Very unwell

[AlltheB's]

Hi,

So we have a guinea pig who we've had for about 10 weeks, he's about 17 weeks old. We noticed he became a bit lethargic, not really drinking and "coughing". We took him to the vets and he has a chest infection. He's pretty weak, been given meds to take twice a day and critical care food. He's eating tiny amounts of leafy greens and has access to hay but isn't wanting the critical care food. We are syringing water too, only like half a ml at a time, every 30 mins or so. His breathing is rapid, and he just wants to cuddle. We're hoping the next few hours/day he'll start to improve, it's such a worry. Can anyone give us any advice on what else we can do? We are back at the vets early next week and are.putting him in the bathroom when the showers on the help his little chest. Thanks

 

[Wiebke]

Hi,

So we have a guinea pig who we've had for about 10 weeks, he's about 17 weeks old. We noticed he became a bit lethargic, not really drinking and "coughing". We took him to the vets and he has a chest infection. He's pretty weak, been given meds to take twice a day and critical care food. He's eating tiny amounts of leafy greens and has access to hay but isn't wanting the critical care food. We are syringing water too, only like half a ml at a time, every 30 mins or so. His breathing is rapid, and he just wants to cuddle. We're hoping the next few hours/day he'll start to improve, it's such a worry. Can anyone give us any advice on what else we can do? We are back at the vets early next week and are.putting him in the bathroom when the showers on the help his little chest. Thanks

How long has he been on antibiotics?

Please try mushed up pellets and mix some critical care into them. Cut off the tip of the syringe to allow the rougher pellet fibre to pass through as shown in our syringe feeding guide.

Feed every two hours (3 hours during the night) in order to get at least 40-60 ml into him. Make sure that you give him only as much as he can hold in his mouth and swallow at any time; this can be as little as 0.1 ml in a weak baby. You need to be tough; hay makes over 80% in a piggy's diet and he needs that fighting strength and the guts kept going.
If you are in the UK, please see a vet as an emergency and ask for a diuretic of there is fluid in the lungs (rapid noticeable breathing can be a sign of pneumonia) and also ask for gut stimulants like emeprid and zantac (rather than metoclopramide is better for constipation, which piggies don't suffer from).

You may find the tips in this guide here helpful: Emergency and Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment

 

[AlltheB's]

How long has he been on antibiotics?

Please try mushed up pellets and mix some critical care into them. Cut off the tip of the syringe to allow the rougher pellet fibre to pass through as shown in our syringe feeding guide.

Feed every two hours (3 hours during the night) in order to get at least 40-60 ml into him. Make sure that you give him only as much as he can hold in his mouth and swallow at any time; this can be as little as 0.1 ml in a weak baby. You need to be tough; hay makes over 80% in a piggy's diet and he needs that fighting strength and the guts kept going.
If you are in the UK, please see a vet as an emergency and ask for a diuretic of there is fluid in the lungs (rapid noticeable breathing can be a sign of pneumonia) and also ask for gut stimulants like emeprid and zantac (rather than metoclopramide is better for constipation, which piggies don't suffer from).

You may find the tips in this guide here helpful: Emergency and Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment

Thank you for your advice, he started them about 11am this morning, next dose due at 11pm tonight.

 

[AlltheB's]

Thank you for your advice, he started them about 11am this morning, next dose due at 11pm tonight.

Sorry pressed button too soon, vet wants to see us again Monday and do further tests if he hasn't improved. Hoping we'll see an improvement even if it's only a slight one. We are UK based and he was seen via emergency appointment this morning.