Guinea pig coughing

[Sianalexandra1]

One of my pigs was coughing quite a bit last night and when I took her out the cage to listen to her breathing I could hear straight away she sounded very raspy and wheezy, I've booked her in with the vet tonight to get it checked out because I'm thinking it could be a URI. I've read online that sometimes the dust in wood shavings can cause this? So I was thinking it might be best to change the bedding from wood shavings to fleece, has anybody else found that wood shavings had this effect on their pig?

 

[PigglePuggle]

Glad you have her booked in at the vets today, she may well have a URI and need antibiotics. Some piggies can get allergies to the dust in wood shavings, but if this has come on rather suddenly I think its more likely to be an infection. You can discuss this with the vet, fleece is a good bedding option but there are also hemp based beddings and recycled paper based beddings you could consider if you want to move away from wood shavings.

 

[Sianalexandra1]

Glad you have her booked in at the vets today, she may well have a URI and need antibiotics. Some piggies can get allergies to the dust in wood shavings, but if this has come on rather suddenly I think its more likely to be an infection. You can discuss this with the vet, fleece is a good bedding option but there are also hemp based beddings and recycled paper based beddings you could consider if you want to move away from wood shavings.

Thank you, I've noticed her cough once or twice before in the past but admittedly I thought it may have been a normal pig sound as these are my first pigs and I'm still learning the ropes but last night she was coughing a lot. I hope it is a matter of her being allergic to the shavings. Thank you for your help

 

[Wiebke]

One of my pigs was coughing quite a bit last night and when I took her out the cage to listen to her breathing I could hear straight away she sounded very raspy and wheezy, I've booked her in with the vet tonight to get it checked out because I'm thinking it could be a URI. I've read online that sometimes the dust in wood shavings can cause this? So I was thinking it might be best to change the bedding from wood shavings to fleece, has anybody else found that wood shavings had this effect on their pig?

Hi and welcome!

Good that you have booked her in! Coughing and sneezing without any other symptoms are generally not to worry about, but once you get any raspy, crackly or wheezing breathing with them, you need to see a vet promptly to make sure that the airways and lungs are not impacted. There are some nasties around that can hit out of the blue and progress very quickly.

Coughing after eating can stem from too greedy eating and sneezing without any further symptoms is usually caused by hay dust. Unlike a human viral cold, a bacterial URI doesn't generally start with sneezing and coughing, but typically with breathing issues that come from deeper in the airways.

I haven't noticed any breathing problems from wood shavings which I used in the olden days before I switched to fleece a decade ago, but sensitivity to hay dust and pollen is far more common. Working out what is causing an environmental vector respiratory issue is usually a process of trial and error by looking at all the possible factors in turn. Personally I would always start with hay rather than bedding.

Like with greedy eating coughing, something gone down the wrong way or stuck can cause a coughing fit. Any regular or persistent coughing should be seen by a vet; the same as any sneezing if it is not a nose clearing one-off sneezing fit or piggy wash nose clearing sneezing a few times a day.

You have done absolutely the right thing! I hope that you are catching whatever it is early on.
Your vet is very likely to treat for a respiratory if there is the least hint, simply because they can be fatal or permanently damaging if left untreated.

 

[Sianalexandra1]

Hi and welcome!

Good that you have booked her in! Coughing and sneezing without any other symptoms are generally not to worry about, but once you get any raspy, crackly or wheezing breathing with them, you need to see a vet promptly to make sure that the airways and lungs are not impacted. There are some nasties around that can hit out of the blue and progress very quickly.

Coughing after eating can stem from too greedy eating and sneezing without any further symptoms is usually caused by hay dust. Unlike a human viral cold, a bacterial URI doesn't generally start with sneezing and coughing, but typically with breathing issues that come from deeper in the airways.

I haven't noticed any breathing problems from wood shavings which I used in the olden days before I switched to fleece a decade ago, but sensitivity to hay dust and pollen is far more common. Working out what is causing an environmental vector respiratory issue is usually a process of trial and error by looking at all the possible factors in turn. Personally I would always start with hay rather than bedding.

Like with greedy eating coughing, something gone down the wrong way or stuck can cause a coughing fit. Any regular or persistent coughing should be seen by a vet; the same as any sneezing if it is not a nose clearing one-off sneezing fit or piggy wash nose clearing sneezing a few times a day.

You have done absolutely the right thing! I hope that you are catching whatever it is early on.
Your vet is very likely to treat for a respiratory if there is the least hint, simply because they can be fatal or permanently damaging if left untreated.

Thank you for that, the coughing fit last night did seem to correlate with her being fed maybe she was just too excited for her tea. It was the raspy breaths that scared me into booking an appointment, I'll definitely look into changing her hay rather than bedding first. I hope the vet is able to get to the bottom of it too