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Laboured breathing. Poorly piggie

G

Gingerspider

Junior Guinea Pig
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Hi. One of beloved boars has recently been breathing very quickly and heavily.
We took them both to the groomers for clips and haircuts on Saturday (which they have been to several times before and she's a great vet nurse) and his behaviour changed by the time he got back. He's usually very active and sassy and became withdrawn, started hiding and declined his favourite carrots.
By the next day we had noticed his breathing was fast and by Monday he had stopped eating so much and the breathing even more laboured. We took him to the vets who said she couldn't hear anything on his lungs and gave us baytrill just in case. We took him home and gave the first dose. He has had a second dose today but we aren't seeing any improvement. The breathing is still laboured and he looks reluctant to lie down now, just standing still under his shelter. He ate some breakfast but left most.
We are so sad and worried for him because he's our absolute baby and its horrid not being able to help him. How long should I wait before contacting the vet again? Has anyone else seen this before? He had a URI when he was a baby but that was really audible and no noises now. Any advice appreciated.
Many thanks
 
Hello,

Having experienced similar symptoms, it is vital that you get your piggy to see a piggy savvy vet as a matter of urgency as he sounds very poorly. Laboured breathing is often a symptom of something going on in the lower respiratory system rather than upper (for example a pneumonia) and it may be a case of him needing some diuretic medication as well as antibiotics (not all issues with the lungs/fluid build up are caused by a bacterial infection and can be caused by issues with other organs such as the heart, but usually vets go for the combined approach of antibiotics and diuretics if infection is suspected). I've found the best antibiotic in cases of respiratory illness to be Azithromycin (which may be something your vet discusses) and we combined treatment with diuretics and nebulising. But that was because we were treating a fluid build up due to aspiration pneumonia that could have led to secondary infection.

One of mine had laboured breathing with no other symptoms (no noises etc). Only the vet can actually detect what is going on. It is essential that a vet assesses him to diagnose the cause of the breathing issues (whether that be infection or something else).

If he is not eating you need to step in with supportive feeding and be weighing him daily:

Illness, Emergencies, Vets & Home care Guides

Hope you can get him an appointment ASAP.
 
Bradshaw Piggies said:
Hello,

Having experienced similar symptoms, it is vital that you get your piggy to see a piggy savvy vet as a matter of urgency as he sounds very poorly. Laboured breathing is often a symptom of something going on in the lower respiratory system rather than upper (for example a pneumonia) and it may be a case of him needing some diuretic medication as well as antibiotics (not all issues with the lungs/fluid build up are caused by a bacterial infection and can be caused by issues with other organs such as the heart, but usually vets go for the combined approach of antibiotics and diuretics if infection is suspected). I've found the best antibiotic in cases of respiratory illness to be Azithromycin (which may be something your vet discusses) and we combined treatment with diuretics and nebulising. But that was because we were treating a fluid build up due to aspiration pneumonia that could have led to secondary infection.

One of mine had laboured breathing with no other symptoms (no noises etc). Only the vet can actually detect what is going on. It is essential that a vet assesses him to diagnose the cause of the breathing issues (whether that be infection or something else).

If he is not eating you need to step in with supportive feeding and be weighing him daily:

Illness, Emergencies, Vets & Home care Guides

Hope you can get him an appointment ASAP.
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Thanks for the reply.
Hes already seen the vet (who is our normal vet and usually very good with our little ones) and they noted the laboured breathing but couldn't hear anything on the lung.
The timing, with it starting as soon as he came back from the groomers, makes me think its something stress triggered however without xrays the vet can't diagnose anything. She was reluctant to do this at first, in case the experience made his stress worse.
He is eating, just not enough and his poops are very small, so I am going to make him a little nugget mulch now.
I'm wondering how long I should wait to see if the antibiotics work before taking him back?
I remember last time, when he was very young with a uri he responded fairly quickly, around 2 days but didn't fully recover for about 2 week.
I'm just a bit baffled and sad. Poor boy.
 
Glad you are stepping in with the feeding support.

Laboured breathing and lethargy are unfortunately serious symptoms, that though the vet was reluctant at first, cannot go without investigation. You and your vet will need to way up the potential stress of investigations against his condition deteriorating further without intervention. Any laboured breathing is a medical emergency. Antibiotics can take longer to work and can upset the digestive system too. Has your vet discussed supplementing with a probiotic?

Though for me the breathing needs to be reassessed as an emergency, can you give them another call?
 
Bradshaw Piggies said:
Glad you are stepping in with the feeding support.

Laboured breathing and lethargy are unfortunately serious symptoms, that though the vet was reluctant at first, cannot go without investigation. You and your vet will need to way up the potential stress of investigations against his condition deteriorating further without intervention. Any laboured breathing is a medical emergency. Antibiotics can take longer to work and can upset the digestive system too. Has your vet discussed supplementing with a probiotic?

Though for me the breathing needs to be reassessed as an emergency, can you give them another call?
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I'll do it now. Thanks for advice.
 
Fingers very firmly crossed!

Please read the information in the link.
 
I took him down and the vet said he couldn't tell what was wrong so suggested a few things including xrays, which we are waiting on now. He said his breathing is odd and doesn't fit with a URI, almost like he's hyperventilating. I've got to wait an hour now and hopefully get some results. Meanwhile his best pal is looking forlorn as I think this is the longest they've ever been away from eachother. Bless him.
 
Gingerspider said:
I took him down and the vet said he couldn't tell what was wrong so suggested a few things including xrays, which we are waiting on now. He said his breathing is odd and doesn't fit with a URI, almost like he's hyperventilating. I've got to wait an hour now and hopefully get some results. Meanwhile his best pal is looking forlorn as I think this is the longest they've ever been away from eachother. Bless him.
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HUGS

I hope that your vet can find out the problem. It could be connected with the heart instead of the respiratory system.
Fingers very firmly crossed!
 
Vet has just rung and said his chest was so full of fluid he couldn't see the heart or lungs. He is giving him an injection of diuretics to try clear the fluid but still doesn't have a conclusive idea of whats wrong, suggesting heart failure. I am convinced it must be something brought on by the groomer trip because he was running around wheeking before he went and an hour later, cant breath?
I do have a bit of distrust for vet diagnosis after our doggy was told she should be put down as she had a large tumour but when we went to a different vet there was no tumour and she lived for a further two years to a grand old age!
 
Glad you managed to get him seen. Sorry to hear that he's still quite poorly.
I don't personally think it was related to the groomer. Piggies (as prey animals) are very very good at hiding illness. My little man was still pop corning around until the day before he passed.

I agree with the above, that it does sound heart failure related. I'm no expert in this area, but there are people on the forum who have managed this condition and piggies have had a longer, happy life. So we are keeping everything crossed for you.

There is no harm in getting a second opinion either. I see you are in Lancaster. I regularly travel to Northampton to our specialist vets with my pigs for certain problems, but we also have a very good piggy vet in Cheshire. Is that too far for you?

And just for future reference, you can take your other piggy to the vets for company in the future :)
 
Bradshaw Piggies said:
Glad you managed to get him seen. Sorry to hear that he's still quite poorly.
I don't personally think it was related to the groomer. Piggies (as prey animals) are very very good at hiding illness. My little man was still pop corning around until the day before he passed.

I agree with the above, that it does sound heart failure related. I'm no expert in this area, but there are people on the forum who have managed this condition and piggies have had a longer, happy life. So we are keeping everything crossed for you.

There is no harm in getting a second opinion either. I see you are in Lancaster. I regularly travel to Northampton to our specialist vets with my pigs for certain problems, but we also have a very good piggy vet in Cheshire. Is that too far for you?

And just for future reference, you can take your other piggy to the vets for company in the future :)
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Thanks for replies. Ice just picked him up and he's had a shot of Diamzon? A diuretic and vet has given me frusol to give every 8 hours (1ml which looks like a hell of a lot to try and syringe into his mouth) but didn't say whether to continue with antibiotics or not. He admitted he didn't know much about guinea pigs (different vet to usual) and offered to refer to Lytham for a specialist to reevaluate. Basically just said he's probably got hours/days and wrote him off. Said he'd never heard of a guinea pig survive heart problems if that's what it was. Feel so helpess.
 
Gingerspider said:
Thanks for replies. Ice just picked him up and he's had a shot of Diamzon? A diuretic and vet has given me frusol to give every 8 hours (1ml which looks like a hell of a lot to try and syringe into his mouth) but didn't say whether to continue with antibiotics or not. He admitted he didn't know much about guinea pigs (different vet to usual) and offered to refer to Lytham for a specialist to reevaluate. Basically just said he's probably got hours/days and wrote him off. Said he'd never heard of a guinea pig survive heart problems if that's what it was. Feel so helpess.
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Yes Frusol is a great drug as a diuretic. What dosage did he tell you to give him?
I would be definitely getting him to a piggy savvy vet for a second opinion as soon as you can. Stay on the antibiotics till then
 
I'm sorry you're going through this... I doubt the groomer had anything to do with his illness. Guinea pigs are notoriously good at hiding illnesses... in many cases, they seem fine until suddenly they aren't. Their illnesses progress really quickly.

It's good that he is on diuretics... that will help to clear fluid from his lungs and make breathing a lot easier. This is definitely worth a consultation with a more experienced vet who has treated this issue in guinea pigs before. Heart failure is a serious condition but there are medical treatments that can prolong his life and keep him more comfortable, so it's definitely worth seeking that consultation!

Best of luck to you guys... hopefully someone with more experience will come along with more concrete advice.
 
I am very sorry. Build up fluid in the chest can be cause by congestive heart failure or by something pushing on the chest (like an internal growth of some sort). Unfortunately, the glare from the fluid build up will mask what is going on behind the scenes. My vet had the same problem with my Tegyd. Modern technology with all its advances still has some massive limitations. I am very sorry that you you are coming up against one of them with your piggy. :(

Treating with diuretics is the best thing your vet can do in order to reduce the fluid build up as long as they cannot determine whether the problem is lying with the heart or not.

There is no direct link to the groomers visit except for an added stress factor which may have pushed your piggy over the threshold of suppressing symptoms to showing them. Guinea pigs are prey animals and can suppress them to an amazing degree.

Fingers very firmly crossed!
 
Morning all. We have been giving him his diuretic and antibiotics and he has been drinking out of his bottle and eating a good amount of veg. Seems to be eating his hay too although I can't see a marked improvement.
Its really distressing us to see him like this. It might sound silly but our pigs are like our kids!
Hes clearly very frail and has lost weight but I'm conscious that he's also been very stressed from going from place to place and being handled so much. They dont like being handled (although they are fine with daily carrots and cuddles) so I'm getting really anxious at the thought of trying to take him elsewhere or picking him up every few hours and force feeding.
I just want him to be peaceful in his home, with his pal and to have some time unstressed.
So so sad and feel very helpless.
 
I'm sorry to hear you feel this way; it really is difficult when piggies get so ill. I cant offer any practical support but just wanted to say I felt much more bonded with all my piggies that needed intensive nursing care. Even my very poorly ones seemed to appreciate the extra handling and attention.
This definitely isnt a time to feel helpless as there is so much now that your piggy needs you for. Hang on in and he might well surprise you; eating hay is great! None of my poorlies have ever had any appetite for hay.

Be sure to arrange your cage so that he is very easy to pick up without any chasing about the cage. It doesnt need to be stressful if you are calm.
 
I can’t say anything that will really help but I wanted you to know that I’m thinking of you at this stressful time. You can do this. ❤️
 
Kept on with the diuretics and antibiotics and got back to the vet who is referring scans/symptoms to a specialist in Edinburgh but he's just getting worse. He sounds like he is hyperventilating now and hasn't slept, won't lie down and I can't get meds into him because he appears to choke. Its absolutely heartbreaking. Don't know if there's any more I can do?
 
Sorry to hear this - you mustn't be far from me. I'm over the bridge about 30 mins from edin but i use Apex vets in Denny. Glen there is very good. Who is the vet in Edinburgh? (I wont know them - it is just handy to know where all the piggy savvy vets are)

I dont know what else you can do other than get him to a specialist as an emergency. Fingers crossed he can get the right treatment asap.
 
Is it worth calling the out of hours vet? If he’s worse than earlier they may have some advice and at least you are trying to do all you can so you don’t feel so helpless. I hope he settles down. Poor boy.
 
So sorry your boy is still so poorly. I agree with the above, have you contacted the out of hours vet?
I can fully sympathise with how you feel (as I'm sure everyone on here can). Sending love at this difficult time
 
Update on Kurt: he got worse throughout the evening abs we were unable to give him his meds as he went blue and choked every time we tried to handle him. We called the vets first thing and got him back in. It was our usual vet who is amazing and she told us his breathing had improved but the fluid in his chest cavity probably wouldn't go down with just the diuretics so he's in his little oxygen tank about to have it aspirated. We know the risks with this but also know its the absolute best thing for him. Whatever the outcome, we know we have done all we can and he's in the hands of some incredible people 🤞
 
I have everything crossed for your boy and you really have done everything possible to give him the absolute best chance.
He sounds like a very tough piggy!
 
He didn't make it. The vet did some analysis of the fluid and it was full of bacteria and blood, so she thinks it was a very serious bacterial infection. It doesn't look like he stood much of a chance no matter how strong he fought.
I'm relieved he's now at peace.
Thank you all so much for your support and advice x
 
Oh I'm so sorry to learn of your heartbreaking news @Gingerspider. I just checked in to see how your wee one was doing and saw your earlier post first - and next the sad one.

Sounds like absolutely everything possible was done that could be done - sometimes, despite everyone's very best efforts, nature just takes that turn that leaves broken hearts in its wake.

Big hugs to you x
 
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