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Hooting/heart Disease?

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Jeniva

Jeniva

Junior Guinea Pig
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I've noticed my guinea pig doing this weird hooting noise. I've only noticed it twice in the space of about a week. He cleared it last night by doing a quick cough.
After researching it seems 'hooting' is a sign of heart disease!
How can vets determine if it is a heart disease problem?
I have little faith in vets after a lot of trouble with them in the past. And honestly I don't have the money for multiple appointments and getting no where. Obviously I want this fella sorted. I do have baytril though baytril isn't any good for heart disease.
He doesn't have any discharge around his nose and isn't sneezing so probably not URI.
 
It could well be as hooting followed by a cough is a typical sign of a heart pig. Where abouts in Herts are you?
 
helen105281 said:
It could well be as hooting followed by a cough is a typical sign of a heart pig. Where abouts in Herts are you?
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I'm in Ware, there is a guinea pig specialist in broxbourne which was the second vet I went to when I had problems before. I didn't drive then so was difficult to see him, though now I do have a car.

Seeing as it's only happened twice do you think I should monitor him for a while before rushing to the vets?
I was thinking if it was any type of URI/pneumonia his neighbour would have caught it - their cages are up against each other so they often go nose to nose.

Do you know what kind of treatment he'd need of it is a heart problem?
 
I know the vet in Broxbourne and used to help at piggy clinic there. There is a clinic on Saturday 29th run by my friend who knows a lot about heart issues.

Treatment is usually with a mixture of ACE inhibitors such as Benazapril (brand names Fortekor, Nelio) and diuretic such a Frusol or Frusemide.

Does he have any laboured breathing? is he difficult to wake from sleep? How is his weight?
 
Although this does need checking out - don't immediately think the worst. My Frankie hoots because his nasal passages are not formed properly. As a result, he gets dust trapped in his nose and also sneezes frequently.
 
Yes my non heart pigs hoot too if they have dust up their noses but it is mainly the heart pigs that follow it with a cough. It's worth getting him checked out in case.
 
Yeah I used him when I wasn't too happy with the treatment I was getting from a more local vets. He did sort Han out though he needed an op and there post op infections :( he eventually recovered though.

Ok so info on Han. He is a pet ats home piggy, so his genes made be not be great. I bought him in the summer so he's not quite a year old. He weighs about 1kg and he eats a lot. He gets his veg in the AM and eats all of it, eats plenty of pellets (harington), is kept on sawdust and hay and has always been kept on sawdust and hay apart from when he had surgery and was kept on newspaper etc. He had his abscess problems in Sept-Oct time and he weighed about 730g then having not been eating much due to a lengthy period on baytril and lots of flushing and generally a very sad pig.
He seems quite alert all the time. when he sleeps the moment I move he is up and on alert mode. He has always made whimpy noises, for instance my other pig is a nut job and wheeks all the time always making crazy sounds, Han's wheek is quiet and a bit pathetic. He's always been a quiet piggie.
I only noticed these hooting sounds about a week ago. I don't think its anything to do with hay and sawdust, the hay I have used before but it has been out of stock for about two months and finally got it again, had been using compacted stuff in the meantime. And the sawdust, i think its the same stuff i usually use - from pets at home.
He's always been polar opposite of my other piggie. Han is quite shy and doesn't seem to like people very much. But when you do hold him he will sit still and not run around, other than when he needs a pee. he's always had a calm temperament.

When I do pick him up and he is breathing a bit more heavily out of panic or whatever, he does sound a tiny bit croaky perhaps, but that might just be speculation. pigs have such a vast amount of sounds they make its hard to tell whats normal and whats not.
When I picked him up whilst he was hooting it got quicker and louder and more raspy and croaky. It stopped with a cough. He wasn't eating at the time, he was lying in his house chilling.

IF it is heart disease does he need meds all his life? :(
It's a financial worry too as I don't have employment atm and have literally no income, am living off the tiny and i mean tiny amount i have left over D: which I'm only spending on hay etc.
 
Yes the meds would be for life. It could be environmental issues though, even dust free sawdust can cause respiratory issues, maybe look to switching bedding in the meantime and see if it makes a difference (such as hay and newspaper?). You could always get him booked into the clinic and go from there, it would be no more than £15 but if he needed to see the vet then that would be extra.
 
helen105281 said:
Yes the meds would be for life. It could be environmental issues though, even dust free sawdust can cause respiratory issues, maybe look to switching bedding in the meantime and see if it makes a difference (such as hay and newspaper?). You could always get him booked into the clinic and go from there, it would be no more than £15 but if he needed to see the vet then that would be extra.
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Sorry dont really understand what a clinic is if it's not seeing the vet? :P noob question. Do you mean it's still at vets and pets?
 
Yes it's at Vets And Pets but is run by a lady called Karen who is a Guinea pig health and welfare specialist and has 25 years of experience with pigs. Anything medical gets referred to Amir or his colleague but she looks at the pig first.
 
Oh ok thanks. Ive made amn appointment with amir anyway as now I'm really worried he has heart disease. Hopefully can get an answer today :(
 
That's good. Amir does not always agree on heart issues so will be interesting to see what he says. Ideally he should have an ultrasound but I know finances are tight. He put my first heart pig Nigel on a trial of heart meds but has changed his ideas since then. Good luck.
 
All the best for your vet visit. Fingers crossed it isn't a heart problem but if it is, Helen is very experienced with heart piggies and with the correct medication, heart piggies can still live a very happy and active life.

If you are worried about finances, have to tried contacting your local RSPCA, pdsa and Blue cross? They are charities who support people on low incomes. May be you could qualify?

My vet charges around £35 for an ultrasound but I'm not sure how much other vets charge.
 
It is £40 at Vets and Pets but Amir may not think it is needed. Xrays are the same.
 
My biggest fear with vets are them not diagnosing properly and needing to go back loads of times. My appointment is 3.15
 
Amir found nothing wrong. Listened to his heart, did a full body examination. Says not to worry unless it happens more frequently or if he goes off his food. Thinks Hes too young for it yo be heart disease really.
 
That's great you have had him checked & ruled out heart disease :) Can I ask how you feed him his veggies etc? Do you wash his veg & put them in a bowl for him? It's just that one of mine kept getting a hooting sound when I put all their veggies in a bowl, turned out she was getting water from the veg in her nasal passages, so I now scatter them around so that she doesn't stick her nose in the trough so to speak& she hasn't hooted since :)
 
Glad you have seen Amir and had him checked over.

Just for info though, heart issues can be found in young pigs, I know of a pig diagnosed by ultrasound at 6 months old at Vets and Pets (by Yordan vet). Not saying this is the case with your pig but thought it worth mentioning.
 
Ah no I don't wash them. just chop them up and toss them in his cage.
Yeah I thought so too Helen. But I guess as i've only heard it twice ever it would be far-fetched. If he does it more I will take him back and ask for an ultra sound.
 
My Eleanor used to 'hoot' occasionally. We had her checked over but it turned out dusty hay would set her off.

My Erika sometime does a strange cough and breaths funny for a while. She has been checked out by numinous vets before coming to me and my own vet. There is nothing medically wrong with her, it is just something she was born with and I am only to take her to be seen if she gets any worse but it is always worth getting these things checked out early if you're not sure x
 
Thanks for the replies.
I heard him do it yesterday and again in the night. This time it was more quiet and kept stopping and starting, also he didn't cough.
If it is to do with bedding, due to him being next-door-neighbours with his former house mate, would that gpig also have to have different bedding as the dust or whatever could still annoy Han?
 
I would say yes if he is right next door as the dust will be in the air. You could also try him with Children's Piriton, let me know if you need the dose. It can help with allergies. If that didn't work that would point you towards heart issues again so would be a process of elimination.
 
Yes my boy was only 10 months old when i lost him to heart faliure, hope your boy feels better try get him booked in for an ultrasound asap.
 
Thanks for the info.
He didn't do it yesterday or today. Bit strange that it happens so randomly then stops for ages.
 
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