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Heart / Hereditory Breathing Conditions

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Drezella

Drezella

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Does anyone know of any heart or hereditary conditions that can effect a piggy's breathing?

I took my Rohan to the vets last week and he had a thorough check up. He has no fluid on the lungs and no infection. He's not impacted and the vet said is in good health. However, his breathing still seems erratic. He's eating, drinking and going to the toilet as normal and seems happy in his everyday self. But I'm just wondering if there is something wrong with his heart as you can see in the videos below it really is pounding at times even when he isn't stressed. It has been very warm these past few days which seems to have aggravated his breathing a little, so I'm doing my best to keep the room cool and aerated.

The vet did mention that his airways and/or larynx could be closed slightly but that there was nothing that they could do if they did begin to close as they can't perform surgery of this type on a piggy as they're just too small.

I'm just wondering whether anyone has any knowledge of heart conditions or problems that can effect piggies and if so, whether they have any care tips/advice. He is in good health at the moment and I'm keeping a close eye on him, but i'm just a bit worried as his breathing isn't normal compared to Paddy's.

Watch his sides as he breathes

Watch his nostrils and mouth as he breathes

Thanks in advance.
 
Must admit I did think he was nodding a bit when I saw your video on Facebook. The warm weather can affect their breathing. I would suggest a conscious xray if your vet will agree to it to see if the heart is enlarged or if there is any fluid. Here are some of the other heart pig symptoms

Recurring respiratory infections
Laboured or rapid breathing
Bumblefoot
Blue tinge to nose and ears
Abdominal bloating
Failure to gain weight
Difficult to rouse from sleep
Pea eye
Hooting, sometimes followed by a cough

If a heart issue is diagnosed don't panic though as it can be treated with the right medication, usually and ACE inhibator like Benazapril plus diuretic when needed. Sometimes Vetmedin is added in too. Any questions just shout. I have 5 heart pigs at the moment.
 
Just an update:

I took Rohan back to the vets today as he's no better. He's been a bit lethargic, quiet and just not his usual self. He's still eating, drinking and pooing as normal. Although his poos have changed slightly in the past few days, they're slightly stickier and thinner than normal. He has also lost a bit of weight. Ive informed the vet of this.

She listened to his heart and lungs again, checked his nose, abdominal area and teeth.

We're still unsure what's wrong. When she looked in his mouth she said she caught a glimpse of his back teeth which looked like they could be longer than they should be, but it was hard to tell as he had a mouth full of food and was fighting against her. She said that he also grinded his teeth a lot and the clicking could be due to this but she wasn't 100% sure.

We also discussed the possibility of his having a respiratory infection.

We've decided to try him on antibiotics and a probiotic for a week to see whether it is a respiratory infection of any kind. He's go to go back next Monday. If there's no improvement then she recommended having him sedated so that she can check his mouth fully to rule out any dental problems. But she said it if is his teeth then he'll have to go to a specialist cavy vet as they don't know enough at my local centre to treat them.

So he's on 0.9ml of Baytril via syringe everyday for the next week and has Bio-Lapis pro-biotics to help reduce diarhea.

Eek I'm not looking forward to giving him his meds tomorrow morning.

My poor baby, I just hope he's back to his usual chilled self soon.

Any advice on pro-biotics or giving syringe meds is greatly appreciated if anyone has any :D
 
Was she certain it's not his heart? it's just that if there is any suspicion of it being heart related he should not be sedated ideally.
 
helen105281 said:
Was she certain it's not his heart? it's just that if there is any suspicion of it being heart related he should not be sedated ideally.
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I don't think she knew what it was. She did listen his heart with the stethoscope and said that his breathing was faster than normal. But that's all she said.
 
Drezella said:
I don't think she knew what it was. She did listen his heart with the stethoscope and said that his breathing was faster than normal. But that's all she said.
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She didn't detect an irregular heartbeat?
 
helen105281 said:
She didn't detect an irregular heartbeat?
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I'm not sure. She just said we should try to rule out any infections first before doing anything invasive. She's not a specialist vet so she said that she'd refer me to a specialist if he's got any dental or heart issues. I'm taking him for a follow up appointment in a week.
 
Please dont allow the vet to sedate him until a heart issue is ruled out.. This could have fatal consequences!

My fudge was like this, exactly like rohan. She had the uri treatment (twice), nebulisers, teeth checked consciously (i refused sedation as i queried heart), bloods... I finally took her to a specialist, who agreed it could be a heart issue. Her heart sounded regular and strong, her lungs sounded clear.. One concious xray and it was clear- she was in heart failure! Heart enlarged, chest full of fluid.. Fudge is on heart meds and a ridiculous amount of diuretics, was given a week to live and is still here coming on a year later. Shes been ill with a seperate issue this week, shes 7.5 years old so cant expect anything less.. But her heart is still doing well.

I must admit, at her worst, before fudge was on diuretics.. Her breathing wasnt as heavy as rohans is. If no improvement after 3 days of antib's, id push for a conscious xray. It doesnt harm him and will give you answers.

All the best for Rohan xx
 
Adelle said:
Please dont allow the vet to sedate him until a heart issue is ruled out.. This could have fatal consequences!

My fudge was like this, exactly like rohan. She had the uri treatment (twice), nebulisers, teeth checked consciously (i refused sedation as i queried heart), bloods... I finally took her to a specialist, who agreed it could be a heart issue. Her heart sounded regular and strong, her lungs sounded clear.. One concious xray and it was clear- she was in heart failure! Heart enlarged, chest full of fluid.. Fudge is on heart meds and a ridiculous amount of diuretics, was given a week to live and is still here coming on a year later. Shes been ill with a seperate issue this week, shes 7.5 years old so cant expect anything less.. But her heart is still doing well.

I must admit, at her worst, before fudge was on diuretics.. Her breathing wasnt as heavy as rohans is. If no improvement after 3 days of antib's, id push for a conscious xray. It doesnt harm him and will give you answers.

All the best for Rohan xx
Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice :)
 
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