HELP MY GUINEA PIG HAS A URI!?
Infections need to be treated with antibiotics, which you got. There are no medications that you can "make" to help him at this point. Doing so would be dangerous. Do some research to make sure your vet is prescribing the right kind of medication and dosage, though - is he/she a small animal exotics vet or specialist? I wouldn't do too much steaming. The moisture can also do some harm if over-done. Once or twice a day for a few minutes, and only if you feel he is congested and unable to breathe. If he doesn't improve - or show any sign of improvement - within a few days then call the vet back and get another medication to try OR have the vet prescribe an additional medicine. While it can take a while to get them back up to par you SHOULD see improvement of some kind within days of starting a treatment. Sometimes you will need to use multiple medications to beat bad URIs. If you feel your pig is in pain then your vet can also prescribe a low-dose pain relief. If the pig is congested a lot then you can ask for meds given via nebulizer. Or they can offer a nebulizer treatment in-office. There is plenty you can do IF you keep in contact with the vet - even if it's only to ask for advice over the phone.
URI in my guinea pig!!!?
URI means the lungs aren't cleared of fluid as well, and after enough time of having it, the lungs will have become weak, deteriorated, and filled with fluid if the animal develops pneumonia. These conditions are what kill the animal because they cannot physically breathe. Before this happens, you will know they aren't well. URIs are pretty painful, so the animal would have usually stopped eating much, moving around as much, become more lethargic, and has clearly distressed breathing. While the serious stage can take months to develop, you should take the guinea pig to a vet as soon as possible. It needs antibiotics, and should start taking them as soon as possible. URIs are fine to cure, as long as you catch them early enough.
My guinea pig has URI!!! What do I do?
Don't worry. A URI takes gradual affects. Without proper treatment, it can keep getting worse for months. An animal cannot die from having a URI, only if the conditions have gotten so bad, their lungs are completely filled with fluid and not working properly (after time of having the illness), such as if they develop pneumonia. Your guinea pig is close to death if he is lethargic, has noticeably labored breathing, clicking in the chest, etc. If the infection is new, he should only be sneezing as of now, which isn't very uncomfortable for the time being, but not life threatening. Just make sure he does see a vet tomorrow, as he needs to start on his antibiotics. I'm sure everything will go well :)
I think my Guinea Pig has URI?
My Sweet Dear you should never buy a guinea pig if you cant afford a vet as sadly the two just go together when you purchase them at a pet store. Now don't misunderstand me I am not scolding you for shopping at the pet store, I have found some great pigs there. It is very very common for a guinea pig to get an upper respiratory infection while in rout to the pet store, the stress is just to much for them and often it does not show up until they are already in their new home, and yes your guinea pig does have one. Here is the interesting part, it is not expensive to treat her to an exotic vet, just the cost of the office visit which will be about $35,00 and she will get a complete physical and the cost of the medication which will be about $20.00. Please do not take her to Pet co for treatment, I can already promise you when you get the first on back you are going to have behavioral issues with her as all they do is place them in a 12" square box, by their self's alone and they only see a human when they get their meds period! They come out very messed up. I know because I made that mistake, I begged to allow me to go and visit her while she was there but how they get around that is their paper work, they guinea pig truly is not yours, you simply have first chance to buy back, right. Actually my little girl never truly recovered from it, she was a very demanding guinea pig that had to be with me at all times, it was sooo different than a guinea pig wanting to be with me, I hope you can understand what I am trying to say. So what ever you do get this one to an exotic vet, Guinea pigs hide the fact they are ill until it is in the acute stage and they can not hide it any longer, sadly at that point they go down hill and die quickly and treatment at that point is not always successful.
How long does it take for a guinea pig to recover from a URI?
My guinea pig that had an upper respiratory infection and it was not a bad one all he was doing was sneezing, took 8 weeks for the sneezing to completely stop.What is hard with guinea pigs is finding the antibiotic that will kill the bacteria and not the guinea pig. We had to go through more then one to finally find the one that would completely stop the sneezing. He would go for 3 to 4 days then start to sneeze again, then it would work to to 5 to 6 days, and finally he just stopped all together. They have to be sneeze free for 2 weeks before they are considered well. Good luck with your baby.
How does a URI hurt my Guinea pig?
Well, yes, it's painful. It affects the lungs. My guinea pig had this same thing when he was a baby, and it is deadly! He had a brother (I did not get the brother, I have a different buddy with him now), and a pet store employee said his brother had passed away from the same illness. A vet trip for this usually only costs about $40 for the proper antibiotics, maybe more if they do a check up. However, if you got her from a pet store (which I'm assuming you did, since URI's are common in pet store animals), they are liable to pay for the vet bills for two weeks after your purchase. Read the fine print! I did when my baby guinea pig was sick and they paid for his treatment. If you did adopt, just call the shelter/rescue and tell them. They might offer to pay it, and they might actually be liable. Next time, please choose adoption rather than pet stores! I learned my lesson too. I love my guinea pigs very much, but they were sick, and that's common of most pet store animals. And by buying them we're only supporting more cruel practices.
How do I cure my guinea pig's wheezing?
Any respiratory distress in a guinea pig should be treated by a vet. If it were my guinea pig I would also eliminate any kind of respiratory irritants. I hated wood shavings for bedding because of dust. Paper bedding is better, but still has a little dust. Fleece cage liners, with paper towels underneath, are the best in my opinion. Also avoid candles, wax warmers, air fresheners, people smoking, etc.It is also very important to make sure your guinea pig’s cage is in a place that is not drafty. It should not be near a door or window that is ever left open, and it should not be near a heat and air conditioning register. If there is an unavoidable draft, you could get a piece of fleece and place it over one end of the cage, on the side where the draft is coming from. The fleece should cover about a quarter of the cage including the top and three sides.Never cover the cage completely. Good ventilation is necessary. The idea is to create a small covered area on one end of the cage to protect from drafts and to make the guinea pig feel more protected and secure. Also make sure that he or she has a sleeping house, preferably a wooden one or a dark plastic one. Clear or light colored houses do not make them feel protected. Emotional problems can cause illness. Give your guinea pig plenty of cuddles!It is also very important to make sure that your guinea pig has a lot of fresh lettuce. Fresh food is part of their natural diet. Iceberg lettuce is low in nutrition, but romaine, butter lettuce, red leaf lettuce, “spring mix,” plus small amounts of spinach, radicchio, etc., are all excellent. Beware of dark leafy greens that are usually cooked, such as kale or chard. Baby kale is OK in small amounts, but lettuce is the main thing. Avoid cabbage and cruciferous veggies like broccoli and cauliflower because they can cause fatal gas attacks. I used to think these were OK until I read about “bloat.”Your guinea pig also could have an infection such as Bordatella. This is very serious and requires antibiotics. It is very important to have him seen by a vet as soon as possible to find out what is going on.
How much does it cost to take your guinea pig in for an upper respiratory infection?
The total price will vary depending on what the vet charges for their office fee. You can call the vet and ask what her rates are to get an accurate answer. My vet charges about $50 for an office visit the first time she exams a condition (however, I live in an area with higher cost of living so I'm not sure this is the best quote to base your estimate on). For the antibiotics, it would probably cost you about $20 (possibly much less depending on your pharmacy). In some cases a vet may decide to do a culture in order to prescribe the right antibiotic (sometimes you come across resistant strains that require a more aggressive approach). I couldn't say how much this would cost if it comes to this though. If possible, I would contact a couple exotic vets in your area and ask what the exam rates are and how the vet would go about treating a URI. This way you can compare prices as well as make sure you're going to a competent vet (unfortunately not all are experienced enough with guinea pigs to treat them). Here is a link to URIs (includes what a vet should do during an exam and how you can help your pig recover): http://www.guinealynx.info/uri.html This is a list of questions you may want to ask if you are choosing between a few different vets: http://www.guinealynx.info/vet.html You may find this info about antibiotics helpful: http://www.guinealynx.info/antibiotic_ad...
I am almost certain my guinea pig has a URI, but I cannot take him to the vet. What is a "home remedy" option?
Goodness, I don't understand why you couldn't take him to the vet. Vets will usually help your pet even if you can't pay right away, and there are agencies that help low income people with medical costs for their non-human family members. Please investigate this! On the off chance that you are 1,000+ miles away from the nearest vet and literally cannot physically get to one, then I'd suggest calling one and explaining the symptoms at least. Perhaps they will be willing to make an educated guess, and could mail you antibiotics quickly enough to save him. Without a proper exam and probably some testing, they won't be sure what the cause is, so there's a risk with that too. If for some reason that is also not possible, then you are reduced to whatever you can do to save your furry friend. Start with his habitat. Clean it really well. His bedding could have brought in mold spores, or become mouldy from moisture. Clean and dry everything very well. If his feed is old, discard it. Make sure there is fresh, clean water every day, feed him plenty of fresh foods, particularly vitamin rich ones, and remove what isn't eaten everyday. Apparently Guinea pigs have a higher requirement for vitamin C than many animals. While he is recovering, give him fresh bedding daily as well, but you should tidy his cage daily and wash and dry the cage and refresh the bedding a couple of times a week anyway. Make sure you use a bedding that is neither dusty or wood shavings of a type with volatile oils (pine, cedar). Are you in a home with forced air? Make sure he is not close to any of the vents. Is the air dry? Increase the humidity. Is there enough ventilation? If he's in an aquarium instead of a cage for example, that's not good. Is he sharing a habitat with other animals? Separate them. I don't know what else to tell you, except that if there is even a tiny possibility of getting him to a vet, please do not hesitate. An infection like this could be fatal for your little buddy and he needs your help. I hope you can help him.