URI/Upper Respiratory Infection Possible URI?

[zebraXqueen]

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I woke up this morning to Joy wheezing. She didn't sound very good. I called my mom and we're going to the vet tomorrow morning.
But the weird thing is, she doesn't wheeze all the time. Usually around 9 in the morning is when she gets up to eat and it was around that time when I heard her wheezing. But I've been checking on her about every hour, and she hasn't been wheezing at all and her breathing sounds fine, so I'm kind of wondering whats going on.
Does anyone have any ideas on what it could be? And what I should ask the vet to do? I've never been to this vet before so I'm not sure how it's going to go.

 

[zebraXqueen]

I took her to the vet and on the way she got diarrhea. The vet took a stool sample and discovered she had parasites (I can't remember what it's called). Joy is now on a 10 day antibiotic to kill the parasite. I really hope it gets rid of the parasites! :?

 

[Cogni]

Poor baby!

Read up on giving probiotics with the antibiotic. Check out guinealynx for this. You don't want to kill off all the intestinal flora and fauna, just the bad bugs, so she will need a probiotic. I have heard if you feed them the poo of a healthy piggie that would re-colonize the gut too. But do you have another pig? If so she may have parasites too! So take her in to check.

 

[Cogni]

I am not an expert at all but it occurred to me--usually antibiotics are for bacteria rather than parasites, which (to my knowledge) are larger organisms. I think other members should weigh in here.

 

[Ly&Pigs]

I would think an anti-parasitic would be the first course of treatment before giving AB's. Antibiotics won't cure parasites.

 

[zebraXqueen]

That's what I meant sorry, anti parasitic.

 

[pinky]

About a year or two ago, one of my guinea pigs was diagnosed with Giarda, which is a protozoan parasite. My vet put her and the others who shared a cage with her on Metronidazole since it's easily transmitted through the droppings. This was the guinea pig that was discovered in an aquarium in an apartment. Giarda is often found in pond water, uncooked or unpeeled foods, outdoor pools, fountains.

 

[zebraXqueen]

Oh, really? I think it must have either been pre-existing or from produce. The vet(who was really great. He seemed to know his stuff and talked about his own guinea pigs) said that it could have been kept in check by her immune system for quite sometime, but if she got stressed for some reason or another, and her immune system weakened, then they could have flared up.