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my guinea pig is hooting! help, please. :(

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piggiesxforever

piggiesxforever

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i've had my guinea pig (pascal) for about two weeks. today i noticed that he kept making this weird moaning sound every now and then. i've been sitting with him for about two hours and it's gotten worse. it stops and starts, but he keeps making these awful hooting noises. he's acting perfectly fine; he still scurries around when i go to pick him up, he's eating/drinking/pooping, he's taking treats... however, he keeps laying on his side with his legs all stretched out. it is nearly midnight, so maybe he's just tired... but i've never really noticed him doing this before. i picked him up and listened to his chest, but i didn't hear any wheezing. i'm so worried. i plan on taking him to the vet tomorrow, for sure. my other guinea pig (harley) is acting fine. i don't have another cage, so i don't know how i am supposed to seperate them. i don't want him to get sick, too. someone help :( i'm so worried that i'm crying.

long story short: do all of the symptoms of a URI occur at once, or are they gradual? as in.... would the leaky eyes/runny nose and such come with the hooting? or does the hooting come first?
 
re URI noises....... the first thing i noticed with my girl Velvet the other day was the rattly breathing. I was lucky enough to have meds already, so i think this prevented it from getting any worse!
 
he's gone back to only making the noise every now and then. right now he's lying in his food bowl, hogging all the pellets (as usual). thank you for the info! i looked at the guinealynx site.... he doesn't have any symptoms besides the hooting... hopefully he'll still be alright tomorrow morning. i'm so scared that i'll wake up and he'll be dying :( :(
 
That's really good that he's eating love :)
Perhaps you could have him sleeping near you for the night? or you could get up and check on him.

HUGS XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
 
just gave him a treat to see if he'd come out of his house; he snatched it and ran. he was popcorning a minute ago... which makes me feel a bit better. he hasn't hooted in a while. sorry for the play-by-play; i'm just so paranoid now that i've read all about sick guinea pigs. thank you for the info and such. :) i think i'll keep their cage in my room tonight. i wish i had a way to seperate them. :/
 
he's still acting totally fine this morning. i gave the boys a cucumber and he tried to run off with it. he is hooting almost constantly now, though. i tried to listen to his chest again and it sounds a bit crackly. i'm taking him to the vet right now. wish us luck.
 
Hope everything goes ok, let us know how you get on.
 
the vet said his chest sounds fine and that he's most likely got a bit of a cold. he says pascal was probably just hooting because his chest was tight. (he didn't do it at all while we were at the vet). he gave pascal a shot and told me to quarantine him for two weeks. i'm supposed to watch him and make sure his appetite doesn't change or anything. i'm so relieved. :)
 
Take him to the vet, it's a sign of cardiovascular problems. They will be able to suggest something.
 
i did... the vet wouldn't give him any antibiotics since his nose isn't runny or anything... he gave him some kind of shot, but he doesn't seem any better.
 
Can you video it on your phone & upload it on here or Photobucket so we can see/hear him? Also it would be good to take it with you to show the vet. The lying down looking tired is worrying if it could be his heart maybe an x-ray is needed to see more.
 
piggiesxforever said:
i did... the vet wouldn't give him any antibiotics since his nose isn't runny or anything... he gave him some kind of shot, but he doesn't seem any better.
Click to expand...

Please show your vets the link i gave you from Guinea Lynx....... it's very infomative and tells what drugs can be used for heart treatment.

All paws crossed for little Pascal XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
 
has anyone ever heard of giving a guinea pig an injection of convenia? that's what the vet gave pascal... i'm researching it and it says it is an antibiotic for bacterial skin infections in cats and dogs. now i'm even more concerned. ugh. poor baby is so lonely without his pal harley... i wish i could do something for him.
 
i was scared i would wake up and pascal would be on the verge of death, but he actually seems to be doing a bit better. i'm still worried about that shot they gave him, but he doesn't have diarrhea and he's eating. he usually takes treats and veggies right from my hand, but he's very spooked right now and he wouldn't... i left him a little pile of strawberry and cucumber. he doesn't seem to be drinking from his bottle.. not sure if it's because it's brand new and he's scared of it, or what... but he usually drinks like a little piggy. (teehee)

thanks, all!
 
hi and welcome, i have to say i'd be wary of a vet saying its a cold as guinea pigs dont get colds per se. they get URI's

hope he gets better soon.

i'm also going to say if he's been with his friend i wouldn't seperate they'd both of been exposed to everything just perhaps be prepared to treat 2 piggies.

being with a friend i found can help recovery from most things :)
 
i called the vet about the convenia. he says that he's used it on rodents several times with no trouble... though pascal still doesn't seem to be drinking from his bottle. :( i finally got him to eat a few spinach leaves, but he's just lying in his little house.
 
Hi. Welcome to the forum.

Is your vet Cavy Savvy and does he know a lot about treating guinea pigs. If you can let us know where you live someone may be able to recommend a really good vet that knows how to treat piggies. It can make a real difference.

Good luck x
 
Actually thinking about it. This was the same noise that my piggy Dotty made when she got pneumonia. I would definately find a vet that is used to treating piggies. Dotty got over it which I think was down to having a great vet who knew what he was doing.

xx
 
when i talked to him earlier, he told me that he treats all the guinea pigs and such at the local pet store, so he seems to be experienced. he said that pascal's chest sounded perfectly fine and there was really nothing else he could do since pascal has no other symptoms. if he had a uri or pneumonia, wouldn't he at least have a runny nose or something by now? it's been three days and he hasn't gotten any worse. i'm going to buy him some fleece bedding today in case the shavings have made him sniffly...

if the hooting continues, i am going to take him back and force the vet to do an x-ray :x
 
Hi you. Dotty didnt have a runny nose or sneezies. I just heard her making this whooping noise and she was sort of heaving as though she was having trouble breathing. Dotty ended up on antibiotics and pain relief for quite a while so I think it is a good idea to go back and persist with your vet.

Don't be afraid to ask questions at the vets and request a second opinion, either with another vet at the practice or another veterinary practice altogether. A vet shouldnt mind you asking for a second opinion if it is for the good of the animal.
 
aww, how sad... i'm glad she's alright <3

i'm sitting with pascal right now and haven't heard anything funny.
 
i think pascal's not drinking/eating his pellets because he's nervous about being alone.... when will it be safe to put them back together?
 
update: PASCAL'S FINALLY DRINKING! i got him out and cuddled for a while until he started squirming... a few minutes after i put him in his cage, i heard him going at his bottle. :D :D he's still sneezing quite often, but he hasn't wheezed or hooted at all today. he's started wheeking again and even chattered his teeth at me when he got tired of me scratching his head.
 
harley's started sneezing... no hooting, but i'll be taking him to the vet monday just for peace of mind. wish us luck.
i moved pascal's cage into the same room as harley's so that they can talk to each other... they started wheeking sooo loud when they realized they were "together" again. :D
 
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