Intermittant Odd Breathing

[Tbag]

I've had a good look in all the usual reliable places for information on this but really can't find anything that seems to match so just going to ask here to see if anyone has had any similar experiences:

So mid-december, can't quite remember the date off the top of my head we came home from work 5:30ish, piggies all fine and dandy, by about 7:30pm we noticed Mr Ludo Pudo was making very strange sounds when he was breathing, I wouldn't say "wheezing" as it sounded nothing like the wheezing sound a human or larger animal makes, but it was sort of like the high pitched air sound a washing up bottle/water bottle make when air rushes through the hole - I hope that makes sense, its very hard to describe! It was very pronounced and audible over the tv. I got him out of the cage asap and checked for any obvious obstructions or other signs, everything appeared normal to me and he was behaving exactly as normal other than the odd breathing. No runny eyes/nose, no sunken eyes, not lethargic or moving unusually, all extremeties usual temperature to the touch. By 9pm the noise had lessened so we held off from emergency vets and booked an appt for the next day instead.

By the next morning there was no sound though he seemed a little puffed up, at the vets his breathing was of course totally normal! Unfortunately we couldn't see Ann but he had a through examination (temperature, mouth check, heart and chest listened to) and the vet couldn't detect anything untowards. My suspcions were either URI or something heart related which the vet discussed though said he couldn't hear anything that would suggest heart problems. We were prescribed baytril for a week as a precaution incase it was a URI and we saw no episodes of the same breathing trouble or otherwise throughout the course of medication and afterwards for several weeks.

Mid-to-end of January I heard the noise again a little bit and its been on and off since, maybe once or twice a fortnight but never as pronounced as the first incident. He's still absolutely fine in all other regards, weight is spot on, appetite normal, drinking normal, active and alert etc so I've held off taking him to the vets again so far because traveling stresses him out and he doesnt appear to be suffering in any way. He is 5 now though so I am keeping a close eye on things and am wondering if perhaps there is some sort of heart/lung issue going on, but I can't seem to find any other symptoms that match.
So as said to begin with, just wondeirng if anyone else has experienced any similar breathing issues?

thanks in advance

 

[helen105281]

That's not a noise I have heard before to be honest, have heard wheezing but nothing like that. Maybe next steps would be an xray or scan just to check the heart. I know Abi-nurse said on a thread yesterday that scans were more reliable so try for that first. On an xray though it should be possible to see if the heart is enlarged and if there is any fluid surrounding the heart but I think a scan can show the heart valves etc.

I will tag Abi in case she has come across the noise before @Abi_nurse

 

[Wiebke]

I've had a good look in all the usual reliable places for information on this but really can't find anything that seems to match so just going to ask here to see if anyone has had any similar experiences:

So mid-december, can't quite remember the date off the top of my head we came home from work 5:30ish, piggies all fine and dandy, by about 7:30pm we noticed Mr Ludo Pudo was making very strange sounds when he was breathing, I wouldn't say "wheezing" as it sounded nothing like the wheezing sound a human or larger animal makes, but it was sort of like the high pitched air sound a washing up bottle/water bottle make when air rushes through the hole - I hope that makes sense, its very hard to describe! It was very pronounced and audible over the tv. I got him out of the cage asap and checked for any obvious obstructions or other signs, everything appeared normal to me and he was behaving exactly as normal other than the odd breathing. No runny eyes/nose, no sunken eyes, not lethargic or moving unusually, all extremeties usual temperature to the touch. By 9pm the noise had lessened so we held off from emergency vets and booked an appt for the next day instead.

By the next morning there was no sound though he seemed a little puffed up, at the vets his breathing was of course totally normal! Unfortunately we couldn't see Ann but he had a through examination (temperature, mouth check, heart and chest listened to) and the vet couldn't detect anything untowards. My suspcions were either URI or something heart related which the vet discussed though said he couldn't hear anything that would suggest heart problems. We were prescribed baytril for a week as a precaution incase it was a URI and we saw no episodes of the same breathing trouble or otherwise throughout the course of medication and afterwards for several weeks.

Mid-to-end of January I heard the noise again a little bit and its been on and off since, maybe once or twice a fortnight but never as pronounced as the first incident. He's still absolutely fine in all other regards, weight is spot on, appetite normal, drinking normal, active and alert etc so I've held off taking him to the vets again so far because traveling stresses him out and he doesnt appear to be suffering in any way. He is 5 now though so I am keeping a close eye on things and am wondering if perhaps there is some sort of heart/lung issue going on, but I can't seem to find any other symptoms that match.
So as said to begin with, just wondeirng if anyone else has experienced any similar breathing issues?

thanks in advance

I would recommend a scan and a careful examination by an experienced vet to listen for heart problems or upper/lower lung disease, either of which can be intermittent and only very difficult to diagnose.

It took me about 2 years and several frustrating vet visits (where she was usually symptom-free just from the stress) to get a diagnosis for Ffraid for lung disease; hers stemmed from a not completely healed out URI earlier in her life. She died from another cause even though her breathing kept coming and going.
I now have got Hywel with similar off-and-on issues; if they get worse as he gets older (as it is likely), I have been advised to get a nebuliser for him.
Both have been diagnosed by Kim Maddock after a careful examination.

 

[Tbag]

Brilliant, thank you both - knew I could count on getting some answers here.

I will get in touch with Ann and ask her to review his case notes from the first visit/discuss the possibility of a scan.

Interesting to know about lung disease and the connection to URIs, as far as we know he's been healthy all his life - he was only surrendered to rescue due to change in previous owners circumstances.... but you never know!

 

[Wiebke]

Brilliant, thank you both - knew I could count on getting some answers here.

I will get in touch with Ann and ask her to review his case notes from the first visit/discuss the possibility of a scan.

Interesting to know about lung disease and the connection to URIs, as far as we know he's been healthy all his life - he was only surrendered to rescue due to change in previous owners circumstances.... but you never know!

Just to say that Hywel has been healthy all his life, too. He's 6 years old now. In his case, there is defnitely no link to URI.

 

[Adelle]

What you are describing sounds exactly like the sound my sow started making last year- it was only after this that they took my questions seriously and she was diagnosed with heart disease. Its the fluid in the lungs that causes this noise when breathing so an xray should be sufficient on that front- and scans further down the line if required. Go with your gut- push for what you feel he needs. My girl would have been diagnosed significantly earlier if i had been taken seriously.

 

[Adelle]

Does this sounds similar? I cant find the video where she did it "full on", but found this one my partner uploaded for me last year.

 

[Tbag]

No its a much higher pitched almost whistling air sound than than your sows, its very unusual.
Should have recorded it the first night as thats when it was the loudest but I was a little too panicked to think of that!

 

[Abi_nurse]

Sounds like a potential underlying respiratory infection which may just be grumbling on in the background. At 5 years old your piggies immune system probably isnt as up to scratch as it used to be. I have found that a few of mine have had intermittent signs of respiratory issues +/- heart problems. It really depends on what you want to do, depending on what you do next. You could treat symptomaticaly as and when the signs show (ie. Give a course of antibiotics when symptoms occur). Or you could do further diagnostics which could include any of the following:
- X-rays to look at the chest, check heart size and lung pattern
- ultrasound scan to check the heart
- a deep nasal swab to check for any pahogen behind the respiratory signs
- a CT scan to have a 3D image of the chest including upper airways and also the heart.

Hope you get to bottom of it.

x

 

[helen105281]

That's hooting. I didn't get it from your description but definitely hooting.

EDIT Ok ignore, me Adelle posted the video, not you.

 

[Tbag]

That's hooting. I didn't get it from your description but definitely hooting.

EDIT Ok ignore, me Adelle posted the video, not you.

No worries!

 

[Tbag]

Sounds like a potential underlying respiratory infection which may just be grumbling on in the background. At 5 years old your piggies immune system probably isnt as up to scratch as it used to be. I have found that a few of mine have had intermittent signs of respiratory issues +/- heart problems. It really depends on what you want to do, depending on what you do next. You could treat symptomaticaly as and when the signs show (ie. Give a course of antibiotics when symptoms occur). Or you could do further diagnostics which could include any of the following:
- X-rays to look at the chest, check heart size and lung pattern
- ultrasound scan to check the heart
- a deep nasal swab to check for any pahogen behind the respiratory signs
- a CT scan to have a 3D image of the chest including upper airways and also the heart.

Hope you get to bottom of it.

x

Thanks very much Abi - lots of useful things to go forward with.