Emergency please help: Duck's URI gasping for breath

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beefyduck

Post   » Sun Apr 23, 2023 10:34 pm


I definitely got the feeling that she felt disrespected by my questions and the fact that I had concerns about her initial treatment plan. Of course it wasn't personal, I just would do anything for Duck and I need what exactly I'm signing her up for. She wants to see duck for another follow up in 2 weeks after the conintued course of antibiotics but I am really considering going to a different vet for that check up.

The antibiotics have indeed helped her uri. Her side effects are what I expected from baytril. She is very reluctant to eat on her own. But we are giving probiotics and critical care mixed with vitamin c.

beefyduck

Post   » Wed Apr 26, 2023 12:55 pm


Just posting an update- I think Duck's gut is recovering from the antibiotics. She now eats more hay on her own. However she is still sneezing which really concerns me. She has sneezing fits where she'll sneeze like 10 times in a span of 15 minutes. They are small, quiet sneezes- like sharp exhales and there is no nasal discharge afterwards. I am 75% sure that she only gets these sneezing fits after i handle her for feeding or medication. There is also a chance that because they are quiet, I just dont realize she is sneezing unless I am actively handling her. I hope this isn't a sign that her progress with the uri/pneumonia has plataeued.

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ItsaZoo
Supporter in 2023

Post   » Thu Apr 27, 2023 2:36 am


How long has she been in the antibiotics? I had a similar situation with Gidget. She was taking sulfatrim and on day 14, which should have been the last day, she started having ear issues. Then she got another URI, just 2 weeks after the first. It wasn’t as bad as the first time, but it’s still really hard in their system to have back-to-back URIs.

beefyduck

Post   » Thu Apr 27, 2023 4:36 pm


Tomorrow marks 3 weeks since she started antibiotics.

Oh poor Gidget. Do you think she acquired a new uri or that her original one wasn't fully cleared and then came back?

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ItsaZoo
Supporter in 2023

Post   » Fri Apr 28, 2023 1:01 am


I would think 3 weeks would knock out a URI. The vet we saw was concerned about antibiotic resistance since there are limited choices for antibiotics.

I don’t t know what Gidget’s problem was. She started recovering after about 3 days of sulfatrim, was eating and moving around well, then over the course of a day became so ill she was just dragging herself around. So we started the antibiotics all over again, she recovered, then relapsed. I just hope we’re over it, and I hope Duck is on the mend as well.

beefyduck

Post   » Fri Apr 28, 2023 2:01 pm


She has suspected pneumonia as well and at her last appointment her lungs didn't sound fully clear so we got an additional 2 weeks prescribed for a total of 4 weeks. Even at week 3 she is still sneezing. And I'm not sure if I'm being paranoid but it looks like her sides heave a bit more when she's breathing. And because when it rains it pours, one of Duck's feet seems to have moved closer to the direction of bumblefoot, despite the daily duoxo wipes and coconut oil. I have acquired all the supplies to bandage her foot though. I'm going to bandage without any antibiotics at present and see how she does in 2 days.

Ugh so sorry Gidget relapsed. I hope she is doing better today and that it's only improvements from here on. It so hard to see them sick and for our best efforts to sometimes feel like they're doing nothing to help.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Fri Apr 28, 2023 10:06 pm


I don't recall if anyone mentioned the possibility of nebulizing. This would consist of providing a mist in an enclosed container, usually consisting of an antibiotic like gentamicin, sometimes a saline solution, to help with breathing. Gentamicin is an antibiotic (not safely given orally but can be nebulized). You can find out more doing a search on the internet.

beefyduck

Post   » Sat May 06, 2023 9:56 pm


We had another follow up today. After about a month on antibiotics, Duck is still sneezing. The vet took another sample to send for culturing. It's possible that we have been treating the 2 most prevalent bacteria that showed up on her initial culture but now it's one of the background bacteria causing her to sneeze that doesn't respond to the current antibiotics. The other possibility is that the bacteria we have been trying to treat has stopped responding to the antibiotics. She gave the name of thr bacteria but I don't remember what it was. It started with c and had a lot of syllables. If this is the case then we are quite limited in our options. The vet said the antibiotics used to treat it are famously hard on guinea pigs. There is an injectable medicine that we may have to try, but she will have to read up on it's use in pigs.

Despite this, Duck seems to be enjoying life. She's eating hay and wheeks for veggies, but is very picky about what she will accept. Her activity levels are normal. She absolutely hates her antibiotics and whimpers to let me know it before she pushes my hand away. Hoping for some good news from this culture.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Sat May 06, 2023 10:07 pm


Did you bring up the possibility of nebulizing? Gentamycin is in a class that will treat some bacteria safely when nebulized that the oral antibiotics we usually turn to cannot.

beefyduck

Post   » Sat May 06, 2023 10:30 pm


I did ask about nebulizing and the vet said she didn't see a nebulizing treatment being helpful. She said certain medications just aren't absorbed well this way because they require lipids for absorption. She didn't tell me the name of the possible new antibiotic, but I guess it isn't a good candidate for nebulizing. I will be sure to do my research when I get a confirmation of which antibiotic we will be trying next.

beefyduck

Post   » Fri May 12, 2023 6:53 pm


Hi everyone I am seeking advice today.

I have a hard time trusting that my vet isn't just trying to make as much money off of me as possible, but I do recognize that the animal hospital has amazing capabilities and she is very competent, so I continue going to her.

Last week we had an appointment where she took an additional culture to identify what is making duck sneeze and what antibiotic she should be on, since baytril and azythromycin seemed to have stopped showing improvements. I emailed her today asking for the results and she said she would call me in the next few days to discuss the results. We have another appointment with her scheduled for this Sunday. I was under the impression that duck would already be on her new treatment by then and that this appointment would be to see how she is doing on it. I asked if I could cancel since Duck's condition has neither improved nor worsened as of today and was still on the same antibiotics. The vet asked that I keep the appointment so she could see Duck's progress and also discuss the culture results and new treatment plan with me at that time. To me, it seems like a pointless follow up because duck is on the same treatment plan that hasn't shown additional improvements after 3 weeks and so there is nothing really to report.

I can't afford to be going to the vet every week and this visit seems kind of pointless to me? I already told her in the email that duck is the same, and I dont understand why she can't call me with what the culture came back with and what the new treatment is instead of making me pay $160 on this appointment. But maybe I am overlooking something? I would pay for this visit in a heartbeat if I knew duck needed it. But it doesn't sit well with me that she is making me come to the appointment to found out the results of a test i had already paid for. this seems like a cashgrab to me and unnecessary stress for poor duck. I just wanted to know people's thoughts on if this follow up is worth going to?

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Fri May 12, 2023 7:39 pm


It sounds like she still intends to call you with the results? Perhaps you can tactfully have her prescribe whatever medication changes she intends to make so indeed, you both could see how the new antibiotic(s) work and hold off on the Sunday visit for a while?

I can say, as an economical person myself, I personally would bring up the hardship of costs and that I would try to limit visits to absolutely necessary ones.

There is no doubt paying for veterinary care can be a challenge for many people -- veterinarians have to work around that.

So, figure out what you feel is reasonable and try to present that as tactfully as possible.

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