please help! My guinea pig is sick :*( .... Does anybody know anything about sick pigs?

Question

I finially got a guinea pig last month and named her Darla. I've been wanting one since my last one(Spanky) passed away.
I noticed when we brought her home that she a had a dry booger on her nose... i didnt really think anything about it.. then i noticed her breathing really hard while she slept.. after about a month of having her, she started breathing hard while she was awake... she sounded conjested so i took her to the vet. he gave her some antibiotics (all it says on the bottle is Chlorp) but i gave it to her for 7 days then stopped... she seemed like she was getting worse.. i saw her tip over a few times and her eyes are bugging out of her head! so i started giving it to her again 2 days later (wich was yesterday) Does anybody know why her eyes would be bulging out? Im taking her to the vet later on today but i kinda wanted to have an idea of what it could be so i can tell the vet. is she going to die? :*(

thank you guys for all of your help. Darla passed away after we left the vet :****(
anyone know how to heal a broken heart?

Answer 1

an alegic recshon to th emedisin hm and usalll babay gini pigs get bugers in ther nose goood luck with u pig

Answer 2

I am so sorry about Darla.

I just want to say that in the future, if you are giving an antibiotic and it doesn't seem to have made the animal better in 3 or 4 days, then go back to the vet because they need a different med.

Also, small animals have very fast metabolisms. This means they can go downhill VERY QUICK and you need to get them to a vet as SOON as you notice they are sick.

I know you did your best for Darla, please don't feel bad. I just want to give you some information so you can do even better for your next pet.

To ease a broken heart, let yourself cry and be sad. Soon you will start remembering her with a smile.

Hugs to you.

Answer 3

You can't 'tell' the vet what it is. If they don't know, no one on here is going to! Just trust me on this, there is nothing more annoying when you work in a vet surgery than clients who think they can 'tell' you what is wrong with their pet because they've been on the internet. Vets didn't spend years at medical school to learn what you can just pick up from the internet!

Right, lecture over. For now. Take the piggy back to the vet, she has obviously got worse. The vet needs to know about this so he can help you. If you don't know what the medicine is you've been given, ASK the vet, they'll be happy to tell you. Did the vet say how long to give it for? Small animals usually need antibiotics for longer courses than 7 days, if you stop before, the problem is not going to clear up.

There are many things that could be wrong here, but no one on here can POSSIBLY tell you, because we haven't examined the animal. It could be a anything from a respiratory infection (sounds likely) to neurological problems, or a virus. Given this scope, a vet is the best to tell you, we can only guess! Eyes bulging could be her struggling to breathe, or pain, or neurological. Vets can't always get things right first time, especially when things are complicated! I think you need to have a proper discussion with your vet.

Good luck at the vets. I'm sorry your little piggy is ill, especially after losing your other one, but they can be quite fragile little creatures.

Chalice

Answer 4

Did you give the antibiotics for the whole time the vet prescribed it? There could have been a relapse if you stopped the antibiotics before you should have. This will also allow the bacteria to become resistant to the antibiotics that were first prescribed. Since it is an upper respiratory infections, it could have spread to the eyes. I hope Darla gets better soon.

Answer 5

My sister had a guinea pig that got colds --or the guinea pig equivalent. I don't remember the vet prescribing antibiotics, but I remember they gave the guinea pig a vitamin C shot.

I don't know why her eyes would seem to be bugging out, but sometimes guinea pigs eyes do that when they're distressed.

The vet will know best, I hope Darla starts feeling better soon.

Answer 6

Take her back to the vet immediately!

If the antibiotics were not working, you should have notified the vet rather than stopping the medication on your own. Unfortunately you can't stop a course of antibiotics, wait a few days and then start them again. Your pet is in severe respiratory distress.

Call your vet right now and get her in to see him today. Tell him exactly what symptoms you are describing and tell him that you had stopped the antibiotics. Do not waste time soliciting advice.

Is she going to die? Unfortunately, that is a very strong possibility.

Answer 7

Vets are useless with small animals (unless they specialise in small pets).
Could be URI - click on the link below for more info. It is worth joining a guinea pig forum as these often have members with lots of experience and advice. Find a better vet in your area. If you don't act quick I am afraid you might lose Darla. Has happened to me many times. They don't show the symptoms of their illnesses until they are very bad a lot of the time.

Answer 8

She is very sick and needs to go back to the vet. I would have called the minute she turned worse too. The signs are not good for her, and the odds are she caught something well before you got her. You will need to keep everything very clean around her too, and use a mild bleach solution to wipe down everything around her, as the bug she is carrying could be a problem for other animals too. Make sure you use an antibacterial soap too every time you handle her as well. It sounds like she got into something definately though. Best of blessings and hang in there,
Maraleh

Answer 9

It looks like a severe URI, and possibly with a wrong antibiotic.

For the purposes of vetrinary science, guinea pigs are considered exotic animals. The best you can do is find an vet specializing in small animals and contact their office IMMEDIATELY. As in, stop reading these messages and grab the phone.

And, yes, this can be fatal for your guinea pig.

Answer 10

I know how you feel, to get over it, write a litttle paper about her and make a scrap book about her. It won't make you feel worse. It will make you think of all the great times you had. Next time, don't get a guinea pig from a pet shop because they don't know anything about guinea pigs, get one from a shelter or breeder because they are usually healthier and live longer and aren't usually sick. And before you buy it, look and see if it has signs off illnesses

Answer 11

HEALING A BROKEN HEART: go to your local animal shelter and look around! They have small animals for adoption there too (bunnies guinea pigs, hamsters, etc) and if you don't think your heart is ready to open up right now .. How about volunteering there? I know most shelters are desperate for volunteers and yours is probably no different .. that way you can fill your heart with love and wait for fate to bring you a new pet!