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My boy is heavy breathing...help!

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GeorgesHuman

GeorgesHuman

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Good morning,
Last night when I arrived home from work, I noticed that my guinea pig, George, who is 4 years old, was breathing really heavily. I always notice he's breathing anyway when it's normal, but this was so pronounced, I could see very clearly that the sides of his body were going in and out. It's hard to explain without showing what I mean, but his behaviour was his usual self. He still ran up to the front of his cage and ate all his hay and dinner and vegetables as usual and then at play time, he was running about my carpet like the madman he is, still very vocal, and still enjoyed having cuddles with us. I've had to come into work this morning so left him at home :(, but I thought I might see how he goes for the weekend, and then if he's the same, first thing Monday morning we can go to see the vet. Has anyone else had experience of this?

p.s. as I was on my way to work this morning, I realised that about 2 weeks ago I put a new plant in the same room as George, and was wondering if he might have pollen alergies or something along those lines, but as I say, it was 2 weeks ago that I got the plant, and George only started having problems yesterday.
 
Id get him to the vet straight away personally!

If he has a possible URI (Upper Respiratory Infection) and he is breathing very heavy and you can actually see him struggling then yes get him to the vets!

Guinea pigs can go down hill very quickly.

Was he breathing heavy this morning? An sneezing? discharge from eyes or nose?
 
Please get him to a vet ASAP - it sounds very much like a strain on his heart, either caused by something stuck in his mouth or throat or by his heart failing.

I am keeping my fingers crossed that you'll have more luck than I did last summer when my Ffion had the same spymptom.
 
Thanks very much for your replies. So sorry about your Ffion, Wiebke :( Was she otherwise a happy and playful piggie apart from her breathing problems?

He had no sneezing, no struggling to eat or anything. He happily munched through a handful of hay and his piggie mix before I left for work. I just saw him breathing so deeply and I am worrying like mad. Is 4 an old age for a guinea pig? I love him so much I hate to see anything wrong with him :(
 
sadly i lost my piggie after he was struggling to breathe, i can only say again what the others have said, please get him seen asap, hope your piggy ok x
 
Thanks for replying doglovinpiggielover. I'm so sorry about your pig too :( I don't even arrive home from work until late this evening and I think the vets will be closed then. Is there such thing as an emergency vet (like an emergency doctor)? I don't want to lose my piggie. I love him so much x)
 
yes they should be an emergency vet - if you ring the vets, if they've closed it will forward you onto the emergency vet
 
Thanks, I will let you know how my Georgie gets on.

He eats a small bowl of veggies every night - green beans, carrots, melon and cucumber. I'm wondering if they've given him a poorly tummy and caused him to breathe like this? He has been eating his veggies for all of his life and only once has he been a bit quiet from a suspected bit of trapped wind. I can't wait to see him tonight now and see if he's going to be ok.
 
Ffion was an absolutely healthy, happy piggy without any signs at all until she started breathing heavily over the course of the day and went off her food in the evening. I had her seen the next day, but she died during the examination when her heart simply gave out. She was not even two years old, as far as I could tell.

Please contact a vet! You can get an emergency vet's number from your vet's receptionist or his answering machine. If it is URI or the heart, either can and will kill.
 
Hello, thanks for all of your advice :)

I was dreading going home last night and even was crying like a baby waiting for the bus incase my piggiepoo didn't last the day while I was gone, but I got in and he was his normal self shouting at me for his veggie supper. I had him out of his cage to sit on my lap and usually he would sit there and be tickled in the evenings, but he wouldn't even sit there last night, he just curled up on my lap and had a sleep which he barely ever does! His breathing seems much better today but not completely normal yet, and again he was yelling for his breakfast this morning before I left for work, but too bad for him he has been diagnosed with suspected bloat and been put on a 'hay and water' only diet until he gets better and i've been told to massage his abdonimal area. I feel if I do that I may have no fingers left tomorrow, but needs must! He loves stroking on his head, shoulders and upper back and he tells me with his gnashers if I have tickled him somewhere he doesn't like! I'm just so glad he seems to be feeling brighter and thanks again everyone for all your help.
 
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