[Gpdd] HEALTH: Pixie Sue is Puffing

[pat schuett]

Hi everyone,
 
We've just come out of a horrendous mini-heatwave which saw temperatures in the piggie room getting pretty high despite all of my attempts to keep them comfortable.  Everyone was a little lethargic and off their food, though they all seemed to perk up when it cooled off at night.  
 
The past few days have been much cooler, though, so I got concerned when Pixie Sue was still not her usual hungry peppy self.  I also noticed she seemed to be breathing hard from time to time, and if I held her close to my ear, there was sometimes a little click coming from her chest.
 
Unfortunately, my preferred vet is off until Sunday but I wanted to have Pixie seen by someone before that, so (somewhat against my better judgement), I accepted my Vet Clinic's recommendation to try a particular vet at a different practice, since no one else at my "home" clinic sees guinea pigs.  (I have seen this vet before, not recently, but I always seem to forget in between experiences with her how much I dislike her and her way of dealing with my piggies.  If I had a choice, I would never see her again, but I keep getting into situations when I DON'T have  much choice, sooooo..)
 
Long story somewhat shorter, she agreed with my fears that Pixie Sue probably had some sort of respiratory infection.  Pix doesn't have a temperature, and the vet was sure she couldn't hear any fluid in her lungs.  The vet prescribed a course of Sulfatrim (Bactrim) and suggested if Pixie Sue didn't improve, we do x-rays to see if there was any other apparent cause.  I debated doing the x-rays right away, but would much rather have my own vet do them and interpret them, so decided to try the antibiotics until Sunday and see what the situation is then.
 
Pixie is still eating a bit on her own, mainly greens and veggies but a few pellets and some hay.  Since I had to bother her by picking her up to give the antibiotics anyhow, I am also at the same time syringing in a bit of pellet mush mixed with babyfood sweet potato (with a bit of extra Vitamin C added), just to supplement.  Fortunately, she's quite taken with the taste of both the Sulfatrim and the syringe mixture, so she is quite cooperative at the moment.  She is very quiet, though, hardly moving around at all except when I'm trying to pick her up for the drugs and syringe feeding, and still having the labored breathing.  Needless to say, I am quietly freaking out! 
 
Of course I read up on URIs a bit --- the Peter Gurney book recommends putting a bit of Vick's on the piggie's nose (I'm hoping I can still buy this --- haven't seen it for years!) and some over-the-counter human cold medication (not sure about that).  My "Diseases of Domestic Guinea Pigs" suggests feeding chickweed and plantain, which Pixie is quite supportive about.  Does anyone haave any other suggestions to keep us going until Sunday?  THANKS IN ADVANCE ----
 
                                                                                                                                  Pat S. & the Prairie Piggies