Lucy1991
Junior Guinea Pig
Hi everyone.
So please excuse the long post.. but I’m desperate for some answers and I’m trying my best to paint a clear picture .
So I recently took Leroy to the vets as he was acting a bit strange. He’d had some metacam on the Thursday evening which was very traumatic for him and he was fuming with me for a day after ( normal) however on the Friday night He seemed to be breathing a bit heavier than usual but also seemed distressed. We had my step son and he’s very loud which probably added to poor Leroy’s bad mood. he was irritable and very wide-eyed which triggered my concern.
Saturday morning he seemed absolutely fine and back to his normal self but of course I still took him in just incase.
The vets were concerned and He was treated by the vets for potential heart failure ( which I’ve done a previous thread on). He had furosemide injection, oxygen and then has been taking furosemide tablets and he’s doing well and is back to his normal
Self (I think) - my partner took him as I was at work, and as we know a vet visit is stressful enough so even worse when I wasn’t there with him.
He had a review on Monday and everything looks fine. Teeth,eyes,coat etc. still breathing fast but as I say, he’s always breathed this way.
However the reason that I’m posting this is to see if anyone else has known anything like this before. A guinea pig that just seems to breath heavy.
Leroy has always been a heavy breather. I’ve been looking at old videos ( which It won’t let me attach! ) and he’s always had visible breathing. His breathing is the same at rest as it is on the videos. Always has been.
I’ve asked my vet if it’s possible that his anatomy/ genetics could mean that this is normal for him ? Could he have had a dogey heart for a long time? Is his breathing more visible as he’s lost weight? Etc
They said it’s possible however how he presented the other week gave them concerns. And they can only go on what they see at the time. Understandable.
I’ve had him now for nearly 2 years. He’s almost 5 so he’s slowed down a little bit but still does an occasional popcorn , usually when I’ve cleaned his pen and it’s all fresh and cosy ( adorable, I know). He’s slowly lost weight over the 2 years. From about 1.5kg to 1kg but he was a chunky boy.
After looking at the videos I feel that his breathing does seem to show a bit more effort… however as he has always shown this kind of effort… could it be the way he was born? Obviously getting older puts more struggle on all of us so it’s no different for our piggies
It’s so hard to get answers as whenever I research about heavy breathing as it always comes up as a medical emergency. Which clearly it hasn’t been as he’s been like it for 2 years.
He’s always been to the vets regularly... a month after I’d had him when I’d realised that heavy breathing isn’t normal ( no noisy breathing but vet gave him low dose antibiotics just incase) but he was still the same after and seemingly happy in himself.
Since then he’s had his regular health checks and there’s been no concerns. I do mention each time that he always seems to breathe this way.
He’s a happy affectionate greedy cheeky boy and always has been and he hasn’t changed.
If anyone has any thoughts on this I would greatly appreciate it.
I have found a guinea pig specialist however it’s about 40 minutes away and extremely expensive. Of course if it was needed I would 100% do it. But just the thought of stressing him out and taking him all the way there if he’s doing okay just doesn’t seem worth it. If I notice ANY form of changes I will take him there straight away of course.
I know guinea pigs hide illness.. but surely coming to me for food and fuss… and popcorning and chuttering around shows he’s feeling okay?
Any advice or information will really help me and Leroy.
.
So please excuse the long post.. but I’m desperate for some answers and I’m trying my best to paint a clear picture .
So I recently took Leroy to the vets as he was acting a bit strange. He’d had some metacam on the Thursday evening which was very traumatic for him and he was fuming with me for a day after ( normal) however on the Friday night He seemed to be breathing a bit heavier than usual but also seemed distressed. We had my step son and he’s very loud which probably added to poor Leroy’s bad mood. he was irritable and very wide-eyed which triggered my concern.
Saturday morning he seemed absolutely fine and back to his normal self but of course I still took him in just incase.
The vets were concerned and He was treated by the vets for potential heart failure ( which I’ve done a previous thread on). He had furosemide injection, oxygen and then has been taking furosemide tablets and he’s doing well and is back to his normal
Self (I think) - my partner took him as I was at work, and as we know a vet visit is stressful enough so even worse when I wasn’t there with him.
He had a review on Monday and everything looks fine. Teeth,eyes,coat etc. still breathing fast but as I say, he’s always breathed this way.
However the reason that I’m posting this is to see if anyone else has known anything like this before. A guinea pig that just seems to breath heavy.
Leroy has always been a heavy breather. I’ve been looking at old videos ( which It won’t let me attach! ) and he’s always had visible breathing. His breathing is the same at rest as it is on the videos. Always has been.
I’ve asked my vet if it’s possible that his anatomy/ genetics could mean that this is normal for him ? Could he have had a dogey heart for a long time? Is his breathing more visible as he’s lost weight? Etc
They said it’s possible however how he presented the other week gave them concerns. And they can only go on what they see at the time. Understandable.
I’ve had him now for nearly 2 years. He’s almost 5 so he’s slowed down a little bit but still does an occasional popcorn , usually when I’ve cleaned his pen and it’s all fresh and cosy ( adorable, I know). He’s slowly lost weight over the 2 years. From about 1.5kg to 1kg but he was a chunky boy.
After looking at the videos I feel that his breathing does seem to show a bit more effort… however as he has always shown this kind of effort… could it be the way he was born? Obviously getting older puts more struggle on all of us so it’s no different for our piggies
It’s so hard to get answers as whenever I research about heavy breathing as it always comes up as a medical emergency. Which clearly it hasn’t been as he’s been like it for 2 years.
He’s always been to the vets regularly... a month after I’d had him when I’d realised that heavy breathing isn’t normal ( no noisy breathing but vet gave him low dose antibiotics just incase) but he was still the same after and seemingly happy in himself.
Since then he’s had his regular health checks and there’s been no concerns. I do mention each time that he always seems to breathe this way.
He’s a happy affectionate greedy cheeky boy and always has been and he hasn’t changed.
If anyone has any thoughts on this I would greatly appreciate it.
I have found a guinea pig specialist however it’s about 40 minutes away and extremely expensive. Of course if it was needed I would 100% do it. But just the thought of stressing him out and taking him all the way there if he’s doing okay just doesn’t seem worth it. If I notice ANY form of changes I will take him there straight away of course.
I know guinea pigs hide illness.. but surely coming to me for food and fuss… and popcorning and chuttering around shows he’s feeling okay?
Any advice or information will really help me and Leroy.
.