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URI not getting better or worse

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DM0707201

Hi. My pig rusty was making a cracking noise, sneezing and sounded stuffy so I suspected URI. When I first took him to the vet he was 480g and has now gone up to 520g he is only 5 months old and his brother is 630g.

The vet gave him a shot of Baytril and he has been on Baytril 0.2 mls 2 times a day for twelve days now. He is also on a probiotic and has recently been given Metacam once a day for inflammation.

My concern is that while he has not gotten any worse he is not seeming to improve. He is bright, alert and is eating well. I have not started the cc the vet gave me as his weight is stable but not going passed 520g.

He is still coughing, sneezing with a bit of white discharge sometimes, sounds stuffy with cracks but not all the time.

My main concern is the fact that his sides go in and out rapidly and sometimes his body moves with it. That is why the vet gave me metacam as they suspected inflammation was causing difficulty breathing.

I have the vets tomorrow and think they will give me a longer course of Baytril. I asked about nebulising, but the vet said that is only if he is struggling.

Is it normal for it to take this long for a URI to go or is this a stubborn one? Is there something else I should be doing or will the Baytril kick in?

He is only a baby and has such a good life ahead of him. I really don’t want to lose him and I just want to hear from more experienced owners who have delt with URI befor.
 
Hallo and:wel:, sorry your little piggy is poorly.
I'm not an expert, though I did have a pig that was prone to URIs, but I would expect there to be some improvement at least after 12 days. It may be that he has a bug that doesn't respond to Baytril. Vets generally prescribe that first as it is one of very few drugs licensed for guineas, but there are others that can be used, such as Septrin, Sulfatrim and Azithromycin. As your boar is producing a discharge when he sneezes, you could ask your vet if he could give you a swab to get a sample for testing, so he can prescribe the appropriate medicine. It only needs a tiny amount to get a result fortunately - though you do need to have the swab ready to hand because the piggy will automatically try to clean it's nose with its paws.
I would also give him some of the cc as he's only young and still should be growing.
Best of luck at the vets tomorrow!
 
Rusty is not doing too good. His breathing is worse then ever and he has dropped to 500g. The vet has put him on sulfatrim 0.1 twice a day but says it’s not sounding good for him. I have an appointment Wednesday but I am to call if he gets any worse. I just gave him his dose along with some probiotic. He is eating hay right now and has just eaten some peppers. I honestly don’t think he is going to make it and I am feeling physically ill. Hope the new antibiotic kicks in.
 
I’m so sorry. It does sound like you are doing all you can. Sometimes it’s all we can do - just keep up with the meds and support feeding. Poor fellow.
 
Maybe he's very allergic to something?

Bedding or the hay?
 
I have vet bed and I don’t really know what to do if it was the hay as they need it to eat. I have tried different brand hays but they don’t seem to affect him. My vet said if it is an allergy it won’t be what is causing the infection.

His upper respiratory is very stuffy and he is spitting up a bit of green gunk when I give him his meds. I am debating taking him off the metacam as I am worried he may be having a reaction to it, but am unsure if it will help or hinder.

These are my first pigs but I did a lot of research befor buying them and tried my best to avoid any allergy prone environments. I always felt he was a little off after I got him but he was not displaying any tell tale symptoms until about a month and a half of bringing him home.
 
Hi. Respiratory issues always are difficult in piggies. I would have a low threshold for going back to the vet, my friend lost her piggy this week after a similar story. So there's lots of nasty bugs around.
I assume they are inside? Try humidifying the room with a bowl of steaming water, it may help her breathing. Don't stop the metacam. I do wonder if a more powerful antibiotic like zithromax is needed. I hope she improves soon
 
I’m sorry to hear about your friends pig and yes they are indoor pigs. I took your suggestion and put a bowl of steaming water near the cage with a towel over one end, but not too close to cause discomfort.

I am going back to the vets Wednesday or sooner if he gets worse and we will see if something else is needed. Hopfully the sulfatrim stats to take effect, but his breathing is very concerning.

I am keeping a close eye on him but there is not much else I can do. He is not moving to go potty much so I keep putting fresh towels under him so he doesn’t get too wet.
 
GigglePig said:
I’m sorry to hear about your friends pig and yes they are indoor pigs. I took your suggestion and put a bowl of steaming water near the cage with a towel over one end, but not too close to cause discomfort.

I am going back to the vets Wednesday or sooner if he gets worse and we will see if something else is needed. Hopfully the sulfatrim stats to take effect, but his breathing is very concerning.

I am keeping a close eye on him but there is not much else I can do. He is not moving to go potty much so I keep putting fresh towels under him so he doesn’t get too wet.
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Sorry l changed his sex! You are doing all you can. Sometimes we just have to wait. I think you said he is still eating and his weight is ok?
 
His weight has dropped and he has started to lose interest in eating. I am hand-feeding him veg and he is munching on hay. I have started cc, but he hates it more then the antibiotics.

I may take him the vets tomorrow if his weight drops or he goes worse through the night. The vet said it’s not looking good, but we are not giving up yet. It is a bit wait and see just as you said, which is the hardest part for me. I hate seeing him like this.
 
If he hates CC you could try some of your own pellets blitzed in the blender mixed with water and you could add some probiotic or some dioralyte into the mix. I have also used Ella’s kitchen pouches (puréed fruit and veg) mixed in to make it taste better.
 
GigglePig said:
His weight has dropped and he has started to lose interest in eating. I am hand-feeding him veg and he is munching on hay. I have started cc, but he hates it more then the antibiotics.

I may take him the vets tomorrow if his weight drops or he goes worse through the night. The vet said it’s not looking good, but we are not giving up yet. It is a bit wait and see just as you said, which is the hardest part for me. I hate seeing him like this.
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Sounds like pneumonia to me. I had a pig with exact symptoms and it was pneumonia he had to be given a strong antibiotic every evening by needle at the vets and he survived it. Its the abdominal breathing that is making me think pneumonia. Its come on when a uri has been left too long.

The antbiotic was a type of penicillin but not actual penicillin that pigs cant have. It was a last resort drug to use and it was safer being injected straight to the blood stream. I cant remember what it was called. But i did call the vet up on using it and she said it was ok by needle not oral
 
Syringe feeding is not easy on either slave or piggy.
Hope you can get to the vets tomorrow and they have a suggestion to help him
 
I have got him to eat some veg, hay and I saw him munching on his own pellets befor. He is taking the cc now, he just needed a different flavour. So after a few mouthful off cc I gave him some kale, that seemed to help.

I asked the vet about pneumonia, but they seem to think it’s not there yet. However they did say if we don’t get on top of the infection it will develop into pneumonia.

He seems to have perked up tonight, i think the steam helped a bit. He’s not cracking or sounding as snuffy, but it may be short lived. I am keeping close watch over him and hope he pulles through as we have really bonded. He is a lovely little pig.
 
Have you only tried baytril? Maybe try septrin for the uri? Keep your pig nice and warm that always helps.
 
Skypipdot said:
Have you only tried baytril? Maybe try septrin for the uri? Keep your pig nice and warm that always helps.
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No he is off the Baytril now and is on sulfatrim 0.1 twice a day. He was on the Baytril 12 days but showed minor improvement and then went very downhill. He has just started sulfatrim today. I am to go the vets Wednesday or sooner if he gets worse.
 
GigglePig said:
No he is off the Baytril now and is on sulfatrim 0.1 twice a day. He was on the Baytril 12 days but showed minor improvement and then went very downhill. He has just started sulfatrim today. I am to go the vets Wednesday or sooner if he gets worse.
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Ok thats good. I prey it works for your pig. Best wishes
 
Hi everyone. Thank you all for the support, it is appreciated.

I don’t know if he has improved but he is no worse. He is taking the cc well now. I made it a bit thicker, he likes it better that way.
His weight is stable at 500g, trying to beef him up a bit. Hoping he improves with the new meds.
 
Rusty is still making cracking and sniffly sound so may take him the vet tomorrow. I’m worried that the metacam may be doing more harm then good. This is the fourth night on it and I noticed every time I give him it his blanket where he sits get soaked. After half an hour of him taking it I have to swap towels under him just to keep him dry.

Does anyone know if that is a normal symptom of the meds or should I be concerned?
 
GigglePig said:
Rusty is still making cracking and sniffly sound so may take him the vet tomorrow. I’m worried that the metacam may be doing more harm then good. This is the fourth night on it and I noticed every time I give him it his blanket where he sits get soaked. After half an hour of him taking it I have to swap towels under him just to keep him dry.

Does anyone know if that is a normal symptom of the meds or should I be concerned?
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I have used metacam for years and have never seen any side effects. Please don't stop it as it is essential for this type of condition (unless your vet advises otherwise of course)
 
pig in the city said:
I have used metacam for years and have never seen any side effects. Please don't stop it as it is essential for this type of condition (unless your vet advises otherwise of course)
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Ok I will talk to the vet about it. I gave him his dose befor. I am a worrier and I'm thinking maybe it numbs him a bit and he doesn’t feel when he needs to pee.
 
I think once you get the right antibiotic the uri should go quite quickly. If it is a uri I'm amazed your pig is hanging on, maybe thr antibiotic you are using is holding it at a stage where it isnt too dangerous but definitely needs getting rid of.

Keep giving the pain killer i have never seen a side effect either on all of my 3 pigs that have needed it before
 
Skypipdot said:
I think once you get the right antibiotic the uri should go quite quickly. If it is a uri I'm amazed your pig is hanging on, maybe thr antibiotic you are using is holding it at a stage where it isnt too dangerous but definitely needs getting rid of.

Keep giving the pain killer i have never seen a side effect either on all of my 3 pigs that have needed it before
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Ye he has had this for just over two weeks now, but the vet did say I caught it early. They seemed to think he was getting better on the Baytril, but then he was a bit in limbo, then suddenly downhill.

I am watching him like a hawk and making sure he eats and drinks. I will call the vets in the morning if no improvement. I’m hopeful they will tell me he sounds less congested.
 
GigglePig said:
Ye he has had this for just over two weeks now, but the vet did say I caught it early. They seemed to think he was getting better on the Baytril, but then he was a bit in limbo, then suddenly downhill.

I am watching him like a hawk and making sure he eats and drinks. I will call the vets in the morning if no improvement. I’m hopeful they will tell me he sounds less congested.
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Your doing great, you just dont want the lungs getting too bad obviously. Ive been through 3 cases of uri's and one case of pneumonia in guinea pigs and gerbils. Gerbils are boss level to try and get antibiotics into and syringe feed but somehow i did it. I feel what your going though with your pig.
 
Rustys breathing is not looking good tonight. I was thinking of asking the vets to take rusty for a few days to find out what antibiotic is best for him and possibly inject or nebulise him to give him a boost.

Has anybody done this befor? Do vets even take guinea pigs overnight? I will ask tomorrow and see what they say. I don’t think he is going to get better without some intensive treatmeant.

I honestly don’t think I can take another night of watching him struggle to breath. I have lost a stone and a half in two weeks and am not sleeping. I think I myself need the vets.
 
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