Guinea Pig Crackle

[Evec]

Hi!
I have a 6 months old GP and about 3 months ago he had a wee cough and then a crackle in his breathing. We did what any concerned piggie parent would do and took to the vet, vet said there was a slight infection and gave antibiotics, he had a check up about a week later and he was all clean.
Tonight he has been completely fine up until about hour ago, he has recently been doing a really annoying thing of chewing his plastic base and ripping bits off, we have covered up all the areas he can possibly bite but when we took him out for floor time a part was left uncovered and he was chewing that. We then heard him coughing a few times in a row so naturally went up to him to check. He continued coughing and after his coughs he then started crackled breathing for a little while. He seems to have calmed down now and the crackle isn’t as loud. We are taking him to the vet in the morning, but I’m just curious if the crackle could be caused by the plastic being chewed off, or is it most likely another infection. We stay in Scotland and the last 2 nights the temp has dropped. We keep the heating on but it is a cold time of year, which the vet said last time could have contributed to the infection. I’m just trying to educate myself to see if a crackle breathing always means an infection
Thanks in advance and sorry for the ramble

 

[Wiebke]

Hi!
I have a 6 months old GP and about 3 months ago he had a wee cough and then a crackle in his breathing. We did what any concerned piggie parent would do and took to the vet, vet said there was a slight infection and gave antibiotics, he had a check up about a week later and he was all clean.
Tonight he has been completely fine up until about hour ago, he has recently been doing a really annoying thing of chewing his plastic base and ripping bits off, we have covered up all the areas he can possibly bite but when we took him out for floor time a part was left uncovered and he was chewing that. We then heard him coughing a few times in a row so naturally went up to him to check. He continued coughing and after his coughs he then started crackled breathing for a little while. He seems to have calmed down now and the crackle isn’t as loud. We are taking him to the vet in the morning, but I’m just curious if the crackle could be caused by the plastic being chewed off, or is it most likely another infection. We stay in Scotland and the last 2 nights the temp has dropped. We keep the heating on but it is a cold time of year, which the vet said last time could have contributed to the infection. I’m just trying to educate myself to see if a crackle breathing always means an infection
Thanks in advance and sorry for the ramble

Hi

Unlike with a human viral cold, a respiratory infection in guinea pigs is bacterial so coughing is not an early symptom but a very late and rare one (mostly in untreated cases with a well developed upper respiratory infection).

A bout of coughing is usually either from something going down the wrong way (the natural body reflex) when swallowing or from swallowing a lot of air when eating too greedily (usually during or soon after a meal).

Crackly breathing doesn't necessarily mean a respiratory infection. It can simply be a temporary obstruction in the throat/bronchia area (like in the wake of something going down the wrong way) or from a sensitivity to hay or house dust or pollen. Please see whether things have settled down again by tomorrow. Only if the rasping/crackling persists or gets worse would I contact your vet.
Please see whether a bowl of steaming water next to the cage brings a bit of ease. Increased heating and reduced airing can result in very dry air, which can also cause respiratory symptoms. The steaming bowl is a good low impact tester for respiratory symptoms before you rush out and buy anything on spec.

You may find this guide link here helpful with lots of very practical measures for cold weather, which in combination with each other can be very effective. A number of them don't involve the use of energy.
Cold Weather Care for Indoor and Outdoor Guinea Pigs

PS: We have a corresponding guide for heatwaves/spikes as well as well as a guide for noisy situations like fireworks, thunderstorms or building work nearby.

You can find lots more practical and helpful information via this link here, which you may want to bookmark but which you can also find via the extended top bar: Comprehensive Owners' Practical and Supportive Information Collection

 

[Evec]

Thank you for the reply.
He was seen by the vet this morning just encase, and she said there was no infection but had some wheezing in this throat. So believes it was just something that got stuck. Thankfully. I really appreciate your response that’s a lot of very useful information and advice. Thank you

Hi

Unlike with a human viral cold, a respiratory infection in guinea pigs is bacterial so coughing is not an early symptom but a very late and rare one (mostly in untreated cases with a well developed upper respiratory infection).

A bout of coughing is usually either from something going down the wrong way (the natural body reflex) when swallowing or from swallowing a lot of air when eating too greedily (usually during or soon after a meal).

Crackly breathing doesn't necessarily mean a respiratory infection. It can simply be a temporary obstruction in the throat/bronchia area (like in the wake of something going down the wrong way) or from a sensitivity to hay or house dust or pollen. Please see whether things have settled down again by tomorrow. Only if the rasping/crackling persists or gets worse would I contact your vet.
Please see whether a bowl of steaming water next to the cage brings a bit of ease. Increased heating and reduced airing can result in very dry air, which can also cause respiratory symptoms. The steaming bowl is a good low impact tester for respiratory symptoms before you rush out and buy anything on spec.

You may find this guide link here helpful with lots of very practical measures for cold weather, which in combination with each other can be very effective. A number of them don't involved use of energy.
Cold Weather Care for Indoor and Outdoor Guinea Pigs

PS: We have a corresponding guide for heatwaves/spikes as well as well as a guide for noisy situations like fireworks, thunderstorms or building work nearby.

You can find lots more practical and helpful information via this link here, which you may want to bookmark but which you can also find via the extended top bar: Comprehensive Owners' Practical and Supportive Information Coll

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you for the reply.
He was seen by the vet this morning just encase, and she said there was no infection but had some wheezing in this throat. So believes it was just something that got stuck. Thankfully. I really appreciate your response that’s a lot of very useful information and advice. Thank you

I am glad that your vet has confirmed that it is nothing serious. See whether the room is a bit too dry and red up on what more you can do to keep your piggies warm during this cold weather period.

Global warming unfortunately means that the jet stream has become less strong and more meandering so we are increasingly locked into more extreme stable weather patterns - cold ones as well as hot or wet ones or a storm conveyor belt. Little measures in combination can work surprisingly well. It is not about what is the best thing I can do for my piggies but how many little things I can do for them.