Congested/Croaky/Groggy Noise

[Peaches3]

Hi! I've been noticing a number of piggy owners writing threads about an unusual sound that guinea pigs make but didn't quite get a response. It sounds like a congested/croaky/groggy sound (or at least that's how I'd describe it). I'm hoping that this post would answer the question to those of you experiencing the same problem!
Well anyways, my guinea pig, Peaches has been making this noise for about 2 weeks now. We got her to an ordinary vet as the exotic vet wasn't in. When the vet checked Peaches, she found that she was perfectly fine. The croaking noise kept coming and going and we stopped worrying too much about it since she was eating well and went about her day as usual.
However, last night, I noticed that the croaking got louder, she seemed lethargic and her food and drinking water were almost untouched, which is very unusual behaviour from Peaches. We decided to take her out and observe her activity. Oddly enough, all she did was just puff out her coat and stare at us. Normally, she'd be running about, always up to something. We knew something was up and went to the vet this morning.
We finally got to see the guinea pig vet and turns out, her lymph nodes were swollen and she had a fever! The vet prescribed some multivitamins and some cough mixture mixed with antibiotics to be fed by syringe.
From this experience, I feel the need to stress that if you notice any weird sound from your piggies, please please please see an exotic vet as soon as possible. I suppose waiting a day or two wouldn't hurt (depending on the urgency!) but as soon as you can get hold of a vet who treats guinea pigs. I also hope that this post answers your questions about this mysterious noise!

 

[Wiebke]

Hi! I've been noticing a number of piggy owners writing threads about an unusual sound that guinea pigs make but didn't quite get a response. It sounds like a congested/croaky/groggy sound (or at least that's how I'd describe it). I'm hoping that this post would answer the question to those of you experiencing the same problem!
Well anyways, my guinea pig, Peaches has been making this noise for about 2 weeks now. We got her to an ordinary vet as the exotic vet wasn't in. When the vet checked Peaches, she found that she was perfectly fine. The croaking noise kept coming and going and we stopped worrying too much about it since she was eating well and went about her day as usual.
However, last night, I noticed that the croaking got louder, she seemed lethargic and her food and drinking water were almost untouched, which is very unusual behaviour from Peaches. We decided to take her out and observe her activity. Oddly enough, all she did was just puff out her coat and stare at us. Normally, she'd be running about, always up to something. We knew something was up and went to the vet this morning.
We finally got to see the guinea pig vet and turns out, her lymph nodes were swollen and she had a fever! The vet prescribed some multivitamins and some cough mixture mixed with antibiotics to be fed by syringe.
From this experience, I feel the need to stress that if you notice any weird sound from your piggies, please please please see an exotic vet as soon as possible. I suppose waiting a day or two wouldn't hurt (depending on the urgency!) but as soon as you can get hold of a vet who treats guinea pigs. I also hope that this post answers your questions about this mysterious noise!

Hi!

Glad that you did see a vet promptly and could get to the bottom of it. I am very sorry about the diagnosis. Fevers in guinea pigs are actually rare; I hope that you girl is getting over her infection of the lymphatic system/lymph nodes quickly. Any swelling of lymph nodes/lumps need to be vet checked promptly as should any sign of your piggy being in pain and losing their appetite.

Please be aware that there are unfortunately a very wide range of 'weird noises' we get asked about from time to time. It can range from chirping to rumbling, grumbling, grunting and other expressions of pain, submission or pain squeaking (and mistaking one for the other), respiratory noises of all sorts, displeasure snorting, purring, hiccuping and coughing, hoarse wheeking, sow whining when coming into season - the list of what has been labelled 'weird' by people asking us goes on and on...
Not to mention that we often get two very different descriptions of what turns out to be the same issue as words are always filtered through the perception of their owners, who may actually miss the for us significant factor and can easily send us in the wrong direction with their subconscious (mis)interpretation!

Unfortunately we occasionally get waves of threads in the same vein when a particular key question issue comes up in a number of google searches. Recently this has been people googling for 'weird noises' . Sadly we don't operate crsytal balls that can read the posters' minds and see what they actually mean.
There is also not always a straight forward answer in the vein of 'one symptom = one answer' as the current online social media culture that favours short texts and quick hip shot answers leads them to expect. Diagnosis, as any vet will tell you, is often more an exploration with questions to the owner while the vet is weighing up possibilities in their mind before making a decision.

Yours is just one - and rather more unusual - possibility. Please always be careful when posting your personal experience as the ultimate solution.
Without hearing the sound your piggy is making I would personally not even start to comment on it apart from asking the poster for a video so I can judge the absolutely crucial context of body language, social interaction, situational context, checking for potential pain/respiratory issues etc. All we can ask the poster in that situation is to please give us an unfiltered clue with preferably some more background information or recommend that see a vet if there is the least suspicion of illness.

From the context of your diagnosis I can only assume that the noise you are describing in your post is actually an expression of pain and not so much that of a respiratory issue, as which many people would initially class it as.

Wishing your poorly girl a good and successful recovery!