Piggie Making Hooting Noise Vet Says There Nothing Wrong

[babydoll]

I had my boy at the vet today as hes been kinda making a hooting noise our usual vet was not in so we saw a different vet and she says he sounds fine but I'm not convinced.

 

[Lorcan]

My Comet has been known to make hooting noises - his is caused by hay, it only ever happens after a new bag of hay is opened. It's actually quite a scary sound, but it always stops again within a few hours.

Could it be hay related?

 

[babydoll]

I not sure he only does it when hes in bed having a sleep and ive noticed his head kinda bopping back and forth when hes hooting it a quiet noised hooting he make every now and then

 

[Lorcan]

Ahh. In Comet's case he was very loud, and actually woke me up with the hooting. Does he sleep on hay or sawdust? Does he make the same noise when he's awake?

 

[Wiebke]

I had my boy at the vet today as hes been kinda making a hooting noise our usual vet was not in so we saw a different vet and she says he sounds fine but I'm not convinced.

Hi!

Most hooting is down to slightly blocked airways in the nose; often by some little irritation like hay dust or pollen. It generally disappears again after a few hours. Guinea pig airways are very narrow, so you can every little obstruction clearly.

Only if the hooting is persistent over days, weeks or even months and you see other indicators for heart problems is there reason for a proper investigation by piggy savvy vet. You have to be aware that heart problems are difficult to diagnose even by an experient vet at the best of times.

I know that hooting = heart problems is still very much making the rounds online, but this is vastly overrated. Most cases are absolutely harmless and no reason for concern.

 

[babydoll]

Hes been doing it for about 6 days now I don't use sawdust my boys sleep in their cuddlecups.

 

[Eriathwen]

Leonard sometimes hoots.. worried me a lot but nothings come of it over the last few weeks. Shelly has done it once or twice rooting through the hay. Seems its just hay dust getting up their little snoots! I think I got a particularly dusty bag of hay this time round because Brambles been put on a cautionary dose of antibiotics for a respiratory infection after her sister passed away and she got a runny nose but she is allergic to hay so it would all point to hay dust.

 

[Freela]

It could potentially be something irritating the nose... my pigs have done it occasionally, often after getting hay that is dustier than usual. Actually, Hadley was hooting a big on Sunday (figures, the one day a week that the vet is closed!) The kids brought it to my attention so we got her out and watched her really closely, but it only lasted a few hours and she behaved normally (eating and running around) even while it was going on. Hopefully it's just some nasal irritation. It's a good sign if the vet doesn't hear any congestion lower in the chest and lungs.

 

[Wiebke]

Have you tried a bowl of steaming water next to the cage to see whether that eases the symptoms? Dry air can be an irritant, too, as well as hay dust.

 

[babydoll]

Have you tried a bowl of steaming water next to the cage to see whether that eases the symptoms? Dry air can be an irritant, too, as well as hay dust.

I'll give that a try.