Our guinea pig link

Question
Our piggy Link is about a year and a half old. We bought him from Petco a year ago. We were told he is a male, has no cage mates, and lives in a large plastic and metal cage. We use pine bedding and he eats plain guinea pig food(won't eat the stuff with extras) and we put the mineral supplement in his water. We also make sure he has plenty of timothy hay. Now, our problem is that link has a crusty nose and a little bit of goop in his eyes and refuses to eat or drink. We've been giving him water through an irrigator syringe so he stays hydrated but are unsure of how to make sure he's eating. I think it's just a cold but should i have the vet check him out? Any help would be highly appreciated.
Thanks, Sarah

Answer
Hello Sarah,

It sounds like Link has a URI (Upper Respiratory Infection). Piggies don't actually get colds, they get URIs which are very similar except they do not go away on their own and they will kill your piggy if left untreated. With timely vet treatment with an antibiotic, chances of survival are good. It is important to get him to the vet ASAP to start treament. Also, to ensure he gets enough to eat, crush his pellets and mix them with water and feed him with a syringe. Anytime a piggy is put on antibiotics, he should also be put on Acidophilus. Acidophilus is a supplement that can be found in your local drug store or pharmacy. It replaces the good bacteria in your piggy's tummy that he needs to digest his food and that antibiotics will kill off. Good luck! I hope Link is well again soon.

-kkat
www.geocities.com/abyssinianguineapigs