Sick guinea pig

[cookieand]

Hello. My piggy started breathing really fast and noisy since the last week. There was no wheezing so I thought it was something normal like dust. Then yesterday (I am not sure if it is classified as wheezing but) there was a noise like some sort of cap is being opened/closed with each breath and there were also a thin voice like a baby crying. She looked normal but I noticed her being a bit less active too (since they still get excited and run around when food arrives I thought they were just affected from the summer heat.) I took them to the vets one time with the complaint of green discharge around the nose and also the pink skin on both of my piggies has turned brown all of a sudden. But the vet was not well informed on guineapigs and he kinda said they were healthy based on what he knew about rabbits and hamsters. I live in Turkey there are not many vets that do specialize in guineapigs. I took them to an animal hospital and they took an xray. They said there was fluid in the abdomen and the x ray did look very bad. The lungs looked bad is all they said tbh. The vet suspected some infection but she said she does not know that well. The pig is eating well. Her poop is also normal but the two of my guineapigs combined drink about 60 ml of water daily (which is very little). They also have been sneezing for months now. I am very worried since even the vets do not know these animals very well. Any suggestion/comment will be appreciated thank you.

 

[Piggies&buns]

I’m so sorry for your situation.

First, the amount they drink varies greatly - some very little, some a lot and both extremes can be normal. They also get fluid from vegetables so as long as they passing plenty of urine and you are finding wet areas of bedding, then you don’t need to be too concerned about water consumption.

Were they given any medication (antibiotics) wheh the vet said there was an infection?

Have you been weighing your piggies regularly? Are their weights stable/increasing or has there been any weight loss?


Emergency, Crisis and Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
Weight - Monitoring and Management

 

[weepweeps]

It must be so frustrating that the vets where you are, are not very good with guinea pigs. Is there another vet you could try?

 

[cookieand]

I’m so sorry for your situation.

First, the amount they drink varies greatly - some very little, some a lot and both extremes can be normal. They also get fluid from vegetables so as long as they passing plenty of urine and you are finding wet areas of bedding, then you don’t need to be too concerned about water consumption.

Were they given any medication (antibiotics) wheh the vet said there was an infection?

Have you been weighing your piggies regularly? Are their weights stable/increasing or has there been any weight loss?


Emergency, Crisis and Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
Weight - Monitoring and Management

Thank you so much for the reply. They do wet the bedding I am relieved to know it is normal. They did inject something but did not say what it was. I think it was a diuretic for the fluid in the abdomen not an antibiotic though. I do not weigh them but they are pretty stable I would say.

 

[cookieand]

It must be so frustrating that the vets where you are, are not very good with guinea pigs. Is there another vet you could try?

Hi. Thanks for the reply. I am going to take them to an internal diseases specialist tomorrow. But I am still very worried because I read they can die in even a day with respiratory infections. Today they sent us home saying they were okay right now but I am just very worried about waiting until tomorrow.

 

[weepweeps]

Have a read of the bridging care guide posted above. Sounds like you are trying your best.

 

[Wiebke]

Hi. Thanks for the reply. I am going to take them to an internal diseases specialist tomorrow. But I am still very worried because I read they can die in even a day with respiratory infections. Today they sent us home saying they were okay right now but I am just very worried about waiting until tomorrow.

Hi and welcome

I am very sorry for your situation. It sounds like an advanced untreated respiratory infection that may have gone onto the lungs (pneumonia). But as this is an ongoing problem, you are NOT dealing with one of the really nasty bugs that can develop so quickly that medication cannot really kick in.

Please weigh your piggies daily on the kitchen scales and step in with softened pellet paste to very carefully feed them if they are losing weight. Make sure that you never give more than they can swallow and offer some water - but only as much as they want to take. The need to breathe comes before the need to drink and only thirdly the need to eat. When the struggle to breathe becomes too great, a piggy will lose first their appetite and then their thirst. If your piggies are still drinking, then you are not yet at death's door.
You can find helpful care tips for people in countries where it is difficult to access specialised support care products via this link here; the first aid kit may be helpful as well as the feeding care advice, which is crucial with loss of appetite. Please keep in mind that guinea pigs eat mainly grass hay and not veg and fresh herbs but that you cannot control the hay intake by eye - hence the need to weigh and the feeding support. I have tried to put all necessary crisis and emergency care information into this guide link here: Emergency, Crisis and Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment

PS: In some breeds, like himalayans and californians, the skin of ears, nose and feet will darken and acquire the distinctive 'siamese cat' markings only several weeks into their lives. That is perfectly normal if that is what you have been noticing.

 

[Merab]

Holding you in my thoughts

 

[cookieand]

Hi and welcome

I am very sorry for your situation. It sounds like an advanced untreated respiratory infection that may have gone onto the lungs (pneumonia). But as this is an ongoing problem, you are NOT dealing with one of the really nasty bugs that can develop so quickly that medication cannot really kick in.

Please weigh your piggies daily on the kitchen scales and step in with softened pellet paste to very carefully feed them if they are losing weight. Make sure that you never give more than they can swallow and offer some water - but only as much as they want to take. The need to breathe comes before the need to drink and only thirdly the need to eat. When the struggle to breathe becomes too great, a piggy will lose first their appetite and then their thirst. If your piggies are still drinking, then you are not yet at death's door.
You can find helpful care tips for people in countries where it is difficult to access specialised support care products via this link here; the first aid kit may be helpful as well as the feeding care advice, which is crucial with loss of appetite. Please keep in mind that guinea pigs eat mainly grass hay and not veg and fresh herbs but that you cannot control the hay intake by eye - hence the need to weigh and the feeding support. I have tried to put all necessary crisis and emergency care information into this guide link here: Emergency, Crisis and Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment

PS: In some breeds, like himalayans and californians, the skin of ears, nose and feet will darken and acquire the distinctive 'siamese cat' markings only several weeks into their lives. That is perfectly normal if that is what you have been noticing.

Hello thank you for the reply. I will weigh them daily and do as you said thank you for informing me. I took him to another vet today. They did ultrasound screening. He said he was not sure what the problem was and even if the pet has pneumonia they cannot see it on Usg.( I am a medical school student and I do know that it is not possible to see from usg but I do not understand why they can’t take any other action). He said we are going to take action based on trial and error and only going to do symptomatic treatment. They prescribed lasix tablets (for 1 week) and said to come in a week for check-up but I could only get an appointment to the 25th of this month. I am telling my parents to maybe go to another vet in a week but they are saying they can’t afford it and we should just complete this treatment and stick to this vet. I am still not relieved. If the pig has pneumonia will it worsen over the 20 day period I am not sure. They are abyssinian breed btw is it still normal for their skin to change color?

 

[cookieand]

Holding you in my thoughts

Thank you so much. Even though I am a bit more relieved compared to yesterday I am still a bit uneasy since I have to wait another 20 days to go see the vet. Even the vets here are not well informed and I feel really alone and helpless so these messages has been my moral support. Thank you again.

 

[Tigermoth]

So there’s no antibiotic? Lasix is frusemide isn’t it? He is symptomatic of a URI based on his noisy breathing. What are they waiting for to diagnose? Definitely weigh daily as that will give you more evidence of an unwell pig but the diuretics will mask some of what is happening there potentially if he has fluid to shift.

 

[Wiebke]

Hello thank you for the reply. I will weigh them daily and do as you said thank you for informing me. I took him to another vet today. They did ultrasound screening. He said he was not sure what the problem was and even if the pet has pneumonia they cannot see it on Usg.( I am a medical school student and I do know that it is not possible to see from usg but I do not understand why they can’t take any other action). He said we are going to take action based on trial and error and only going to do symptomatic treatment. They prescribed lasix tablets (for 1 week) and said to come in a week for check-up but I could only get an appointment to the 25th of this month. I am telling my parents to maybe go to another vet in a week but they are saying they can’t afford it and we should just complete this treatment and stick to this vet. I am still not relieved. If the pig has pneumonia will it worsen over the 20 day period I am not sure. They are abyssinian breed btw is it still normal for their skin to change color?

All the best and fingers very firmly crossed!

About your breed question - sorry, but without any preferably day-lit and clear pictures, preferably before and after the change, I can simply not comment due to lack of information.
As things stand, all I have to go on is your own speculations so any answer can only ever be based on those and not get to the vital verifiable facts. I hope that you can understand the need to access appropriate data for any good quality assessment and advice. You can ask Alexa or Siiri anything but you won't necessarily get a good or even relevant answer back if you do not provide adequate and crucial material to make a considered judgment. We try to be better than that.
PS: The aby breed side is irrelevant to the issue.

 

[cookieand]

Have a read of the bridging care guide posted above. Sounds like you are trying your best.

Thank you so much this did help me a lot.

 

[cookieand]

So there’s no antibiotic? Lasix is frusemide isn’t it? He is symptomatic of a URI based on his noisy breathing. What are they waiting for to diagnose? Definitely weigh daily as that will give you more evidence of an unwell pig but the diuretics will mask some of what is happening there potentially if he has fluid to shift.

No they did not prescribe anything else. And yes lasix is frusemide. I do not know what they are waiting for but the noisy breathing is mainly noticiable when she is resting and relaxed (I am aware of the normal sound they make when they are relax it is not that). I didn’t record a video of it since it was my first time with a sick guineapig (shouldh’ve known better) but the vet just makes snarky comments like “she seems normal now, I don’t hear anything” as if I am making it all up. She lays down the whole day though she was normally very active. I think they view the main issue as the fluid filled sac in the stomach but is it okay to leave the piggy for 20 days? If the case is really URI do you happen to know if it will worsen until then to the point of being life threatening? I do not understand why the vet is saying I can’t check if she has pneumonia like it is not their job. I am definitely going to weigh her everyday from now on. thank you.

 

[cookieand]

All the best and fingers very firmly crossed!

About your breed question - sorry, but without any preferably day-lit and clear pictures, preferably before and after the change, I can simply not comment due to lack of information.
As things stand, all I have to go on is your own speculations so any answer can only ever be based on those and not get to the vital verifiable facts. I hope that you can understand the need to access appropriate data for any good quality assessment and advice. You can ask Alexa or Siiri anything but you won't necessarily get a good or even relevant answer back if you do not provide adequate and crucial material to make a considered judgment. We try to be better than that.
PS: The aby breed side is irrelevant to the issue.

Okay thank you for kindly informing me. here are the photos. The skin was completely pink when I first got them. These brown patches developed about when they hit 1 years of age. The vet said they were PROBABLY because of their age and normal development but I can’t seem to find anything on the internet about it either. I do not understand how the aby breed is irrelevant though. I was wondering if it is seen and normal for aby breed since you told me it is totally OK for some breeds.

 

[cookieand]

Update: I took my piggie to another vet today. The vet was very well-informed about guinea pigs and said there was no fluid filled sac like the other vet said. (I am guessing they did not know the healthy anatomy of a guinea pig and mistaken a normal organ/structure as something abnormal.) The issue was mainly from the guts, the diaphram is pushed upward, making it harder to breathe. It is just so sad that there is just a few vets here in Turkey who knows guinea pigs well. He prescribed antibiotics and said to take probiotics as well. We are going to continue the diuretic too. I am relieved and I hope the guinea pig is going to be okay. Thank you to everyone who has given me knowledge, advice and moral support.
P.S. Couldn't get a reply to it but they said the pigmentation was completely normal as well.

 

[Merab]

Glad to hear this update.
Hope the antibiotics help quickly.