Increased breathing effort

[AHGuins]

I took my 4.5 year old guinea pig to my nearest exotics vet today. I'd noticed his breathing was shallow and fast - as I could see his little sides moving. I'd noticed him doing this in the warm weather and (wrongly) assumed he was hot. Last night I saw it again so booked a vet appt today. Otherwise, he's fine - eating, hay, grass veggies etc.

The vet agreed he had 'increased breathing effort' - though says it's mild. He's prescribed Metacam (twice a day) and a F10 solution - to be nebulised.

Their other suggestion was a CT scan at around £700-£900 pounds and said this was to get a full picture of what was happening. This isn't something I can afford, and after talking it through with the vet, would only potentially lead to a further barrage of procedures and tests - they mentioned potentially performing a 'lung wash'.

My questions are - has anyone treated a mild breathing problem with a nebuliser - and do you have any tips?
And, can they not determine if it's an infection with a blood test? I realised I should have asked the vet this!

Vet is looking to review in 5 days - and if not improved, to start antibiotics.

I'm going to call back tomorrow when they re-open - armed with questions

 

[Siikibam]

Did the vet listen to his chest? Can you hear anything in his breathing that’s not...usual? And has there been any change to his bedding etc? How is his weight and how long has he seemed to breathe like that?
I’ll tag @Wiebke @VickiA @PigglePuggle @Piggies&buns hopefully they will be more able to help you.

 

[Wiebke]

I took my 4.5 year old guinea pig to my nearest exotics vet today. I'd noticed his breathing was shallow and fast - as I could see his little sides moving. I'd noticed him doing this in the warm weather and (wrongly) assumed he was hot. Last night I saw it again so booked a vet appt today. Otherwise, he's fine - eating, hay, grass veggies etc.

The vet agreed he had 'increased breathing effort' - though says it's mild. He's prescribed Metacam (twice a day) and a F10 solution - to be nebulised.

Their other suggestion was a CT scan at around £700-£900 pounds and said this was to get a full picture of what was happening. This isn't something I can afford, and after talking it through with the vet, would only potentially lead to a further barrage of procedures and tests - they mentioned potentially performing a 'lung wash'.

My questions are - has anyone treated a mild breathing problem with a nebuliser - and do you have any tips?
And, can they not determine if it's an infection with a blood test? I realised I should have asked the vet this!

Vet is looking to review in 5 days - and if not improved, to start antibiotics.

I'm going to call back tomorrow when they re-open - armed with questions

Hi!

Have you spoken about the advisability of nebulising with your vet or are you doing this because you are not happy with your vet's assessment and feel that you need to do something?

Please be aware that nebulising is one of these things that are making the rounds online but that it can be detrimental instead of beneficial depending on the nature of the problem. You should not just use it on spec just because you are worried.
In order to check whether it really makes a positive difference, please place a bowl of steaming water next to the cage. If your piggy is not better or is worse, then nebulising shouldn't be used. If in any doubt about any potential benefits, please always discuss with the vet; especially in view that your vet has only seen very mild symptoms that do not merit any medical intervention.

Please be aware that taking blood for tests is not the easiest thing in guinea pigs and can have fatal consquences if done wrongly, so it should be only done if absolutely necessary for a diagnosis. This is not the case here.

 

[AHGuins]

@Wiebke It was the vet that has prescribed the nebuliser and Metacam. It was his recommendation - I'd never heard of it for guinea pigs until today. I wouldn't start any treatment I'd read about online, without consulting a vet first. Especially for breathing problems.

He does think the symptoms warrant medical intervention. But as he can't be sure what's causing the breathing problem, we've opted for a speculative treatment regime in the hopes of landing on a solution.

Thanks for the advice re blood tests. I'm happy with the assessment - but always aware that guinea pig treatments and advice can vary wildly from vet to vet. So was eager to hear any advice on nebulising and any signs to look out for that can help my lil chap get better.

@Siikibam No changes to his bedding - he's an indoor piggie on fleece - changed frequently to keep his 3ft x 6ft run clean - he lives with another boar. His weight is consistent ~1.1kg and today was just over that.

 

[Wiebke]

@Wiebke It was the vet that has prescribed the nebuliser and Metacam. It was his recommendation - I'd never heard of it for guinea pigs until today. I wouldn't start any treatment I'd read about online, without consulting a vet first. Especially for breathing problems.

He does think the symptoms warrant medical intervention. But as he can't be sure what's causing the breathing problem, we've opted for a speculative treatment regime in the hopes of landing on a solution.

Thanks for the advice re blood tests. I'm happy with the assessment - but always aware that guinea pig treatments and advice can vary wildly from vet to vet. So was eager to hear any advice on nebulising and any signs to look out for that can help my lil chap get better.

@Siikibam No changes to his bedding - he's an indoor piggie on fleece - changed frequently to keep his 3ft x 6ft run clean - he lives with another boar. His weight is consistent ~1.1kg and today was just over that.

Thank you for clarifying that. We get contacted by a wide range of people and want to make sure that what they want to use is appropriate as that is part of our ethic. Too much gets thrown into the ring on many online places by people who don't really understand the impact of what they are recommending.

You can either build a nebuliser yourself with an asthma nebuliser and a large plastic box or improvise by steaming up your shower and then leave your piggy in it on a dry towel for half an hour.
Cavy Savvy Guinea Pig Community (here is an example with picture of a home built nebuliser)