Develop your knowledge and understanding of dyspnea in guinea pigs. This is a one-part course that can also be taken as part of the Respiratory conditions course bundle.

This module looks at pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment, prevention and outcomes of dyspnea in guinea pigs, including:
Cause – respiratory causes including disease of the upper and/or lower respiratory tract; non-respiratory causes include pain, anxiety, fever, heat stroke, obesity, abdominal distension, cardiac disease, metabolic disorders, neuromuscular disease and anemia.
Signs – depends on underlying cause. General: anorexia, lethargy, weight loss, poor hair coat. Increase respiratory effort, pyrexia, nasal discharge, sneezing, coughing, wheezing.
Diagnosis – a complete physical examination with history. CVC/chemistries, microbiology, ELISA and IFA, PCR tests, nasal swab/wash, transtracheal wash or bronchoalveolar lavage, cytology of any exudate, ultrasound-guided lung aspiration, thoracentesis, abdominocentesis, histopathology, radiography, CT or MRI, ultrasonography, respiratory endoscopy.
Treatment – oxygen administration, fluid therapy, anxiolytics, analgesia.
Prognosis – poor if the guinea pig is open-mouth breathing; poor to grave for underlying disease such as neoplasia, cardiac disease; guarded to poor if a severely dyspneic guinea pug has not improved within 12 hours of intensive care 

Support and Resources 
This online module includes an e-Book with content from Vetstream's Vetlexicon Exotis (guinea pigs) followed by a quiz leading to a personalized certificate. Written by some of the world's leading veterinarians, ensuring accuracy and depth of content.

This course was written and peer reviewed by:

• Cathy Johnson-Delaney
• Vicki Baldrey

CPD Hours
This module is worth approximately 60 minutes of CPD.