age/illness

Question
I got my first guinea pig from the humane society. He was two or three when I got him. I had him a couple of years and then. He got sick. It was pretty gradual. He started losing a little weight, but it was very gradual and he was alittle fat to start with. Then he started kind of whispering when he tride to squeek, but he didn't seem to have a cold. He wasn't coughing, or sneezing, and didn't have any eye drainage, or act sick. After that he started to get a little skinny, and I was worried about him, but I'm only 17 and I didn't have the money to take him to the vet. I was also afraid that if I did take him to the vet they wouldn't be able to help because he was just old. I know most guinea pigs don't live past five years old. Then he got a cold or two, but he got rid of them with antibiotics. But the wheezy squeek never went away and he continued to lose wieght. He acted tired most of the time and his hair on his chest thined out a lot. This all happend over a course of months and eventualy he died.:( Now I have a female about the same age who is doing the same thing. She isn't coughing yet but she has that same whisper of a squeek, is losing weight, and is losing hair on her chest. Antibiotics arn't helping. She is in with three other females and they are all fine. The male that died was my first guinea pig, and i can't believe that my second is doing the exact same thing. I feel awful. I love my guinea pigs very much, and I would take them to the vet if I could. I'm afraid a vet probably wouldn't be able to do anything to help anyway, because antibiotics don't seem to help with this. Is it just old age or am I doing something wrong?

I'm a very sorry for taking up so much of your time, but I feel the more I tell you the better you can help me. I look forward to any help or reasurance your knowledge and experience may provide. THANK YOU

Answer
Any chance they are related?  Check the other females in the cage, let me know if you notice hair loss on them at all.  Everything I was thinking got shot down when I read taht 2 others were in the cage perfectly healthy.  What antibiotics do you have her on?  Sorry I am not being too helpful yet, want to find out if the others are experiencing anything.  Try to e-mail me personally, I may not get back to allexperts until Sunday.
Anngela astrathm@purdue.edu