URI/Upper Respiratory Infection HELP! Baby GP with pneumonia

[Zackwinnero1]

So, i got 2 baby(ish) gp's from the petsmart near me.... like an idiot, i hadnt done any research on guinea pigs and just thought itd be fun to have something to look after and take care of.... well.. i did a LOT of research about them the same day i got them and now i know ALOT that i wish i had known before i got them, theyve had everything they needed from day 1 besides a big cage, so i made a 6x4ft cage for both of my little boys and i just got done setting it all up yesterday and once everything was all setup and they were in their new "house" i started to realize that Lee, the one with pneumonia was acting weird, not eating, drinking, hardly pooping or peeing and also seemed like he didnt want to do anything anymore but when he was getting floor time he would have alot of fun(when he got to be with his brother "Reese" (the name not the candy) but now i have to separate them because Lee has pneumonia and theyre both pretty depressed looking) so i brought them both to the vet for a checkup because they also have ringworm which i was already treating with miconazole and i thought that Lee might have an URI and when i brought him to the vet she told me that he had pneumonia and that she could try to treat it if i wanted her to but almost any antibiotic she gave him would probably kill him because he is only approx 1 month old and she said that theres 1 antibiotic she could try but it would have a 50/50 chance of killing him and a 50/50 chance of curing him, so pretty much a 25% survival chance with a 50% chance of guaranteed death, so... my question is, what is literally ANYTHING i can do to increase his survival rates because i know ive only had them for 1 week, but i dont care. Ive grown SO attached to them already somehow, i was crying inside my car at the vet for like 10 mins and ive been sporadically crying all day because i dont want to loose Lee already

 

[Guinea Pig Papa]

Bactrim is a safe alternative for young guinea pigs. Hopefully your vet is still open. You will need something for him if he has pneumonia, if it isn't too late already. You will also need Critical Care, as Lee will likely not want to eat on his own and will need to be force fed.

 

[Zackwinnero1]

Whats weird is that after i got back from the vet he has been eating fine,almost the exact same as reese is actually but he isnt really drinking his water, im fairly certain i couldnt afford critical care, but if he kept eating how he is and if i could get a plastic syringe and "force feed" him water and i got some bactrim would that do it? I mean i would think it might help but im no exotic animal expert

 

[Guinea Pig Papa]

If he truly has pneumonia, he will not recover on his own. There is virtually no chance. You will need the antibiotic if Lee has any fighting chance at all the sooner the better. If you can get it from your vet tonight, do it.

If you cannot afford Critical Care, you can make a slurry using his pellets. Mix them with enough water to create a mixture that can be easily syringed.

 

[bpatters]

Do get the Bactrim, if you can. It's his best shot. He can take Baytril, but it may stunt his growth.

If he loses his appetite, you'll have to force feed him with a syringe. He won't like it, but guinea pigs MUST eat, or they'll die. They're wired to need food moving through their guts at all times, and can die a painful death if they don't get it.

I hope you're seeing an exotic vet. Small animal vets are trained to treat dogs and cats, and most know little or nothing about exotic pets.

I'm sorry you're learning the hard way what a bad idea it is to buy guinea pigs from a pet store. All too often, they're sold sick, and/or with parasites, and/or mis-sexed, and/or the baby sows are pregnant. If you ever want another, do look for a good rescue or shelter around you, and adopt a homeless pig.

 

[Zackwinnero1]

I have just called my vet and they said a doctor will be getting back with me soon to fill a prescription for bactrim, and i thought critical care meant like a hospital but critical care is a food..... and yes i do see an exotic vet, thats who told me that ajd it makes me not trust her as a vet since forum people could help me more than her... her suggestion was to "if i dont have too much of an attachment, itd be a decent idea to just bring them back to the pet store and get some from a rescue".. like what kind of thought process is that for a vet??? thank you all for the help.. i hope lee makes it due to your help

 

[Guinea Pig Papa]

Please keep us posted on how he does. If you have more questions dont be afraid to ask. Keep your questions for Lee in this thread, as it makes it much easier for anyone trying to help to keep track of what's been happening.

Wishing you and Lee the best of luck and hope for a speedy recovery for him.

 

[Zackwinnero1]

Will do, thanks again for the help so far

 

[bpatters]

I applaud you for trying to get help for him yourself rather than taking him back to the pet store. He wouldn't be likely to get good care there, and maybe none at all. We're keeping our fingers crossed that the Bactrim will do the trick. Please keep us posted on how things are going.

 

[Zackwinnero1]

Well, i called the vet last night and it went to an "answering service" and i was told that the doctor would call me soon and i never recieved a call back so i just woke up and now i just called again, to get another "answering service" and was told the doctor will contact me within 15 mins, hopefully she actually calls me so i dont have to go to a different vet to get him checked out for another 120 ontop of what i JUST paid yesterday to get told that my baby gp was gonna die and nothing could help him... i just hope the doctor doesnt try to say some dumb shit like i need to bring him back in to get checked up again before she can prescribe the antibiotic... these indiana vets are absolutely HORRIBLE.. if anyone lives in indiana i 100% advise not to go to "all wild things" exotic pet vet

 

[Guinea Pig Papa]

It IS a holiday. As unfortunate as it is you may not get an answer. How is Lee doing today?

 

[Zackwinnero1]

Hmm i didnt even know it was a holiday, but i got a call back today and she prescribed him "sulfatrim" after i asked about bactrim because she said that bactrim is a shot and she didnt want to prescribe him a shot. Overall he seems to be doing fine when it comes to eating and drinking and pooping, idk about pee though. He still doesnt seem to want to do anything though, reese was running all around his cage this morning for like 10 minutes straight and lee just kept on laying under his hidey house. The doctor said she didnt call me back last night because "she wanted to know what i had chosen to do, keep him and treat him or bring him back to the pet store" even though id called at 9:30pm at night saying it was an emergency and possible life or death scenario

 

[Zackwinnero1]

And she made it seem like itd cost a million dollard to treat him... the medication was literally 32 dollars

 

[Guinea Pig Papa]

Sulfatrim and Bactrim are the same medication. At least you have something to treat him with, and give him a fighting chance. That said, perhaps if you have the time and the inclination you may need to find an exotics vet who's a little bit better rated.

Were you able to get Critical Care, by chance? I should have made it clear that it's a recovery food and not something more sinister like a hospital stay. Once he's on the antibiotics, his appetite will likely decrease and you will need to supplement him with food via syringe. You can always keep him hydrated by syringing him water, or unflavoured Pedialyte. Most pigs seem to like the taste.

 

[Zackwinnero1]

Theres only 2 exotic pet vets in indiana that ive been able to find and the one i went to was 4.6 stars but i will be going to the other one next time. i will be getting the critical care asap thank you for all of your hell

 

[Zackwinnero1]

Help*......

 

[Soecara]

Glad to hear you were able to get your hands on some antibiotic for him. Sometimes the same drug can have many different names, sometimes it even just simply has to do with different manufacturers.

Here is a link to what we mean by critical care. It comes in two flavors, original which is anise flavored and apple and banana flavored. Not all guinea pigs like them both, I had one girl who absolutely despised the apple and banana flavor but would take the anise flavor like a champ (though she also hated getting banana or apple as treats so no real surprise there). https://www.amazon.com/s?k="oxbow"+critical+care&ref=nb_sb_noss_2

 

[Zackwinnero1]

Legit not a single store around me has any critical care so i had to order it for 1 day shipping on amazon, itll be here tomorrow. I just woke up and saw that lee hasnt drank ANY water or ate ANY food since i went to sleep, i sat him on a table in front of me last night and put a little bit of food in front of him and he ate a decent amount of it, i also mixed some pellets with water to try to force feed him but the pellets wont get the right consistency to work with the syringe, i also force fed him some water last night too and im about to try to do it all again now, hopefully he eats some. Ill probably post another update tonight when i get home from work after I've seen how he did throughout the day

 

[Guinea Pig Papa]

Critical Care is only available through Amazon, and your vet I believe. Pretty sure I've never seen it in a store. Hopefully you can get something mixed enough to feed him, as water alone wont do it. Pigs cant go 12 hours without food. In addition, your pig would greatly benefit from a probiotic given roughly one hour after his antibiotic. Failing that, you can mix poop from a healthy pig with water and syringe feed him that. That will help him regain healthy bacteria in his gut to help him digest food and help counter the negative effects the antibiotic can have.

 

[bpatters]

Soak the pellets in water until they're soft, then mash them up and get the clumps out and add enough more water to make a wet slurry. If it's thick, it won't work.