Wheezing, Sneezing and fluffed up

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Becca879

Post   » Thu Feb 22, 2018 11:23 am


I got my guinea pig (Cream Puff) from petco (I know) about a month ago, and now suddenly she is wheezing (especially when excited or squeaking) and she sneezes a fair amount and sounds like she is just plain old stuffed up, she is also very fluffed up. Her eyes seem normal but I also cant seem to find any poo. She seems to be eating some of her veggies and eating some pellets but shes stopped eating hay like she used to and started to eat her bedding. She's a little more vocal and grouchy than she has been previously but she still gets up and about. I'm hesitant to bring her back to petco to have her treated but I don't want to leave it untreated if it should be. Is there anything I should be doing for her, is there a chance she can just ride it out? Thanks. I'll post a picture of how fluffed up she is and try and link a video of how she wheezes. https://photos.app.goo.www.guinealynx.info/ (fluffed up) https://photos.app.goo.www.guinealynx.info/ (wheezing)

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Thu Feb 22, 2018 11:38 am


All the signs you are describing say you must see a vet ASAP! Do not waste any time. A likely URI must be treated immediately.
www.guinealynx.info/uri.html

Start weighing daily. Be ready to hand feed. Make sure you see a vet experienced treating guinea pigs who only will prescribe safe medications. Penicillin based drugs like Clavamox can kill.
dangerous_medications.html
handfeeding.html

Eating the bedding may indicate pain.

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Thu Feb 22, 2018 1:04 pm


DON'T take her back to Petco to be treated. Find a good exotic vet in your area for treatment, and then argue with Petco about the bills later. But do get her to a vet ASAP. Failure to eat is a very bad sign in a guinea pig.

Becca879

Post   » Thu Feb 22, 2018 4:02 pm


I'm really worried that petco won't cover the bills at all if I argue later

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Thu Feb 22, 2018 5:11 pm


Your pig needs a vet. NOW. Petco will probably send her to the cheapest vet around, one that may not have any experience at all with exotic pets. They've even been known not to send an animal that was returned to them to a vet at all.

If you want good care for your pig, you should find a good vet on your own.

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Zaphy

Post   » Fri Feb 23, 2018 12:07 am


Petco's policy is typically to only cover vet bills incurred within the first two weeks. So if it's already been a month since purchase, they won't do it anyway. I've also been down the 'Petco vet' road before a couple times, and have generally not been very impressed. I'm with bpatters, find a good exotics vet now. She can't ride this one out on her own.

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Obfuscated

Post   » Fri Feb 23, 2018 6:51 am


To be blunt, what’s more important, Cream Puff’s health or reimbursement from PetCo?

If the former, I hope you’ve scheduled an appointment with an exotics vet by now.

Phantomhorse

Post   » Fri Feb 23, 2018 2:21 pm


That sounds very dangerous. To add to everyone else's point, one of my boys started wheezing like that and we rushed him into the vet. Soon after he became unresponsive. The vet remained calm, but afterward she admitted that he had really scared her, and would have died if he hadn't been in to see the vet when he had. He had been eating 5 hours prior and boom, he was dying. He did pull through, but it is unlikely that he would have without vet care.

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