sick piggy

[nadia222]

hey
I`ve been reading about the hay fever problems... my piggy seems to have the same issue going on...
his breathing is labored...and he`s not as active...
two weeks ago he experienced the same problem, though his condition was worse... he would barely move, his fur was messed up and his little eyes were sad...
i took him to the vet (he didn`t exactly know what was going on), gave him antibiotics for 5 days and the piggy seemed to be doing better in the following days...
now the hard breathing is back... you can see something is wrong... but he does eat, drink, pace around (though not very often), stretch&stuff. also, his eyes are fine.
since Friday I`ve been feeding him Probiotics with his food. I also put Vit C in their water...
I dread he might... go... it`s difficult for me not to check on him every fifteen minutes or so...

 

[Laura-CCC4]

Hi Nadia, welcome to the forum.

I'm sorry your piggie is not well. The thing with hayfever is that the pig is usually well in all other respects, and antibiotics make no difference at all to the animal. As far as I am aware, a piggie with hayfever will not be lethargic or have sunken eyes at any time.

It sounds more like something else may up with your piggie. Often when a course of antibiotics is not long enough, and the dose not high enough/correct, the illness will partially clear for a short while and then return. If your guinea pig has a respiratory infection or similar illness, as sounds to be the potential case, another course of antibiotics may be necessary. Do you remember what drug he was given two weeks ago, and what dose?

Hayfever rightly should not be ruled out, but since your piggie has had quite notable troubles with symptoms that do suggest something more serious, I would prefer to advise ruling out a respiratory infection or other illness first.

Any supplements or medication must be syringed directly into the sick animal, otherwise there is very little point in giving them in the first place. The only way to know the guinea is getting everything he needs is to give it to him yourself, rather than letting him take it as he wants it, as is the case with the Vitamin C in the water. Better to syringe him some Vit. C liquid (measure the dose if possible) or pop a tablet in his mouth, that way he is definitely getting as much as he needs to help him recover.

 

[nadia222]

thanks for having me!
the drug was a mixture of antibiotics... i don`t recall what they are called. as is the case with the dose...
i have syringed him vit C as well as carrot&apple juice, the first time around. but then he became well enough to eat on his own and since began pulling away when i tried feeding him this way, so i let him be.
it should be noted that when illness first stroke, poor piggie was way worse. this time he is quite lively, he reacts to food and stuff. it`s the breathing that`s bothering me...
i don`t even know if i should take him to the vet again or not... they don`t seem to know a great lot about rodents.... the vet guessed the piggie had a pulmonary infection, he didn`t (or couldn`t) say with certainty what the matter was.
i have smashed vit C and spread it on cucumber. he ate, but not really...
also, this has virtually nothing to do with what we`re talking about, but my english isn`t that bad, is it?