# Still sneezing after a week on antibiotics?



## carcar2110 (Oct 8, 2012)

Hey all! So, I brought Penny into the vet last Tuesday for her sneezing/snot-bubbling, and it was the closest vet to where I was at the time so it was all I could go to. The vet seemed to know enough about hedgehogs, and came to the same conclusion I was told on here - that her sneezing could be a symptom of a URI, and he prescribed her some ChlorPalm to help. It's been a week now, and as far as I can tell, her sneezing isn't going away all that much, if at all, and she just snot bubbled when I was holding her. Is this a sign that it's not working, and should I take her back? Or is this normal and she should be fine? Just curious what you guys have to say on the matter!


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## moxieberry (Nov 30, 2011)

How long did the vet say to have her on the antibiotics? Sometimes the symptoms of something (URI, digestive issue, whatever) will go away before the round of antibiotics is done, sometimes it takes the whole time. If you're supposed to give it for 10 days, I'd say wait and see if it goes away by then. If it gets worse at some point, you should see the vet sooner, but otherwise check with the vet after the antibiotics are done if you're still seeing symptoms, it might require a different antibiotic or a longer period of using it. Snot bubble is definitely a URI.


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## carcar2110 (Oct 8, 2012)

Well... He wasn't all that clear. He said "about a week", which... it's been a week now, really, but from what I've heard you're supposed to give them for ten days, most times, so... I'm not really sure. The vet wasn't really all that certain when he prescribed her the antibiotics, which I didn't like all that much... But I'll give him a call tomorrow, and see what he says. It doesn't seem to be getting *worse*, and actually, as far as I can tell the snot bubbling has gone down drastically (this was the first time I've seen her do it since), so... Maybe it's getting better, just slowly?


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## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

If there hasn't been improvement after that long on the antibiotics, I would stop using them and try another antibiotic. You might be able to run a test to see exactly what bacteria you're working with, to choose a different antibiotic that might be better suited to fight it.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

I'd talk with the vet. She may need a different antibiotic, or it may just be taking time to show improvement. Either way, she will need antibiotic for more than 7 days. For any URI here the antibiotic has been for 10 or 14 days. By 7 days, typically there is improvement but not always. I had a girl years ago that blew yellow snot for 10 days before she stopped.


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## Hillybean (Jun 10, 2010)

I am sure you already know this, but make sure she is warm.  

Back when I had my Flower,I had just got her, and was using a a temp bedding..the bedding which was only used for a day was enough to cause sneezing, and lots of fluid in the nose area. Vet recommended back to my fleece liners, and upping my temps. He gave me an antibiotic for if she didn't improve..but upping the temps and changing back to fleece made a difference. 

Point being sometimes something in the living environment needs changed to help the pet get well. Even if you have it at 75 degrees, maybe upping it a few degrees would help even more.

She liked the high 70's and I had others that liked more in the mid 70's.


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## carcar2110 (Oct 8, 2012)

LizardGirl said:


> If there hasn't been improvement after that long on the antibiotics, I would stop using them and try another antibiotic. You might be able to run a test to see exactly what bacteria you're working with, to choose a different antibiotic that might be better suited to fight it.


I think there has been a bit of improvement, and my friend who was there before she went to the vet and has just seen her for the first time since thinks she's gotten better - I think this might just be a case of me 1) worrying too much, and 2) being around her so much that I'm not noticing the improvement myself. But if it doesn't go away soon, I definitely will look into a different antibiotic 



Nancy said:


> I'd talk with the vet. She may need a different antibiotic, or it may just be taking time to show improvement. Either way, she will need antibiotic for more than 7 days. For any URI here the antibiotic has been for 10 or 14 days. By 7 days, typically there is improvement but not always. I had a girl years ago that blew yellow snot for 10 days before she stopped.


Like I said above, I think this really is just a case of me being around her so much that I'm not seeing the improvement as much, because she definitely is improving, I think I'm just being paranoid. I'll keep her on it for a few more days and hopefully that'll do the trick, but even so, I'll be going back to where the vet I visited before is this Thursday (I'd been visiting my mom back home and it was the vet there that I took her to) so I can definitely talk to him and see what he thinks about it all! She hasn't snot-bubbled since yesterday, so 



Hillybean said:


> I am sure you already know this, but make sure she is warm.
> 
> Back when I had my Flower,I had just got her, and was using a a temp bedding..the bedding which was only used for a day was enough to cause sneezing, and lots of fluid in the nose area. Vet recommended back to my fleece liners, and upping my temps. He gave me an antibiotic for if she didn't improve..but upping the temps and changing back to fleece made a difference.
> 
> ...


Ah yes - we already have the house a lot warmer than we normally keep it, just for her  Though, I'm thinking of moving the heater right beside her cage to ensure that she's staying warm enough 

I honestly think that's what caused this - the bedding at the petstore didn't really seem hedgehog-appropriate, so I've got a feeling that's what caused her to get this URI in the first place. I've got her on fleece liners right now, and I'm hoping that's helping her improve 

So, for the time being, we have a radiant heater that I'll set up a little closer to her, and hopefully that'll help her as well as the antibiotics!


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## Domi (Sep 26, 2012)

Hi, I have a pretty similar problem. 
Week on atb (our vet said 7 days) and now (that 7+10 days after) no bubbles from his nose, but I'm not sure if his nose is normal wet (like a dog's one) or a little bit "runny". 
I've never seen a healthy hedgehog (only on video :lol: ), so I don't know, how it should looks like and how frequently he could licks his nose. 
But no symptoms of URI anymore, still active, eats more and more - it's only me who is scared and forever will be.


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