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Sneezing Frequent sneezing (after antibiotics)

pigger123

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My newest piggy Nina has been having some problems. I started giving her critical care after having her for a few days, since she wasn't eating at all. She was very skinny when I got her but seemed to have a slightly swollen belly. She did well on the critical care and perked up a lot, but she still had a runny nose so I took her to the vet. The vet said her breathing sounded fine but gave me some antibiotics. She also felt a lump in Nina's abdomen, about an inch in diameter, that she thinks is in her kidney. We did not get an x-ray so I'm not sure what it is.
So I gave her the antibiotics twice a day for ten days like I was supposed to, and Nina was doing better than ever. I stopped the critical care since she eats her hay, veggies, and pellets. However, I was still noticing that she was sneezing pretty frequently. Sometimes a glob of mucus came out when she sneezed, although that hasn't been happening recently. She has been gaining some weight and she's acting like a normal guinea pig, so I don't know if she's still sick. The antibiotics definitely seemed to help, because she is much more active than she was before she had them. Could it be allergies or something?
 

pinky

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My newest piggy Nina has been having some problems. I started giving her critical care after having her for a few days, since she wasn't eating at all. She was very skinny when I got her but seemed to have a slightly swollen belly. She did well on the critical care and perked up a lot, but she still had a runny nose so I took her to the vet. The vet said her breathing sounded fine but gave me some antibiotics. She also felt a lump in Nina's abdomen, about an inch in diameter, that she thinks is in her kidney. We did not get an x-ray so I'm not sure what it is.
So I gave her the antibiotics twice a day for ten days like I was supposed to, and Nina was doing better than ever. I stopped the critical care since she eats her hay, veggies, and pellets. However, I was still noticing that she was sneezing pretty frequently. Sometimes a glob of mucus came out when she sneezed, although that hasn't been happening recently. She has been gaining some weight and she's acting like a normal guinea pig, so I don't know if she's still sick. The antibiotics definitely seemed to help, because she is much more active than she was before she had them. Could it be allergies or something?
Sometimes they need more than a single round of antibiotics. I'd take her back in to be rechecked since there's mucus which is a sign of a URI. I'd be concerned about the lump, too, and would have an xray done to see what that's all about.
 

bpatters

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Also, whatever she had may have been resistant to the antibiotic she was given, and she would need a different one.

Like [MENTION=15081]pinky[/MENTION], I'd also have the lump investigated. How long have you had her? And is there any chance she's pregnant?

If you're using a small animal (dog and cat) vet, they're not equipped to deal with guinea pigs. You need an exotic vet.
 

pigger123

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I adopted her from the SPCA on January 3rd. 4 weeks ago tomorrow. I suppose there's a chance she could be pregnant, which would be scary since she's almost 5 years old and not super healthy (it would also be very annoying, as my first piggy from that SPCA was pregnant). I'm fortunate enough have a great exotic vet right down the street, so I can take her in for another checkup.

The reason I didn't have them do an x-ray at the time is because it's so expensive and I didn't think it would help her much. It's like $75 per x-ray, and for some reason they "always do two". I do have the funds if it's necessary of course, but I don't know if knowing what the lump is would let us do anything about it. I wouldn't want to try to put her through surgery to remove it at this point.
 

pinky

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$75 is very reasonable for xrays.
 

pigmommy89

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They do two xrays because the images are two-dimensional and you can't get a full picture of what's going on from just one angle.
 

Rywen

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@pigger123 hi there! When Ferb had a stubborn URI it took a 3 week course of baytril and doxycycline at the same time to get rid of it. Plus benebac for the GI issues the antibiotics cause. I hope Nina feels better (and isn't pregnant)! Oh, and that is a good price for X-rays, Ferb's and Penny's exotics vet in Gaithersburg charges $125.
 

pigger123

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Thanks everyone! I haven't noticed her sneezing today, so I'll just keep a close eye on her and take her back in if she keeps having symptoms. I think I will get X-rays next time she's at the vet but I don't think it's urgent since she doesn't seem bothered by whatever the lump is.
 

pigger123

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What I ended up doing was calling the vet, and they prescribed another round of antibiotics (this was about a month ago). She seemed to get completely better after that, but one of her eyes is crusty again so I don't know what her problem is.


Anyway, the latest issue is her belly. Her abdomen is swollen and firm. She looks like a pregnant pig, but I've had her for 68 days and I don't feel any movement if I hold my hands on her belly. I guess it's still possible but I don't find it very likely that she would be pregnant. I also considered bloat, but she's eating and acting perfectly normal, and it's been slowly developing. It did seem slightly swollen when I got her but it's gotten much more noticeable. Now I'm regretting not getting an x-ray for the lump. Could it be growing and causing this somehow? Poor Nina has had such a rough life, I just wish she didn't have to deal with so many problems.
 

pigger123

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She is pooping normally, doing everything like normal. My first piggy was pregnant when I got her so I do have some experience with guinea pig pregnancy, and Nina doesn't seem like she's pregnant. Like I said I've had her for 68 days so she would have to be very far along, and I don't feel any babies. I'm prepared for the possibility but I don't think that's what it is.
 

pigger123

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Nina started having small mushy poops yesterday, so we took her into the vet this morning. She has a large tumor inside her abdomen that's pressing on her intestines and diaphragm. The vet doesn't think she would survive surgery. I feel terrible for not getting it checked out earlier but I don't know if there's anything we could have done anyway. For now we're giving her Metacam to try to make her more comfortable. The vet said we'll probably need to consider euthanasia in the next few weeks, especially if she starts having more trouble breathing. This is even more heartbreaking since I just had to put down my hedgehog two weeks ago.
 

Rywen

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Oh no, that's so sad. I'm sorry you and Nina have to go through such a tough illness. If there's anything you need that I can help with just PM me. Nose touches to Nina from Penny and Ferb.
 
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