• Discussions taking place within this forum are intended for the purpose of assisting you in discussing options with your vet. Any other use of advice given here is done so at your risk, is solely your responsibility and not that of this forum or its owner. Before posting it is your responsibility you abide by this Statement

Cough And Dribbling Dark Yellow Gunk

Status
Not open for further replies.
ShelbyD

ShelbyD

New Born Pup
Joined
Dec 4, 2015
Messages
10
Reaction score
3
Points
45
Location
Peterborough, UK
Hello all,

I have only just found this site after googling symptoms for guinea pigs. I have 3 lovely guinea pigs called Coco, Coffee and Floss.
They have recently come indoors to live with us as the weather has been very stormy lately and I was worried about them.
Today I noticed Coco was coughing as though she was trying to cough something up and pawing at her mouth. She is also chewing on something although she has not eaten anything. She doesn't seem her normal self, she is trying to eat but not as much as normal but is very withdrawn and looking depressed just sitting in the same corner. She is now dribbling lots of dark yellowy stuff. I looked in her mouth as she is tame and I'm not sure what guinea pig teeth are meant to look like but she has two sharp teeth at the back of roof of mouth in middle, is this normal?

I did take her to the vet this afternoon but he couldn't see due to the amount of gunk in her mouth. She is due to go back in for sedation and to check the teeth on Monday. Whilst bringing her home I noticed a lump in her throat, is that normal too?

I'm worried about leaving her over the weekend, the dribbling is worse and she's breathing funny, raspy.

Does anyone have any idea what this could be, I'm so worried and hate to see her in pain
 
Where are you based ?
Are you happy to add your location to your profile ? We have members from all over the world and it is really helpful to know whether you are based in the UK/US – or elsewhere.

Here is a link to help you do this …

https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk...cation-and-creating-an-avatar-picture.107444/

I am not a health and illness guru - but can tell you that leaving a guinea pig in this condition is not advisable . I think you need to get a second opinion. Can you please make enquiries to see if there is a vet that has experience in looking after guinea pigs in your vicinity .
 
Thankyou for your reply. I didn't feel like it was best to leave her that's why i posted as I was very worried. I am based in th UK in Peterborough. I will update my info now.

Thank you
 
@ShelbyD Hi there, can you get to Bourne Lincolnshire at all? The best piggy vet nearest to you is Sarah Pellett at Animates, Thurlby, near Bourne Please ring in the morning first thing & ask specifically for her, the number is 01778 420 462. She has an Exotics vet hospital which is only about 16 miles from you. Please ask for an appointment as a matter of urgency, they are open until 12 pm.
 
Last edited:
Welcome to the forum. I agree with the others that she needs to be seen as soon as possible, ideally by Sarah in the morning though if her condition gets worse tonight you will need to call the emergency vet.
 
I would also usually suggest hand feeding, and will post our guide below in case, but I am worried about her breathing. It sounds like she may have fluid on her chest if her breathing is raspy, in which case she would need a diuretic, but it could be the gunk from her mouth. Do her incisors look slanted at all?

Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
 
agree with the others. vets need to empty the mouth of guinea pigs first to beable to properly check the teeth, so mention this to the emergency vet if you end up there and they say the same as the vet you saw. they use an instrument that looks like a type of syringe with curved spout and use water in it to flush the contents of the mouth out before checking the teeth. they hold the piggy in a tipped forward position - looks weird but is safe :)

i hope you get to see sarah. she used to work at our vets and she's very very good. good luck x
 
How's coco this morning - what did the vet say?
Healing vibes &speedy recover xx
 
I've been checking on Coco all night and early hours. The cough is now gone as well as the dribbling and she seems brighter and eating more this morning. All she has now is a runny nose. Could it have been a cold and phlegm maybe?
I promised myself that if she was no better by this morning I would ring the vet in Bourne immediately. But she has definitely improved! I will still book an appointment to check out that lump though and to check to see it was definitely a cold, just to be on the safe side.

Thankyou all for your advice and well wishes. I do worry, they are so fragile when unwell.
 
Hi Shelby, guinea pigs don't get colds, they get respiratory infections that can quickly become very serious. If she has a runny nose that is not normal for a guinea pig so I recommend you still get her checked out asap.
 
I did not realise that. I will get her checked out ASAP then as I would rather not risk it becoming serious. I thought because she was herself again and brighter maybe we were ok. Better to be safe then sorry
 
Well if she is eating & not dribbling & not losing weight then it might not be urgent, you could probably wait til Monday, but keep her indoors & warm & weigh her regularly just in case. You need to get that lump checked soon though x
 
I agree with Poppy's Mum - keep an eye on her . I would definitely be looking at getting her an appointment on Monday if I were you.
 
She was penciled in to be seen Monday for check and possible sedation to check teeth. I will keep the appointment and go through everything with the vet. I've kept her comfortable and warm over the last few days and she was given a powder to be diluted in water to be syringe fed which I have done.
I am wondering whether it's an allergic reaction to something. I have only recently brought the piggies indoors and I went to purchase a very large indoor cage which came with an trial pack of litter bedding. I mixed it under the sawdust as it said chemical free I thought it would be harmless. But today whilst giving Coco a cuddle just now I noticed patches of baldness on her underneath. Now I'm wondering whether she's had an allergic reaction. I've just immediately changed the bedding for what they had before just incase. The other guineas are ok, no bald patches or illness, maybe it just didn't agree with Coco.
I'll see how she gets on now I've cleaned the bedding of it
 
Possibly but that wouldn't cause a lump :( However an abscess/tumour etc might possibly affect her nasal passages/chest so a definite check up is required. I trust Sarah completely, she might want to do a quick x ray after she's given a whiff if gas & check her over thoroughly. Please be sure to describe the dribbling/choking that was happening too.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top