Respiratory Infections

[Nibbles'Mummy]

We have lost 3 piggies in 2 years.
The first at 1 year old (just before Christmas 201)6), her sister at 2 yrs old (a couple of months ago), then this morning our new 14 week old little girl died.

Are we just unlucky? Are we doing something wrong?

I had guinea pigs throughout my whole childhood and never lost any like this. I don't know how much more my 9 year old can cope with. I'm on my way to collect her from school now, and I'm dreading telling her.

The baby had a thorough health check at the vet two weeks ago, he listened to her chest and said everything was fine.

We are now left with two girls - a 2 year old and another baby, 13 weeks old. We haven't bonded them yet, because we were waiting for these babies to settle in before introducing the 2 year old to them. I'm so scared something is going to go wrong again.

 

[Cavy Kung-Fu]

Oh that's horrible, I'm sorry to hear that. Can you give us any background info? Diet, location, other pets and breathing problems that sort of thing?

Hope your little girl is okay

 

[Elwickcavies]

I'm so sorry to hear about your losses. You haven't said whether the piggies were treated with antibiotics from a vet. URIs are fairly common in guinea pigs, but usually respond well to treatment, especially if caught early. There could be an environmental factor at work, an underlying problem, or it could just be bad luck. Is your vet knowledgeable guinea pigs? There have been occasions where an inexperienced vet has given an inappropriate antibiotic to a guinea pig, with tragic results.

Please give us a few more details and we may be able to help figure out if there is a problem, or if you have just had bad luck with your piggies.

 

[Nibbles'Mummy]

Sorry for the delay getting back to this.

The first two piggies died without any treatment, as it came completely out of the blue. When the second one died, we got her cage mate checked out, just to be on the safe side and the vet did identify a rattling in her chest so he prescribed antibiotics for her and she didn't develop any subsequent problems (she is now the 2 year old that we have). The most recent one deteriorated very quickly last Thursday; I sat up with her all night Thursday night and got her to the vet first thing Friday morning. The vet gave her antibiotics but wasn't hopeful, and then she passed away on Friday afternoon.

When the first one died, they were living in a hutch in the garage, but when the other two died, they were living in an indoor cage in the kitchen.

They have all been fed on Pets At Home nuggets, and we use Pets At Home hay as their bedding, plus sawdust on the floor of the cage.

We don't have any other pets, apart from the pigs.

 

[Cavy Kung-Fu]

Sorry to hear that. Did they get a regular assortment of veggies daily? If so then I really can't see a problem, perhaps better quality nuggets & hay but other than that I can't say. Maybe their heritage?

I certainly recommend weighing piggies every week as they hide illness very well and is often the first sign, a drop in over 40 grams in weight. Giving a brief daily health check too because as you say, illness can develop quickly and often unseen.

 

[furryfriends (TEAS)]

Sorry to hear that. Did they get a regular assortment of veggies daily? If so then I really can't see a problem, perhaps better quality nuggets & hay but other than that I can't say. Maybe their heritage?

I certainly recommend weighing piggies every week as they hide illness very well and is often the first sign, a drop in over 40 grams in weight. Giving a brief daily health check too because as you say, illness can develop quickly and often unseen.

Pets at Home nuggets are fine, so I am not sure why you are suggesting they aren't good quality. I don't particularly like Pets at Home hay, but that is because it is little short pieces and I prefer longer pieces of hay that they can hide in.

Hay should be the biggest part of their diet, with a selection of veg each day and a few nuggets.

Weighing is an excellent idea and probably the best way of keeping a close eye on their health.

 

[Cavy Kung-Fu]

Pets at Home nuggets are fine, so I am not sure why you are suggesting they aren't good quality. I don't particularly like Pets at Home hay, but that is because it is little short pieces and I prefer longer pieces of hay that they can hide in.

Hay should be the biggest part of their diet, with a selection of veg each day and a few nuggets.

Weighing is an excellent idea and probably the best way of keeping a close eye on their health.

I didn't mean anything by it, I personally don't think they're quite as good quality as others that aren't quite as wheat based but each to their own. I'm not saying they're bad or anything so don't worry lol.

 

[furryfriends (TEAS)]

I didn't mean anything by it, I personally don't think they're quite as good quality as others that aren't quite as wheat based but each to their own. I'm not saying they're bad or anything so don't worry lol.

The guinea pigs here at TEAS are fed various nuggets. We need to have ones that are appropriate in size for our guinea pigs who have dental disease. The Pets at Home nuggets are the ones the guinea pigs prefer for mushing up for syringe food. The Burgess Blackcurrant and Oregano are also a favourite as they are tiny nuggets, as are the Harringtons.

 

[Cavy Kung-Fu]

The guinea pigs here at TEAS are fed various nuggets. We need to have ones that are appropriate in size for our guinea pigs who have dental disease. The Pets at Home nuggets are the ones the guinea pigs prefer for mushing up for syringe food. The Burgess Blackcurrant and Oregano are also a favourite as they are tiny nuggets, as are the Harringtons.

Yes I quite like Burgess & Harringtons, but I wish there was more of a range of wheat free foods. For all animals really!