[Gpdd] (Health) A member of the Squee Squad is ill

[Penny Charlesworth]

Sorry to read that Serendipity is poorly.

I don't know about using a nebulizer on a piggy ( though I have used one 
myself ) but the people at Cavies Castle recommend Menthol crystals for 
breathing troubles. These are an aromatherapy remedy available at chemists 
in England ( I don't know where you are ). You dissolve a tiny piece of 
crystal in a small container of very hot water and hold it under the piggy's 
nose so that he/she can breathe in the vapour. I have used a baby food jar 
for this. I find the vapour very strong but piggies seem to like it. You can 
reheat the mixture and use it again.

Do you have Vick where ever you are? A little dab on the nostrils can help 
clear the airways.

Another product that they recommend is Bisolvon Powder, which your vet may 
have. It comes in little sachets. A pinch of the powder is mixed with a 
little drop of water and syringed to the piggy 2 or 3 times during the 
course of a day. Put the pinch of powder in the bowl of a spoon, add a 
little drop of water from a syringe, mix it up and syringe it back up. I 
gave some of this to my Nova last week and she was fine the next day! (Sighs 
of relief all round!)

I don't know how severe her breathing is, but if it is very laboured your 
vet may need to give her Lasix. The Cavies Castle people give this with 
Dexadresson ( not sure about the spelling here as it is always called Dex ) 
and Bisolvon.

As regards feeding her, if she is not eating for herself, I would recommend 
taking her out of her cage and syringing in as much as you can. Just give a 
little at a time so that she can breathe in between mouthfuls. She needs to 
keep her strength up and our little friends lose weight so quickly. Keep up 
her fluid intake too.

It is very hard to offer advice without being able to see the piggy in 
question but hope that some of this may be of help.

We are all thinking about little Serendipity and wish her well.

Penny and the Piggyfriends.



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Stacy Harvey" <ckrtsqrl2000 at yahoo.com>
To: "GPDD" <gpdd at gpdd.org>
Sent: Saturday, September 30, 2006 2:11 PM
Subject: [Gpdd] (Health) A member of the Squee Squad is ill


> Digesters,
>  I got home from class yesterday and my little Serendipity was breathing 
> hard with a lot of crackling and wheezing. I took her to the vet, and we 
> got some Baytril and some Critical Care. She didn't seem to have any 
> syptoms and she was eating normally right up until yesterday. She is 
> eating a little bit today; sometimes she takes the Critical Care and 
> sometimes she doesn't. I have been trying to feed her in her cage so that 
> I am not disturbing her or putting pressure on her lungs--is this the 
> right thing to do, or should I be taking her out to feed her regularly? I 
> just don't want to stress her out and make her breathing worse.
>
>  Also--does anyone know anything about nebulizer treatments? My neighbor, 
> who is a nurse, asked about it (her daughters have asthma and she is a 
> firm believer in that nebulizer), but I can't find anything about using 
> them on GPs. I saw some info about using antibiotics in them on rats and 
> that's about it.
>
>  Oh--what about a warm mist humidifier? I have one that I use in the 
> winter to keep the air moist. Would this help at all? It is mentioned in 
> the Diseases of Domestic Guinea Pigs book, but I was wondering if anyone 
> has actually used a humidifier and found it helpful.
>
>  I ask that you all keep Sera in your thoughts and prayers. She is 5 years 
> old, and she is the last of the 3 pigs my husband and I got when we were 
> first married. I know it is inevitable, but I am just not ready to let her 
> go yet. She isn't suffering right now, but I hope I'll know when it is 
> time.
>
>  Stacy and the worried Squee Squad
>
>
> ---------------------------------
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