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Crackling breathing

Tani

Tani

Junior Guinea Pig
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Good morning,

Been a very long time since I posted on the forum.
I have a piggy called Dolly - she’s a Himalayan and just over 5years old.

Dolly suffers from general bloating and almost died last year but luckily with hours of massaging and tapping her belly and medicine to reduce the fluid and other meds, she came through.

Now since then, she gets very crackly breathing. It’s really loud. I’ve taken her to the vets numerous times - she’s had the usual antibiotics but she doesn’t have a cold and they say her chest sounds fine ie so it’s not an URI .
It comes and goes and the last vet we saw gave me some Bisolvon powder to try saying it could be due to bronchial mucus and that would help her get rid of it. Tried it the last few days since she got bad again but it’s not really doing anything so it can’t be that?
Generally she is eating and acting normally and it’s been going on for well over a year - if not longer.

Has anyone any other ideas of what it could be? She’s on fleece bedding so it’s not dust causing it. The other pigs don’t have the same problem.

Thank you
 
Hi Vicki!

They checked it all and said they couldn’t hear anything wrong with them. Not diacusssd nebuliser though. They don’t seem to know more than me about Guinea pigs and the only exotic vet in the area which my sister takes her tortoise and parrots to, aren’t great with guinea pigs apparently 😒

So I’m stumped. Any ideas what it might be at all?
The last few days she has started to make a noise when pooping as well but not seen any blood or unusual stools.
 
I agree with Vicki about trying a nebuliser. You could also try a steam inhaler first to see if that makes a difference. Just a drop of Olbas oil in some hot water next to the cage or take her in the bathroom when it is steamy. I had 2 with narrowed airways and it did help. I have also had pigs with heart issues though too so best to get that ruled out if the steam or nebulising does not help. A conscious xray would be be an idea to check if the heart is enlarged or if there is any fluid that is not detectable by stethoscope.
 
Ok great, thank you. I will call and ask them about a conscious xray to see if they can do this and what to look out for.
Will try the steam inhaler first though with some olbas oil. How far away from the bowl should i have her so it doesn't burn her?
 
You could place it next to the cage to start with. I have in the past used a steam inhaler from Boots and I waited for the heat to die down a bit and then held over the nose in 5 second bursts. I always tested it on myself first though. We had a pig with pneumonia and it helped get him through it alongside his meds.
 
Ah thank you. They aren’t caged so she moved around a lot, ha ha. But I will sit with her tonight on my lap and do it.

If she has narrowed airways and this does work ... then would it be a mucus issue causing it? Or just something natural to her?
 
It could be either. My Tim did not have mucous but had narrowed airways.
 
Ok. Did you find a permanent solution for this or just regular nebuliser use?

Will update here anyway once I have tried it. Often wonder if it’s an allergy to some food or something as it comes and goes.
 
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