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Terrified Toast Has An Uri

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Beans&Toast

Beans&Toast

Adult Guinea Pig
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Long post but please stick with me.

I've spent the last few hours searching through health threads on here and Guinea Lynx and I've got a horrible sinking feeling Toast has a URI.

For some time, every now and again Toast would make this strange sound, which after researching and listening to other people's videos, I've realised is hooting.
It was very intermittent and until now I didn't think it was anything to be concerned by.

There's been a few odd things going on with Toast that when put together it seems to be a URI.

Firstly the hooting .
It sounds a bit like a duck quacking, a bit raspy/ like rattling, when she makes this sound her body gently rocks back and forth. And I'm sick with worry because she's been doing it a fair bit tonight (which is what made me start researching hours ago)
I've tried to get a recording of this sound but every time I try to she stops doing it. She has also been ever so slightly less active. Not much though and she is still zooming around having her mad half hour, but to me I can see a slight change in her.

I also noticed a few days ago her fur looks different, fluffed up.. and as if it was thinner? I noticed a little bald spot under her chin yesterday, too.

She hasn't stopped eating or drinking and is doing both fine without any difficulty.

Her weight has fluctuated the past week and she's lost around 40-50gs but she was on Baytril and probiotic for a week just there for a suspected bladder infection ( at the time of the suspected bladder infection I had no idea about the hooting etc) so I assumed the weight loss was down to this.

I'm absolutely terrified as now that I've put it all together it seems like it's a definitive URI.

My vets is closed tomorrow. I'm not sure if they're open again on Monday as it's a Bank Holiday. There is another vets I could go to but they are not exotic specialists and the vet I am registered with is.

As Toast is still eating/drinking/ moving okay is this something I should be extremely worried about (as I am right now hence the reason I'm still up researching at 3am)?

Should I wait until Monday/Tuesday to make an appointment with my normal cavy savy vet or take her to one tomorrow who I know are not great with exotics...?

My mum always thinks I'm over reacting with the pigs and looking into things too much, but I know the signs to look out for and I know how subtle they can be while still being very serious which is why I'm so scared right now.

Sorry for the long post but I'm worried sick I know I won't be able to sleep tonight:(
 
Toast's breathing got a lot worse as the night went on and I had to phone for the emergency vet. Luckily the surgery is only a 2 minute drive from where I live.

As I thought, Toast has an upper respiratory infection. :(

She's been prescribed Sulfatrim 0.3mls twice daily for 14 days and Bio-Lapis to sprinkle over her food.
She was also given a one off dosage of Loxicome for pain relief/anti inflammatory.

It cost a fortune for it being out of hours but I'm so glad I went with my gut instinct on this, the vet told me if I waited until Monday, Toast may not have been here..

I'm devastated for my poor Toasty but relieved that it got seen to quickly and hopeful it's been caught early enough.
I'm just hoping it doesn't spread to Beans but I'll be keeping a close eye on the two of them.
 
Oh goodness, so glad you where able to get her seen quickly. URI's are really nasty, she's so lucky to have you as her slave. Healing wheeks to little Toast.

You definitely made the right decision to have her seen last night.
 
Sorry to hear Toast hasn't been well. Hope she is feeling better soon. (((Hugs))) to Toast and you.
 
URIs can come on really quickly so you were right to get Toast to the vet when she showed signs. My Connie is on ABs for a URI - she didn't have the usual symptoms of sneezing, discharge or coughing but I noticed her fur was not sitting flat and I heard a hoot when scooting down for her poos. She's on A different AB from Toast.
Please can I suggest you get Toast checked over by your own vet before the ABs finish in case she needs another course. Poor little girlie but lucky to have an attentive and devoted slave x
 
VickiA said:
URIs can come on really quickly so you were right to get Toast to the vet when she showed signs. My Connie is on ABs for a URI - she didn't have the usual symptoms of sneezing, discharge or coughing but I noticed her fur was not sitting flat and I heard a hoot when scooting down for her poos. She's on A different AB from Toast.
Please can I suggest you get Toast checked over by your own vet before the ABs finish in case she needs another course. Poor little girlie but lucky to have an attentive and devoted slave x
Click to expand...
Luckily it was my own vet I see out of hours.
Glen Hodgson is my cavy savy vet, I'm luckily enough that the surgery has its own emergency out of hours and it's minutes from me.

Toast didn't have discharge either, it was the puffed up fur and noisy (faintly) breathing that worried me.
Does the antibiotic she's on sound right?

Despite being massivly poked and proded last night Toast is doing well today, eating and drinking.

I'm slightly worried about Beans that it may have spread to her. The past 2 days she's been a bit "off" but I put that down to the fact that Toast is in season just now and had been especially aggressive with mounting Beans..
 
Yeah, I've went there with my pig's for around 5/6 years. I don't take my pig's anywhere else.

Toast is in good hands.
 
Another thing to mention. Glen said I should record how many breaths per minute they're both taking whilst relaxed.
He said it can vary but for a relaxed pig they'd expect around 20 breaths per minute?
I just done this while they were both lying down relaxing and they were both at around 50-60 breaths per minute...

Unless I'm doing it wrong?
I'm couting every time they inhale and I see their body move...
 
I'll be totally honest I've never counted breaths. I just notice when it looks different eg faster or more diaphragmatic than normal. I have no idea how you count breaths! I think you could become obsessive (not you in particular I mean anyone) if you sat trying to count breaths.
 
VickiA said:
I'll be totally honest I've never counted breaths. I just notice when it looks different eg faster or more diaphragmatic than normal. I have no idea how you count breaths! I think you could become obsessive (not you in particular I mean anyone) if you sat trying to count breaths.
Click to expand...
I've been watching them and Beans seems to be breathing quite fast for a piggy who was lying down sleeping...
And she seemed a bit more "hunched" today, but then she also gets up and popcorns around so it's so difficult to tell if something wrong.
I haven't heard any funny hooting or crackling from Beans but she's a bit more lathargic today, in between zoomies..
If she's still a bit "lazy" tomorrow should I make an appointment for her too or am I over reacting?

I tend to look to much into things when it comes to their health but I've lost a piggy before when in inexperienced vet gave her amoxocilin so I'm just fearful now.
 
I'm not overly worried about her right now, she's bopping about and eating and annoying toast trying to hump her :P

But if she still seems "off" tomorrow I'll phone to get an appointment. Thanks everyone :nod:
 
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