Guinea pig with chest infection -any advice/experience?

[Nonda]

Took our 6yo male guinea to the vet today and he has been diagnosed with a chest infection. He was off his food this morning and making wheezing noises so I got him an emergency appointment at 4pm.

We started him on antibiotics and anti-inflammatories which he needs to have for a week as well as giving him some critical care food with a syringe. He has eaten a little bit of parsley but is making wheezing noises and we are quite worried. We will obviously continue to follow the vets’ advice but any other experience from guinea pig owners would be very appreciated. Not sure if he is pooing though the vet says his intestines are still working.

I would order some Fibreplex (a probiotic) online due to the antibiotics, OP (they tend to love it - carrot flavour apparently!). Also keep feeding the critical care on a frequent schedule, not just once a day and not just a few ml. Once you notice they're not eating normally, they've probably already lost some weight. You could also blend oats with hot water and add some CC for more calories. I think the usual advice is to weigh them morning and night to keep track of any sudden drops in weight.
Bless the poor poppet, hope he's on the mend soon.

Hope he perks up soon, our GPs have reacted well to antibiotics. Is he eating the critical care? They can need quite a lot of it.

Is he eating? Guinea pigs tend to mask and tend to revert to only eating their favourite food (like lettuce) when ill. If he hasn't got a hearty appetite for hard food or hay, I would get some emeraid powder for herbivores from Amazon and syringes and start syringe feeding, and start weighing every day. Guinea pigs go down v fast and if they don't eat within 24 hours will go into fatal organ shutdown

I prefer Emeraid to critical care as it seems to be much more palatable to my piggies and got them interested in eating - they tend to go wild for it - and it tends to not block syringes like Critical Care powder. And the more syringe food they take, the more interested in hay or pellets they tend to get which means teeth are less likely to over grow

I usually mix enough lukewarm water with the Emeraid to eyeball the right consistency - not too liquid so that it passes too quickly through the syringe and risks choking and not too solid that it gets stuck

Just keep them eating. Time to spoil with favourite treats

I cut the tops of syringes off otherwise it's a nightmare trying to feed them.
Agree re: Emeraid - they love the smooth Intensive Care stuff.
It's just hard to make them go cold turkey when they're better again...those begging faces in the morning!

Thank you very much, everyone. We have given Critical Care about every two hours tonight and he is taking sone of it. It is pitiful to see him like this. I will order one of the other foods to try. We have tried him on parsley which is normally his favourite and I will get some dandelions to try and tempt him with. The vet suggested pineapple as it has an enzyme in it that encourages digestion apparently but he has never liked pineapple and won’t take it now. My DC are very upset. He doesn’t seem in pain at least.

Try to supplement multiple times a day. If he stops eating completely you need to be aiming for around 40mls of syringe feed per day. I've fed multiple piggies due to ailments and you can get them through for quite long periods of time. With hungry guinea pigs who would be tugging at the syringe like bottle fed calves, they can willingly take a 5ml syringe and maybe 10 - 15 mls at a time. If he doesn't seem interested in food, go slower and use a 1ml syringe little and often.

Keep offering treats like handfuls of grass / veggies to keep incentivising eating

The other thing to look out for and maybe ask the vet for medication is diuretics and heart meds - lots of heart problems are misdiagnosed as respiratory infections as the symptoms are v similar. But additionally diuretics can be helpful in a respiratory infection if there is a lot of fluid on the lungs and breathing is noisy / laboured

Heart problems can be successfully treated on long term meds - I've had several long term treated for 2 plus years

Hope your little boar makes a good recovery

Thank you again - should I get up to feed him overnight?

Fed him once in the middle of the night with the critical care and he has had a bit of grass and a tiny bit of lettuce this morning plus some critical care every two hours. I ordered the Emerald one recommended upthread and he already had some and seemed to like it so hoping we can pull him through. Thanks. Obviously keeping up with the antibiotics and anti-inflammatory is key.

Glad things are on an even keel OP! Is his chest sounding better?
They can be very hardy little creatures if they get the proper attention. I think their fragile rep is a legacy from the days of more basic GP care. One of mine was incredibly tenacious during a long chronic condition (so much syringe feeding - god so much oaty Emeraid everywhere, all down his shaggy front, my top...).
The Fibreplex is a bit pricey but will keep things moving and restore his gut bacteria after the ABs have affected it. I think of it as guinea pig kimchi.

Well done for keeping up the syringe feeding - especially during the night! Keep going with offering grass or any other tidbits that he fancies eating himself - small apple pieces / carrots / banana / melon / strawberries - very small portions as this can cause gut issues like bloat - just little and often as the aim is to get him eating independently. If you catch him munching on hay, he is likely to be doing well and feeling better and this is the best food for him

Teeth can overgrow quickly so he needs to start eating quickly to wear them down. You could try offering pellets by hand if he is showing an interest.

I have hand fed a couple of piggies with twitch pellets when they have been syringed fed - I used to do it with them as they were used to having daily pill medication. But only try this if your boy is pretty docile and amenable to this

Second the fibreplex - it really is a life saver, and got one of my very sick piggies interested in eating again!

Good luck, rooting for your boar

Thanks again. We have kept up with syringe feeding and medication. I weighed him this morning and he is the same weight as when the vet weighed him two days ago so that doesn’t seem too bad when he has only really had the critical care food and a tiny bit of grass and lettuce.
He has refused grass and lettuce this morning, has been offered a tiny bit of banana that he normally loves but has refused too. I am putting it down to the Emerald critical care filling him up but may be being overly optimistic?? Bit worried still. Thanks, all.

Update: now eating a tiny bit of grass out in his run in the garden so 🤞🤞
Going to stop posting for a bit maybe and let the meds and critical care food do their thing. I have been a bit teary too…what do these furry potatoes do to us?!

Well done that's great that he hasn't lost any weight! And hopefully he's had some grass too. It's horrible when piggies stop eating / wanting to eat; but they can be brought back from the brink. Just keep doing what you are doing - he sounds a very loved boy

If he is starting to eat grass, you can try him on readigrass which will help with his teeth / eating. It's a bit more palatable than hay, so can help when a guinea pig is off food. Fingers crossed 🤞 for him (and you)

He is still only eating the Emerald critical care and the prebiotic gel. He has lost some weight now. Worried he has very little quality of life now. Taking him to vet this afternoon for their opinion. 😔

Hope you get good news at the vets today but prepare yourself for bad news
Guinea pigs are very respiratory vunerable and when they stop eating it is bad news .
Sometimes syringing them with the CC feels like a cruelty in itself because although you know they need fibre and fluid but they hate being syringe fed .
And yes you do need to do through the night , we have been there too !

Vit C is vital , it is in veg and the CC but also handy to have crushable tablets you can add in water which you can syringe feed .

It;s a tricky skill to master too

Crossing paws for your piggie today

Thanks so much, everyone. Unfortunately, he didn’t pull through and was put to sleep this afternoon. The vet said she was sure he was on the way to passing away now and it was kinder. I agreed. Sorry if anyone is reading this who is thinking about getting guineas. They are the best pets, such kind, curious and sociable little creatures, once tamed. Our sadness is the price we pay for loving them so don’t let it put you off!

I gave him a lovely cuddle at home before and he sat out on the lush grass one last time. He didn’t seem to be in any pain but was getting more and more lethargic and definitely languishing so for the best, overall. 🌼

but you made the right call.
Guinea-pigs are fabulous but complex and I have found once they show the signs of illness , you have the devils own job -they hide illness so well

Our last oiggie had an eye ulcer , we did all the bathing and gel+drops through night/day . She had her final check-up and the Vet was impressed that she kept her eye ( I wouldn;t have let her go through surgery TBH )

Clean bill of health on the Friday , gone on the Sunday night . <sigh>

Yes as you say , the price we pay for loving them .

Little noisy bellies on legs but so endearing .

Oh no, you poor thing. I am sorry, OP. You were a brilliant friend to him.

So sorry. I cried so much when one of ours died last year. They are just lovely animals

So sorry to hear that he didn't make it. Piggies go downhill very quickly, especially when they don't eat. It's heart breaking every time; but he sounds like such a loved boy and you did everything you could. Thinking of you