What diseases do we receive the most inquiries from guinea pig and hamster owners every day? There is no doubt that it is a respiratory disease. Some people are worried about catching a cold. Some people really have a cold but it does not get better after taking medicine. Some people are afraid of developing pneumonia and don’t know what to do?

Respiratory diseases are definitely the most common diseases of guinea pigs. Their main food is grass, and you can often see them sticking their heads in the haystack to pull out a piece of grass and gnaw it hard. There will be a lot of grass powder and dust in these pastures. The dust often enters the respiratory tract from the nasal cavity when they eat grass, causing respiratory tract infections in guinea pigs. From the mildest rhinitis to tracheitis, then bronchitis and finally to severe pneumonia infection, followed by death.

Pneumonia, or lung infection, is a common cause of death in guinea pigs. Pneumonia in guinea pigs is usually caused by a bacterial infection (most commonly Bordetella bronchiseptica, but other bacteria such as Streptococcus pneumoniae or Streptococcus zooepidemicus may also be the cause), and in rare cases it may be caused by Caused by a virus called an adenovirus. Symptoms of pneumonia include nasal discharge, frequent and heavy sneezing, and difficulty breathing. Additionally, guinea pigs with pneumonia may develop conjunctivitis (pink eye), fever, weight loss, depression, or loss of appetite, and sudden death may occur when pneumonia breaks out in a herd of guinea pigs. Aside from external manifestations, the most accurate way to diagnose pneumonia is with an X-ray.

Respiratory tract infections in guinea pigs, ranging from rhinitis and tracheitis , pneumonia, the medications are generally the same, basically ensuring nutritional supplements, improving resistance, replenishing enough water, using antibiotics, and oxygen inhalation for severe breathing difficulties. The difficulty in treatment is that most antibiotics are toxic to guinea pigs. For details, please refer to "Common Diseases and Manifestations of Guinea Pigs 1 (Antibiotic Poisoning and Eye and Ear Diseases)", so pet owners also need to supervise their doctors to ensure that the antibiotics prescribed are safe for them. Breeds, I once saw a doctor prescribing Sono for guinea pigs, and explained that the book said they could be eaten... During treatment, pet owners need to carefully observe guinea pigs receiving antibiotics. If antibiotics cause diarrhea, treatment should be stopped immediately and the treatment plan should be changed.