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Coughing.

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JetSkii

JetSkii

Junior Guinea Pig
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My piggy Flint has coughed his entire lifetime. He is around 1 and a half years old now and has coughed ever since I've had him.

I see all these posts about rushing them to the vet's if they cough but is it possible for a guinea pig to just...cough?

I've had Flint for awhile now and he is at perfect health. Eats and drinks well and moves around like my other piggs. Showing no sign of health issues. I've never been concerned and never had any health issues with him.

So was just wondering if you can just have a piggy who coughs.
 
JetSkii said:
My piggy Flint has coughed his entire lifetime. He is around 1 and a half years old now and has coughed ever since I've had him.

I see all these posts about rushing them to the vet's if they cough but is it possible for a guinea pig to just...cough?

I've had Flint for awhile now and he is at perfect health. Eats and drinks well and moves around like my other piggs. Showing no sign of health issues. I've never been concerned and never had any health issues with him.

So was just wondering if you can just have a piggy who coughs.
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Hi!

Is there a pattern to the coughing, like coughing after eating greedily? Have you ever considered a dust/hay allergy? Has he ever been seen and checked by a vet about whether he has got an untreated/not fully healed out URI? In some cases, heart problems could be connected with regular after-eating coughing.

Regular every day coughing is not normal and should always be checked by a vet, as it can indicate an underlying issue. If your piggy is starting to suddenly cough a lot (more than 5 times a day) and it is not abating after while (which usually happens if something has gone down the wrong way), then we encourage our members to seek veterinary care promptly, as some respiratory infections can be very aggressive and strike very quickly, especially if a poster also mentions that the piggy in question is looking subdued.

I can often not be very easy to get to the bottom of it all.
 
I don't particularly think there's a pattern to it. It can be after eating but it can also be at random times aswell. I have not have him checked because I never knew it is a serious thing. I just wanted to ask because he's been doing it for so long so I didn't know it was serious or life threatening for piggs as it hasn't effected him in any way.

I have suspected that it was a dust allergy because I used sawdust for the first few weeks of having him. Switched to fleeece but there has been no change of his coughing. Could the hay affect him?

So do you think I should get him checked? I wasn't sure because he's been doing it for so long I didn't think it was serious or out of the ordinary. Thankyou for the response.
 
JetSkii said:
I don't particularly think there's a pattern to it. It can be after eating but it can also be at random times aswell. I have not have him checked because I never knew it is a serious thing. I just wanted to ask because he's been doing it for so long so I didn't know it was serious or life threatening for piggs as it hasn't effected him in any way.

I have suspected that it was a dust allergy because I used sawdust for the first few weeks of having him. Switched to fleeece but there has been no change of his coughing. Could the hay affect him?

So do you think I should get him checked? I wasn't sure because he's been doing it for so long I didn't think it was serious or out of the ordinary. Thankyou for the response.
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If I were you I'd see whether a different, dust extracted hay brand could bring a change. Burning incense sticks or perfumes can also cause coughing. As he is doing well, it may be worth trying to exclude any environmental issues first.
 
Okay I will try a new hay brand. At the moment I switch between three brands. But I'm sure trying a new brand won't hurt. Hopefully this helps. Thankyou for your suggestions. However if this doesn't change his coughing. Should I still get him checked over at the vet's?
 
JetSkii said:
Okay I will try a new hay brand. At the moment I switch between three brands. But I'm sure trying a new brand won't hurt. Hopefully this helps. Thankyou for your suggestions. However if this doesn't change his coughing. Should I still get him checked over at the vet's?
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Personally, I would have (and have) mine seen in this kind of situation. In her case, it wasn't coughing, but persistent off and on noisy breathing, which eventually was diagnosed as upper and lower lung disease, stemming from a not fully healed out URI she had before coming here. It is not not impeding her in any way (excpet she is often snoring loudly) and she is now a very respectable 7 years old, but I am aware that she is at a higher risk if she ever gets a respiratory infection and that she would need a very strong antibiotic straight away. Thankfully, it didn't turn out to be a heart problem.
 
Which country are you in? We have got a recommended piggy savvy vets locator on the top bar, but I can provide a link to recommended vets in other countries, too. Fees can be quite high, especially in countries like the US, Canada and Australia, so you may want to check out the environmental angle first.
 
Could you please add this to your details. It wold make giving medical advice much easier, as medical brands, vet access and climate vary enormously across the world, but all influence what we can recommend. Just click on your username on the top bar, then go to personal details and scroll down to location.
 
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