and-rodents-p-1175

http://www.vetuk.co.uk/rabbit-suppl...ibreplex-for-rabbits-and-small-rodents-p-1180

However, if you have a Pets at Home nearby you could get this:

http://www.petsathome.com/shop/en/pets/proc-probiotic-100gm
 
Yes we have a pets at home, I was just looking at that just a min ago think if that would be ok.
I will get that tomorrow.
Thanks so much for yours and the other people's help :)
 
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