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URI?

A

Angelicat

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Hey guys first time here, hopefully anyone with similar experiences can help out.

My guinea pig Pluto recently was having heavy breathing (I could hear small hoot sounds if I put my ear on him, and he also seemed like he was breathing heavily by his exaggerated stomach movements). I took him to the vet and everything was fine but she did say there sounded like there was liquid in his lungs, so she prescribed him Doxycycline and Enrofloxacin for the next 2 weeks, which I've been giving to him for about 4 days now.

My question is that how do these kind of illnesses work? When he took them, his breathing was fine the next day, but after 3 days now, he's back to having small clicking noises if I listen closely, and is breathing seems heavy again. Is it suppose to come and go away like this as he's on medication? Any help would be appreciated, thank you.
 
I think you need to be patient and give some time for the antibiotics to work, it might be a few more days before you see a definite improvement. If he's ok in himself and eating and pooping and active just keep giving the medication as the vet advised- but of course if he gets any worse, take him back to the vet. Some people find that increasing the humidity by having a bowl of hot steaming water next to the cage, or having piggy in a carrier with you in the bathroom while you have a shower, can ease respiratory symptoms- but really with an infection the antibiotics are the main thing!
 
When are you due to go back to the vets? My vets would normally re-examine after a week to check for improvement or to see whether something else needs to be added in to help. Did the vets do an X-ray to check for fluid in or around the lungs?
I think if you are concerned a call back to the vets to ask for further advice would be helpful
 
Hi sorry for the late response, but it's been stressful for me and I hope anyone can help me out.

So my other guinea pig (Neptune) passed away from pneumonia during the week Pluto was sick. That made me worried about Pluto but after his 2 weeks of medication he got a lot better. I brought him back the to the vet a week later and she said his heart and lungs sounded good, and that he was gaining weight. His teeth looked fine too. She gave him another round of the same two medication (Doxycycline and Enrofloxacin) to take just in case. I got the prescription yesterday and started him on his first dose of these two medication today (this is after he had been off the medications for about 2 weeks). 2 hours later he started having the same problem I posted about originally (having small clicking noises if I listen closely, and his breathing seems heavy ). He's active and still eating however.

Is this a cause for worry and should I stop the medication, or is this simply the medication working it's magic? I can't speak to my vet till thursday since she doesn't come in till then so I could really use some advice.
 
As for your questions, Pluto was really sick that week. He was sleeping a lot, barely eating, and just lethargic. My other guinea pig went from healthy to a complete 180 of staring at a corner and coat puffed up, before he passed away the very same day, at night (I brought him to an emergency vet and they gave him baytril but he didn't make it to the second dose). Pluto didn't get an x-ray as well.

Also, I have one more question. Does anyone know a good exotic vet on Oahu, Hawaii? I had been to two vets before my current vet, and those two didn't seem to know all that much about guinea pigs besides the basic stuff. My current vet is awesome, but I would like to have an alternative I can go to just in case since she's only in 2 days of the week.
 
Did Pluto improve when on the medication? Had his symptoms gone completely? I don’t know that if the medication. Is working he would still be clicking and heavy breathing. When you listen, is it clear or can you hear crackling?

I would call the vet again on Thursday, maybe get an appointment for that day if possible. Not entirely sure otherwise. I’ll tag @Wiebke
 
Yes he got better during and after the first medication. He had some heavy breathing (at least I think so since his chest was exaggerated) after I stopped the medication but that lasted maybe a day or two tops. He's back to normal now so I'm not sure what the medication is doing to him, if it's a good or bad thing.

My other guinea pig as I mentioned went from 100% to 0% in the span of a day so I'm worried Pluto might have some underlying problem like him as well.
 
Angelicat said:
As for your questions, Pluto was really sick that week. He was sleeping a lot, barely eating, and just lethargic. My other guinea pig went from healthy to a complete 180 of staring at a corner and coat puffed up, before he passed away the very same day, at night (I brought him to an emergency vet and they gave him baytril but he didn't make it to the second dose). Pluto didn't get an x-ray as well.

Also, I have one more question. Does anyone know a good exotic vet on Oahu, Hawaii? I had been to two vets before my current vet, and those two didn't seem to know all that much about guinea pigs besides the basic stuff. My current vet is awesome, but I would like to have an alternative I can go to just in case since she's only in 2 days of the week.
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Hi!

HUGS

I am very sorry.

URI (bacterial upper respiratory infection) is only one of the respiratory illnesses that guinea pigs can contract.
There are unfortunately some nasty bugs out there that can cause a pneumonia can kill sometimes within hours of causing the first symptoms (they are often described as atypical or 'walking' pneumonia because they come right out of nowhere.
I am very sorry; even with instant vet care there is rarely anything you can do as medication cannot kick in quickly enough (pneumococcus or streptococcus infections); bordetellosis (kennel cough) can also be transmitted to guinea pigs and is fatal for them. Only a rather expensive post mortem at the vets may tell you which bug is responsible.
Your vet has prescribed adequate medication.

Here is a link for recommended vets in Hawaii: Veterinarians: Hawaii - Guinea Lynx Records

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

And here is our human grieving guide, which will hopefully help you over the next few days and weeks: Human Bereavement: Grieving, Coping and Support Links for Guinea Pig Owners and Their Children
 
Ty Wiebke, I really appreciate it.

Any help regarding my other questions about Pluto and his medication? I'm not sure to continue the medicine or not.
 
hi,maybe your vet could do an xray to ensure no fluid around the heart and lungs.fruesmide a directic can help to clear excess fluid.I'm sorry you are going through this.you have been given excellent advise in the above posts.
 
Angelicat said:
Ty Wiebke, I really appreciate it.

Any help regarding my other questions about Pluto and his medication? I'm not sure to continue the medicine or not.
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Please always finish a course of antibiotics as prescribed by your vet. Stopping to early can cause a return of the symptoms. The illness is not fully healed as soon as acute symptoms vanish.

If there is still some fluid in the lungs, then a diuretic like frusemide or frusol can help to ease the breathing. If medication is causing some serious side effects, please contact your vet promptly.

All the best!
 
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