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Snotty nose

The3LittlePigs

The3LittlePigs

Junior Guinea Pig
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My little Raz has a very snotty nose, and has been coughing / wheezing every now and then. I've taken him to work with me yesterday, and the vet gave him an injection of metacam (can't remember the dosage but we worked it out together and it sounded sensible) and some baytril (yummy!) Does this sound ok for mr piggy? He was running around at full speed all over my house at the weekend, but I've noticed he seems a bit clumsy today. Will he need probiotics with baytril?
 
The3LittlePigs said:
My little Raz has a very snotty nose, and has been coughing / wheezing every now and then. I've taken him to work with me yesterday, and the vet gave him an injection of metacam (can't remember the dosage but we worked it out together and it sounded sensible) and some baytril (yummy!) Does this sound ok for mr piggy? He was running around at full speed all over my house at the weekend, but I've noticed he seems a bit clumsy today. Will he need probiotics with baytril?
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Yea give probiotics 2 hours after the baytril, the baytril can clear what sounds like a uri your pig has. I'm not sure what the metacam is going to help with though
 
He has an inflamed trachea and nostril airway, so I'm thinking the metacam was for any pain he might be in. I'll pick some probiotics up today, and maybe some syringe food just in case!
 
The3LittlePigs said:
He has an inflamed trachea and nostril airway, so I'm thinking the metacam was for any pain he might be in. I'll pick some probiotics up today, and maybe some syringe food just in case!
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Yep i see now👍 vets sometimes sell fiberplex pro biotic. It comes ready mixed and in its own syringe
 
If the baytril doesnt seem to be helping most the way through its course, i would look at trying a different antibiotic. Baytril has worked with breathing issues for my past pigs though
 
The3LittlePigs said:
My little Raz has a very snotty nose, and has been coughing / wheezing every now and then. I've taken him to work with me yesterday, and the vet gave him an injection of metacam (can't remember the dosage but we worked it out together and it sounded sensible) and some baytril (yummy!) Does this sound ok for mr piggy? He was running around at full speed all over my house at the weekend, but I've noticed he seems a bit clumsy today. Will he need probiotics with baytril?
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Hi!

That sounds pretty par for the course of treating first and foremost for a URI (bacterial respiratory infection) as that is the most common and a potential killer if left untreated or undertreated.

In the vast majority of cases baytril will cause just some slightly softer poos and needs no extra measures, but you can give a pinch of probiotics either 1 hour before the antibiotic (US recommendation) or 2 hours after (UK recommendation) if you wish to.
In more severe cases of loss of appetite, home made 'poo soup' (made from poos that have literally just dropped from the bum of a healthy companion and that you soak in a little water, which you then syringe freshly made twice a day) is more effective than probiotics.
With total loss of appetite I would also recommend a course of fibreplex.

Adverse reactions can and do happen to any antibiotic. Baytril is still by far the most prescribed and used one worldwide as it is in many countries the only licensed one for guinea pigs (although in the UK we also have now sulftatrim, the adult unflavoured version of septrin licensed for guinea pigs).
Please keep in mind when doing online research that you have to always correct for the fact that people are very keen on reporting all the cases that go wrong but take a successful treatment as given and will not comment on it. The same goes for 'miracle cures', which in many cases don't work out in practice. ;)

All the best!
 
Thanks very much for your advice. Just have Raz his third treatment and weighed him. He had definitely lost weight, down to about 716 when we were 837 on the 28th. The vet did say he was 740 yesterday. Have been giving him syringe food. When feeding him, I noticed he was struggling to balance, and putting him on the floor for a trotter about, I saw he had his head tilted. I've looked in his ears and there is definitely wax in the one he is tilting toward. He has had otomax prescribed for a flaky bit of skin on his outer ear a few weeks ago, but this seemed to have resolved. Any ideas? I'll be taking him in to work with me either tomorrow or Saturday. Also, should I seperate him from his piggy pal? Neither do well alone but concerned about the others health? Razz has not been healthy even since I first got him, don't think I'll be using that rescue again sadly as I've seem vague symptoms of all his problems now since the day I got him home really.
 
The3LittlePigs said:
Thanks very much for your advice. Just have Raz his third treatment and weighed him. He had definitely lost weight, down to about 716 when we were 837 on the 28th. The vet did say he was 740 yesterday. Have been giving him syringe food. When feeding him, I noticed he was struggling to balance, and putting him on the floor for a trotter about, I saw he had his head tilted. I've looked in his ears and there is definitely wax in the one he is tilting toward. He has had otomax prescribed for a flaky bit of skin on his outer ear a few weeks ago, but this seemed to have resolved. Any ideas? I'll be taking him in to work with me either tomorrow or Saturday. Also, should I seperate him from his piggy pal? Neither do well alone but concerned about the others health? Razz has not been healthy even since I first got him, don't think I'll be using that rescue again sadly as I've seem vague symptoms of all his problems now since the day I got him home really.
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Please contact your vets. Head tilts should be seen as promptly as possible. Sometimes a respiratory infection can get into the inner ear. Please do not home treat on spec! You can easily makes things worse instead of better!
 
Thanks so much. I'm very concerned about him, he seems like a sickly little piggie. It's a bit of a shock when you have five other healthy piggies and one who seems to live at the vets. He might as well get his own kennel, poor lad.
 
Had a word with the vet who assessed razz today. He suggested the infection could've spread, and to put the otomax directly into the ear canal to help with the infection, and give the baytril. If we don't see any improvements, we'll try something stronger. Is zithromax okay for piggies? We were.trying to decide the best one to go onto next, as my colleague had a similar issue with her bunny. Luckily, he isn't loosing weight too fast, and I'm managing to get his meds and food down him okay.
 
Yes, Zithromax is ok for piggies. I had a piggy who had it multiple times for URIs which Baytril didn't help.
I may be barking up the wrong tree, but if he has a snotty nose, could you get a sample of it on a swab so the vet could culture it and find out exactly what bug he has, and prescribe the best antibiotic for it?
 
My vet hasn't suggested this, although it's a good idea, it's probably because it can take ages for culture results to come back as if nothings growing it has to be left for up to three weeks, and they'd have to be sent off to a lab. I think our plan was to try different antibiotics and see if we could get any to work. I'm just concerned, he jogs about the room leisurely still, but I just feel he's so lethargic in his hutch. Think I'll get my dad to bring him in again today. How long would you try each antibiotic before trying another?
 
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