What should breathing sound like?

[Skunks_n.bees]

*bolded stuff is the most important & the rest is mostly extra info

Hi, I’m a new piggie owner, and one of my girls has been making a small whistling sound when she breathes, like when your nostril is blocked a bit so it whistles.

I plan on checking on her tomorrow to see if she’s still making the sound, but I was wondering what you’re supposed to hear when you hold them against your ear? I was reading some other stuff on this & they said to hold the guinea pig(s) against your ear and listen to if their breathing sounds odd, but I don’t exactly know what’s normal, so I can’t tell if something’s wrong or not.

I’m extra anxious about this since my last pet (a rat) died from a URI that I caught too late. I’d feel awful if that happened again, so I’m trying to make sure I look out for anything wrong with my pigs & check out what’s going on, but the thought of a URI is very stressful, but I can’t afford to take them to the vet unless
necessary.

If anything I hear from her sounds off (or if the whistling persists), I’ll make sure to take her to the vet, but I just wanted to know what I’m meant to hear for future reference (and for now!).

Thank you.

 

[Hannah_xx]

Sounds like she could have the start of a URI so best get her to the vet at their soonest available appointment. If caught early with antibiotics she should be absolutely fine

 

[Wiebke]

*bolded stuff is the most important & the rest is mostly extra info

Hi, I’m a new piggie owner, and one of my girls has been making a small whistling sound when she breathes, like when your nostril is blocked a bit so it whistles.

I plan on checking on her tomorrow to see if she’s still making the sound, but I was wondering what you’re supposed to hear when you hold them against your ear? I was reading some other stuff on this & they said to hold the guinea pig(s) against your ear and listen to if their breathing sounds odd, but I don’t exactly know what’s normal, so I can’t tell if something’s wrong or not.

I’m extra anxious about this since my last pet (a rat) died from a URI that I caught too late. I’d feel awful if that happened again, so I’m trying to make sure I look out for anything wrong with my pigs & check out what’s going on, but the thought of a URI is very stressful, but I can’t afford to take them to the vet unless
necessary.

If anything I hear from her sounds off (or if the whistling persists), I’ll make sure to take her to the vet, but I just wanted to know what I’m meant to hear for future reference (and for now!).

Thank you.

Hi

Can you hold your ear against your piggy at the nose, the throat and the chest. It is not perfect and not even half as good as a stethoscope but it can give you a little idea where a respiratory problem is located.
If it is in the lungs (and not just echoing down), then it is an emergency; specially if you hear clicking and there is laboured breathing with heaving sides.
Any rasping/crackling in the throat area and any funny noises from the nose that persist for more than a few hours can wait for a regular appointment slot, ideally within a day or latest two; they are not an emergency.

Please be aware that guinea pigs are not much in the way of mouth breathers and that the airways are rather small and narrow so even the tiniest obstruction from a bit of hay dust or pollen in the nose can result in a wide range of loud noises. Most will disappear on their own, often with a good old sneeze. That is nothing to worry about.

Only if a noise persists or recurs regularly, should you vet check for a potential respiratory infection. It can be just a sensitivity to hay, pollen, dust or another irritant (scent sticks, perfumes etc) but since an un- or under-treated bacterial URI can cause problems down the line it needs to be ruled out first before you look at other issues.

I hope that this helps you?

 

[Skunks_n.bees]

Hi

Can you hold your ear against your piggy at the nose, the throat and the chest. It is not perfect and not even half as good as a stethoscope but it can give you a little idea where a respiratory problem is located.
If it is in the lungs (and not just echoing down), then it is an emergency; specially if you hear clicking and there is laboured breathing with heaving sides.
Any rasping/crackling in the throat area and any funny noises from the nose that persist for more than a few hours can wait for a regular appointment slot, ideally within a day or latest two; they are not an emergency.

Please be aware that guinea pigs are not much in the way of mouth breathers and that the airways are rather small and narrow so even the tiniest obstruction from a bit of hay dust or pollen in the nose can result in a wide range of loud noises. Most will disappear on their own, often with a good old sneeze. That is nothing to worry about.

Only if a noise persists or recurs regularly, should you vet check for a potential respiratory infection. It can be just a sensitivity to hay, pollen, dust or another irritant (scent sticks, perfumes etc) but since an un- or under-treated bacterial URI can cause problems down the line it needs to be ruled out first before you look at other issues.

I hope that this helps you?

Thank you! That helps a lot :-)