Uri

[Danraw]

My guinea pigs breathing changed last week so I took him straight to the vets. He was diagnosed with an URI. He was given a week of antibiotics and seemed to perk up however his breathing was still not right. We took him back to the vet for a follow up and he prescribed another week of antibiotics. I am still not seeing an improvement in his breathing and I can see his sides moving in and out. Any ideas how long it should take before I see an improvement ? Or if it could be something else ?
Many Thanks

 

[Wiebke]

My guinea pigs breathing changed last week so I took him straight to the vets. He was diagnosed with an URI. He was given a week of antibiotics and seemed to perk up however his breathing was still not right. We took him back to the vet for a follow up and he prescribed another week of antibiotics. I am still not seeing an improvement in his breathing and I can see his sides moving in and out. Any ideas how long it should take before I see an improvement ? Or if it could be something else ?
Many Thanks

Hi and welcome

If you can see the sides heaving, you need to see your vet again. It is a rather worrying symptom. Has he checked for pneumonia? Are they still lively or lethargic? If your piggy is lethargic, not interested in food and he is breathing from the diaphragm, you need to see a vet as a life and death emergency.
List Of Life And Death Out-of-hours Emergencies

Are your piggies indoors or outdoors? Please bring any ill outdoors piggies inside.

Please weigh them daily instead of the regular weekly weigh-in to make sure that they are eating enough. Over 80% of the daily food intake should be hay, which you cannot control otherwise. URI and antibiotics are both appetite dampeners or even killers. If there has been a weight loss over 50g, you may need to step in with syringe feeding.
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
The Importance Of Weighing - Ideal Weight / Overweight / Underweight

You can place a bowl of steaming water by the cage and keep it refreshed to help ease the breathing. Keep them warm and comfy, but not hot.

 

[Danraw]

Hi and welcome

If you can see the sides heaving, you need to see your vet again. It is a rather worrying symptom. Has he checked for pneumonia? Are they still lively or lethargic? If your piggy is lethargic, not interested in food and he is breathing from the diaphragm, you need to see a vet as a life and death emergency.
List Of Life And Death Out-of-hours Emergencies

Are your piggies indoors or outdoors? Please bring any ill outdoors piggies inside.

Please weigh them daily instead of the regular weekly weigh-in to make sure that they are eating enough. Over 80% of the daily food intake should be hay, which you cannot control otherwise. URI and antibiotics are both appetite dampeners or even killers. If there has been a weight loss over 50g, you may need to step in with syringe feeding. The Importance Of Weighing - Ideal Weight / Overweight / Underweight
The Importance Of Weighing - Ideal Weight / Overweight / Underweight

You can place a bowl of steaming water by the cage and keep it refreshed to help ease the breathing. Keep them warm and comfy, but not hot.

Hi,
Thanks for you reply. He is an indoor guinea pig and is still lively. He isn’t off his food and had actually put 30g on when we went for his check up appointment. The vet didn’t check for pneumonia just give us another week of antibiotics to treat URI.

 

[Wiebke]

Hi,
Thanks for you reply. He is an indoor guinea pig and is still lively. He isn’t off his food and had actually put 30g on when we went for his check up appointment. The vet didn’t check for pneumonia just give us another week of antibiotics to treat URI.

Then it is not an emergency. Have him checked during regular visiting hours if he doesn't pick up or is suddenly getting worse.

The symptoms of allergy can be smilar to URI, but because URI is a killer, any vet needs to treat for it first and foremost. If symptoms persist, then you and your vet may want to explore environmental factors re. hay dust, bedding, pollen, air fresheners/scent sticks/perfumed skin products, washing powder etc. This is a slow process of elimination.

 

[Pound Shilling & Pig]

This is great advice above. I would just add that URIs in guinea pigs, like in people can sometimes be viral infections in which case they wont respond to antibiotics and need to run their course. If it is a bacterial infection some antibiotics work better than others and your vet may want to try a different one. An anti-inflamatory such as metacam would also be of benefit.

 

[Abi_nurse]

It can take some weeks if the infection is stubborn. It may be worth changing the antibiotics if no improvement in the next week or two. If this still isn't helping then it's worth checking your piggies heart via ultrasound to check that it's working okay. Heart problems can also cause respiratory signs.

 

[Tiamolly123]

Do you trust your vet & you think your piggy is still not good can you find an exotic vet near you.
Hi & welcome to our friendly forum.

 

[Danraw]

Do you trust your vet & you think your piggy is still not good can you find an exotic vet near you.
Hi & welcome to our friendly forum.

He seems worse today and is not really moving/ eating. I have started to give him water and food through a syringe and Booked him for an emergency appointment with a different vet as our local one is in surgery. He also started to make squeaking noises and a weird noise in his throat.