Any ideas? Coughing

[becky86]

Freddie started coughing around 4 weeks ago. We took him to the vet who prescribed 0.3ml of baytril twice a day. He seemed to get a little better but then his friend Lulu started coughing so she was put on 0.1ml of baytril twice a day. The following week they still had the cough so back to the vet who upped the baytril dose. A week later and they still seemed to be coughing. Vet said there was nothing visibly wrong with them, but we would try them on Septrin just incase. During all of this they are still eating, drinking, pooing, popcorning around acting like normal piggies apart from this horrendous cough (they kind of open their mouth and look as if they are choking?!) and then they are fine again. They are doing this 2/3 times a day.

So, their course of septrin has finished and both piggies are still coughing. We thought it might be the hay so we stopped bedding them on the hay and they are now on fleece (hay is in a rack) but it obviously isnt that.

During this Freddie and Lulu have been split due to Freddie bullying Lulu

Lulu has a fantastic home waiting for her (she has been reserved for 5 weeks and the lady has waited patiently). Does anyone have any ideas what it could be?

 

[tylerina]

Do you think they may just be choking a little bit on their food? My 2 older pigglies do this at least twice a day - at brekkie time and tea time lol!!

They do open their mouths quite wide and look as if they are choking but it never stops them stuffing their faces for long!

I just wondered as you said they are fine in themselves at other times - hopefully someone else will be along soon to give you their opinion....

 

[x-vic-x]

Just bumping this up, to see if anyone else has any ideas.

 

[MerryPip]

My only guess would be an allergy or irritant but that doesn't explain why they both got it or why it's still there after a change of bedding material.

It might be worth changing their food to see if that helps. There may be something in that which doesn't agree but if it was anything bacterial the Baytril should have knocked it on the head and they'd feel more under the weather.

Strange one.