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Guinea Pigs And Kennel Cough

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Just found this thread @Wiebke as I was doing a search about kennel cough. Unfortunately this evening my dog started to cough occasionally. Of course we are not sure yet whether it is kennel cough but we are in a panic about how to keep Milan and Effie as safe as possible. The guinea pigs are in their own room which the dog doesn't enter. Does anyone have any advice? Should I keep their bedroom door closed or will this be bad airflow? Their room is a medium sized bedroom. Also I would be worried about it getting too hot in their room with the door closed and too cool if I turned the heating down.
 
I know about this as we board guide dogs and every dog so far has had kennel cough. They said to be careful of the small animals but that the cat could not catch it. I always feel so so bad for the dogs when they have kennel cough as they just look so sad and pathetic coughing all the time.
I would keep the door closed for the pigs as there is less chance of airborne particles getting into the pigs room. Could you put the window open a little bit to stop them getting too hot (our windows do the half latch thing which just lets a bit of air in).
 
Sian25 said:
Just found this thread @Wiebke as I was doing a search about kennel cough. Unfortunately this evening my dog started to cough occasionally. Of course we are not sure yet whether it is kennel cough but we are in a panic about how to keep Milan and Effie as safe as possible. The guinea pigs are in their own room which the dog doesn't enter. Does anyone have any advice? Should I keep their bedroom door closed or will this be bad airflow? Their room is a medium sized bedroom. Also I would be worried about it getting too hot in their room with the door closed and too cool if I turned the heating down.
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I would recommend to keep the connecting door closed for the time being. There should be no risk of infection if your dog has not been in the same room and you are careful to wash your hands thoroughly before handling, feeding and cleaning your guinea pigs. I would also recommend to use a dedicated pullover when cuddling your guinea pigs that is not in contact with your dog until you are sure that your dog hasn't got kennel cough. The transmission is generally airborne.

If you are turning the heating down and you have cold nights, just cover the cage with fleece to keep the warmth in or at least to keep the worst of the cold drafts from a window away. As long as indoors guinea pigs are in a range that you as a human are comfortable with, they will be perfectly fine.
Dogs, Kennel Cough And Guinea Pigs - An Important Consideration.
 
Is it all KC that piggies can catch or just bordetella? I mean of course what the base cause of a dog KC infection isn't always known, especially not ahead of risk, but I ask because while other rodents can catch bordetella (which has a high mortality rate), they can't catch viral strains.
 
acapae said:
Is it all KC that piggies can catch or just bordetella? I mean of course what the base cause of a dog KC infection isn't always known, especially not ahead of risk, but I ask because while other rodents can catch bordetella (which has a high mortality rate), they can't catch viral strains.
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It is just the bordetella variant. Please treat any cough as potentially infectious until you know otherwise. Kennel cough is currently making the rounds again in UK, hence why we have been putting out warnings on various media lately. Many owners are not aware that bordetella can be passed on from dogs.
Dogs, Kennel Cough And Guinea Pigs - An Important Consideration.
 
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