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Dottie was hooting last night

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Guinea pigs <3

Guinea pigs <3

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Hello, me again!

Last night Dottie woke me making a very strange noise (around 3.30am). I went in the front room to see what it was, I picked her up and she was fine, juts like her normal self, and the noise stopped.

So, as soon as i got in from work today i started investigating. I've decided the noise was definitely hooting, like this [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzS8G3Gh_nI[/ame]

Now i've read through various posts on here and googled hooting in guinea pigs. Lots of people have mentioned it could be heart problems :( i'm trying not to panic as she doesn't have any of the symptoms mentioned here:
http://www.guinealynx.info/heart.html#signs

I've listened to her chest, she is not wheezing, it sounds just like Mabels. She doesn't have any discharge coming from her nose. She is eating, peeing, pooping, popcorning, wheeking - acting like normal. I must mention that I have heard her make this noise once before (i think around January time) but I haven't heard it any other time.

I've read that it can be down to allergies and i guess the pollen count has been quite high recently. They are on fleece but I guess they get dust from the hay despite it being dust free.

Should I take her to the vets or keep a close eye? I really hope she's ok *trying not to worry :{"
 
Oh, also i've weighed her again tonight. She has put on some weight since Saturday (although she had just eaten a hefty amount of veg!) So far no more hooting tonight...
 
Please have her checked for a build up of water on or around her lungs by a vet. Sudden weight gain in conjunction with hooting can point to heart problems. If there is nothing then at least you can be easy again.
 
Take her to the vets and the vet will check for any irregularities in her heartbeat. The thing about heart pigs that if left untreated it's not even a case of they go downhill quickly - they can pass away so suddenly.

I don't mean to scare you but at best it will be nothing, at worst she might require some medication - better to be safe than sorry.
 
Thanks for getting back to me. Will call the vets first thing tomorrow. I am at work all day but will book an appointment for as soon as i get back. Will let you know the outcome :)
 
Have an appointment for the vet at 6, will let you know what they say. Good vibes please (i just hope they are cavy savy)
 
Awwwww hope little Dottie is okay fingers crossed for her x
 
Update on Dottie

Just got back from the vets. I was pleased to see in the waiting room that they had a guinea pig health board with various health conditions that piggies may get.

The vet had never heard of hooting rolleyes , we tried to get up the video from youtube (as posted earlier) but there was no sound on the computer...she said she'd watch it later at home so hopefully i've taught her something :{

She had a listen to her chest and said she could definitely hear wheezing. It's not pneumonia so hopefully I have caught it early. She had an injection of baytril (and squealed the vets down :() and has been put on a dose of 2.5% 0.25ml twice a day for 5 days. She listened to her heart beat and said there was nothing irregular or anything to worry about, but she commented that because piggies hearts beat so quickly it is difficult to detect a murmur just be listening. She recommended that if after this I continue to hear hooting they do have an ultrasound machine at one of their other practices so they could perform this if needs be.

So for now i'm going with the baytril and will keep a close eye on her with regular weigh ins. She was such a good girl and let the vet fully examine her without complaining :) and i also got a thumbs up from the vet who commented that I was a very knowledgeable owner and apart from the wheeze Dottie is in excellent condition :)

Lets hope my Dot Dot gets better soon, she is such a wonderful little piggie x)
 
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Oh, ps, I mentioned I was only so knowledgeable because i'm part of a wonderful guinea pig forum with people who have amazing knowledge on piggies!
 
If your piggie has a had heart problem she needs furosemaide (and fortekor)...not baytril.

Please get ths following info to your vet pronto from guinea lynx (I had the same "education problem" with my vet before they would take a heart problem seriously)

http://www.guinealynx.info/heart.html


(My exotics vet now absolutely adores guinea lynx and says it is one of the best websites going for exotics)

With the right treatment...your piggie has many happy piggie years ahead of them

HTH
x
 
Pebble said:
If your piggie has a had heart problem she needs furosemaide (and fortekor)...not baytril.

Please get ths following info to your vet pronto from guinea lynx (I had the same "education problem" with my vet before they would take a heart problem seriously)

http://www.guinealynx.info/heart.html


(My exotics vet now absolutely adores guinea lynx and says it is one of the best websites going for exotics)

With the right treatment...your piggie has many happy piggie years ahead of them

HTH
x
Click to expand...

Hey, well i discussed the possibility of a heart problem with her and she doesn't think there is a problem with her heart :{ she did listen to it and said it was definitely a regular heart beat. She just reported that she could hear wheezing when she listened to her chest (and Dottie coughed whilst there), hence why she has been given Baytril. As mentioned above the vet has recommended that after her course of Baytril if i still hear her hooting then she can do an x-ray to check the heart...

I often use guinea lynx and have read up about heart conditions, Dottie isn't exhibiting any of the other symptoms apart from the hooting (which I have not heard since Monday evening). Is there a possibility that she could have been hooting due to having her chest infection? I will of course still listen out for it but if it completely stops then i will assume it was due to this. If i hear it again then back to the vets i will go armed with masses of info!

Ps, this vet trip cost me £77, just wondering if it would be a good idea to get pet insurance. Does anyone have it or can recommend a good one suitable for piggies? Thank you and I hope I am doing the right thing! :)
 
Pebble said:
If your piggie has a had heart problem she needs furosemaide (and fortekor)...not baytril.

Please get ths following info to your vet pronto from guinea lynx (I had the same "education problem" with my vet before they would take a heart problem seriously)

http://www.guinealynx.info/heart.html


(My exotics vet now absolutely adores guinea lynx and says it is one of the best websites going for exotics)

With the right treatment...your piggie has many happy piggie years ahead of them

HTH
x
Click to expand...

Hey, well i discussed the possibility of a heart problem with her and she doesn't think there is a problem with her heart :{ she did listen to it and said it was definitely a regular heart beat. She just reported that she could hear wheezing when she listened to her chest (and Dottie coughed whilst there), hence why she has been given Baytril. As mentioned above the vet has recommended that after her course of Baytril if i still hear her hooting then she can do an x-ray to check the heart...

I often use guinea lynx and have read up about heart conditions, Dottie isn't exhibiting any of the other symptoms apart from the hooting (which I have not heard since Monday evening). Is there a possibility that she could have been hooting due to having her chest infection? I will of course still listen out for it but if it completely stops then i will assume it was due to this. If i hear it again then back to the vets i will go armed with masses of info!

Ps, this vet trip cost me £77, just wondering if it would be a good idea to get pet insurance. Does anyone have it or can recommend a good one suitable for piggies? Thank you and I hope I am doing the right thing! :)
 
pps, might be a silly question but I forgot to check with the vet - is there any chance that the bacteria could go from Dottie to Mabel?
 
Thanks for clarifying what the vet said which obviously justifies why the baytril was given. Hopefully it is just a URI and the baytril will clear everything up and you won;t need to have an Xray n the future.

Sometimes if a piggie has a very wheezy chest and the infection is deep down in the lungs, fluid can accumulate in a similar way to that in a heart condition. Some vets treat pneumonia (lower respiratory tract infection) in piggies with a short course of the diuretic furoseamide as well as an antibioitic in order to get rid of fluid in the lungs and give the antibioitic a better chance to work.

If it is a bacterial infection, then there is a chance it could spread to Mabel if she is in the same cage. Plenty of extra Vit C should help her resist an infection...and keep an ear open for nasal discharge/whistling lungs when you put your ear to her side.

Hooting can be a symptom of respiratory infection and it can also be a symptom of allergy (my Bailey hoots when he has been in close contact with anything that has been treated with fabric conditioner)

As for pet insruance, I have only found one company offering insurance for piggies and the premiums are pretty hefty when you consider what is actually covered....(I did a quote online and was looking at an annual premium of approx £750 for 15 piggies !). You might prefer to consider putting aside a sum of money each month into a vet fund.

Paws all crossed

x
 
Pebble said:
Thanks for clarifying what the vet said which obviously justifies why the baytril was given. Hopefully it is just a URI and the baytril will clear everything up and you won;t need to have an Xray n the future.

Sometimes if a piggie has a very wheezy chest and the infection is deep down in the lungs, fluid can accumulate in a similar way to that in a heart condition. Some vets treat pneumonia (lower respiratory tract infection) in piggies with a short course of the diuretic furoseamide as well as an antibioitic in order to get rid of fluid in the lungs and give the antibioitic a better chance to work.

If it is a bacterial infection, then there is a chance it could spread to Mabel if she is in the same cage. Plenty of extra Vit C should help her resist an infection...and keep an ear open for nasal discharge/whistling lungs when you put your ear to her side.

Hooting can be a symptom of respiratory infection and it can also be a symptom of allergy (my Bailey hoots when he has been in close contact with anything that has been treated with fabric conditioner)

As for pet insruance, I have only found one company offering insurance for piggies and the premiums are pretty hefty when you consider what is actually covered....(I did a quote online and was looking at an annual premium of approx £750 for 15 piggies !). You might prefer to consider putting aside a sum of money each month into a vet fund.

Paws all crossed

x
Click to expand...

Ah, thanks for all the advice Pebble, really do appreciate it. Piggies can cause quite a lot of worry! I haven't slept properly for the last few nights worrying about her rolleyes they become such a part of your life you do end up viewing them like your children :))

The vet said that it definitely hadn't progressed to pneumonia and she didn't have any fluid on her lungs, just a slight wheeze (phew) so hopefully it has been caught in time...but this still makes me concerned that she was hooting! I don't use fabric conditioner on the vet bed as it stops the urine from wicking down to the bottom, but I guess it could be an allergy to the hay/pollen .
I'll be extra vigilant with changing fleece etc in the cage and i'll give them some extra veggies high in vit c. Will keep an eye on little Mabel for any signs.

I think from now on i'll start to keep a vet fund, it's a good idea! She has been a bit quiet tonight, just wondering if the baytril has any side effects or could it make her feel a bit off? She's eating plenty and drinking, pooping and peeing. I guess her little body is fighting an infection though so she might just be feeling a bit groggy?

Thanks so much again, my mind is a bit more at ease - for now!
 
hiyah, i put away each month too, at the moment i am putting away £60 a month for 2 dogs and 2 guineas, probs nowhere near enough, but for now it will have to do.

Hope Dottie is ok today xx
 
doglovinpiggylover said:
hiyah, i put away each month too, at the moment i am putting away £60 a month for 2 dogs and 2 guineas, probs nowhere near enough, but for now it will have to do.

Hope Dottie is ok today xx
Click to expand...

Aw thanks! She's a bit quiet but eating her veggies and wheeking for them so that's a good sign! £60 a month is good, hopefully none of them will get poorly and if they do by then you'll have enough or at least it will make a big dent in the bill :) thanks for asking about Dot Dot x
 
How's Dottie ? xx>>>xx>>>xx>>>xx>>>

I have seen a few of our experienced people talk about furosemide / fortekor before i hope your vet will consider looking at these drugs :)
 
Hi Glynis :)

Thanks for asking about Dottie! She's doing great:), she finishes her last lot of Baytril on Monday. There has been no more coughing or hooting, and she's wheeking louder than i've ever heard her do before :)) so all in all I think she's good (for now!)

She's been such a brilliant piggie with taking the baytril. I can only imagine how disgusting it must taste but she lets me squeeze it into her mouth without too much struggling. Maybe she has learnt she always gets a reward after i do it! :))

Hope you and your piggles are well xx>>>
 
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