Guinea Pig Respiratory Infection-please Help!

[kirsten16]

Hey my name is kirsten and I own two young guinea pigs called Coco and Jaffa. On Monday this week I noticed Coco was having trouble breathing (gasping and panting) and at times sounded a bit like a trumpet. I took her to the vet that day and I was told she had asthma as her lungs sounded wheezy but after doing some research I found this was uncommon in guinea pigs. The next day I noticed the same thing in her breathing so I took her to a different vet and I was given a course of antibiotics to give her twice a day for a week as well as some extra antibiotics in case Jaffa also started sounding ill. In some regards Coco seemed well (she was eating) but she did seem a bit more quiet and agitated than usual and I think she may have had a fever. She also started making popping sounds. It has now been 3 days of Coco taking antibiotics and she seems in better spirits-more lively and inquisitive, has an appetite and is breathing better (no more heavy panting although she still sounds slightly wheezy)-however she still makes popping sounds and is sneezing more is this likely just her being blocked up or is something more sinister going on like fluid in her lungs?

Just to add on to this Jaffa my other guinea pig is also now taking antibiotics as she is sneezing quite a bit and has a bit of a runny nose (the pigs have been kept separate since the vet said it was bacterial) and sometimes she also made a few popping sounds however she also still has an appetite.

Any information about what potentially could be going on with my piggies would be much appreciated as I am very worried. My last guinea pig died of Pneumonia (she made very loud popping like sounds) after complications after a surgery and I really don't want the same thing to happen again!

 

[Wiebke]

Hey my name is kirsten and I own two young guinea pigs called Coco and Jaffa. On Monday this week I noticed Coco was having trouble breathing (gasping and panting) and at times sounded a bit like a trumpet. I took her to the vet that day and I was told she had asthma as her lungs sounded wheezy but after doing some research I found this was uncommon in guinea pigs. The next day I noticed the same thing in her breathing so I took her to a different vet and I was given a course of antibiotics to give her twice a day for a week as well as some extra antibiotics in case Jaffa also started sounding ill. In some regards Coco seemed well (she was eating) but she did seem a bit more quiet and agitated than usual and I think she may have had a fever. She also started making popping sounds. It has now been 3 days of Coco taking antibiotics and she seems in better spirits-more lively and inquisitive, has an appetite and is breathing better (no more heavy panting although she still sounds slightly wheezy)-however she still makes popping sounds and is sneezing more is this likely just her being blocked up or is something more sinister going on like fluid in her lungs?

Just to add on to this Jaffa my other guinea pig is also now taking antibiotics as she is sneezing quite a bit and has a bit of a runny nose (the pigs have been kept separate since the vet said it was bacterial) and sometimes she also made a few popping sounds however she also still has an appetite.

Any information about what potentially could be going on with my piggies would be much appreciated as I am very worried. My last guinea pig died of Pneumonia (she made very loud popping like sounds) after complications after a surgery and I really don't want the same thing to happen again!

Hi and welcome!

As both piggies are on medication, they can be kept together, but you need to re-introduce them on neutral ground.
It is increasingly more recognised that it is important to keep small group animals together as much as possible as a medical separation can lead to a bond being broken; in adult piggies is one of the biggest reasons for fall-outs.

Guinea pig airways are very narrow, so your hear every little obstruction; have you help your piggies against your ear to check where the popping sound comes from, from the nose, the throat area or the chest area? As everybody describes noises differently, it is not easy for us determine what expactly is going on just from a description.
if you want to post a video, you need to upload it in a public setting elsewhere (we are a member funded forum and this exceeds our funds considerably). Then copy the link into your post.

Please continue with the whole course of antibiotics. Weigh your piggies daily instead of weekly to monitor the actual food intake. As hay should make over 80% of the daily diet, just watching a piggy eat can sometimes be deceptive. You start stepping in with offering support feeding once a piggy has lost more than 50g/2 oz in a short amount of time or 100g over a longer period. This is very important, as it can make all the difference for keeping a piggy alive until the meds can kick in.
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

You can try to place a bowl of steaming water next to the cages (replace it from time to time) and see whether that eases the breathing.
I would also recommend to check and if necessary change the hay brand, as hay dust can sometimes cause the same symptoms especially if symptoms persist or return quickly after the end of a course of antibiotics. It is however always important that you and your vet eliminate the risk of a respiratory infection, first and foremost, as it can and does kill. You have done right to have them seen promptly, and to see a second vet.
You may want to check whether your piggies have thick, yellowish/greenish mucus in nose and eyes, which is caused by bacteria and can be eased by a mucus thinning product if you speak to your vet. If the snot is persistently watery, then this indicates an irritation in the nose and would point rather to a problem with the environment.

Since we have members from all over the world, we find it very helpful if you please added your country, state/province or UK county to your details, so we can tailor any advice and recommendations to what is available and relevant where you are straight away and do not have to keep things as general as possible. Click on your username on the top bar, then go to personal details and scroll down to location. This makes it appear with every post you make. Thank you!

We have got a recommended Uk vets locator on the top bar. Guinea Pig Vet Locator
Here is a link to recommended vets in some other countries: Guinea Lynx :: GL's Vet List

 

[kirsten16]

Hi and welcome!

As both piggies are on medication, they can be kept together, but you need to re-introduce them on neutral ground.
It is increasingly more recognised that it is important to keep small group animals together as much as possible as a medical separation can lead to a bond being broken; in adult piggies is one of the biggest reasons for fall-outs.

Guinea pig airways are very narrow, so your hear every little obstruction; have you help your piggies against your ear to check where the popping sound comes from, from the nose, the throat area or the chest area? As everybody describes noises differently, it is not easy for us determine what expactly is going on just from a description.
if you want to post a video, you need to upload it in a public setting elsewhere (we are a member funded forum and this exceeds our funds considerably). Then copy the link into your post.

Please continue with the whole course of antibiotics. Weigh your piggies daily instead of weekly to monitor the actual food intake. As hay should make over 80% of the daily diet, just watching a piggy eat can sometimes be deceptive. You start stepping in with offering support feeding once a piggy has lost more than 50g/2 oz in a short amount of time or 100g over a longer period. This is very important, as it can make all the difference for keeping a piggy alive until the meds can kick in.
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

You can try to place a bowl of steaming water next to the cages (replace it from time to time) and see whether that eases the breathing.
I would also recommend to check and if necessary change the hay brand, as hay dust can sometimes cause the same symptoms especially if symptoms persist or return quickly after the end of a course of antibiotics. It is however always important that you and your vet eliminate the risk of a respiratory infection, first and foremost, as it can and does kill. You have done right to have them seen promptly, and to see a second vet.
You may want to check whether your piggies have thick, yellowish/greenish mucus in nose and eyes, which is caused by bacteria and can be eased by a mucus thinning product if you speak to your vet. If the snot is persistently watery, then this indicates an irritation in the nose and would point rather to a problem with the environment.

Since we have members from all over the world, we find it very helpful if you please added your country, state/province or UK county to your details, so we can tailor any advice and recommendations to what is available and relevant where you are straight away and do not have to keep things as general as possible. Click on your username on the top bar, then go to personal details and scroll down to location. This makes it appear with every post you make. Thank you!

We have got a recommended Uk vets locator on the top bar. Guinea Pig Vet Locator
Here is a link to recommended vets in some other countries: Guinea Lynx :: GL's Vet List

Thankyou so much for your help I will get on to those things right away and report back

 

[kirsten16]

I have suspected hay allergies for both pigs before as they do sneeze a bit. I've been looking for Timothy hay because I've heard this is good for pigs who are sensitive to regular hay but I haven't been able to find any here in western Australia. They both have clear eyes and their runny noses are clear fluid. I'm still trying to determine where the popping sound is coming from. I think Coco may have gotten sick from the cold as the weather here is still chilly but I think she has a pre-disposition to be irritated by hay.

 

[sport_billy]

Welcome to the forum! I can't add to the advice above but wanted to say welcome

 

[Betsy]

to our friendly and sometimes crazy forum! We have the answers to a lot of questions here. No question is too silly to ask! If you don't know you need to find out! What I like most about this forum is you are not talked down to or made to feel small just because you don't know about something others may think is obvious. Everybody is treated with respect here. What we all have in common is our love of guinea pigs and we all want to do the best by them.