Piggy Breathing Issues

[amy1994]

Hi guys!
I'm in desperate need of some advice!
Zeus, my 3 month old guinea baby, was sat in the corner of his cage about a month a go, heavy breathing and it sounded like he had a blocked nose, I booked an emergency vet appointment for the hour later, however in this time he came back round and was acting completely normal, tonight he's done the same thing apart he's still very active, still eating/drinking, I even got him out to make sure he would eat peppers (his favourite) and he happily swallowed that down. He just sounds bunged up, and his breathing is quite heavy, he has no other symptoms, no runny nose etc. he did have crusty eyes this afternoon which I bathed with warm water, but the breathing issue has just come on tonight (around half 1) I'm really unsure on what to do or if I should be concerned, however I know in the morning he will have returned to normal, is it possible he was just spooked or annoyed with his little brother Hercules? Or could it be something more serious?

Please help!
Thank you!

 

[DM030819]

I'd take him to the vet as it could be a URI (Upper Respiratory Infection).

Is he housed outside or indoors? It's getting a bit colder now, and I've noticed that my piggies get a bit snuffly if I don't give them a heat source when the temperatures drop.

 

[Dindypig]

the vet will listen with a stethoscope to his lungs and be able to diagnose his problem.

 

[helen105281]

I agree he needs to see the vet, it could be a URI or allergies. If his nose is snuffly and full of mucous a product called Bisolvon can help. If the vet finds he has fluid on his chest he will also need a diuretic.

 

[Elwickcavies]

Does he snuffle more when he's eating? One of my pigs had a similar thing, you should get the vet to have a look. Puffle has had a month of antibiotics and is hopefully turning the corner now.

 

[amy1994]

Hi guys thank you for your replies! Would a URI come on and off like Zeus' has? Also if it were to be a UTI I'm looking at taking him in to see a vet ASAP, could anybody give me a rough estimate of how much his treatment will be? Whatever the price I'm obviously going to pay but I'm just asking for budgeting etc. for other things. Also my piggies are housed inside in a huggggeeeee pen/cage

 

[Adrianne88]

My Jellybean is getting over a URI right now, her symptoms were off and on until I decided it was time to go to the vet. I honestly thought it was just allergies, but it turned out that she had a URI. She's currently taking Doxycycline twice a day and after a week of being on it, she's feeling way better. Almost completely back to normal. It's always better to be safe than sorry. Hope your piggy gets better! P.S. I'm in the United States, so I pay about 50 dollars for the visit and her antibiotics cost me about 70 dollars. Of course this can vary depending upon what's done at the visit.

 

[helen105281]

Hi guys thank you for your replies! Would a URI come on and off like Zeus' has? Also if it were to be a UTI I'm looking at taking him in to see a vet ASAP, could anybody give me a rough estimate of how much his treatment will be? Whatever the price I'm obviously going to pay but I'm just asking for budgeting etc. for other things. Also my piggies are housed inside in a huggggeeeee pen/cage

Vets costs do vary but my vets charge about £18 for a consultation plus meds. Though some vets charge me the second consult fee which is less.

I am thinking it is more likely to be allergies but a vet visit is needed to rule out anything else. They will be able to check there is no fluid on the chest and listen to the heart too to check there is nothing going on there.