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Coughing And Sneezing...concerned New Guinea Pig Owner.

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Justin

Justin

Junior Guinea Pig
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I recently purchased a guinea pig. She is my first pet I have had in 10 years and her name is Sophie. I was so excited for her to be in my life. However after having her for a couple days I have noticed he is starting to sneeze and cough. I changed her cage and removed as much dust from the hay as possible but she is sneezing between 3-6 times a day that I have been around, coughs around 2-4 times a day and I am noticing as I write this now that she is rubbing her nose with her front paws. However she does not have any discharge from her eyes or nose.

I am very concerned about Sophie. I am a huge animal lover and want to make sure she has the best life possible. I do not know how the community is about buying animals from pet stores but I purchased her from pet smart. I have the ability to take her back within 14 days of buying her and they will take her to a vet that can maker her better. Once she gets better I can rebuy her and take her home. I want her to be healthy even if I do not own her.

So I am here pleading for information from people who have forgot more about guinea pigs then I have known in my life. What should I do? I know that pigs can hide their symptoms very well...I am worried that she might have a URI. This scares me because I am worried that I have caused her issues.

Any information would be much appreciated.
 
Hi welcome to the forum.

It could be allergies, what is she bedded on? is she on shavings?

It may be the start of a URI, does she have any laboured breathing? Is she eating and pooing ok?

I would be worried about taking her back for Petsmart to treat, could you find a local vet who could treat her so she stays with you?

Treatment for a URI is usually with antibiotics such as Baytril or Septrin (UK names) and Bisolvon is also good for clearing mucous. If she has fluid on her chest she would also need diuretics.
 
Hi Justin, welcome to this fab forum people on here are very kind supportive and helpful. Helen who has replied above is very knowledgable (and lovely) when it comes to guinea pigs health so her advice is very good.
I brought my 3 from what I thought was a rescue lady only to find out I had brought 3 very poorly piggies but With the help of a vet they are all better now. Can you add your location so that others can help with local info such as a vet they have used etc
I would check the vet link above and find were your nearest exotics vet is they are guinea pig savvy and offer the best advice I think it would best to get her checked out yourself so you know she's ok and had the right treatment.
What bedding is she on, my boys sneezed and scratched a lot on wood shavings. I use a fleece blanket with newspaper and a towel under it it just needs spot cleaning (sweeping the poop away) a few times a day and washing every 3 days ish. Is she an indoor piggy? Have a look at the photos in the housing section of other peoples cages/hutches lots of great ideas on there, my boys don't sneeze at all since I stopped using the shavings.
You have done the right thing joining this group you will find lots of simple tips and lots of help too just start a post in right section whenever you want and someone will soon reply :)
Kell.
 
Hi Justin, Welcome to the forum to you and beautiful Sophie.

Is she sneezing and coughing at any particular time e.g. after she has been in the hay or is it at any time?

I am guessing you are from the US due to your time of posting and that you mention PetSmart. it may be worth asking on Guinea Lynx a US medical website for vet recommendations for near yourself http://www.guinealynx.info/forums/

Hoping Sophie will be ok.
 
Thank you all for the input so far. Yes I am from the states, and I hope me being from the states isn't an issue I didn't see that this was a uk forum untill after I had posted. This is by far the most active guinea pig forum I have seen though.

To answer some of the questions asked by helen: I have her on paper bedding, one of the first things I learned was started wooden bedding should not be used. She is eating fine, 75% of her diet is hay and the rest is either pellet food or some veggies I give her. I have not noticed any labored breathing but I will say this she can get some coughing fits that'll last a few seconds. This is what scares me the most. She has been having normal bowel as far as I can tell. I could take her to a local vet but as of right now I am very short on cash. It'll be another week before I can take her to a vet. The only thing that hasn't been freaking me out is the fact there hasn't been any discharge from her eyes or nose. If I had seen this I'm pretty sure she'd already be at the vet.

My3cuteboys Helen does seem very knowledgeable and I am so thankful for her input and advice. I am also very appreciative for your input as well. I happen to live in a sleepy town southern West Virginia. I do however have a location for a vet that I can take Sophie to if and when the time arises. As I stated before she is or paper bedding so I do not think this is the cause of the issue. As far as I an tell she is an indoor piggy but I will check the fourm section you gave me to make sure.

Sport, I am sure Sophie and I will enjoy the forums here very much. I have been looking for a community for guinea pig owners and I think I might have found the right one, albeit it is across the pond. I will say this Sport, the times I have noticed her to sneeze or cough is when I put her back in her cage, especially coughing fits. I don't know if this from stress or a possible URI she is developing or another factor I am unaware of.

Thank you everyone for your input and advice. I know with people like you in this community Sophie and I will be just fine. If you need any more information do not hesitate to ask.
 
Paper bedding is fine, if you had her on shavings that could have caused an issue.

I am glad that she seems normal otherwise.

Does she not sneeze or cough when out of her cage? what do you use to clean the cage?

I would get her checked out if you can in case it is the start of a URI, I wonder if Petsmart would let you get her checked by their vets but allow you to bring her home for treatment?

We have lots of US members here so you will fit right in.
 
I agree with the above, definitely worth getting her checked over :) Welcome to the forum too! :)
 
I believe I will taker her to the vet once I get paid...or is she gets any worse. I have noticed she is not sneezing as much which is good, however she still does get some coughing fits every now and then.

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Hope this is good new for us. I will probability go to the area of the forum that deals with bonding now...she isn't very friendly as of now so hopefully that'll change soon.

To everyone who posted here I do thank you from the bottom of my heart. She means a lot to me, I just want to make sure she lives a happy and healthy life.
 
We have lots of lovely US members on here everyone one is welcome :)
Unsure if you know this (I'm sure you do) If you need to tag anyone use @ followed their profile name eg if you have a health question and you want to tag Helen.
Will you be getting Sophie a friend (another guinea pig)?
Kell
 
My3cuteBoys said:
We have lots of lovely US members on here everyone one is welcome :)
Unsure if you know this (I'm sure you do) If you need to tag anyone use @ followed their profile name eg if you have a health question and you want to tag Helen.
Will you be getting Sophie a friend (another guinea pig)?
Kell
Click to expand...

I just saw this and find it to be a great feature :).

Also I do plan on getting her friend soon. Instead of buying one I'm thinking of going to animal shelter that's close the home and seeing if they have any. If they do I'll adopt one, just gotta make sure it's a girl piggy :)
 
That sounds like a good plan. I would wait until she has a clean bill of health first, but if you could adopt from the shelter that would be great.
 
A quick update on Sophie. I have found she is sneezing less, however she is still coughing between 2-4 times a day and I can still here a sneeze from time to time. I'm optimistic that she will be alright. Once I get her a friend and them a bigger cage I think everything will be right as rain. Now I have the tough task of bonding with her...wish me luck friends.
 
So last night while trying bond with Sophie I noticed another symptom. She sounds like she is snoring...but I did some research and I am pretty sure that is not good right? Means an illness is setting in. I will be taking her to the vet tomorrow to see what I can do for Sophie. It just bothers me that she has been sick basically since I brought her home.
 
It sounds like you have caught it early though which is good. It is not uncommon for pet shop pigs to come down with a URI due to the stress of the environment they have come from.

If you can get Bisolvon in the US then that would help together with whatever antibiotic the vet gives you as it helps clear a stuffy nose and any mucous. You will also need probiotics which you need to give her an hour or so after any antibiotics.
 
So while I was taking care of Sophies cage today...I think I found the smoking gun that is causing all her issues. It's something I never noticed but I am sure Sophie noticed all to often.

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This is a air fresher with a lot of perfume type of stuff in it. This was right next to her cage since day one. Ive also noticed when she isn't in her cage...she normally doesn't sneeze...but when she is she sneezes more. I have removed the device and hope this help her breath better. Poor little piggy...I feel so stupid now not noticing that.
 
Oh yes that could be it as they are very sensitive to anything that is perfumed, well spotted. Let us know if removing it helps her symptoms.
 
@helen105281

I am here to report that Sophie has not been sneezing or coughing near as much. However she has one coughing fit last night that was the worse I have experienced with her. I almost though she was choking. Besides that one episode she is doing much better.
 
That's good news. However, as she has had an even bigger coughing fit I recommend getting her checked by a vet. It may be that the effects aren't out of her system yet but better to be safe than sorry.
 
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