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Loud Breathing

Patchesandcub

Patchesandcub

Junior Guinea Pig
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My 5 year old piggy Patches has had 3 upper respiratory infections and a bout of pneumonia recently, she has gotten over them, but I noticed she still has loud breathing that comes and goes. Is that normal or should I take her to the vet?
 
Patchesandcub said:
My 5 year old piggy Patches has had 3 upper respiratory infections and a bout of pneumonia recently, she has gotten over them, but I noticed she still has loud breathing that comes and goes. Is that normal or should I take her to the vet?
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Please have her checked again for signs of narrowed airways or signs of permanent damage from all those infections. It may just be slightly blocked airways from hay dust or pollen.

Try a bowl of steaming water next to the cage. If there are indications for narrowed airways (which may take a very good stethoscope and a very experienced vet), you and your vet may consider using a nebuliser on a regular basis. My Ffraid did suffer long term upper and lower lung disease from a pre-dating infection which had obviously not healed out completely before she came here. She was fine with a bowl and later a steamed up shower session (before nebulisers were becoming more common) whenever it got a bit worse, but she lived happily to 7 years of age and died from an unrelated issue.

Your vet may also want to check the heart.

@Jaycey @helen105281 @Pound Shilling & Pig @Freela
 
It's not normal but it may end up being normal for her.

One of my past boars had narrowed and damaged airways from previous infections. We used a nebuliser for him when he was really loud or struggling. It really helped him.
 
Thanks guys. So do you think this could wait about a month until she gets her nails clipped and is at the vet or is it urgent?
 
Patchesandcub said:
Thanks guys. So do you think this could wait about a month until she gets her nails clipped and is at the vet or is it urgent?
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It depends on how bad the breathing is. Have her seen if it gets worse and if she is quieter/more lethargic or losing weight. Try to see whether more humid air helps with the breathing.
 
Yeah, if starts having discharge from her nose especially coloured, or if she seems to be struggling more then she'll need to go sooner. But if she's all okay in herself I would wait.
 
It definitely deserves a vet check, but it may be her 'new normal' following repeated URIs. My vet warned me that this could be a result after Hadley had a respiratory bug that took us several courses of antibiotics to beat. I haven't noticed a change in her breathing, but have noticed a change in some of the sounds she makes when she is 'twittering' away to herself.
 
Hi there , Given her age and history l,d be inclined to air on the side of caution and ask your vet to check her out
 
Yeah thanks guys. She is going to the vet in about a few weeks. Yesterday she had a crazy sneezing fit and blew snot all over me. Should i be concerned? Also I've noticed today her breathing is a bit like a whistle. I feel like she should go to the vet, but my parents want to wait because she is acting super normal.
 
The thing is, being prey animals, guinea pigs hide illness etc for as long as they can. If one waits for it to be bad enough for the pig to lose its appetite or become less active, the problem has the time to get well bedded in. At best that means it will take longer and more treatment to clear it, and at worst it could turn into something potentially terminal. It is generally better to get it looked at sooner rather than later. ( Particularly if the breathing is snuffly a lot of the time and/or the movement of her chest as she breathes is jerky, which shows her breathing is laboured.)
 
I'd definitely take her sooner than a few weeks away; respiratory infections can be serious if not treated promptly.
If she's whistling when breathing and has a snotty nose the infection may not have completely gone.
Our Toffee has this problem sometimes :)
 
Sorry it took me SO LONG to reply guys. I was getting really upset so my parents told me to log out. But anyway I have not heard loud breathing from her in over a month, so maybe it was just dust
 
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