My guinea pig breathes heavy but acts normal. Should I worry?

Thanks for reaching out about Buttercup. No all bacterial respiratory diseases are treated with the same antibiotics, and not all respiratory infections are bacterial (could be viral). No all respiratory signs are infectious, as heart disease can appear similar (but unlikely in a young guinea pig). If increased respiratory effort continues, additional treatment needs to be sought. Good luck.

Hello. Pneumonia can be quite common in Guinea Pigs. Jasper's lungs may have sounded fine, but he should have had x-rays done to make sure there are on problems in the lungs. Talk to your vet about doing x-rays just to make sure nothing is being missed. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Flash is probably suffering from an upper respiratory infection, it is very common in guinea pigs. you will need to take him to the vet in order to get a course of antibiotics, this should resolve the problem within 1-2 weeks.

Thanks for reaching out about Rocky. The described noise is likely a respiratory infection and he is feeling poor enough to stop eating. He needs to see a veterinarian to aid in diagnosis and treatment of the problem. Antibiotics are probably needed at the minimum. As this sounds serious, the sooner the better chance for recovery. Good luck.

This sign might be compatible with a chronic respiratory tract inflammation/infection, even though is quite vague at this stage. My suggestion would be to just monitor him in case you notice any other sign (lethargy, inappetence, coughing, sneezing, any evident discharge from nose and so on). Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

I am so sorry! Since it has been a few days she may still heal on her own. I am concerned though that she may have a broken rib or puncture lung since she is breathing heavily. I wish I had a great home care treatment for her but it sounds like she needs extensive medical care to ease her pain and help her heal. You could call the vet that saw her and see if they can prescribe any pain meds or additional pain meds to help her. Plus without seeing her and knowing exactly what is going on, it is hard for me to give any recommendations. If she is continuing to suffer and treatment isn't an option, you may want to consider humane euthanasia so she doesn't continue to suffer. I'm sorry and I hope she starts to heal.

If the cough is just very occasional and Daisy is otherwise acting normally I would not be too concerned at this time. If however, the cough is increasing in frequency (more than a couple times a day), if Daisy is not eating well, and/or if she has eye or nasal discharge I would recommend taking her to the vet to be examined. Guinea pigs are prone to getting upper respiratory infections that can lead to pneumonia so if the problem progresses you should have her checked out. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.