Sick Guinea pig, respiratory

Question
I used to own guinea pigs as a kid but now am involved with them again through my sons, who each got a guinea pig for their birthday. I have been giving them vitamine C drops in thier water and they get baby carrots and regular guinea pig food daily. Their bedding is a recycled crumbly soft newspaper material which is supposed to be dust-free (from the pet store). I came home today and noticed that one of them, Marbles, is having serious trouble breathing. She strains to breathe so hard her whole body (especially her head) jerks with the effort, and I hear a snotty squeaking/wheezing sound with each breath. She occassionally seems to sneeze and cough as well, and is lethargic and her weight has suddenly dropped a bit. I tried a teeny bit of Vick's vapor rub on her nose hoping it would help clear things up, but to no avail. There is some mucouse coming out of her nose (very little). What, if anything, can I do to treat her?

Thanks for any help you might be able to provide!

Teri Warren

Answer
Hello Teri,

It sounds like she has an advanced URI. She needs an antibiotic as soon as possible for a better chance of survival. URIs can be deadly but can be easily treated if caught and treated fast enough. She'll need a vet appointment as soon as possible to get an antibiotic. I'll send you a list of antibiotics that are NOT SAFE for your piggy so you know not to let your vet give you one of those. To help with her breathing while she recovers you can run a vaporizor for her or, if you don't have a vaporizor, you can take her into a closed bathroom with you while you take a hot shower. The steam will have a similar effect to the vaporizor and will help break up the mucus so she can breathe. Good luck. I hope she gets well soon.

Medications deadly to piggies:
    amoxicillin (Clavamox)
    ampicillin
    bacitracin
    cefadroxil
    cephalexin (derivative: Cefadroxil)
    cephalosporins
    cephazolin
    chlortetracycline
    clindamycin
    dihydrostreptomycin
    erythromycin
    lincomycin
    oxytetracycline
    penicillin
    streptomycin

-kkat
www.geocities.com/abyssinianguineapigs