Missed ABX dose

[mommysews]

Hi all,

I have a quick question. One of our girls (age 2.5 yrs) is on Chloramphenicol for a suspected URI.
It appears to be limited to her upper-upper respiratory tract - like a stuffy nose. Her breathing is rapid and somewhat wheezy/raspy and she sneezes or coughs ocassionally. The vet felt that her lungs sounded clear.

She is still active and eating and we are also considering an environmental allergy (we just moved) and or dampness.

Our vet (an Exotics specialist) made a house call on Tuesday and prescribed the ABX 2x daily/7days "just in case". We are 6 doses into treatment.

I had a dental emergency with one of my human children this morning and missed the piggy's AM dose.

I dosed at 11pm last night and at 4:30 pm this afternoon. It is .9cc twice daily.
I can't find any info to tell me if I should give tonight's dose on schedule at 11 (half an hour ago), or if I should skip it and resume the schedule in the morning.

Any experience or knowledge that you can share is most appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

[PinkRufus]

What I was always told to do in cases like this is not to double-up. Just resume the schedule at the next dose time.

I've had two pigs with sinus issues, but perfectly clear lungs (on x-ray too). They both benefited from nebulizer treatments.

[mommysews]

Great! Thanks PinkRufus.

Waiting until the next one was what I was leaning towards. I'd hate to overdose, particularly with such a potent antibiotic.

It helps to have someone else confirm my thinking.

I will have to look up nebulizer treatments.

Thanks again.

[PinkRufus]

Here's a link to the nebulizer info:
https://www.guinealynx.info/records/viewtopic.php?t=58

[mommysews]

Excellent.

Thank you again.
I am also going to investigate heart issues.

[SimplyRachael]

If it helps I've been told the same thing - just give the a/b at the next scheduled time (don't double-up) and add that dose onto the end of your treatments.

[mommysews]

We are now several more days into the ABX. We have 2 more days or 5 more doses (.9cc x2 daily).

I am concerned as the ABX don't seem to be making any difference. Olive's breathing is still rapid and her sides move far more visibly with each breath than any of our 5 other piggies. None of the others are ill either.

She is making a quiet squeaking sound with each breath. The best that I can describe it is like the sound that the latex on a balloon makes when you stretch it, or rub two balloons together (sorry, strange description).

She does sneeze ocassionally, but only a few times/day. The squeeking with breathing is constant.
She doesn't (and hasn't ever had) a runny nose or eyes.

When the vet listened to her with the stethoscope, she said that the lungs were clear sounding and it sounded like nasal congestion. She said that Olive's heart was beating very quickly, but sounded regular with no arythmias.

Any ideas how to proceed?

Thanks.

[Lynx]

She may have fluid in her lungs. Lasix can help with this. Read over www.guinealynx.info/.html

There have actually been pigs with so much fluid in their lungs, that when listened to by a vet, you could not tell. An xray would be extremely helpful.

I would see a vet asap. The rapid breathing is a bad sign after being on antibiotics so long (and their apparently not helping).

Is your pig eating?

[mommysews]

Thanks Lynx.

Yes, Olive is still eating and will come out of her pigloo for fresh hay and fresh carrots/cucumber/parsley/lettuce, etc.. She is peeing and pooping, from what I have observed.

Olive lives in a large two-level C&C pen with 4 other piggies (our 6th girl is anti-social and lives in a separate pen beside them). Olive chooses to sleep away from the other pigs generally.

She has always been laid back and had a 'hoarse" sounding wheek. She is about 2.5 yrs, and we have had her for nearly 5 months.

She was quite heavy when we got her. I can see that she has lost visible weight around her middle. However, I had chalked this up to trimming down on a proper diet of CavyCuisne and Oxbow Timothy Hay rather than the junk food that she was being fed at her previous home. Now I am wondering ... The vet weighed her at 912g and felt that she was at a good weight.

I do have Critical Care stored in the freezer from August when we had to hand-feed our Toffee who had terminal uterine cancer.

Our vet is an exotics specialist who has trained with multiple exotics experts around the US and Canada (we are in Canada). She is a "quirky" woman with extensive knowledge. She makes house calls! I will call her. I wonder if she might prescribe Lasix whithout another visist? I know that we would have to wait until at least tomorrow for an x-ray. And, unfortunately, the closest place for a Cavy Ultrasound is at the University of Guelph Veterinary School about 3 hours drive away (the vet told us this).

Thanks again.

[Lynx]

You are weighing her daily too?

Hoping for the best.

[mommysews]

I spoke with our vet at length over the telephone late this afternoon.
She won't prescribe Lasix without an x-ray and states that Olive would have to be sedated for a x-ray. It will cost us over $200. Ouch.
She told me that often the x-ray doesn't show anything and that she hasn't ever had a piggy die of CHF.

She has suggested that the issues may be environmental - allergies - and likened it to possible asthma. We have moved Olive and her friend Lily to a smaller pen in our girls' bedroom (from the lower level family room). We have also switched them back to fleece in their little cage.

The vet said that we may not see a change for 2 days or more if it is environmental. She will come and listen to Olive's lungs again tomorrow or the day after. The ABX will be finished by then.
Dr. Kosari said that if there wasn't an improvement at that point, then we would have to try two different meds.

I did feed Olive Critical Care as a supplement by syringe this evening as her tummy was growling when I gave her the meds. She ate about 2/3 of what I mixed (1.5 tsp dry).

I am quite stressed as Olive just doesn't seem to be improving. Although, her condition also hasn't worsened significantly.

Thanks!

[PinkRufus]

Just a few ideas: Do you use any type of dusty litter and/or dry dusty hay? If you use fleece, is your detergent or fabric softener scented? Any scented products/soaps used in your home? Also do you have an air cleaner with a HEPA filter?