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My Guinea Pig is Making Weird Noises

piggies and sweet dreams

piggies and sweet dreams

New Born Pup
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Hello everyone, please, please help me. My guinea pig is making weird noises. It seems that cough has been building up in his throat because when he sneezes/coughs, the noise stops for a moment but then comes back again. After he sneezes, he kind of moves back and forth in one place, as if he's hiccuping. This has been happening for a month now— no amount of medicine is working. Cetrizine worked for a moment, but then the noises came back again. He was also
given Enrofloxacin (baytril) syrup, but nothing worked. I don't know what to do. And weirdly enough, my other guinea pigs was also making the same noise but it stopped in one day. Here's the noise:


Please, please help me. Thank you so, so much!
 
I’m also unable to hear any noise. How long was he on the enroflaxin? And have you ruled out irritants in the room - air fresheners, perfumes, candles etc. And is the hay particularly dusty?
 
Hi!

Unfortunately, I can't hear anything, either.

There are basically two possibilities:
- Too short a course of antibiotics or may not respond to that particular antibiotic.
- It is a reaction to an environmental issue when piggies come from a comparatively sterile environment at the commercial pet breeders and in the shop into a much more complex home. Some piggies are much more sensitive than most others who will adapt very quickly. Hay dust is the most common but any perfumes from air fresheners to scent sticks and personal care, any smoke etc. can be a problem individually. Working that out may take a while and can only be done after a respiratory infection (URI) has been excluded.

More information on either:
New guinea pigs: Sexing, vet checks&customer rights, URI, ringworm and parasites
Irritants to Avoid Around Guinea Pigs
 
Siikibam said:
I’m also unable to hear any noise. How long was he on the enroflaxin? And have you ruled out irritants in the room - air fresheners, perfumes, candles etc. And is the hay particularly dusty?
Click to expand...
He was on Enrofloxacin for ten days. The doctors said that it had to be given for 14 days, but after seeing no progress for ten whole days, we stopped giving him the medicine. He stopped making the noise for three days but then it came back.

As for any irritants, I don't think they are the problem. We clean the hay thoroughly, and don't use any perfumes, candles or air fresheners in the piggies' room.

Thank you so much for replying and for your help!
 
Wiebke said:
Hi!

Unfortunately, I can't hear anything, either.

There are basically two possibilities:
- Too short a course of antibiotics or may not respond to that particular antibiotic.
- It is a reaction to an environmental issue when piggies come from a comparatively sterile environment at the commercial pet breeders and in the shop into a much more complex home. Some piggies are much more sensitive than most others who will adapt very quickly. Hay dust is the most common but any perfumes from air fresheners to scent sticks and personal care, any smoke etc. can be a problem individually. Working that out may take a while and can only be done after a respiratory infection (URI) has been excluded.

More information on either:
New guinea pigs: Sexing, vet checks&customer rights, URI, ringworm and parasites
Irritants to Avoid Around Guinea Pigs
Click to expand...
Hello!

Thank you so much, this makes a lot of sense. The doctor told us to give him the medicine for 14 days, but after seeing no progress at all for 10 days, we stopped giving him the medicine. Oddly enough, he stopped making the noise for three days! But unfortunately, the noise came back after that.

Thank you so much for your help!
 
If you are worried about odd breathing noises it is always best to go back to the vet. It seems you've only tried an anti histamine and one course of one type of antibiotic but there are many more treatment options both for symptom relief and for treating any infection in piggies with respiratory issues. And it is always essential to complete a full course of antibiotics whether or not you see any improvement- otherwise you risk any bacteria becoming resistant to that particular antibiotic.
Usually if one antibiotic is ineffective after a full course, the vet can take swabs to see if another is more suitable, or can increase the dose and duration. A chest and sinus xray can confirm if there is respiratory infection or just allergy type inflammation in the nasal passages.
So lots still to investigate and lots of things the vet can try to help better diagnose and treat your piggy!
 
PigglePuggle said:
If you are worried about odd breathing noises it is always best to go back to the vet. It seems you've only tried an anti histamine and one course of one type of antibiotic but there are many more treatment options both for symptom relief and for treating any infection in piggies with respiratory issues. And it is always essential to complete a full course of antibiotics whether or not you see any improvement- otherwise you risk any bacteria becoming resistant to that particular antibiotic.
Usually if one antibiotic is ineffective after a full course, the vet can take swabs to see if another is more suitable, or can increase the dose and duration. A chest and sinus xray can confirm if there is respiratory infection or just allergy type inflammation in the nasal passages.
So lots still to investigate and lots of things the vet can try to help better diagnose and treat your piggy!
Click to expand...
Thank you so much! This helps a lot!
 
piggies and sweet dreams said:
Hello!

Thank you so much, this makes a lot of sense. The doctor told us to give him the medicine for 14 days, but after seeing no progress at all for 10 days, we stopped giving him the medicine. Oddly enough, he stopped making the noise for three days! But unfortunately, the noise came back after that.

Thank you so much for your help!
Click to expand...

Please be aware that antibiotics don't work like painkillers, which kick in immediately and wear off very quickly. It takes usually several days for an antibiotic to build up to full strength and it will stay effective for several days more.

However, apart from the antibiotic having been pulled off to soon, the other possibility is that it has been effective enough to suppress symptoms caused by a non-bacterial issue like a sensitivity temporarily but not permanently.

I had this happen with my Taffy who in the end turned out to be very sensitive to hay dust and where the problem was solved by switching to another brand. The hay dust caused some classic raspy URI breathing in her throat in her case. It may not be what is going on with your piggy, but it may be a point to consider. Dust extraction quality can vary quite a bit.
 
We have a piggy that had respiratory issues for almost a year, we tried baytril and sulfatrim and she also had bisolvon for symptom relief- then she got a referral to a specialist and it turns out she had pneumonia caused by chlamydia bacteria, so got doxycycline antibiotic which really upset her tummy, and frusol diuretic to remove the fluid on her lungs. Other people with repiratory piggies sometimes nebulise on the vets advice- or at home you can simply pop piggy in their carrier in the bathroom while you take a shower and often the steam eases their breathing.
So lots you can discuss with the vet there but you can easily try pop them in a steamy bathroom for half an hour and see if symptoms ease a little.
And @Wiebke makes a great point there about allergens and hay dust!
 
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