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Scrummy Problem, vets this morning

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Toffeewoffee

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Morning guys, have been up since 3 with Scrummy, she is making a crackling sound when she talks, not when she breaths but when she is doing her pur thing that they do. Then she will cough and it will clear and it will be a normal clear pig noise for a few mins then slowly the crackles come back, she sounds chesty, (i have taken a video and uploaded it to my comp and PB but there is no sound...) i have listened to her lungs and they sound clear, but i have a feeling it is lung related....?




Its only a very recent thing we had cuddles last night and she was fine.

I woke up at 3 this morning and something told me to go check on the pigs.... then this, i have been up with her since.

She is her normal self, still eating, running round sprawling out chicken legs and all (i got a pic of it)

The vets open at 8.30am and i will ring to make an app for first thing this morning if i can.

Any suggestions, i am thinking possible URI maybe but i have no experience with this so dont really know what to look for, her nose and eyes are clear, but she does have the tiniest little lump/spot next to her nose, which is fairly new but not sure how new, but she doesn't mind me touching it

Sorry for the essay, wanted you to have all of the info.

She is coming up to 6 months. xx
 
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Having just had 20 mins cuddling her, it seems to have almost gone.....? Is that normal? and when it came to breakfast she went loopy as soon as the fridg opened she was wheeking the place down and doing laps, so i know she is ok in herself, then i spoke to my boss, he needed me in by 9.45am this morning as he is going out and the earliest app was 9.30, so it wasn't going to work, but i have got an app for 5.20pm tonight. So i will keep you informed, but any info or experiences would be appreciated, this is my first potential URI.

x
 
Poor Scrummy, Sounds like a crackle like Putt had with her URI. Thinks it's wise to get her checked out... Putt crackled on and off. The vet could hear it on her chest when they listened to it.

Hope the vets go ok. It good news that she seems herself, you've caught it early. Hugs x
 
Thanks Guys, what is the usual treatment and proceedure for URI? Baytril? Wish me luck getting that into HER! ha ha.

It went for a few mins after she coughed, then came back, but just before i left for work and fed them there was hardly any noise there, and as i say she went mad for her breakfast so she must be feeling ok.

Will let you know how it go's at the vets, is it contageous? She is still with the other 3, they are bedded on fleece at the moment, have been for the last 3 days, but normally shavings with straw on top - nice straw.

xx
 
Thanks Guys, what is the usual treatment and proceedure for URI? Baytril? Wish me luck getting that into HER! ha ha.

It went for a few mins after she coughed, then came back, but just before i left for work and fed them there was hardly any noise there, and as i say she went mad for her breakfast so she must be feeling ok.

Will let you know how it go's at the vets, is it contageous? She is still with the other 3, they are bedded on fleece at the moment, have been for the last 3 days, but normally shavings with straw on top - nice straw.

xx


Baytril is the normal URI one that we have had. I've never had a URI transfer yet. I would imagine the fleece would rule out any dust...

With Baytril we always use the table top method - I hold pig on top of table, Rach syringes Baytril. The table top stops them from getting a grip with feet and fighting too much, this helps with treacy Bum, she is a powerhouse of a pig and if human would be a russian Shot-putter :))
Love to Scrummy x
 
I am wondering if we should take them all to be checked? Thinking about it, lately toffee and lilly have both coughed a few times, i assumed they were just eating too quick, now i am wondering if it is related? Would they all need separate consultations though or will they be able to look at them all in the one appointment and if need be precribe med's to each?

Or do you think i am being silly and paranoid? Other than a few coughs there have been no other symtoms.

xx
 
If you take them all at once it should be one consult... I think.

I have asked before because mine have had the odd crackle, Rodney had it slightly this morning when he woke up but it goes afterwards & he has no crackling running about. Just like an odd burst of it occasionally.... :{
 
I just found this old post on here...

Coughing can be caused by:

The guinea pig eating too quickly
An Upper Respiratory Infection (URI)
Allergies
Dusty hay
Heart problems causing the enlarged heart to press on the wind pipe making it difficult for a pig to swallow.

If your pig is persistently coughing, or kept outside, then I'd recommend you take them to the vet to have them checked for a URI. When a URI takes hold it's extremely difficult to shift, so the earlier you begin treatment the better. You should expect that the vet will give you a antibiotic, Baytril, to try. If there are symptoms of a URI and the Baytril doesn't improve the cough then a stronger antibiotic may be required.

There are other symptoms that go along with a URI: wheezing in the windpipe, crusty eyes, running nose, lethargic, weight loss - but diagnosis doesn't require for all symptoms to be present.

If tests for a URI come back negative or your pig doesn't seem to respond to Baytril (under veterinary supervision) you can then look into other possibilities.

Heart problems are common in pigs and yet often misdiagnosed. If the cough is actually a "hooting" noise then look into this, or if you notice that the pig seems to be sleeping deeper, difficult to rouse... otherwise...

It's pollen season, and likely that your pig is allergic to either the pollen or having a reaction to dust in the hay. If you suspect your hay is too dusty and causing the pig to cost you can try changing the type of hay you use (for example, if you're using Timothy Hay which is dusty, you can change to Orchard Grass for a period) or by taking your current hay and spraying it with water. If you spray the hay with water, please remember that you can only feed a small amount of damp hay at a time to prevent it from moulding. If the coughing disappears when you change hay, then you can conclude your pig is sensitive to hay.

Allergies can be ruled out by treating for allergies. It involved administering another medicine to your pig, prescribed by your vet.

If there's still no improvement and further investigation from your vet can find nothing else wrong then it's likely that he's gulping his food. If the coughing is frequent and happens when the pig is and isn't eating... rinse and repeat!
 
Good luck for later x
 
Well, we have 4 piggies on Baytril, Scrummy for a week and the other 3 for 3 days as a precaution, though i may give it to them for 5 days to be absolutely sure.

only one consult fee and no extra charge for the extra baytril.

You wouldn't know anything was the matter with her, the noise has completely gone and she has been running around the cage like a loon and wheeking so LOUD for the past half hour as its nearly veggy time! Little monkey.

xx
 
Well done for spotting it early, lots of love and healing vibes to Scrummy x)
x x
 
Well i had them all medicated in less than a minute this morning, they were all very well behaved. No noise what so ever from Scrummy.

xx
 
It sounds like it could be just the beginning of something. Well done for having a piggy mother instinct to check. I hope they are all okay soon.
 
Well she hasn't made the noise since the early hours yesterday morning, but the vet could hear a crackle on her lungs, but if i hadn't of woke up i wouldn't have know about it... so weird how something told me to go check on them.

They are all fine, still running riot, causing mayhem and giving me lip and attitude, even after 2 lots of baytril, i have been syringing water with pro biotics in to make sure they are getting some, just in case they dont use the water bottle.

Is it ok so springke some pro-biotic powder on their fresh food?

xx
 
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