1 year old pig with suspected heart disease

[WilliamAndJack]

Hi all, hope you're all well. I have kept guinea pigs for many years and have been really lucky when it comes to heart problems until now.

Nutmeg is almost 2 and has been hooting for months now on and off. It gets worse when she is stressed, which is unfortunately quite a lot of the time as my regular vet prescribed anti biotics in September of last year, and she's been on and off then since then. She now hates being handled as she associates it with having a syringe of medication forced into her mouth.

As there was no improvement we took her to a specialist exotic vet in our area who prescribed a different type of anti biotic. We thought she was getting better and there has been a slight improvement but nothing amazing.

The next step is an X-ray. She is a really anxious pig and I don't want to put her through sedation if at all possible.

I don't suppose anyone has any hope they can give me that it's not her heart? We've been talking about different options, which does include putting her to sleep but we love her SO much and lost another of our pigs last week to old age so are feeling really emotional and I would love input from people who aren't close to the situation.

Is an X-ray worth the stress? Is it likely it's anything else other than her heart?

Thanks for reading. X

 

[Gem789]

I'll tag @Wiebke ,hope she has some advice for you.A couple of members I would've tagged are not active on the forum anymore.I hope nutmeg is ok x

 

[WilliamAndJack]

Thank you so much!

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you so much!

Hi

I don't have a lot of personal experience with heart problems in guinea pigs since I have so far been lucky to never have one that has been diagnosed with them, whih is not necessarily easy.

But other forum members do have that experience. There are now more heart meds available and guinea pigs on them can live for several years.

What we cannot tell is you what is going on and whether the hooting is caused by a heart issue or not; for that you need a vet. Sedation for an x-ray is not very heavy but necessary for arranging the piggy in somewhat unnatural poses for best results; it would be more distressing for them without sedation and the risk of them moving would be high. There is however not any risk of complications.

Forum members can support you with practical care tips.

 

[Pound Shilling & Pig]

Hi, I have a piggy with a heart condition which she was diagnosed with appropriately two and a half years ago. She didn't have the hooting and her only symptom was unexplained weight loss. She had to spend a day at the vets for investigation, which included an xray. My vet was surprised when the xray revealed she had fluid in her lungs as her breathing was normal and lungs had sounded normal too. This suggested a heart condition which was confirmed by her response to medication and associated weight gain. She has been on medication ever since and will be six this spring. She is on furosemide ( a diuretic) and benazapet ( an ACE inhibitor)

An xray only requires a light anaesthetic for a very short time, so there is minimal risk, which from my experience is worth it.

I really don't know if your piggy's hooting is related to her heart or not and also there are different types of heart disorders and varying degrees of severity but if it is her heart then she may, with a diagnosis and medication, be able to live a normal life and be around for a good while longer.

 

[Freya1234]

As others have pointed out I can’t say if the hooting is heart related as you would need a vet for that, I also agree that there is minimal risk for an x-ray.
My rainbow boy Smokey had a heart condition we never had any diagnostic testing for him but he was wheezy and had quite laboured breathing and when the vet listened she said she could hear fluid on his heart, he was on frusol (a diuretic) from 2 and a half right up until he died at almost 7 (not heart related as he had lymphoma). Once he started his medication the wheezing went and it didn’t seem to affect him at all! He didn’t like taking the medicine initially but once he got the hang of the syringe and realised it tasted quite nice he became a pro!

 

[WilliamAndJack]

Thank you to everyone who has replied, I really appreciate you taking the time to help! We have yet another appointment this afternoon at our normal vets, so will have a proper chat with them and not let them fob me off any longer with antibiotics that don't work. I'll update you all when there's any news. Thanks again for all your help and good wishes! X

 

[Jelly/Jam]

I am learning so much about guinea pig health here. Up til now I have not known anyone that likes guinea pigs. I know a lady in a rodent rescue and that is it. People think I am nuts for having 4 and always say WHY? I get quite snipey at them then.

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you to everyone who has replied, I really appreciate you taking the time to help! We have yet another appointment this afternoon at our normal vets, so will have a proper chat with them and not let them fob me off any longer with antibiotics that don't work. I'll update you all when there's any news. Thanks again for all your help and good wishes! X

All the best.

Antibiotics that don't work are either due to it not being a bacterial infection or to resistancy problems (the latter would require a nasal swab and a lab test); however with just the hooting and no other symptoms or indications, I do not think that you are dealing with a respiratory infection.

Persistent hooting can also be down to any kind of obstruction in the nasal cavities and there are some very rare 'out there' things that can turn up.