Hooting

[mls18]

Brownie(Whos 7 years old) Has been hooting since yesterday. The reason I didn't bring him to the vet yesterday was because he ended up coughing something up, and it seemed to stop. However, last night I heard him doing it again. It's sort of a hooting sound but occasionally he'll make this sort of farting sound, that's the only way I can explain it. He seems to be doing it off and on, mostly at night and early morning. During the day yesterday, there was barely any hooting. I'm going to try to call a vet but I don't think they're working today. If I'm not able to get to the vet, what should I do? Could I give him antibiotics for a URI without going to the vet? If he doesn't have that, will it hurt him? What else could I do?

 

[Wiebke]

Brownie(Whos 7 years old) Has been hooting since yesterday. The reason I didn't bring him to the vet yesterday was because he ended up coughing something up, and it seemed to stop. However, last night I heard him doing it again. It's sort of a hooting sound but occasionally he'll make this sort of farting sound, that's the only way I can explain it. He seems to be doing it off and on, mostly at night and early morning. During the day yesterday, there was barely any hooting. I'm going to try to call a vet but I don't think they're working today. If I'm not able to get to the vet, what should I do? Could I give him antibiotics for a URI without going to the vet? If he doesn't have that, will it hurt him? What else could I do?

Hi

Please see whether a bowl of steaming water next to the cage can help to ease the symptoms (dry air from an A/C unit can contribute) and have your piggy checked on Monday if possible.

Hooting is most often a sign of slight blockage in nose. Guinea pig airways are very small and they are not much in the way of nose breathers. In older piggies, the airways can become less tight and they are a bit more prone to make breathing sounds.
Hooting in combination with heart issues should only be considered if there are other indications anf if the hooting is persistent over weeks.

Please do not home treat on spec. The symptom that you really need to be aware of is clicking in the chest - this usually signals a pneumonia and should be seen as quickly as possible.

 

[mls18]

Hi

Please see whether a bowl of steaming water next to the cage can help to ease the symptoms (dry air from an A/C unit can contribute) and have your piggy checked on Monday if possible.

Hooting is most often a sign of slight blockage in nose. Guinea pig airways are very small and they are not much in the way of nose breathers. In older piggies, the airways can become less tight and they are a bit more prone to make breathing sounds.
Hooting in combination with heart issues should only be considered if there are other indications anf if the hooting is persistent over weeks.

Please do not home treat on spec. The symptom that you really need to be aware of is clicking in the chest - this usually signals a pneumonia and should be seen as quickly as possible.

Ok thank you SO much! I'm going to go try the bowl of water. Thanks for the responce.

 

[mls18]

Thanks for the help @Wiebke, The hooting seems to have stopped.
I was wondering if he could have been hooting from an allergy. I recently gave my guinea pigs these new herbs, it included rose petals and marigolds, both of which I haven't given them before. He didn't end up eating the rose petals since he didn't like it, but he could have breathed it in since I gave it to my other guinea pig. He started hooting about 2 or 3 days later. He's never hooted before or had any other health problems so I'm thinking it may have been from that. I saw online that labored breathing was one of the symptoms of allergies, is hooting included in that? There are also many other symptoms, all of which he didn't have, but could that be because he didn't actually eat it? is it possible that smelling it could have caused the hooting?

 

[Piggies&buns]

As Wiebke said above, hooting is most often because there is dust in the nose which makes the breathing more noisy. A sneeze usually clears it out.

 

[mls18]

As Wiebke said above, hooting is most often because there is dust in the nose which makes the breathing more noisy. A sneeze usually clears it out.

Ok, Thank you!