sick guinea pig, coughing/sneezing

[flowerchicks]

Hi, I have 2 little piggies that are about 10 months old. I got them both from our local feed store when they were about 8 weeks old. About 2 weeks after I got them, Gandolf got an abscess under his chin and Frodo started sneezing and had crusty eyes and nose. I took them both to the vet (specialized in small animals) and they were put on 2 different antibiotics. They were both better in 2 weeks and haven't shown any symptoms of anything until now. Frodo started coughing/sneezing (it's hard to tell what he is doing) about 3 days ago. I cleaned their cage on Sunday and noticed that Frodo's side of the cage (they are both in a 32" x 64" open cage with a divider down the middle because they were starting to have little scuffles) didn't have much poop in it. I try to sweep up the poops every other day or so and I do a complete cleaning every weekend (we use fleece bedding). I thought it seemed weird, but because I had put an uneven layer of towels under the fleece last weekend, I thought Frodo's poops must have rolled down to Gandolf's side, because he had a lot next to the dividing wire. Well, after cleaning the cage (DH did it and the floor is now level), Frodo still doesn't have much poop on his side. I give them both a leaf of romaine lettuce a day and Frodo hasn't been eating it. I haven't been weighing them like I should, but Frodo only weighs 1lb 9 1/2 oz., Gandolf weighs 2lb 5 oz (he has always been bigger).

Sorry, rambling... anywho... I had some Bactrim left over from his visit to the vet in Feb (it doesn't expire until Nov). I started giving him the Bactim Sunday night, but I was only giving him the dosage he got as a baby 1.5ml, so I upped it yesterday and this morning to 2.5ml, but after researching the dosage vs. weight, I realized I should have been giving him 3.8 ml. So, I gave him that this evening, but then I discovered that Bactrim should NOT be refrigerated, which it has been since Feb.

So, I have probably been giving him medicine that isn't even effective.

I am going to get some "fresh" medicine tomorrow, but I was wondering if anybody as any idea about just HOW ineffective Bactrim becomes when it is refrigerated. I hope it is just less effective and not harmful. Would increasing the dosage a bit be ok?

These are my guys

 

[AinaWGSD]

If you're noticing a decrease in poops and appetite, I would get him back to the vet and have them check his teeth right away. Molar malocclusion is not uncommon in guinea pigs and can be difficult to visualize. But, if his cheek teeth aren't lined up properly, they will develop points which could lacerate his cheek or even entrap his tongue and make it difficult or impossible to swallow. If a guinea pig stops eating, their gut will stop moving and this will kill them if you don't get it going again quickly. The fact that he has fewer stools and isn't interested in his greens is very concerning.