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Uri - Isolate Sick Pig?

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gemma1

gemma1

Junior Guinea Pig
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Hi everyone, I've not been able to be on forum for a while unfortunately and I am sad to have to be back on to say I have a pig with a URI, Ruby the pig in my profile pic :( Noticed this eve after being out all day and took her to emergency vet straight away. Vet gave her baytril injection, a gut motitlity injection as she's a bit bloated and another injection. Annoyed at myself as can't remember what the other injections were as I was in a bit of a panic and wasn't taking it in. Vet has given me oral baytril to start tomorrow. Currently have Ruby separated from my other two, she's not great, still very laboured breathing although not as crackly. No other symptoms, no sneezing/coughing and her eyes are clear. I have fed her some Supreme Revovery, she only took about 10 ml and wouldn't take the water with probiotics I tried to give her. Not interested in any other food/grass. Was planning on keeping her in our room and staying awake if poss or setting alarm to wake up every couple of hours to try to feed her. But should I put her back in with the other two? Does it sound like her URI would be contagious? Maybe she'd be happier back with them but don't want them to catch anything. I have seen some poops in the large cat carrier I have her in so I know she is passing some but also maybe better to keep her separate to monitor that? Not sure what to do for the best, really horrible seeing her so unwell. Any help/advice much appreciated, thanks!
 
Poor Ruby! URIs are never much fun and you are naturally worried. URIs are not cused by viruses in guinea pigs, so they are not as infectious, so you have to balance up whether it would be more stressful for Ruby to be apart from her friends against the risk of passing it on. She may well feel better having them around,but if you need to monitor her poop production you need her separate. Can you work something out so they are next door to each other and can see each other?

It is very important to keep feeding her as much as she will take - little and often is the best if they are unwilling to eat much, so you plan to set an alarm is a good one. Do you remember if one of the injections was a diuretic to clear any fluid from her lungs? This can be a serious problem in guinea pigs and can really help to ease the breathing.

It is really horrible when you have a porrly piggie, but you are doing all the right things. Try to keep the food throughput up as it is essential that the gut has something to work on or it will start to shut down. Sending healing vibes!
 
Thank you very much for your quick reply, wasn't expecting that as its so late and it's so helpful thanks, feel less alone in dealing with it all. My hubby is fantastic but not experienced with pigs so can't help in that respect.

I can't remember if that's what the other injection was, will def give them a call tomorrow to find out, hopefully it was the diuretic as that sounds like something she would need.

That's very good to know that the URI isn't as infectious as I thought, I have a c and c cage so will partition part of it off for her tomorrow, have kept her in the carrier for now as I placed a hot water bottle outside of it with fleeces over to insulate and she settled down and made herself as comfy as she could with the way she's feeling, she ate a small bit of grass as well, not much but at least a bit. Will def get up during night to check on her and feed her. Want to just stay awake but think I am actually just annoying her by constantly checking on her!

It is awful having a sick piggie - I have unfortunately had more than my share of sick pigs with dental problems/abscesses but never a URI. Is there anything I could do to prevent them from getting a URI in the first place? I think Ruby may have heart issues so maybe she is more susceptible?

Thanks again!
 
I'm a bit of a night owl at the moment! I know what it's like and having a bit of support, even if it's via the internet, can be a real help.

Piggies with heart issues can be more prone to all sorts of infections, but there's not an awful lot you can do to prevent them, other than keeping the pigs warm and dry (damp conditions can increase the risk of picking up a URI).

You're doing a great job!
 
Thanks. Just spent about an hour with her and she only took 3ml of food and 0.8ml water. Is that enough to even keep her going a bit?! She just wasn't happy eating and fought as much as she could which got her worked up and made her breathing worse. So I had to take it really slowly but that meant I didn't get much in to her! Replaced her water bottle so she's all snug, up again in a couple of hours to try again!
 
Oh I also remembered, the other injection the vet gave her was a steroid injection to open her airways. Which means she hasn't been given a diuretic, should I call vet to see if they will give her that injection?
 
Only managed another 3ml and 1ml of water over about 40 minutes, she then passed urine and did a very strange looking poop with a clear jelly like substance - pic hopefully attached.

image.webp
 
Oh no, poor Ruby. The poop looks like her system is pretty empty, so getting more food in has to be a priority I don't like the use of steroids in guinea pigs, and Simon never tends to use them for the piggies. What dose of baytril have you been given? I see she had a baytril injection but you should have some to give orally at home. Give them a ring and ask about diuretics. It may be that she doesn't need a diuretic but worth asking. I have found Marbocyl and Zithromax work best for URI's, so if no improvement with the baytril it may be worth asking the vet if she would consider prescribing either of them.
 
Hiya Debbie, thanks very much for that. That makes sense about her poop, I have taken the day off work so will just sit with her and feed her as much as I can! I just worry that I am going to choke her/cause her breathing to become worse as she struggles so much, but I will have to try harder as she needs food! She's been given 0.3ml oral baytril twice daily, does that sound right? She had her injection at 7pm last night so could I give her the oral baytril now? I will call and speak to them about Zithromax or marbocyl as my vet was going to speak to Simon about it when Baloo had his abscess a month or so ago but luckily he got better on the baytril and nothing else was needed.
 
I am very sorry! The need to breathe comes before the need to drink and thirdly before the need to eat. Baytril is additionally an appetite dampener.

Please syringe feed in little, but often if at all possible. Make sure that you never give more than 1/3 to 1/2 of a 1ml syringe at a time, so there is no danger that any food or water is going down the wrong way and causing harm. Make sure that she has swallowd everything before you give more. The less you can get in, the more often you need to feed, around the clock if necessary. Your care is crucial to get her through the crisis and to keep the guts going.
Here are more tips: Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

What else you can do:
- place a bowl of steaming water next to the cage, to help ease the breathing
- give her extra vitamin C to help boost the immune system. Dissolve 1/8 of a human tablet in 1ml of water and syringe it. Do this twice daily.
- Give one pinch of probiotics with the next sryinge feed after giving the antibiotic; this helps to prop up the guts.
- Ask your vet for bisolvon powder if there is a lot of mucus and for a diuretic if there is fluid on the lungs. The quicker you can ease the breathing, the better the chances for a quick recovery.

URIs in guinea pigs are a bacterial infection that can be usually fended off by healthy piggies. Only separate if you have got very young, old, frail or ill companions with a not yet fully developed, lowered or fragile immune system.

Wishing you all the best!
 
Thanks so much for all of the advice Wiebke. You are right, the need to breathe definitely coming first for her, so I am happy to hear that I am doing okay by just taking things slowly and not rushing her. She is only taking about 0.1ml each time, I am being extremely careful not to give too much as I am terrified of causing her to choke. I managed about 4ml in an hour earlier this morn but it seems to be the only way as she takes ages to think about swallowing and is quite happy just lying on my lap. I have just given her the first dose of oral baytril. I have already been adding in the probiotics to her food hope that was the right thing to do, will be sure to add some when I syringe again in about half an hours time. Have just put a bowl of steaming hot water next to carrier and still have hot water bottle outside of it which I have been refilling so she doesn't need to worry about keeping herself warm. Will look in cupboards for some vitamin C.

I will definitely partition off part of the cage then and get her back in with them, haven't done it yet as have been busy feeding her. Hopefully it will help her along to be back with the other two as so far there is no change with her and no sign of improvement, when she has had baytril in the past though she totally lost her appetite so I don't think that will be helping.

Can I ask what is the difference between Pneumonia and a URI? I came across an older thread on this site about a pig that had Pneumonia, the person was advised to give sudafed expectorant - should I be giving her that?

I wonder if the vet would have heard if there was fluid on the lungs when I saw her last night? I will give them a call just now to see if I should go back in with her.
 
Just spoke to vet, they are calling me back with an appointment to go in asap to get her looked at again. Will ask about the diuretic and the bisolvon and also the other antibiotics.
 
gemma1 said:
Thanks so much for all of the advice Wiebke. You are right, the need to breathe definitely coming first for her, so I am happy to hear that I am doing okay by just taking things slowly and not rushing her. She is only taking about 0.1ml each time, I am being extremely careful not to give too much as I am terrified of causing her to choke. I managed about 4ml in an hour earlier this morn but it seems to be the only way as she takes ages to think about swallowing and is quite happy just lying on my lap. I have just given her the first dose of oral baytril. I have already been adding in the probiotics to her food hope that was the right thing to do, will be sure to add some when I syringe again in about half an hours time. Have just put a bowl of steaming hot water next to carrier and still have hot water bottle outside of it which I have been refilling so she doesn't need to worry about keeping herself warm. Will look in cupboards for some vitamin C.

I will definitely partition off part of the cage then and get her back in with them, haven't done it yet as have been busy feeding her. Hopefully it will help her along to be back with the other two as so far there is no change with her and no sign of improvement, when she has had baytril in the past though she totally lost her appetite so I don't think that will be helping.

Can I ask what is the difference between Pneumonia and a URI? I came across an older thread on this site about a pig that had Pneumonia, the person was advised to give sudafed expectorant - should I be giving her that?

I wonder if the vet would have heard if there was fluid on the lungs when I saw her last night? I will give them a call just now to see if I should go back in with her.
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You are doing fine; just keep doing what you are. it is likely to be some time before you see much in the way of poos.

URI is upper respiratory tract infection whereas pneumonia is lung infection/congestion. URI can develop into pneumonia, hence why I include any medication you may want to ask your vet for in case there is a deterioration or no improvement in either case.

I would not recommend to use sudafed; bisolvon for blocked airways and a diuretic in case of congested lungs are much better - most vets are willing to prescibe them if there is reason to give them, but they are sometimes not aware that there is more they can do in support than just an antibiotic. We are no longer recommending home treatments that stem from a time when many vets were not piggy savvy; I would ask your vet whether he thinks that sudafed is appropriate.
 
I agree about the sudafed. Bisolvon is great for mucous - it helps to suppress the production. If she is struggling to breathe then I would definitely ask the vet about a diuretic. I have seen miraculous recoveries once they can breathe more easily. Syringe feeding so frequently is exhausting, I know, but keep at it. Hopefully things will start to improve. The poos with jelly are classic for not enough in the system. They will become normal again once she starts eating properly.
 
Thanks so much guys, really helps to read all these posts. I am a bit worried as she hasn't passed anything at all since that jelly poo, would continuing to syringe feed actually be bad for her if she is blocked up and unable to pass anything? Or is it just because she's eating so little that she's not passing anything? I jiggled her about (very, VERY gently) to try to move things a wee bit and have just put her back in with the other two without partitioning or anything as figured she would move a bit more rather than staying in one place, which turned out to be true and she has been walking about a bit. But would being around hay be bad for her right now? Vet app is at 2.30pm so will keep syringe feeding until then.

Only problem with being in the cage with the others is that she isn't lying anywhere near her hot water bottle which I have wrapped in a fleece and sat upright, so maybe she won't be as warm, trying putting her on it but she just walked straight off it and back to be with the others.
 
It's being empty that is the problem so keep at it with the syringe. Hay is a good thing as if she eats some as it is full of lovely fibre for her guts to work on.She may need more gut motility drugs from the vet to help get things moving as well. It may also be worth trying a bit of massage with an electric toothbrush or something similar. This last week I have had a poorly boar who stopped eating completely - he had jelly poo which was small and teardrop shaped. The vet gave him injections (painkiller, zantac, clopromide) and gave me oral meds to give him, and I "toothbrushed" him to try to help things along. He started eating again the sme day and is now back to normal (it was a bit of bloat that just needed help shifting).

Let us know how it goes at the vet. x
 
I can not believe I am writing this, but she is gone. I was giving her a bit of syringe food before the vet, I had given her about 1ml and a half in about half an hour, she was uncomfortable and just wanted back to her cage,she was chewing a bit now and again like she had been previously, she then did a little cough and I absolutely panicked and put her in her carrier so quickly and charged about getting my keys and getting her out to the car and then she passed away while I was doing that, I just thought I needed to get her to the vet - but I should have just held her. I am so devastated. I wish I had just held her and been with her instead of charging about and shaking her a bit because I thought she was choking! I was convinced I had done it with the food, but I couldn't have taken it any slower, she was just so weak. I am unbelievably heartbroken. I went to the vet and she said there was a bit of food in her mouth but it seems like it was just the end, how can this be? I can not forgive myself for not just holding her, but I wouldn't have forgiven myself if I didn't run to the vet either.

Should I put her in with the other two so they can see her?
 
Do you think it could have been me syringing her that killed her?
 
I am so, so sorry. Firstly, I'm sure it wasn't the syringing! It is so hard, but sometimes they just go, despite our best efforts. One thing I have found when I have a sick piggy is that they seem to know you are trying to help them, even if they fight you, and Ruby will have understood that you were doing everything you could to help her. You are a wonderful piggy slave and you did all you could, so try not to dwell on not holding her. It's probably a good idea to let the others see her, so they can have a sniff and realise she's crossed the bridge. HUGS. x
 
Thank you so much. x

And thank you to everyone who replied for your help and support. Thinking again, I don't see how it could have been the syringe as I was giving such tiny, tiny amounts at a time, no more than 0.1ml at a time, if that. She was definitely chewing some of it but she was so weak at that stage maybe she wasn't swallowing enough and then breathed through her mouth. I could tell she was getting worse by that point and I was just about to put her in the carrier to take her to the vet early when it happened. She was still breathing after and wasn't coughing or anything like that, only heard one more sound like it and then she was moving about uncomfortably so I knew what was happening and ran about like crazy to get to vet, I didn't see too much because I was running about trying to get ready to leave - she was just so ill, and hadn't responded to any of the medicine, it happened so quickly. I took the other two to the vet this eve to have them checked over and they are fine. I can't stop thinking what could I have done to prevent her getting the infection?
 
gemma1 said:
I can not believe I am writing this, but she is gone. I was giving her a bit of syringe food before the vet, I had given her about 1ml and a half in about half an hour, she was uncomfortable and just wanted back to her cage,she was chewing a bit now and again like she had been previously, she then did a little cough and I absolutely panicked and put her in her carrier so quickly and charged about getting my keys and getting her out to the car and then she passed away while I was doing that, I just thought I needed to get her to the vet - but I should have just held her. I am so devastated. I wish I had just held her and been with her instead of charging about and shaking her a bit because I thought she was choking! I was convinced I had done it with the food, but I couldn't have taken it any slower, she was just so weak. I am unbelievably heartbroken. I went to the vet and she said there was a bit of food in her mouth but it seems like it was just the end, how can this be? I can not forgive myself for not just holding her, but I wouldn't have forgiven myself if I didn't run to the vet either.

Should I put her in with the other two so they can see her?
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I am ever so sorry - URI can sometimes kill very quickly if you are unlucky - and it sounded like she had a severe form, seeing her total loss of appetite and that you were up against it anyway. I don't think that it was your feeding at all.

Please don't beat yourself up! You were scrambling to save her life; what we would have all done in your situation. Your little girl knew that she was well cared for, but her way was leading away from you anyway - still carried by the wings of your love. ;)

It is a very normal, instinctive reaction to look for faults and shortfalls when you have lost a beloved pet unexpectedly; it is very typical for the onset of the grieving process. We all suffer from this, more or less, depending on the bond and the manner of death. Rest assured that you have not failed your girl in any way and that you are a very loving, caring mummy.

Give yourself time to come to terms with your loss. It is a proper grieving process and there are no shortcuts. You are welcome to post a tribute in our Rainbow Bridge section if and whenever it feels right for you.

Here are tips on what you can do for her companion: Looking After A Bereaved Guinea Pig
 
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