Sneezing mucus while on antibiotics

[Agashe]

Hello,my New Guinea pig is sneezing mucus after 7 days of antibiotics,I told my vet and they said it could be a one off or it could be the infection trying to clear itself out. They told me that if it gets any worse or continues to call them it’s been happening for 2 days now and I would have called this today but I had to work so it only was happening while at work. Could this potentially become fatal? I have been taking him into the bathroom while it’s steaming to help his breathing and I think it’s working but I’m unsure. The antibiotics were clearly working at least at first because his mucus covered eye cleared within 2 days and hasn’t been back since. His head also tilted at one point so I know it’s a URI for sure,he’s thankfully not doing it anymore. Is he getting worse or is it true he could be potentially getting the infection out?

 

[Agashe]

I’m asking if it could be fatal because he’s been sneezing a lot of mucus at some points

 

[Siikibam]

I’m not sure but I don’t think he should be sneezing mucus. Please get him back to the vet.

 

[Wiebke]

I’m asking if it could be fatal because he’s been sneezing a lot of mucus at some points

Hi

Please contact your vet for a possible sinusitis or fully developed URI (upper respiratory infection) and ask them for a mucus-thinning product to help clear the airways (in the UK we recommend bisolvon powder). Guinea pigs are not good mouth breathers and have only got very small and narrow airways, so clearing them as quickly as possible is vital. The mucus could also be caused by something stuck in the nose.

The need to breathe comes before the need to drink and only thirdly the need to eat, so a serious blocking issue will impact on the appetite. Please switch from the life-long regular weekly weigh-in and body check to weighing once daily at the same time and step in with extra syringe feeding support if your piggy is losing weight. Keep in mind that unlimited hay should make around 80% of what a piggy eats in a day (NOT veg) and that you cannot control the hay intake by eye.
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[Agashe]

Hi

Please contact your vet for a possible sinusitis or fully developed URI (upper respiratory infection) and ask them for a mucus-thinning product to help clear the airways (in the UK we recommend bisolvon powder). Guinea pigs are not good mouth breathers and have only got very small and narrow airways, so clearing them as quickly as possible is vital. The mucus could also be caused by something stuck in the nose.

The need to breathe comes before the need to drink and only thirdly the need to eat, so a serious blocking issue will impact on the appetite. Please switch from the life-long regular weekly weigh-in and body check to weighing once daily at the same time and step in with extra syringe feeding support if your piggy is losing weight. Keep in mind that unlimited hay should make around 80% of what a piggy eats in a day (NOT veg) and that you cannot control the hay intake by eye.
Emergency, Crisis and Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment
Weight - Monitoring and Management
Not Eating, Weight Loss And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre

my vet said she didn’t really have anything to clear his mucus,he’s on his critical care and has been since everything started I don’t plan to change that until he’s fully ready to eat on his own. She has prescribed a new antibiotic for him in the mean time till I can get a culture done which would be tomorrow morning

 

[Agashe]

I’m not sure but I don’t think he should be sneezing mucus. Please get him back to the vet.

I got a new antibiotic and he’s going to the vet ASAP in the morning

 

[Siikibam]

Which antibiotic were you given?

 

[Agashe]

Which antibiotic were you given?

Enrofloxacin with Apple flavor was the first med given at 0.2ml daily he was taking it daily and it cleared his eye up and all seemed to be going well but I guess the bacteria found a way around that or possibly multiple bacterias were in there. They’ve given me another one which isn’t in the car with me at the moment but it starts with an F and it standardly comes in cherry flavor?

I’m in the US so the mucus thinner isn’t available here nor is it’s off brand as they don’t have it on an accepted list of meds to give guinea pigs

 

[Wiebke]

Enrofloxacin with Apple flavor was the first med given at 0.2ml daily he was taking it daily and it cleared his eye up and all seemed to be going well but I guess the bacteria found a way around that or possibly multiple bacterias were in there. They’ve given me another one which isn’t in the car with me at the moment but it starts with an F and it standardly comes in cherry flavor?

I’m in the US so the mucus thinner isn’t available here nor is it’s off brand as they don’t have it on an accepted list of meds to give guinea pigs

Can you please post the antibiotic brand name later? There are lots generic medical brands around, which makes it more difficult to keep track.
Enrofloxacin is better known as baytril and is the standard antibiotic for guinea pigs.
Bisolvon is not officially licensed for guinea pigs (VERY few medications actually are) but it is safe to give nevertheless; we would not recommended if it hadn't been prescribed by several vets.

What you can do is try and see whether a bowl of steaming water next to the cage improves the breathing a little?

 

[Agashe]

Can you please post the antibiotic brand name later? There are lots generic medical brands around, which makes it more difficult to keep track.
Enrofloxacin is better known as baytril and is the standard antibiotic for guinea pigs.
Bisolvon is not officially licensed for guinea pigs (VERY few medications actually are) but it is safe to give nevertheless; we would not recommended if it hadn't been prescribed by several vets.

What you can do is try and see whether a bowl of steaming water next to the cage improves the breathing a little?

I have taken him into the bathroom a few times a day after I let the shower run hot for awhile and that seemed to help his first time and the second time I did it just in case,I’m going to do it tonight before bed just in case as well. He seems to really only have episodes when I pick him up and last night while I was away for work,I’ve taken all the hay out of his igloo which I’m sure he might not be happy with but I’m trying to get rid of any irritant he may have with it if any. He had a tiny bit of mucus on his nose this morning,I’m hoping the previous antibiotics are doing even a tiny bit of good for him at least until he starts responding to the new antibiotic or until tomorrow to see what the culture will say about all of this

 

[Wiebke]

I have taken him into the bathroom a few times a day after I let the shower run hot for awhile and that seemed to help his first time and the second time I did it just in case,I’m going to do it tonight before bed just in case as well. He seems to really only have episodes when I pick him up and last night while I was away for work,I’ve taken all the hay out of his igloo which I’m sure he might not be happy with but I’m trying to get rid of any irritant he may have with it if any. He had a tiny bit of mucus on his nose this morning,I’m hoping the previous antibiotics are doing even a tiny bit of good for him at least until he starts responding to the new antibiotic or until tomorrow to see what the culture will say about all of this

It sounds like it happens mostly when he is breathing faster when stressed out (like when he is being handled).

But if his weight is stable and he is eating normally, then I would not panic. Hopefully the new antibiotic will clear it out.

 

[Agashe]

Can you please post the antibiotic brand name later? There are lots generic medical brands around, which makes it more difficult to keep track.
Enrofloxacin is better known as baytril and is the standard antibiotic for guinea pigs.
Bisolvon is not officially licensed for guinea pigs (VERY few medications actually are) but it is safe to give nevertheless; we would not recommended if it hadn't been prescribed by several vets.

What you can do is try and see whether a bowl of steaming water next to the cage improves the breathing a little?

I don’t know if it helps at all but I do NOT wear any perfumes or lotions (I lotion with coconut oil since I have it after cleaning my other guineas scent gland) all of the laundry is done in a scent free detergent but again I’m 99% sure this is from his URI and not an irritant as the mucus is yellow/white and he initially didn’t have this issue just a mucus covered eye

 

[Wiebke]

I don’t know if it helps at all but I do NOT wear any perfumes or lotions (I lotion with coconut oil since I have it after cleaning my other guineas scent gland) all of the laundry is done in a scent free detergent but again I’m 99% sure this is from his URI and not an irritant as the mucus is yellow/white and he initially didn’t have this issue just a mucus covered eye

We are just covering all possible angles; it is up to you and your vet to check them through and dismiss the ones that do not apply to help you work through it.

 

[Agashe]

We are just covering all possible angles; it is up to you and your vet to check them through and dismiss the ones that do not apply to help you work through it.

I’m hoping it’s not going to be a stubborn URI,i have read stories about some being on the antibiotics for months but I’m hoping this won’t be the case. I literally just got him and sadly his brother passed from this,I got these 2 because I had 2 older ones and one passed from a tragic accident so Big Wig is the one that passed then I got these little guys and the one I named after Big Wig(I named him Wiggy Smalls)passed as well. I’m hoping to introduce J-Rod (URI infected) to Hazel (2 y/o Healthy) after the URI goes away and J-Rod is a bit bigger that way he doesn’t have issues communicating as he’s so young. I’ve read issues about guinea pigs not learning how to socialize because they were left alone too long.

 

[Agashe]

We are just covering all possible angles; it is up to you and your vet to check them through and dismiss the ones that do not apply to help you work through it.

if it matters the vet said even if I brought Wiggy Smalls in the day I got him he probably wouldn’t have made it even with the best of care,I guess this is why I’m super paranoid

 

[Wiebke]

if it matters the vet said even if I brought Wiggy Smalls in the day I got him he probably wouldn’t have made it even with the best of care,I guess this is why I’m super paranoid

I am very sorry. fingers very firmly crossed! Concentrate on a good, hay based diet and if necessary on a short 2-3 weeks booster course of vitamin C to help strengthen his immune system, which is still i the process of developing. The more he can fight from within his body, the greater his chances of getting through this faster and permanently. URI is very much an opportunistic illness that affects primarily the young, the stressed, the pregnant, frail and elderly while normal healthy piggies can fend it off.

If it is any consolation to you, it doesn't sound like one of the real nasties among the respiratory illnesses as J-Rod would not be here anymore.

 

[Agashe]

I

I am very sorry. fingers very firmly crossed! Concentrate on a good, hay based diet and if necessary on a short 2-3 weeks booster course of vitamin C to help strengthen his immune system, which is still i the process of developing. The more he can fight from within his body, the greater his chances of getting through this faster and permanently. URI is very much an opportunistic illness that affects primarily the young, the stressed, the pregnant, frail and elderly while normal healthy piggies can fend it off.

If it is any consolation to you, it doesn't sound like one of the real nasties among the respiratory illnesses as J-Rod would not be here anymore.

I have J-Rod on Oxbow Critical Care and also Oxbow Young Guinea Pig Formula (he eats it on occasion when he’s feeling well) should I be adding anything else? I’m nervous to do so because he’s so tiny and I haven’t given him veggies/fruit as of yet. I’m hoping he pulls through as well and I agree if it was a nasty URI he wouldn’t be here either but the mucus is concerning to say the least. Hopefully it doesn’t get worse in the next few days. Thank you for thinking of him!

 

[Agashe]

I am very sorry. fingers very firmly crossed! Concentrate on a good, hay based diet and if necessary on a short 2-3 weeks booster course of vitamin C to help strengthen his immune system, which is still i the process of developing. The more he can fight from within his body, the greater his chances of getting through this faster and permanently. URI is very much an opportunistic illness that affects primarily the young, the stressed, the pregnant, frail and elderly while normal healthy piggies can fend it off.

If it is any consolation to you, it doesn't sound like one of the real nasties among the respiratory illnesses as J-Rod would not be here anymore.

He has Timothy hay as well but I cannot recall the brand off hand

 

[Agashe]

Which antibiotic were you given?

I was now given Azithromycin at 0.23ml daily for J-Rod and now Hazel is hooting so I guess they will do the same for him when I take J-Rod for his culture.

 

[Wiebke]

I was now given Azithromycin at 0.23ml daily for J-Rod and now Hazel is hooting so I guess they will do the same for him when I take J-Rod for his culture.

Azithromycin (it is better known in the UK under brand name zithromax) is the strongest possible antibiotic you can give a guinea pig. I hope that it works! Very sorry about Hazel starting to hoot (which means that his nasal passaged are a bit obstructed, too).

Please weigh them daily at the same time and step in with syringe feeding top up as soon as they lose their appetite. Most piggies tolerate azithromycin well, but when they don't it really wipes their gut microbiome. I have had several piggies on make-or-break courses of it (somethimes two courses in a row; i.e. 4 weeks instead of two weeks). But while support feeding round the clock was exhausting, they have all made it through the tough patch and lived for goodly while longer.
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I am sorry that you are having such a rough patch.