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Waiting To Call The Vet...

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Guinea Slave

Guinea Slave

Adult Guinea Pig
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My poor girl went downhill on Saturday. Started out just looking exhausted and had lost 30g. Eating well though. So kept her in shed with heating on. Fed her separately and she picked up.

Sunday about the same but being bullied by the boar I have, so she' d lost a lot of weight (now 60g in total). She was in with us last night and eating well. Gave her some pain meds and she perked up. I tried to put her half sister in with her but she attacked her rather violently giving her a torn ear (lots of blood ). So she spent the night inside alone. Her weight has picked up but v v poorly. Breathing v bad and now half the appetite she had. So off to vets as an emergency... Wished they opened sooner:-( why do these thing happen over bank hol weekends? Never had any luck with out of hours emergency vets but now wondering if I should have taken her to one last night. V v worried :-(
 
It's always holidays or weekends for me too. In BonBons case though, she gave me prewarning and i took her as soon as it twigged something wasn't quite right. A poorly pet at a weekend is a nightmare because vets always seem to charge double, and I just wish they would relent and at least have morning surgery for urgent cases. I hope your girl is feeling better soon, hugs xx
 
Emergency vets can be hit and miss but can be a lifesaver, and can give emergency medication like diuretics.

Good luck at the vets this morning, if her breathing is bad I suspect she may have fluid on her chest and if so ask for them to give you diuretics. She will needs extra fluids while she is on them.
 
helen105281 said:
Emergency vets can be hit and miss but can be a lifesaver, and can give emergency medication like diuretics.

Good luck at the vets this morning, if her breathing is bad I suspect she may have fluid on her chest and if so ask for them to give you diuretics. She will needs extra fluids while she is on them.
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I agree and now am regetting not going yesterday but I had one try to prescribe penicillin once and never had a good experience, just really a waste of time so just wanted to hang on for another 24 hours until my v guinea savvy vet was in. I hope that has'nt cost her in time :-(
 
She's got a respiratory infection. Good news it's not heart which I feared. She is breathing very hard though. Vet has prescribed septrin. She Didn't think she needed diuretics. She is not crackly or rattling which is good but her breathing is so laboured it's awful to see. I have not had one with a respiratory infection before, it's amazing how quick it can come on. She was 'not quite right' but not like thus 24 hours ago. I feel I should have taken her to the emergency vet now.

She is eating though. Which is a relief. I guess next 24 hours will tell...
 
They can hit really quickly. If she does not improve on the Septrin ask about diuretics again. Some vets are reluctant to give them for some reason. Steam therapy with a bit of Olbas oil may aswell and if she has any mucous in her nose Bisolvon would help too, though you would need to get that from the vets.

Did the vet think it was mainly an upper respiratory infection and not Pneumonia?
 
Hiya

No mucous at all so I guess it's lower? I will call her and see what she says. Thanks!
 
She's breathing so badly. Just tried to call my vet but she has the afternoon off :-( she won't eat and if I try to syringe her she gets so stressed out it makes her far worse. She all but collapsed just now when I tried. I guess if she is struggling to breath she won't want anything in her mouth.

She is also on rimadyl btw. How long do you think it will take for the antibiotics to kick in? She had her first lot at 10am this morning.
 
It may take another dose at least. Is there another vet you can see? If her breathing is that bad she needs either diuretics or even oxygen. On phone so just posting quickly. If she sounds under water on the stethoscope she needs diuretics.
 
I have wrapped her cage in a towel and put some hot water and Vicks in there (she cannot get to the hot water). Left a message for another vet to call me. I do have some frusol but it's 2 years old so probably no good.
 
I've bitten the bullet and going to try my local vets. They r not exotic specialists but one vets does guineas apparently. I just need something to sort her breathing out. My other vet is 45 mins away, no way she will last that.
 
Sorry to hear this, Good idea to speak to the vet again. Sending lots of love x
 
I guess the silver lining would be to find a guinea competent vet 2 mins away. Let's see what he is like. 4.50 pm....
 
sorry no real advice, just glad you are trying another vets (would enquire about decongestant & diuretics though)
Good Luck& a BIG bucket full of healing vibes coming your way.

My Ellie would manage the odd few blades of grass that i hand fed her when she had a respiratory infection last year, but unlike her she wasn't interested in food, guess it was because she was trying so hard to breath. She's out munching on the lawn at the moment.

Speedy recovery from the girls & I. xx
 
Thank you everyone! She's not eating a thing at the moment but I guess she just cannot breath. Good to hear about Ellie! Please tell me there are success stories!
 
Hope all is going ok at the vets.

If this is Pneumonia I can tell you a success story - Buzz he got through it despite numerous health issues. He was on Zithromax, Bisolvon, Diuretics and steam therapy and he got through it. We did lose him a few months later though when it hit again out of the blue but he managed to fight the first bout of it.
 
It is pneumonia :-( he does not think she will last the night. He has injected her with frusemide (not sure why he had to inject her) he Wanted to X-ray but only does them under anaesthetic so we agreed it was not sensible. He listened to her chest and you cannot hear her heart well on one side which has changed from this morning. I have her booked with my vet tomorrow afternoon if she lasts. Ray of hope is that we came home and she is eating dandelion which she did not want earlier.

Please send loads of healing vibes, I am so desperately worried. She is such is the sweetest and friendliest of my herd. She is very much a mummies girl and I could not bear to lose her.
 
helen105281 said:
Hope all is going ok at the vets.

If this is Pneumonia I can tell you a success story - Buzz he got through it despite numerous health issues. He was on Zithromax, Bisolvon, Diuretics and steam therapy and he got through it. We did lose him a few months later though when it hit again out of the blue but he managed to fight the first bout of it.
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Can you talk me through the steam therapy? How did you do it? How long for each time, how often? Sorry for all the questions!
 
Thank you. I managed to embarrass myself completely by crying my eyes out at the vets. I just don't how we got here so quickly?! I will be staying up with her tonight.
 
Bless your heart. It is natural for you to get upset and believe me, vets are more caring and understanding to those owners who obviously love and care for their animals rather than those who do no care less.

Its awful how fast illnesses take over but you can do no more than you are doing.

I will be popping on and off over night as I have to be in work at 2am xx
 
Aw poor you. I will keep you posted.

She ate some hay and dandelion but looks miserable again. I do agree with the second vet that something else maybe going on which caused her immune system to be poor. They live in a palace and thanks to Pebbles forecasts they did not get cold when the weather changed so it's not that. The others are thriving.
 
Guinea Slave said:
Can you talk me through the steam therapy? How did you do it? How long for each time, how often? Sorry for all the questions!
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Do you have a steam inhaler like this?

http://www.boots.com/en/Boots-Easy-Breathing-Steam-Inhaler_1400961/

If so, fill with boiling water and 2 drops of Olbas oil, then hold over her nose in 5 second bursts. Repeat every few hours. If you don't have one you can do the same with a bowl of hot water, but obviously need to be more careful with it or you can just leave it next to her cage.

The diuretic injection would have been given as it works quicker than dosing orally. However, she is likely to need another shot tomorrow and ongoing oral medication for a few days if she does make it through the night. I would also be looking at an antibiotic like Zithromax. You may need to get it from the pharmacy with a prescription if the vet doesn't stock it. It's proper name is Azithromycin.
 
Thank you so much. I don't have the boots one but I do have an omron nebuliser. I may just try the bowl by her head though . She is seeing her normal vet tomorrow at 3.30 or they will fit her in before with another vet. Or I may go back to my local one.. Argh not sure what to do, is septrin not effective then?
 
It can be it really depends on each individual pig, see how she goes on it but if your vet finds it is not shifting the Pneumonia then there are other options, With Buzz he started on Septrin but moved onto Zirthromax. Doxycycline is also an option.
 
You may find your local chemist will have a steam inhaler too.
 
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