Uri?

[Jesse's pigs]

I have read many threads on here of other guinea owners that have experienced URI in their piggies or thought they have and researched a lot yet I am no closer to knowing if my boar does indeed have a URI. My boar,Mo,is 7 months old and healthy. His fur is glossy,eyes bright, alert,squeaking for food,healthy weight,great appetite and teeth in better nick then mine.
However at the beginning of October I noticed that he was sneezing a lot. There was only discharge once and it was clear and a tiny amount. He has sneezed and coughed before but I never felt there was anything wrong as it happened very rarely and I did have him on sawdust- though now he is on fleece. I had also noticed that at times you could hear his breathing and a faint clicking noise especially when he was eating. Thus I took him to the vets and expressed my worries but they said that his breathing was normal,weight great and no immeadiate signs of a URI. She did say that I could bathe his grease gland a little more as he's is very active which I have been doing since. She prescribed 0.27ml of baytril to be adminstered 2 a day for a week along with one dose of metacam.
Now he's medication is over and I did stop sooner as he got diarreah and lost his appetite- which is very unlikely him! As soon as I did, his poos returned to normal and he eats fine. I went on holiday soon after and since returning he is still eating,popcorning etc but us still sneezing. She said it could be an allergy but to what I don't know. I realise you can only give me ideas but I just want my mind put at rest if possible. Thank u for your time.

The only reason I worry is as my last guinea pig Vinny went downhill at the age of 2 and to this day I have no idea what it was.

 

[3Tyger]

Hi,
So sorry your guinea pig isn't well
I would take him back to the vet again, or if that one isn't very sure is there any option you could take him to another vet?
I've had my guinea pigs on antibiotics before which can definitely upset their stomach, but the vet can also give probiotics for them to take alongside the antibiotics to prevent that. Now as soon as they mention antibiotics I ask them for probiotics as well to help them complete their course without unpleasant side effects.
Best of luck to your guinea pig, hope he gets well soon.

 

[3Tyger]

Oh sorry, i've just seen the bit about Vinny, how awful! So sorry for your loss
Please don't blame yourself, this has happened to me before and I felt dreadful afterwards. Sending you a big hug!

 

[helen105281]

Baytril is notorious for putting them off their food and upsetting the gut. Is sneezing the only symptom?

 

[Wiebke]

I have read many threads on here of other guinea owners that have experienced URI in their piggies or thought they have and researched a lot yet I am no closer to knowing if my boar does indeed have a URI. My boar,Mo,is 7 months old and healthy. His fur is glossy,eyes bright, alert,squeaking for food,healthy weight,great appetite and teeth in better nick then mine.
However at the beginning of October I noticed that he was sneezing a lot. There was only discharge once and it was clear and a tiny amount. He has sneezed and coughed before but I never felt there was anything wrong as it happened very rarely and I did have him on sawdust- though now he is on fleece. I had also noticed that at times you could hear his breathing and a faint clicking noise especially when he was eating. Thus I took him to the vets and expressed my worries but they said that his breathing was normal,weight great and no immeadiate signs of a URI. She did say that I could bathe his grease gland a little more as he's is very active which I have been doing since. She prescribed 0.27ml of baytril to be adminstered 2 a day for a week along with one dose of metacam.
Now he's medication is over and I did stop sooner as he got diarreah and lost his appetite- which is very unlikely him! As soon as I did, his poos returned to normal and he eats fine. I went on holiday soon after and since returning he is still eating,popcorning etc but us still sneezing. She said it could be an allergy but to what I don't know. I realise you can only give me ideas but I just want my mind put at rest if possible. Thank you for your time.

The only reason I worry is as my last guinea pig Vinny went downhill at the age of 2 and to this day I have no idea what it was.

To be honest, it doesn't sound like an outright URI, and your poor boy definitely didn't react well to baytril.
Make sure that you ask your vet for an alternative antibiotic if he ever needs another one. There are others that can be safely used even if they are not officially licensed. Bad reactions can happen to any antibiotic, but baytril is known for being the top scorer in that respect.
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
Guinea Lynx :: Antibiotics

Guinea pigs have very narrow airways, so even the tiniest obstruction is audible as clicking, crackling, wheezing or hooting. Continued sneezing without any other respiratory symptoms rather points to a problem with dust/hay, pollen, dry air/air conditioning, air purifiers, scent sticks, perfumes, scented toilet and skin products etc. It is very much an elimination game. See whether a bowl of steaming water next to the cage is alleviating the symptoms.

I am very sorry. URI can kill very quickly, even with the best of care. It is normal that you are extra jittery after a bad experience.

 

[Jesse's pigs]

Oh sorry, i've just seen the bit about Vinny, how awful! So sorry for your loss
Please don't blame yourself, this has happened to me before and I felt dreadful afterwards. Sending you a big hug!

Thank you.

 

[Jesse's pigs]

To be honest, it doesn't sound like an outright URI, and your poor boy definitely didn't react well to baytril.
Make sure that you ask your vet for an alternative antibiotic if he ever needs another one. There are others that can be safely used even if they are not officially licensed. Bad reactions can happen to any antibiotic, but baytril is known for being the top scorer in that respect.
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
Guinea Lynx :: Antibiotics

Guinea pigs have very narrow airways, so even the tiniest obstruction is audible as clicking, crackling, wheezing or hooting. Continued sneezing without any other respiratory symptoms rather points to a problem with dust/hay, pollen, dry air/air conditioning, air purifiers, scent sticks, perfumes, scented toilet and skin products etc. It is very much an elimination game. See whether a bowl of steaming water next to the cage is alleviating the symptoms.

I am very sorry. URI can kill very quickly, even with the best of care. It is normal that you are extra jittery after a bad experience.

Thank you very much for the help and I will definitely try the bowl of steaming water. And yes only the sneezing and clicking noises are his symptoms. If it was a URI by now he surely would have deteriorated right? The only reason I ponder the allergies is because everything in his cage he has always had. The same hay,pellets and bedding.

 

[Jesse's pigs]

Baytril is notorious for putting them off their food and upsetting the gut. Is sneezing the only symptom?

Yes sneezing and a clicking noise.

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you very much for the help and I will definitely try the bowl of steaming water. And yes only the sneezing and clicking noises are his symptoms. If it was a URI by now he surely would have deteriorated right? The only reason I ponder the allergies is because everything in his cage he has always had. The same hay,pellets and bedding.

Once you can eliminate URI (which has priority, as it can kill), then you are down to having to go through all the possibilities one by one and trying to work out what could be the cause. Usually the best starting point is the hay, as dust extraction is not always the same.

It could also be from you using a new product for yourself?

Getting to the bottom of this can be very tedious.

 

[Jesse's pigs]

Once you can eliminate URI (which has priority, as it can kill), then you are down to having to go through all the possibilities one by one and trying to work out what could be the cause. Usually the best starting point is the hay, as dust extraction is not always the same.

It could also be from you using a new product for yourself?

Getting to the bottom of this can be very tedious.

I never thought that what I use could also impact on his health! I will definitely try to find the cause of his snuffles and I think I will try and treat it as an allergy rather then worrying over an URI as the vet said his breathing was normal. Thank you for such a quick response.

 

[Tiamolly123]

I have read many threads on here of other guinea owners that have experienced URI in their piggies or thought they have and researched a lot yet I am no closer to knowing if my boar does indeed have a URI. My boar,Mo,is 7 months old and healthy. His fur is glossy,eyes bright, alert,squeaking for food,healthy weight,great appetite and teeth in better nick then mine.
However at the beginning of October I noticed that he was sneezing a lot. There was only discharge once and it was clear and a tiny amount. He has sneezed and coughed before but I never felt there was anything wrong as it happened very rarely and I did have him on sawdust- though now he is on fleece. I had also noticed that at times you could hear his breathing and a faint clicking noise especially when he was eating. Thus I took him to the vets and expressed my worries but they said that his breathing was normal,weight great and no immeadiate signs of a URI. She did say that I could bathe his grease gland a little more as he's is very active which I have been doing since. She prescribed 0.27ml of baytril to be adminstered 2 a day for a week along with one dose of metacam.
Now he's medication is over and I did stop sooner as he got diarreah and lost his appetite- which is very unlikely him! As soon as I did, his poos returned to normal and he eats fine. I went on holiday soon after and since returning he is still eating,popcorning etc but us still sneezing. She said it could be an allergy but to what I don't know. I realise you can only give me ideas but I just want my mind put at rest if possible. Thank you for your time.

The only reason I worry is as my last guinea pig Vinny went downhill at the age of 2 and to this day I have no idea what it was.

Could be an allergy to hay