Dylan has lost his voice..?!

[Pigalig]

So my little Dyl has been the mystery of all mysteries health wise for me, my local rodentologist and 2 or 3 different vet surguries also..! Wheezing since 6 weeks old but only when he's resting, lumps that disappeared, skinny as a rake but eats like a horse, high calcium levels and possible non-regenerative anaemia. The list goes on... He's had every test under the sun and it's got to the point of running out of routes to go down.

But the recent oddity is that he's lost his voice?! Since staying with a rodentologist and their 15 resident piggies when a large lump was found in his abdomen, he has learnt to wheek like there is no tomorrow every time a human comes near incase there is an incling of a chance veggies are on their way. This is now daily routine for Dylan, and he has quite the voice usually, but over the last few days all that comes out is what sounds like a punctured tyre, hissing away.

He's actually less wheezy than he's been known to be (he's only ever like that when he's settled down and resting - almost like a snore) but I've not even heard that for a while. Nice silent breathing when i hold him up to me, clean nose. No voice.

Any ideas? Is it possible he has just squeaked himself hoarse? If he has any more unanswerable medical issues he should have a journal written about him..!

Thanks

 

[Abi_nurse]

Ive had piggies loose there voice randomly.

But...

from what you have describe as previous problems, has your vet(s) tested for thyroid disease? Its becoming increasingly more common occurance in guinea pigs.

x.

 

[Pigalig]

Do you know what tests they do for that? I don't think they have unless its been incorporated in one he's already had. Which symptoms do you think suggest thyroid disease?

 

[Abi_nurse]

I dont know a huge amount about it, but new research is starting to shed light on more and more pigs having it. Ive had a bit of a read around.

Signs usually include:

- excessive eating (hard to tell with a piggie)
- weight loss or underweight
- sometimes hair loss over the flanks
- a palpable thyroid glad (this means you can feel a lump under the neck area this is where our adams apple is in relation to pigs)
- fast heart rate
- there may be some calcium changes i think in the blood if the parathyroid (the glad next to the thryroid gland) is effected

Diagnoses:

- a blood sample to check the thyroxine levels in the blood
- a direct sample from the thyroid
- advance imaging such as scintigraphy or MRI or CT scanning to image the thyroid

Treatment:

- medication for life
- surgery to remove the thyroid gland
- iodine therapy - only rarely used in cats, not much knowledge on it with pigs

Not suggesting for sure your piggie has hyperthyroidism, but its worth looking into or suggesting it to your vet.

x.