Hello, my guinea pig seems like she is breathing a little harder than normal. Everything else is normal as she would always do such as eating and drinking. She is still able to run around and wheek. I’ve just begin noticing her breathe a little harder and at times would hear her wheezing a bit, but goes away. The only exotic vet nearby is available on Wednesday which is when I will be taking her. Will she be ok until then? Is there anything I can do at home to help her?
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Guinea pig breathing hard at times
- Thread starter madsher24
- Start date
As you cannot judge hay intake by eye, please ensure you switch from routine weekly weight checks and instead weigh her daily while there are health concerns. This enables you to more closely monitor hay intake. If piggies are struggling to breathe, given the need to breathe comes first, then it can make them reduce how much they eat. If she is losing weight and therefore not eating enough hay you will need to step in and syringe feed her.
I know it’s not as easy get vet appointments in the US, but if she gets worse then do try to get her an earlier appointment.
I hope she is ok. Let us know what the vet says.
Emergency, Crisis and Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment
Not Eating, Weight Loss And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
I know it’s not as easy get vet appointments in the US, but if she gets worse then do try to get her an earlier appointment.
I hope she is ok. Let us know what the vet says.
Emergency, Crisis and Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment
Not Eating, Weight Loss And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
Thank you! I really appreciate the help, I will do whatever I can to make sure she’s well taken care of before her appointment. I was actually able to have her seen earlier so she will be getting seen tomorrow instead of Wednesday!
That’s good news. Let us know how things go
We just got back from the vet today and they diagnosed her with primary upper respiratory infection that is affecting her lungs (either bronchitis or mild pneumonia). They gave her antibiotics (SZM 0.5mls every 12hrs for 14 days). Everything else is good according to the doctor she’s bright and alert the only concern is the URI. We caught it before it got really bad so they said she should improve in the next 3-5 days. I’m grateful we caught it soon but I am a little anxious and nervous she won’t get better. The vet seems pretty optimistic that she should improve. They told me to call back if she does not improve by the end of this week. Do Guinea pigs usually recover from these that you have seen? I’m just very nervous right now and need to hear some good news.
Also if there is anything I can do to disinfect the cage and clean it to where it can kill the bacteria that would be great! I usually clean her cage on the regular but I want to be extra cautious this time and clean every few hours as I don’t want new bacteria to be introduced to my piggie.
Well done for catching it quickly. It does help in the recovery process.
Keep up with her antibiotics to help her feel better and normal cage hygiene.
As antibiotics can upset the gut, it is important you weigh her daily so you can be sure she is still eating enough hay, you will also need to step in and syringe feed her a recovery feed or mushed up pellets if her appetite is affected. It’s also advisable to give a probiotic 1-2 hours either before or after an antibiotic dose as this can help settle the gut. Alternatively use the just produced poops of her healthy cage mate, soak the poops in water for five minutes and syringe the water to her as this also helps restore the gut bacteria.
The guides I linked in my first reply will help
Keep up with her antibiotics to help her feel better and normal cage hygiene.
As antibiotics can upset the gut, it is important you weigh her daily so you can be sure she is still eating enough hay, you will also need to step in and syringe feed her a recovery feed or mushed up pellets if her appetite is affected. It’s also advisable to give a probiotic 1-2 hours either before or after an antibiotic dose as this can help settle the gut. Alternatively use the just produced poops of her healthy cage mate, soak the poops in water for five minutes and syringe the water to her as this also helps restore the gut bacteria.
The guides I linked in my first reply will help
Ok I will definitely take your advice! Do you have any probiotic recommendations?
I believe BeneBac is the commonly used US probiotic.
Antibiotics can upset digestion but it depends how many doses she has had and how long ago as to whether it has been long enough for it to have caused a digestive upset yet.
Poop output is 1-2 days behind food intake so the poops produced today is from food or lack of food intake a couple of days ago.
Have you been weighing her?
Do ensure you weigh her daily while she is unwell (weekly weight checks are routine for healthy piggies) as it’s the only way to know she is getting enough hay or syringe feed.
Soft poops/deformed poops - digestive upset. If she has these signs then remove from veg from the diet, give a probiotic. Ensuring plenty of hay intake/syringe feeding to rebalance the gut. This can be caused by the antibiotics.
Small poops or lack of poops - reduced food intake over the past 48 hours. Needs to be getting more fibre (hay or syringe feed) immediately
Antibiotics can upset digestion but it depends how many doses she has had and how long ago as to whether it has been long enough for it to have caused a digestive upset yet.
Poop output is 1-2 days behind food intake so the poops produced today is from food or lack of food intake a couple of days ago.
Have you been weighing her?
Do ensure you weigh her daily while she is unwell (weekly weight checks are routine for healthy piggies) as it’s the only way to know she is getting enough hay or syringe feed.
Soft poops/deformed poops - digestive upset. If she has these signs then remove from veg from the diet, give a probiotic. Ensuring plenty of hay intake/syringe feeding to rebalance the gut. This can be caused by the antibiotics.
Small poops or lack of poops - reduced food intake over the past 48 hours. Needs to be getting more fibre (hay or syringe feed) immediately
Thank you, I just bought some Benebac today and gave some to her a few hours after her antibiotics. Her poops have gone back to normal and aren’t pointy or weirdly shaped! I was feeding her more romaine than I should have before the vet just so I could see if she would still eat. But I will lay off veggies for a bit and reintroduce them sparingly in a day or two. Her weight has stayed consistent and she is constantly eating hay as well. Today, after her first round of antibiotics, she has been popcorning and will run up to me when I enter the room and will wheek like normal. Activity levels are really good along with the occasionally nap. I still hear a little bit of breathing from her, but it is the first day so I’m not expecting much change. I’m hoping in 3-5 days she will be a lot better! Should there be a significant change by the end of this week from your experiences or stories? I’m still a little anxious even though she seems to be doing really well, I think the diagnosis of possible mild pneumonia scared me.
Hi I don’t know if anyone is still reading this thread as no one has replied, but I wanted to let you guys know that my Guinea pig has made a full recovery after antibiotics! I had her get a recheck after her 14 day course of antibiotics and the vet said that she no longer hears the rattling sounds in her lungs as she breathes and has even put on more than 10% of her body weight! I also no longer hear wheezing as I listen to her breathe and she is even more active than normal!
That’s great news