Poorly Piggy And No Idea What To Do :(

[lewpylew]

Over the past few weeks my guinea pig Peppa, who is 4 1/2 has gone downhill. She used to be so active but now just sits in a ball, looking sad and is all puffed up. She has got very fussy and picks at food. Her coat is still shiny, and if you take the little house out she will have a run round and investigate and let you stroke her. I took her to the vets a few times as she was making a noise when she breathes. They tried Septrin and Metcam but it did nothing. A week ago she went to a guinea pig boarding place for a few days as I was away and the lady who runs it said she can hear her heart struggling.

I have booked an appointment at another vets to hopefully go tomorrow to get a second opinion. I just don't know what to do as it's breaking my heart I think I know what's coming but desperately hoping it's something that can be done.

If it is her heart, what can I do? :*(

 

[helen105281]

You could ask your vet to consider heart medication, usually Benazapril and sometimes diuretic too - Frusemide or the liquid version which is Frusol. I have pigs on heart meds so let me know if you need any information. Ask the vet to listen to her heart and see if they detect any change in rhythm or laboured breathing. You could also ask for a conscious xray so the vet can see if the heart is enlarged or if there is any fluid around the heart. A pig that is suspected of having a heart issue should not be given a GA. A heart issue does not need to be a death sentence if it is diagnosed early enough. Could you update your location on your profile as it will help with the suggested medications etc as they vary from country to country.

 

[lewpylew]

Thanks Helen. I am just outside Southampton in Hampshire.

Just feel so bad as I can't help her :*( My normal vets are normally good but this time around twice they've checked her and not sure what to do.

I don't want to give up on her, just had seeing her in obvious discomfort. I am working all day today and can't make the vets til tomorrow but am giving her foods she enjoys such as grass, celery, kale and cucumber. She seems to not be drinking so much the last few days so something is hurting her

 

[helen105281]

Does her breathing seem laboured at all? Does she have any of the following:

- Difficult to rouse from sleep
- Blue tinge to nose, ears, feet etc
- Weight loss
- Nodding when breathing
- Bumblefoot
- Recurrent URIs

Some vets will do a heart med trial, basically she would be on heart meds for about a month and if she improves in that time you have your answer.

 

[lewpylew]

She has had a whistley type noise when she breathes on and off for about 6 weeks. It's not so bad this week.

She had lost around 150grams when I weighed her last week in 2 months so need to check this later but expecting it to have fallen further. She was 1.15 kg and yes she does have a slight blue tinge around her nose and mouth x

 

[helen105281]

That does sound either heart related or even respiratory. Have you checked the vet locator for a recommended vet in your area?

 

[Wiebke]

Here is our recommended piggy savvy vets locator: Guinea Pig Vet Locator

Best of luck!

 

[GPTV]

Hi there, my Ellie had occasional hooting, the worst one was when it was a warm humid day- I was given furusimide (diuretic)to give as &when needed.
I Had my doubts &wondered if she had heart problems. I tried on various occasions for a heart meds trial,eventually a different vet listened to her heart &heard she had a murmur. He then let me trial heart meds -nelio was the one she had. Dosed at quarter of a tablet twice a day.

Although she was finally diagnosed as being a heart piggy, she didnt start the meds trial in my opinion quick enough &believe if she had started them quicker(as in many weeks) she may have been with me a bit longer- Ellie however was 8yrs old &had a few other health issues.

Good luck with finding a good vet &it sounds like she possibly is a heart piggy- dont worry it is a manageable condition if treated properly &quickly. Also if she's only 4.5yrs old she's not too old to respond to treatment hopefully
Good luck at the vets &keep us updated xx

 

[lewpylew]

I took Peppa to another vet last night and £25 later for a 5 minute consultation he advised me that she does have something wrong with her heart. He said there is nothing licensed to help her. The heart keeps beating fast then slowing down. Lots of tears last night and took her home as no way was I making a decision then regretting it.
She is still quite quiet but when you put in fresh grass, celery or cucumber she comes out and gets really excited. We had lots of cuddles and I'm so torn. All he did was give me a quality of life leaflet. I realise there are specialists but just so lost and not sure what to do. He said she could have a heart attack at any time but then again so could we all
She's been such an amazing girl and not ready to give her up if I don't have to. I know if she stops eating or doesn't move then the time is right but at the moment she is warm, safe and responsive x

 

[helen105281]

Am glad you have a diagnosis but the vet is wrong when they say there is nothing to help. I am not sure if they are licensed for pigs but most vets should be willing to try ACE inhibitors (Benazepril is best). There are plenty of heart pigs on here doing well on medication. You could offer to sign a disclaimer. It may be like Baytril is the only licensed antibiotic but that doesn't mean vets aren't happy to try Septrin and Zithromax etc.

 

[GPTV]

oh so sorry to hear your vets diagnosis, obviously he's not overly clued up on heart piggies
at least he has discovered that she has a heart problem though... this was one of my main sticking points that the vet wouldn't acknowledge she had a heart problem at first.

As Helen says see if you can get him to authorise a trial for maybe a month, just to see if it improves. obviously if she deteriorates quickly or loses her quality of life then a review will need to be made.

i had Ellies ovarian cysts treated with HCG Chorulon injections - these are a licensed cattle hormone (not a guinea one) i just had to consent that i was happy for them to use the injections & i that i had been informed by them that it wasn't licensed for guineas.
the same with the Nelio heart medication Ellie had (i think this is a cat & dog licensed drug).

@Adelle has had dealings with her recently diagnosed heart guinea, with quite a bit of tweaking the meds to get the effective dosage & @helen105281 has several heart piggies.
would your vet be prepared to trial the meds? if not i would try a different vet. i don't think i would be happy with a "suck it & see" diagnosis.

Did he actually say exactly what he thought was wrong with her heart? My Ellie had a heart murmur.

love, hugs & healing vibes to Peppa. xx

 

[lewpylew]

The vet said her heart was going too fast then would slow down. Also whilst he examined her she started twitching and I've never seen that before I've emailed Anton Vets in Andover and asked if they deal with heart piggies. I'm just so lost. Guess I could contact my usual vets and ask the question re heart medicine if I get no luck from Anton Vets.

I know Peppa is an 'older' piggy but whilst there are signs of hope I'm not giving up on her as love her too much x

 

[GPTV]

i see Anton vets is on the vet locator as one of your nearest, afraid i have no experience of the practice, but guessing if John Chitty there is on the recommended list they must be quite good

Sorry i did read that you put the heart would beat inconsistently. i was just having a durr moment!
Peppa may be older at 4.5yrs , but my vet was happy to trial the meds at Ellies 8yrs old when he discovered the murmur, so try not to let that put them off offering the treatment if thats a factor in their decision.
The practice i go to is a large practice & the vets all seem to specialise in various areas, i was just lucky that my usual vet (who is normally pretty good with guineas) was off & the alternative vet had a good ear for heart noises/diagnosis.
is there another vet at your practice that may be more guinea orientated than the one you had last, that you could try?

if she is enjoying a good quality of life & "input & output" is all good, then at least she has a fighting chance to start off with.

Good luck with Anton Vets anyway , let us know how you get on.

fingers & paws all crossed.xx

 

[helen105281]

Good luck, just ask if you have any questions re dosing etc. My local vets didn't know much about heart issues in pigs but have been very receptive to my suggestions over the years and have kind of learnt with me.

 

[Adelle]

I'm sorry you are having such a bad time- i have also had my fair share of "do nothing" vets and i just kept moving and moving until one helped me! My piggy has heart disease.. And one vet actually shook their head and shrugged their shoulders when i said "This is Fudge, shes 6.5 years old..." He wanted to give up the minute i said her age- its hard but DO NOT give up because of this vet. You need to get digging and find a good vet as heart problems CAN be managed. My girl has some form of heart disease, and is relying heavily on high dose diuretics to clear the fluid on her chest- shes an old girl and has a touch of arthritis- but now she has the meds, she zooms about like a baby. She cant always handle it but she WANTS to as she is happy! None of the meds i am using are liscenced- but they are being used here there and everywhere and DO work if under the right circumstances. Dont give up- keep her exercise/stress to a minimum and call round any potential vets. Ask for a call back from each vet and explain your pig has a heart problem, and that if your vets fax her history to them, are they willing to trial heart meds and are they experienced in this? That way u arent dragging your piggy back and forth and paying consult fees. Please let us know how you get on- dont give up!