Allergies

moodysmom

Post   » Mon May 07, 2007 1:12 pm


According to his vet, my cavy has allergies with the symptom primarily being nasal wheezing - his lungs are clear. It is very loud.

We have changed his bedding to newspaper from white chips, and have removed timothy hay that will be replaced with a new bail. I have disinfected his water bottle and feed dish. We have wet dusted the area. But he is still wheezing badly. (We haven't changed cleaners and we don't use air fresheners).

Any suggestions? Is there any medications (I am thinking of benedryl types) that vets prescribe for this kind of allergy?

feliciapetey

Post   » Mon May 07, 2007 1:26 pm


Someone with more knowledge will probably come along. You said you re replacing the timothy hay. Are you replacing it with more timothy or a differant kind?

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sus4rabbitsnpigs

Post   » Mon May 07, 2007 2:34 pm


Is there any discharge? Did the vet check his lungs?

URI is more common than allergies. You may want to look into fleece. KM's hay tends not to be as dusty.

moodysmom

Post   » Mon May 07, 2007 2:57 pm


The vet did check his lungs, which were clear. He has no nasal or eye discharge, and he is only sneezing occasionally.

We are planning on replacing a big, but older bail of timothy hay, but will probably go for smaller quantities this time. I have used KM's in the past. Good suggestion.

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Mum
I GAVE, dammit!

Post   » Mon May 07, 2007 9:37 pm


The vet did check his lungs, which were clear.
Did you get an xray of the lungs? You should do that so you can see his lungs and heart.

Allergies are rare.

Talishan
You can quote me

Post   » Mon May 07, 2007 9:41 pm


Please read:

https://www.guinealynx.info/heart.html

Our Bonita has similar signs. She still hoots on occasion and may have an asthma- or COPD-like condition as well, but the improvement in her health on heart medication has been dramatic:

https://www.guinealynx.info/forums/viewtopic.php?t=37131

"Allergies" per se in guinea pigs are not at all common.

moodysmom

Post   » Tue May 08, 2007 4:56 pm


Moody just did a recheck. He had lost 20 grams! The doc seems to think it is allergies, but an x-ray did indicate a possible enlarged heart. He is on medication at this point for that - the enlarged heart with benedryl as a back up if that doesn't work. His lungs are beautiful!

Thanks for the help, especially Talishan. I will keep you posted.

Talishan
You can quote me

Post   » Tue May 08, 2007 6:46 pm


What heart med did you get, and at what dosage?

In my experience, Chlor-Trimeton (chlorpheniramine maleate only, no other added ingredients) works better than Benadryl. It lasts longer and doesn't cause the occasional weird side effect (excessive sleepiness, hyperactivity, nervousness) that Benadryl can.

1/2 to 1 mg every 12 hours (an off-label prescription given to me by one of our vets). I have given 0.55 mg once every day or two successfully (that is, nowhere near the max dose given by our vet). It's very drying and I wouldn't give much more than that, but it's effective. Check it with your vet.

You can dissolve a 4 mg tablet in 4 cc's of unflavored Pedialyte if you want to use it; that will give you a 1 mg/mL solution. The tablets dissolve well and the pigs seem to like the taste.

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Mum
I GAVE, dammit!

Post   » Wed May 09, 2007 12:43 am


but an x-ray did indicate a possible enlarged heart. He is on medication at this point for that - the enlarged heart
I'm glad you got this diagnosed and have medication. What meds are you using, and how much?

moodysmom

Post   » Fri May 11, 2007 2:38 am


Moody was doing better on the .08cc of Lasix twice daily. The first three days went really well. Unfortunately, he seems to be relapsing, and the dosage on the Benadryl seems really high ( 12.5 mg twice daily). I am going to double check it with the vet tomorrow before giving it to him. I am still really concerned. He has another follow up on Monday morning.

He is such a cute little pig and less than two years old. We are all very concerned about him.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Fri May 11, 2007 8:07 am


Sounds like you need more than just lasix to treat the heart problems. Did you read the heart page?

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Mum
I GAVE, dammit!

Post   » Fri May 11, 2007 9:20 am


Lasix will only remove any fluid from his lungs, it won't help anything else. If there's no fluid in the lungs or anywhere else then this pig has no need of lasix - and it won't help.

You do need to read the heart page and put the pig on lotensin twice daily:

https://www.guinealynx.info/heart.html

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