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Squeeks breathing

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Debby

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Hi
Squeek has always had a rattle to her breathing and has been on antibiotics but not for a while now and the vet said she couldn't hear anything anyway. Tonight Squeek seems to be a bit more poorly.We have tried a little vicks on her nose but thats not even helped. She hasn't eaten much that i've seen today, she's had a few spinch leaves and a few strands of hay since we have had her indoors tonight. She has not poo'd or wee'd either.
I'm taking her to the vets tomorrow. Any ideas would be welcomed.
Debby
 
How old is she?
Is she moving around or just sat in the corner?
Are her ears cold?
Often, not everytime, the symptoms you describe can be part of the "package" that accompanies heart problems.
 
She'll be 1 in January. when she is still but when on our laps she's climbing up towards our shoulders. To be honest i haven't felt her ears.
 
I have a piggy who continued to show symptoms similar to those you would get with a URI, after a course of antibiotics. However after further examination she was found to have a heart problem. She now takes 1/4 of a Fortekor tablet daily and has been absolutely fine since starting the medication. She has been taking it for over a year now. The improvement came immediately she started taking the tablets.

I really hope Squeek is soon feeling much better.
 
If you had explored all the other options, you could try some kids Sudafed which i sometimes find does help clear up a non-specific rattle, BUT i would make sure that th vet had checked her heart first.

Does she have quite a short nose? Some piggies that have shorter noses can tend to be more congested.

Also, is there anything coming out of her nose (mucus)?

Is she rattley? or gasping? If she was gasping then i think it could be either an inhaled hay seed or similar, or it could be that her heart is having to work a bit harder than normal.

I have a rescue here that is short nosed and came in a bit 'ahem' overweight and she was quite rattley and gasping. Her breathing did get better when she lost a little weight which made me think that it was possibly a mild heart problem.

She's ok now though.

Fingers crossed xx

Ali
 
Wishing you best wishes and fingers crossed and let us know how you get on at the vets
 
Thank you for all your replies.
Her ears are warm. She has had some cerlery while sitting on my lap so at least she's had something, and she's done a wee. Yes she has a short nose and it is all clear. I wouldn't say that she is over weight. How will the vet test to see if it is Squeek's heart?
 
My piggies heart problem was detected by examination with stethoscope, but she has a heart murmur and arrhythmia, so it was much more obvious. Even if a guinea pigs heart sounds healthy there can still be a problem though. It's unlikely that this would be the problem with your piggie but it could be worth mentioning it to the vet.
 
Well not been back from the vets long. The vet said that Squeeks problems could be a lot of things like keytones if she is a diabetic, Or she has a blockage somewhere and she could have heart problems as her heart beat is irregular. Squeek has had 2 injections this morning and will be hand feed by the nurse to see if she will pee or poo. The vet will also try and take a x-ray this afternoon. We spoke about the heart and she said it would be hard to get a look at the heart cos the heart is so small and she would have to see the heart to get the right meds. From what she said she will ring me this evening with either good news or we will have to make a decision about squeek I really don't want to make.
 
If the vet comes back to you with bad news, please don't just accept that. It would be worth getting another opinion on Squeek I think. If the problem is heart related it doesn't have to be fatal. My Skye has been on medication for over a year now and she just takes 1/4 of a Fortekor tablet each day. Since starting the medication she has been full of life again.
 
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