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Heart Murmur In An Older Pig?

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Freela

Freela

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I was back to the vet with Linney today... she seemed fine yesterday, but when I got up this morning, she was lethargic, just laying around and not really interested in eating. This is not like her at all- the last time she behaved this way she turned out to have a UTI, so we went to the vet as soon as they could fit her in. The vet gave her a good going over and didn't turn anything up. We could not get a urine sample from her, as her bladder felt pretty empty and the vet could not get her to pee even when palpating her bladder, so we couldn't absolutely confirm an infection. However, she was put on Baytril to cover her for a bacterial infection in the bladder or elsewhere. She has had one dose already and has perked up somewhat and has resumed eating and drinking, which is a good sign.

One thing I found alarming is that the vet said she heard a heart murmur today. This is new, she didn't have one when she was last seen by the vet in June. The vet didn't believe that this was the cause of her illness, as she had no signs of heart failure or pulmonary failure (no fluid buildup, lungs sounded completely clear with no crackles or wheeze, etc.) She is, unfortunately, an older pig (she will be 6 in November) and she has obviously been showing signs of her age for the past six months or so. But what should I watch for in terms of heart failure in the future? Anything I can do to prolong her life and her quality of life if she is developing heart issues?
 
@helen105281
is the font of all knowledge on heart piggies :nod:
Sorry Helen tagging you again!
(not sure but i think @Guinea Slave also has a heart piggy too)

She has heart piggies &i think some of the signs to watch out for are.
like you said fluid build up, plus
hooting/coughing,
nodding in time with breathing,
difficult to rouse from sleep,
blue extremities (lips,toes,etc)
reoccurring URI's,
maintaing weight
as far as i'm aware all of her heart piggies are on regular meds & are enjoying the same quality of life as other healthy piggies :)
hopefully helen will be able to give you better advice.

Awww my old lady is now 7+ they're so sweet when older
new_yes_zps3396780b.gif
sweetheart_zps2fc45a71.gif
... even if a little more grumpy than the younger ones ;)

hope she has a long & happy retirement

from the girls & i
xx
 
GPTV has covered most of the symptoms so I would keep an eye out for those. My pigs are on medication and doing really well, though I do have a couple with very slight murmurs that do not need meds at this stage. The medication they are on (for information should you need it) is Benazapril, the brand name is Nelio but is also sold in the UK as Fortekor. They also have diuretics if they get any fluid build up.

If you do notice any of the symptoms that GPTV has listed please speak to your vet about the possibility of heart medication.
 
Hiya

Completely agree with above. I have had 4 heart piggies over the years and as GPTV mentioned, have just had another diagnosed recently. Fortekor and frusol (the diuretic) have helped me manage them in all cases very successfully and apart from one, all the others died from other causes not heart issues.

Little Cagney has a new lease of life since being on her meds. I am just very careful not to unduly stress her and to make sure she is kept warm and away from drafts, damp etc. just take a little extra care really and with the meds she will be fine :-)

I also have a heart murmur and it's not impacted me in anyway btw. Not sure if it's the same for guineas!
 
Thanks very much for the med names... I will research those and what they are called in Canada. She has a followup appointment with a urinalysis when she finishes her Baytril in 2 weeks, so I will go to the followup and have them listen to her heart again and ask again about meds/treatment. She has been 'failing' lately (for lack of a better term.) Nothing dramatic, but not as much energy, has lost some weight and muscle mass, etc. I'm now wondering if this may be from underlying heart disease that was not extreme enough to be be heard on auscultation until now. I appreciate the help and info I get on this forum, because treatment of pigs in the UK seems to be ahead of treatment in Canada, so being able to provide suggestions to the vet about treatments being provided there really helps, and fortunately my vet and I have enough mutual respect for one another that he doesn't seem to mind me being a 'doctor's assistant' in regards to my pigs!

She is doing okay today... still not quite herself, but she has been eating and drinking on her own and seems alert. I do think the acute issue is her bladder, as she is hunching a bit when peeing. She did wheek for her treats last night and ran out of the cage to eat them, so that seems like an improvement!
 
Incidentally, does anyone know the dosing ratio for Fortekor and furosemide by weight for guinea pigs? Or a site I can direct my vet to so he can research it? He may not be as familiar with these meds in guinea pigs as he would be in dogs and cats, and I want to be able to give as much info as I can!
 
I've booked her an appt with my usual vet (the main vet at the practice who has the most experience with guinea pigs.) When she went on Friday, she saw one of the other vets, as I was a walk-in and the head vet was in surgery. We'll see what he says. She is still holding her own and is eating on her own, but just seems very tired and low energy. I'm going to tell the vet that I understand that she is old and that it's possible that this is just her nearing her life's natural end and if so, I know she has had a great life and I can accept that, but if there is anything we can do to increase her lifespan and better her quality of life, than I want to try it!
 
So we saw our usual vet today- he gave Linney a really good going over and spent a long time listening to her heart and lungs. He didn't hear a murmur today, and her lungs are still clear. He said that he is willing to treat her for heart failure if he sees signs of it, but right now he does not hear or feel anything out of the ordinary. He also had a good feel around in her abdomen and didn't feel any lumps, bumps, or organomegaly. He wants her to finish her two weeks of antibiotics and then come back to be reassessed, when he will listen to her heart/lungs again. If at that point she has lost weight or is not back to her baseline as far as appetite and behavior goes, we will do further testing (urinalysis for diabetes and kidney function, imaging of her heart and lungs, etc.) If she gets worse in the meantime, I can take her back sooner. I thought that sounded pretty reasonable. Her appetite has improved since starting the Baytril last Friday, she is still not that interested in treats but is eating hay and pellets and the odd vegetable and is drinking water and has maintained her weight since last Friday.
 
That does sound reasonable. Hopefully there is no heart issue after all.
 
I think the antibiotics are kicking in as well. She has been up and about more today and has been back to eating treats as well as hay/pellets. She does not tough out illness- she tends to just lay down in the corner if anything is not quite right. Once she had a UTI and I honestly thought she had had a stroke and was unable to walk! Turns out she just had a bladder infection and decided moving was not worth her effort if she wasn't feeling well!
 
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