Not Eating Not eating after URI treatment (possibly because of Batryil? Antibiotic Intolerance?)

[Beatrix187]

Hey all,

I really need your guy's opinions on this. I'll start from the beginning, but jump to the last paragraph if you want to cut to the chase.

So my guinea pig, Domino, is 6, almost turning 7 in December. About a week ago, he first started hooting and wheezing heavily and it wasn't going away so they prescribed him an antibiotic and antihistamine and said it was allergies. It wasn't improving, however, and we took him back and found out he had contracted a URI and eventually pneumonia which led him to have to stay overnight at the emergency exotics vet. He thankfully recovered and was able to be brought home the next day (we are so so so grateful for this!). He was prescribed many medications, which were some antibiotic eye drops, meloxicam (he also has arthritis in his legs btw), and Batryil. He was also prescribed some supplemental vitamin C. However, we started to notice that once he came home, he was slowly starting to lose his appetite. His hooting and wheezing was completely gone though. First he would eat about half the quantities of his normal routine, and his poops were getting smaller. He was also in a hunching position. However, the vets said that for the first few days that was normal.

However he has just lost his appetite more and more, and now he practically wont eat anything except maybe one piece of a kibble, a nibble of veg, or a few strands of hay here and there. He's not really drinking either. We are force feeding him about 3 tbsp of critical care mixed with 2 tbsp water ever day (and throughout the night, to get him to 3 tbsp), and also some water as well. We thought it was an antibiotic intolerance, so we took him back on Thursday morning (he was still eating a bit more back then, but still not nearly back to normal), but the vet just dismissed him saying he looked like he was eating ok (he wasn't) and prescribed some motility drugs (cisapride and another one) and then said as long as he had some poops, he was ok. Well, the poops are practically just little dots now, maybe some a quarter of an winch, but very skinny. We have to force feed him the critical care and I am almost CERTAIN this is an intolerance. Thing is, I don't know what to do. Stop the antibiotic and risk him getting reinfected? Continue it for the next 4 prescribed days but continue force feeding him with his lost appetite? I am honestly lost, and any advice or previous experience you've had is GREATLY appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[Beatrix187]

Can somebody please reply? ANY advice is appreciated!

 

[Guinea Pig Papa]

We had the same problem with Scooter, and with Punkin but to a lesser degree. You should discuss with your vet about switching antibiotics but in the meantime, you MUST get as much Critical Care into him as you can. When both of our boys were ill, each pig was getting 12-18 mils of food per feeding, every 4 hours. Same goes for water, if he's not drinking enough on his own you must syringe him water as well, preferable 5-6 mls per feeding in addition to the Critical Care.

If he has only 4 days left, you're almost there. It will require quite an effort on your part but if you're that close, I would say finish them. His poops are tiny because he has nowhere near enough intake of food. That is going to be up to you.

 

[Guinea Pig Papa]

How is Domino doing? Hoping for some better news.