Conditions A slightly watery nose? Serious condition or just paranoid?

[oshixx]

Hello everyone,

I have two guinea pigs, both female, and they are cage mates. One of them is about 3 years old and the other one is about 4 years old.

Last weekend I discovered that the 3 years old piggy was behaving a little abnormal, after a vet visit it turns out that she's not pooping well, and some medication from the vet did the trick quickly. I was worried that she might have URI at first (which I don't have any experience with) but it turned out fine.


However I just found out that the 4 years old piggy have a slightly watery nose. It's not clogged and doesn't look like the liquid is coming out, her eyes are clean, she's eating well as far as I can tell, and I don't think there's any noticeable change in behavior. (For example, she doesn't like me holding her in my hands, so when I pick her up, she still resists quite strongly like always)

She is breathing normally, but when you get really really close to her (like put your ear next to her nose), you can hear the breathing noise from the slightly watery nose(just like when human get a watery nose).
The slightly watery nose IS a come and go thing, it first appeared once on Sunday, then it's gone, and came back again Yesterday, it's pretty inconsistent and it does not look like it's getting worse.


Do you think this is something I should really worry about? Any advices would be greatly appreciated. (I just learned about guinea pig URI last weekend when I was searching online, and I'm not sure if I'm just paranoid or not)

Also, when I took my other piggy in for a vet check last weekend, the exam cost was $65, I have never taken them to a vet before so I don't know if this is reasonable or not. (I'm in Houston, TX)

 

[cavy_jdas]

What was the cause of the issue in the 3YO pig?

I would be on the fence for the 4YO. The inconsistent watery, not watery is not typical for a URI. Check the inside front of her feet to see if there is anything crusty (from wiping her nose) and really look over the hair around her nose for signs of discharge/crustiness. A piggie's nose should be clear, wetness inside the nostrils is fine but you should not see lots or big drops and the wetness should not be thick or colored.

Pay attention to when you see any change. Have you just given a bunch of hay that she's jumping in and she's reacting to the dust? Was she just cleaning herself? Is it possible that this on, off change was there all along, but now that you have had one sick piggie you are overly worried about the other?

Do you weigh them on a regular basis? If not, please start. The best way to identify any illness is weight loss, even when the pig is acting normal and appears to be eating normally.

So, what would I do? I'd probably watch like a hawk and wait, assuming her weight was in her normal range.

RE:cost - it's the same at my vet (Chicago, IL area). If you ever need to take the same pig back during the same illness, ask for a "recheck" appointment rather than a regular appointment. Many vets offer this, and it's often less money. I think it's only about half the cost at my vet for a recheck. And some vets will see a second piggie at the same time as the first for a reduced amount on that second exam when both are acting sick.

 

[IllryiaRTBW]

I'd say you'd be wise to keep any eye on her, normally a URI continues to go downhill quickly without this sort of yoyoing. If she gets any worse I'd take her to the vets or if her breathing gets really labored.

 

[oshixx]

What was the cause of the issue in the 3YO pig?

I would be on the fence for the 4YO. The inconsistent watery, not watery is not typical for a URI. Check the inside front of her feet to see if there is anything crusty (from wiping her nose) and really look over the hair around her nose for signs of discharge/crustiness. A piggie's nose should be clear, wetness inside the nostrils is fine but you should not see lots or big drops and the wetness should not be thick or colored.

Pay attention to when you see any change. Have you just given a bunch of hay that she's jumping in and she's reacting to the dust? Was she just cleaning herself? Is it possible that this on, off change was there all along, but now that you have had one sick piggie you are overly worried about the other?

Do you weigh them on a regular basis? If not, please start. The best way to identify any illness is weight loss, even when the pig is acting normal and appears to be eating normally.

So, what would I do? I'd probably watch like a hawk and wait, assuming her weight was in her normal range.

RE:cost - it's the same at my vet (Chicago, IL area). If you ever need to take the same pig back during the same illness, ask for a "recheck" appointment rather than a regular appointment. Many vets offer this, and it's often less money. I think it's only about half the cost at my vet for a recheck. And some vets will see a second piggie at the same time as the first for a reduced amount on that second exam when both are acting sick.

I believe the 3YO piggy had a little GI, and the GI medicine took care of it, she's back to normal now.

The 4YO piggy still experiencing watery nose, and I discovered some minor diarrhea this afternoon, so I took the 4YO piggy to another vet(the first vet I took 3YO piggy to was booked for the day, and won't be able to see us till tomorrow afternoon).

The vet thinks the watery nose is some signs of very early stage URI(may not be the doctor's exact word, but basically there maybe some minor infection around her nose, but it did not get to the lungs yet) , but he listened to her lungs and the lungs are fine, so he give her some baytril and told me to keep an eye on her, if the watery nose doesn't get better within 5-6 days after she starts on baytril and be gone within 2 weeks on baytril, further actions may be recommended. But as of now 4YO piggy is doing OK. (The discharge from her nose is perfectly clear btw)

They also did a fecal exam for her, which the nurse (or tech or assistant) didn't find anything at first, but then the doctor found something when he was looking at it again. They called me about the fecal thing after we left and we were on the way home, so I didn't write down what it is, but the nurse did say that the doctor is going to give the piggy another kind of medication that should really take care of whatever the found in her poop. I asked them and they said the thing they found in her poop is not immediately life threatening and I can go pick up the medication tomorrow.

After we got home, I found some poop in the carrier, while they are not normal solid hard poops, they are in pellet shapes but still soft. I am going to pick up the other medication for 4YO piggy tomorrow morning and hopefully that can take care of the diarrhea part.


Also, the cost of the 2nd vet that we saw today was cheaper than the first one, the office visit was $52.5, fecal exam was around $17, and $24 for the 0.5oz of Baytril. He also give me some free Vitamin C supplement.

I'd say you'd be wise to keep any eye on her, normally a URI continues to go downhill quickly without this sort of yoyoing. If she gets any worse I'd take her to the vets or if her breathing gets really labored.

The vet suspect it may be some very early stage or signs of URI, which he believes did not get to the lungs yet, and give her some baytril.

 

[IllryiaRTBW]

Well that's good news at least Even human illnesses are hard to shake once they get into your lungs, I had bronchitis for a month last year.

 

[oshixx]

Well that's good news at least Even human illnesses are hard to shake once they get into your lungs, I had bronchitis for a month last year.

Been giving Doodle(4YO piggy) Baytril since Thursday and I think I'm seeing some improvement with her watery nose today, not 100% sure but it doesn't seem as watery as it was before, have to check again tomorrow to make sure.

And on the bright side, both piggies are eating ok, I was watching them closely and thought they are eating a lot less yesterday, but it turns out that they were eating mainly when I'm asleep. (I woke up this morning and found both piggies eating hay and drinking water and ran away when I sit up)