Guinea pig hooting issue. Advice needed .

[Emilia_G]

Hello everyone! I’m a new guinea pig mom, got my two female piggies from my local pet store almost two weeks ago (Bean is 8 months old and Killie is 2 months old).
The first two-three days everything was normal. After that, I noticed that Bean started making a hooting sound when she naps, kinda like her nostrils were whistling and she sneezed sometimes. I suspected an allergy or an infection. I called the local vet to check my piggies out. He told me that Bean has a slight infection , he didn’t give me any details, and he prescribed Baytril for a week (three pumps 5mg diluted in their 300ml waterbottle everyday) . A week has passed and the hooting has not stopped although I think it’s less frequent (I’m not sure if it’s better or the same cause I’m not always home). I called my vet again to inform him and he told me to stop the baytril cause there is no point and that probably Bean got it from her mom and there is nothing to be done. I’m still worried and I don’t really know what to do , I’m scared that she might have something treatable that my vet is ignoring and it could get worse ? I read that Baytril is given for longer than a week sometimes but I don’t wanna do anything without advice from a vet. Any advice or information would be appreciated.

Some things I would like to note :
I don’t completely trust my vet cause he is not an exotic pet vet but he mostly examines cats and dogs but he says he has training for exotic pets too and he accepts them ..Also he prescribed Baytril in their water which I feel like is not the best option since we can’t know how much they drink. I live in a town in Greece and I can’t find a vet that specializes in piggies.

Also my other piggie Killie is taking the antibiotic although she is fine and I’m worried it might harm her, should I separate them ?

My vet did not prescribe a probiotic for them, should I do something about that?

Bean was placed in a rabbit cage before we got them and I read that Guinea pigs could get infections from pet rabbits

I’m currently using wood chippings as bedding trying to change to Fleece to eliminate any allergens but they seem unhappy when I change the bedding to fleece so I don’t know what to do.

Excuse the long thread and any English mistakes. I know the things I wrote are bit messy but there is so much info. Any advice would be appreciated and thank you so much for taking the time to read .

 

[Piggies&buns]

Welcome to the forum

You are correct, putting an antibiotic into ther drinking water is a dreadul thing for the vet to have told you to do. It’s basically meant that your piggy hasn’t had the dosage required for a potential infection at all. There is very little chance that your piggy has drunk anywhere near enough water to get the dose in one day just by herself. Antibiotics need to be administered at the correct dose by syringe directly to the poorly piggy.

This vet doesn’t seem to be knowledgeable. Not least because not treating a potential respiratory infection can cause long lasting damage so saying there is nothing that can be done is not correct. I appreciate it’s difficult to find another vet though. Do you have any rescue centres who have piggies nearby? We sometimes recommend, if you do, to call them and ask if they have any recommendations for vets a specific

However, nasal hooting can be because of irritation in the airways such as hay or bedding dust.

A probiotic isn’t a medication so the vet didn’t need to prescribe those, but it is recommended to use them when a piggy is on antibiotics. However, as its not likely your piggy has been getting the antibiotic properly anyway, then the risk of the antibiotic upsetting the gut is low.

Please don’t separate your piggies. The antibiotic won’t hurt the other piggy

 

[Emilia_G]

Thank you so much for your response!
The pet store owner gave me two vet names that examine piggies, it was the vet I visited and a lady that is currently out of the country, I am returning to my hometown on Monday( I’m a college student) and I’ll search for a vet there for a second opinion. In the meanwhile, I know a weekend can be a long time for a piggy and sometimes infections get worse quickly (if there is actually an infection) , should I continue giving them baytril until I visit another vet ? And maybe get a probiotic for them ? I know these questions should be asked to a vet but the only available vet kinda dismissed us.

I will search for a rescue center.
I suspected that maybe it’s an irritation from dust and I’m trying to eliminate dust and stop using dusty bedding and I’ll see if there is any improvement. I'm just worried about an infection cause the vet prescribed Baytril after listening to Bean's lungs , meaning he probably heard something suspicious.

Okay I won’t separate them.

I did lots of research but I’m still inexperienced and I’m kinda panicking.

 

[Piggies&buns]

You need to follow vet advice for now - I’m afraid we can’t tell you to do anything different as we are not vets.

A probiotic can help settle an upset digestive system but you don’t report any signs of an upset. They probably haven’t been getting enough antibiotic for it to even cause any problems (but also not every piggy will suffer an upset tummy while on antibiotics). Therefore a probiotic isn’t necessary, but it won’t hurt them if you choose to use one

Make sure you weigh your piggies weekly as routine but weigh daily while you have health concerns. This is the only way to know they are eating enough hay, and hay being 80% of the daily food intake. Unwell piggies usually drop hay intake so it’s important you know that they are eating enough at the moment

 

[Emilia_G]

Okay then I’ll wait until I find a new vet. They seem to be eating normal and their poo also seems healthy. The only thing that seems off is that they are not that active in their cage but that changes when I give them floor time.
I’ll monitor their eating , weight and the hooting and I’ll come back to you if I have any updates.

Thank you lots for the advice!

 

[weepweeps]

Hello and welcome to the forum. I hope your piggy is better soon.

 

[Wiebke]

Okay then I’ll wait until I find a new vet. They seem to be eating normal and their poo also seems healthy. The only thing that seems off is that they are not that active in their cage but that changes when I give them floor time.
I’ll monitor their eating , weight and the hooting and I’ll come back to you if I have any updates.

Thank you lots for the advice!

Hi

Hooting is the sound a guinea pig can make when the nose is partially obstructed. In young and newly bought guinea pigs, there is always the risk of a potention respiratory infection, which can kill or can cause major health issues later in life if un- or undertreated. That is the reason why the first step should always be to treat for URI with an antibiotic.

Finding a vet with interest in guinea pigs is unfortunately rather difficult in Greece as they are classed as exotic pets and do not feature much (if at all) in a general vet's curriculum, as we know from other forum members from your country over the years.

Please always give any medication and supplements directly by syringe. You can find medicating tips in this link here (with videos and pictures): All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures

You may also want to bookmark the access link to our extensive collection of helpful practical guides and information on a wide range of topics, browse, read and re-read at need. 15 years of practical experience with tens of thousands of enquiries on this forum and our own even longer owner experience have gone into our practical how-to advice: Comprehensive Owners' Practical and Supportive Information Collection

 

[Emilia_G]

Hello and welcome to the forum. I hope your piggy is better soon.

Hello and thank you!

 

[Emilia_G]

Hi

Hooting is the sound a guinea pig can make when the nose is partially obstructed. In young and newly bought guinea pigs, there is always the risk of a potention respiratory infection, which can kill or can cause major health issues later in life if un- or undertreated. That is the reason why the first step should always be to treat for URI with an antibiotic.

Finding a vet with interest in guinea pigs is unfortunately rather difficult in Greece as they are classed as exotic pets and do not feature much (if at all) in a general vet's curriculum, as we know from other forum members from your country over the years.

Please always give any medication and supplements directly by syringe. You can find medicating tips in this link here (with videos and pictures): All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures

You may also want to bookmark the access link to our extensive collection of helpful practical guides and information on a wide range of topics, browse, read and re-read at need. 15 years of practical experience with tens of thousands of enquiries on this forum and our own even longer owner experience have gone into our practical how-to advice: Comprehensive Owners' Practical and Supportive Information Collection

Hello and thank you a lot for your response and the links you provided! I appreciate all the help

If I manage to find another vet I’ll make sure they don’t prescribe medication by water. It’s kinda disheartening that there are no specialized exotic vets here, hope that changes in the future!

 

[Merab]

I can’t add to the advice but wanted to say
Γειά. σας και καλώς ήρθατε στο φόρουμ

 

[Emilia_G]

I can’t add to the advice but wanted to say
Γειά. σας και καλώς ήρθατε στο φόρουμ

Γεια σας!Σας ευχαριστώ, χαρά μου να είμαι εδώ!
Excellent greek thank you for the greeting !

 

[Emilia_G]

Hello everyone! Hope you are all okay and well! Just a little update on Bean, today I returned in my hometown and visited another vet that I texted in the weekend. She was really gentle and seemed a bit experienced. She listened to my piggies’ lungs and said she doesn’t hear anything suspicious but the hooting is not normal so she continued the baytril treatment for another week, she gave Bean the first dose by syringe and showed me how to do it. I’m gonna be watching her closely and we’ll reevaluate in a week. Hopefully she stops the hooting soon.

She also checked her teeth and feet and ears and noticed slight irritation on her feet and ears. Her feet were a bit too pink almost red and her ears were a bit dry . She suspects the bedding is bothering her and I should stick to wood chippings (I told her I was trying to switch to fleece). But I thought fleece was soft and gentle on their little paws. Can it actually bother them?
(I typically use wood chippings in their cage and fleece for floor time cause I have not figured out how to put it in their cage properly)

 

[Piggies&buns]

Fleece is not an irritant. Wood shavings are more likely than fleece to cause irritation particularly to airways (if they are not properly dust extracted etc) or not changed out enough.

However, the washing detergent used might sometimes cause irritation but not the fleece itself. Using a non scented, non bio (so suitable for human babies) then it’s usually fine.
You would still need to make sure fleece is wicking properly and perhaps use pee pads in high traffic areas so they can be removed more regularly

 

[Emilia_G]

Fleece is not an irritant. Wood shavings are more likely than fleece to cause irritation particularly to airways (if they are not properly dust extracted etc) or not changed out enough.

However, the washing detergent used might sometimes cause irritation but not the fleece itself. Using a non scented, non bio (so suitable for human babies) then it’s usually fine.
You would still need to make sure fleece is wicking properly and perhaps use pee pads in high traffic areas so they can be removed more regularly

I followed a wicking guide (washed around 4 times in warm water etc) and I got a detergent for babies ( no scent , no softener etc) so I think the fleece is okay. I’m gonna change the wood shavings more often and do some more research in the forum to sort it out. The pee pads are a good idea thank you.

Thanks for all the help!

 

[Piggies&buns]

How often are you cleaning out the wood shavings, particularly the wet areas?

 

[Emilia_G]

How often are you cleaning out the wood shavings, particularly the wet areas?

I typically change them completely every 3-4 days and I check them every afternoon during floor time and clean up any areas that seem really messy. The first week I changed the bedding every other day but it seemed too often and the cage seemed more dusty which I thought might bother Beans respiration more so I stopped.

 

[Piggies&buns]

I typically change them completely every 3-4 days and I check them every afternoon during floor time and clean up any areas that seem really messy. The first week I changed the bedding every other day but it seemed too often and the cage seemed more dusty which I thought might bother Beans respiration more so I stopped.

Wet areas of shavings do need to be removed every day; poops elsewhere in the cage should also be removed daily. The rest of the cage can be cleaned once or twice a week.
You will find daily poop picking easier on fleece

 

[Emilia_G]

Wet areas of shavings do need to be removed every day; poops elsewhere in the cage should also be removed daily. The rest of the cage can be cleaned once or twice a week.
You will find daily poop picking easier on fleece

Okay thank you! Do you know any solutions I can use in the cage after removing the bedding to get rid of any odors and stuff? I only use water for now to wipe everything down.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Okay thank you! Do you know any solutions I can use in the cage after removing the bedding to get rid of any odors and stuff? I only use water for now to wipe everything down.

I use white vinegar as a general cleaner

 

[potatopiggy]

Hooting can also be a sign of a heart problem. It can be pretty hard to diagnose, but if the antibiotics don't help, I suggest you ask your vet about checking for an enlarged heart. My daughters skinny pig presented with hooting, no other signs of an uri, but generally a very quiet and easy to pick up temperament (we got him when he was a couple of years old). We trialed him on benazapril and furosimide, and the hooting stopped within a couple of days, and he started actually running away when we tried to pick him up! He's had his ups and downs over the last couple of years, but his daily meds have kept him comfortable. One consequence of heart issues can be bumblefoot (since circulation to the extremities can be weaker), which may start with irritated looking feet. Guinealynx has info on heart issues in guinea pigs, including diagnosis and treatment rates - may help your vet if they aren't familiar with diagnosing it in pigs. Guinea Lynx :: Heart