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Strange Breathing/gagging Thing?

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rufcjoe87

rufcjoe87

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This is a strange one and a tad long so here goes, help appreciated

My piggy Arthur, he's about 1 yrs old and is 1400g. He's always breathed heavily and usually does the odd cough when he eats as he wolfs his food down!

On Sunday night we noticed his breathign was audible, like a grunt/hoot sound when he breathed and he seemed to be really struggling. He ate his veg at 5pm like normal but at 9pm ish he seemed to be struggling. There was also a clicking noise and he kept opening and closing his mouth almost like he was gagging or trying to clear his throat.

We took him to emergency vets. She examined him thoroughly, she said he was a big piggie but his lungs sound fine and his heart sounds fine. He wouldn't let her look down his throat. She said it may be a blockage or irritation so she gave him anti inflammatory and antibiotic injection.

He ate a bit of veg overnight but yesterday he ate nothing, wasn't interested. He tried to eat a little but seemed to give up. He wa sin is bed all day which isn't like him at all.

Took him to our vets. He wrapped arthur in a towel and his assistant held him while he had a look down his throat with the piece of equipment. He said it was messy in there a build up of food and hay and he cleaned it with a swab. When they put Arthur down he collapsed. He just rolled on his side and lay there. Itwas very shocking. AFter a minute he was up again. The vet suggested we leave him there so they can give him some oxygen and try again. We agreed despite the risk as we have to see whats wrong

We went back later (longest 2 hours of our life). Vet managed to have a look, couldnt see a blockage just lots of food. Vet things may be infection affecting his airwaves which is making everything an effort and stopping him eating. He gave him an injection of antibiotics and steroids to try and help.

We brought him home n syringe fed him. Last night he ate hay and a few pellets on his own. He was still doing the weird gagging thing though, but his breathing wasn't noisy.

Over night he has had some pellets and done a few poos. Nowhere near his usual but its something.

We syringed him this morning and he wasnt doing the gagging thing or noisy breathing but he was still breathing heavily.

Obviously we are worried about him. Anyone had anything similar? Any ideas on cause? We are reluctant to xray as his system may not take it. Hopefully he will continue to improve but it's a mystery as to why he went downhill so fast?

Sorry for the long post and thanks if you got this far!
 
I think it could be an infection like the vet has said, I have seen one of my pigs gagging like that and it was Buzz when he had Pneumonia. The vet has confirmed there is no fluid on his chest? Have you been given oral antibiotics to give at home or was it just the injection? do you know what it was?
 
Both vets says his lungs and airflow sound clear and his heart sound fine. The vet gave an injection which he said lasts 2 days. I think it was perhaps baytril? Not sure as the sheet is at home. He gave us nothign to take home as he said after 2 days if no better bring him back. I guess our best hope is infection which he can hopefully get over?

The emergency vet mentioned pneumonia but didn't think it likely. Both vets think most likely cause was an infection. Just so strange seeing him gagging like that and not nice with his breathing. The tiny silver lining is his respiratory system is generally ok, just want to get over whatever he has bless him
 
It most likely was Baytril. Hope you see an improvement in the next 2 days.
 
The kind of noise you describe can be indicative of heart or lung problems, but if your vet is absolutely certain that these are fine then I don't know what to think. Is it possible for guinea pigs to have asthma? It's just a thought that popped into my head, @helen105281 have you heard of this?
I had one 'hooter' with a heart issue, and one who struggled to breath with a chest infection, but I can't be of any help as this kind of thing is so individual to the piggy. I hope that the tests can diagnose the issue and that there's an effective treatment for your piggy.
:hug:
 
Yes I thought that from what i read but both vets seem certain heart/lungs are ok? Could be to do with his weight that the slightest thing can throw hm off? At his worse on Sunday/Monday he really was struggling, it was almost like he had to decide to breathe or eat! like i say seemed a little better this morning just trying to see if others had anything similar. Think from what Helen said along with the vets, most likely is an infection which hopefully he will get over! Thanks :)
 
Hopefully that's the case, and I always value Helen's experience in these things. Hope he picks up very soon x
 
Yes me too, this is why I love this forum there is always someone with experience or knowledge of certain illnesses and ailments which is why i post here aswell as seeing a vet!

thanks :) x
 
i've experienced this with three of my pets now - with my rabbit matt, it was respiratory related. with chesney piggy, unfortunately it was due to his body shutting down and his lungs filling with fluid (he had a tumour). with eddie, it wasn't clear what was causing it until we found out he had kidney disease. with him, the heavy breathing and gagging seemed to be a pain response.

i hope this doesn't worry you further but i just wanted to share our experience of it. i hope you are able to find out what is going on and that he responds to treatment. if there isn't any improvement i think i'd be tempted to go for the xrays and other tests. just because very rarely, a piece of hay or food can get lodged deep in the throat (vet told me this) and it isn't possible to have a proper look without the animal being sedated. this also gives the vet a much better chance to fully check all the airways and palpate the body for abnormalities. then even take xrays and bloods if then needed. this was what happened with my lot anyway. but if your vet isn't piggy savvy them i'd recommend going to one for this. i know anaesthetics always carry a small risk, but good vets will beable to tailor it to suit the individual animal, and it's obviously flushed out of their system at the end of any procedure so they generally tolerate it well and come around quickly. the whole range of tests, xrays and bloods shouldn't take longer than 15mins or so usually.

of course, you know your piggy best so trust that when making any decisions.

best of luck x
 
Thanks @biscandmatt really appreciate your input. I think what we are hoping for is he starts to get better and it is an infection. If not, we will look into having him x rayed and looked at - i'd rather risk that than just do nothing. The first vet did seem to think it was food being stuck, or being stuck and then dislodged but having irritated the throat while it was there, of course to see we'd need xrays so we're hoping its not but we'll have to do it if he doesn't improve in next day or so.

Thnaks again, appreciate it x
 
I did consider heart and it is still in the back of my mind but as 2 vets said the heart sounded ok and there was no fluid I decided not to go with it yet. You could see if the vet is happy to carry out a conscious xray though to see if the heart is enlarged.
 
As for Asthma, it is not something I have come across but I would think it is possible.
 
@helen105281 it's funny you should say that about the heart - i remember on a thread a few months back, when i first noticed his breathing, you mentioned that, and it's been in the back of my mind ever since and i'm wondering if there is still an issue. Obviously 2 vets have said everything sounds fine in that respect, which is good, but a little confusing as he seems to have some 'heart pig symptoms' It's hard to tell if he has a blue tinge on his nose and lips due to his colpour but the first vet checked his gums and they are just lovely and pink so nothing there either.
If he doesn't improve and xray is the next step i'll see if the vet can pay more attention to his heart.
thanks again x
 
How's he doing pooping and peeing wise?

I'd probably suspect heart, like suggested above, but I've also seen gagging in a case of bloat. That can come on really quickly too.
 
He was pooping fine, even did a few while waiting at vets, since not eating too much tho hes not pooped that much but there are some fresh ones suggesting that his guts are still ok. The first vet checked specifically for bloat and ruled it out - said his guts were healthy
 
Hi there, sorry to hear your piggy is sick! If it where my piggy, i would take him back tomorrow for a chest xray. The fact his lungs sound clear but still heavy breathing, it could be possible that there is fluid surrounding in the chest cavity. I have a heart failure sow, for 3 months or so i had her to several vets as she just wasnt right, and had heavy breathing. Antibiotics did nothing. Her heart sounded fine, her lungs where clear. It was only until she started hooting one night, i was taken seriously and they gave her diuretics- her breathing improved massively in two hours- the best it had been in months. A conscious xray of her sitting in a small box revealed fluid on the chest. She is now on heart meds and diretics daily, and is still fighting after 6/7 months from when she first had heavy breathing. They do choose to breathe rather than eat when their breathing gets real bad, luckily my girl hadn't got to that stage, but she would have without treatment. I think this explains the food in mouth and throat- hes trying to eat as hungry but could be struggling to breathe so isnt finishing the chewing process.

I hope he picks up, but i would push for a concious xray if u dont see an improvement soon.
 
Thanks @Adelle I think when we go back to the v ets I'll mention to him about a conscious xray. I don't want to upset Arthur too much but it has to be worth doing a more thorough check on his heart and lungs etc. He's been a heavy breather for a while now but fine in every other sense, maybe i'll strongly suggest to the vet that he carries out the xray.

Bit of an update. He's still in his bed and has been most of the evening. He did eat some pepper and bits of other veg, but nowhere near as much as he should. There were a few small poos and a huge clump of poo so at least his gut is working. Tried syringing but he really wasn't happy about that! When we put him back he had some hay and a bit of food then retreated to his bed.

Weirdly his breathing now seems fine, no wheezing, coughing or gagging, but he's not eating nearly enough. Theoretically due back to the vets tomorrow, not sure whether to take him or to hope he is slowly recovering!
 
I would take him as he is not eating like he should so there is something still going on. Could you post a photo of his breathing? I know it's not as bad but we may see something that could help?
 
Yeh I think we'll take him along tomorrow. I will try and get a photo/video a little later/in the morning and post it on. I'm sure it will probably be more obvious if you could see it! I'll see if i can get something
 
My sow had clear sounding heart/lungs, pink lips/nose and ate normally.. was just quieter, seemed off and breathed harder than normal.. And that was With a chest full of fluid. Its amazing how well they cope until they just cant- thats why its so important we act fast. I hope you get some answers- the sooner you know the better. Good luck x
 
Thank you. I tried to take a vid last night but it was too dark and his breathing now seems ok - better, in fact, than even before this mystery illness. He is eating on his own a bit but nowhere near what he used to or should be. He's back in at the vets this afternoon for a check so I'll mention possibility of a conscious xray. Will keep you posted. He is a good vet but not a piggy savvy vet so if he's unsure of conscious xray i'll see if i can find one. Thanks again. x
 
My vets used my Nigel as their first conscious x-ray and masking taped him to the table ;)
 
haha wow! how did nigel feel about that?! To be fair to him the vets we use have been very good with both our boys and our previous ones, so if he is happy to do it i'm happy to let him. Obviously much less risk with conscious xray as no anaesthetic. Tho it may be a bit uncomfortable for him at the time I'm sure it won't take too long :)
 
He probably wasn't impressed, he was naughty though so am not surprised they had to tape him down. Mrs Fuzzy will be the same if she ever needs an xray. He had a cheeky glint in his eye and so does she. He used to pretend to die on us too if he didn't like his meds, used to freak us out a lot.

It is risky for a pig suspected of having heart issues to have any kind of sedation so fingers crossed they will agree.
 
Brilliant! It's funny you say that, Henry is the cheeky, noisy one. Arthur just goes about his business, quietly, never bothers about anything. Only time he has ever squeaked was whe he was having his injections bless him

Yeh that's in the back of my mind, i mean if we got to point where no other option then of course I would but hopefully we can find /sort the issue without sedation as I dont know if he would cope bless him. Such a young piggy too to be relatively 'weak' Piggies are a mystery!
 
He was unique.

I think there are ways of securing pigs so they don't move about. One vet I know uses a little restraint bag, others use sandbags around the pig. I think the only reason that sedation or a whiff of gas can be necessary is if it is difficult to get the view that is needed while they are awake.

I have known a couple of heart pigs who were diagnosed at under 6 months old.
 
Yeh i suppose each vet has their own way. The other day when Arthur collapsed he was being held tightly in a towel which i thnk stressed him out so we will have to be wary of that too.

wow I always thought it would be something you got mainly in older pigs!

Really appreciate your help etc on this - will let you guys know what the vet says!
 
So took Arthur back to vets last night. Vet very impressed with improvement in breathing. He sadi " i didn't tell you as it's not strictly for use in guinea pigs but you knew it was win or bust so I gave him penecillin" Anyway it clearly worked so Arthur got another shot of it yesterday. Vet has discharged him but said come back if no improvement by the weekend. Doesn't think we need conscious xrays due to general improvement in breathing...

Got him home and he nibbled a bit and spent all evening in bed. I was out till late so my girlfriend waited up till i got in so we could syringe feed him before bed
Anyway, and you have to laugh at this - I'm sure they know what they are doing - he was on his towel on my lap and he took half a syringe, then we put some lettuce in front of him and he wolfed it down, then spinach, more lettuce, grass.

Well we couldn't believe it, he ate n ate and ate! He waited till last thing and we were both up bless him!

Anyway he also ate his breakfast this morning, or most of it. He's still not 100% and he's still in his bed more but hes definitely eating, pooing and looking more lively so hopefully whatever it is has gone/is going out of his system!

If it recurs i will definitely insist on conscious xrays!

Thanks again for all your help and good wishes! :) x
 
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