Help- Coughing/ Sneezing Problem?!

[J-Piggies]

I am concerned about coughing/ sneezing I have observed on-going (on/off) in near enough all five of my pigs. My only male, Rex (the main culprit), has previously been examined and I was told he has healthy lungs, so it might be more of an allergy based problem. I figured since it is occurring in all of them, it is more likely to be this, as surely there are less chances of all five having an actual health problem... Or I am very unlucky?!

I know that Guinea Pigs are generally prone to respiratory problems, but have noticed it has become more frequent. I wanted to ask if anyone had any advise about what I can do? I don't want to take all of them into the vets if it is a minute problem, but wondered if there is anything I can give to them to reduce/ stop it. It is literally just a cough/ sneeze problem. I have had no other symptoms of discomfort, runny nose, watery eyes, change in appetite, issues with urine/ faeces or anything.

Over the course of the next few weeks I will be making changes to their enclosure; with a new heater so that it is warmer, and moving them onto blankets instead of saw dust or paper based bedding which will contain more dust. I have already attempted changing their hay to a couple of different brands, but that doesn't seem to make any difference. Is there a brand of hay you can recommend that is less dusty?

In case it is not dust, and more of a cold-type problem, is there any medication I can give them before it becomes a serious issue? I'm not sure if this would relate to my problem in any way, but my vet mentioned a wormer which I plan to purchase, do any of you worm your pigs? I don't no much about whether it is a necessity for pigs or not. If there is anything else I might have over looked, or any other suggestions on what it could be/ what I could give them then I would really appreciate the advise.

Thanks, I hope for some feedback soon!

 

[shorty]

Hellooo xx i have the same problem eith my guinea pig benny he coughs and sneezes quite abit .... I'm assuming its the bedding .. dust from the sawdust... butbhe even does it when just wandering around the house after me now aswell .... xx

 

[gizzy]

hi @J-Piggies , are your pigs indoor , or outdoor, if indoor then a problem l once had with breathing isues was dew to house dust, l sorted
thes out by instaling a H.E.P.A Air fillter !

a wormer, l have never had to worm my pigs in more years than l can remember . the only isue l have had regarding tummy parisits was one
that was caused by a microscopic bug called geardea, it is a tiny parasite that laches itself to the tummy walls and causes several nasty symptoms
. But yorurs seem to be displaying any of them !

If they are all snezing , l would be inclined to ask you vet to give them a cheq over

a dust free Hay,
they are all relertivly dust free , though min thrive on "Alfa king thinathy" , . devon medow. and youkshire igns (they do several hays ) though l prefar
the Igns!

 

[helen105281]

There are very mixed opinions on worming, I do worm my pigs as I was advised too, the logic behind it is that there can be parasites in grass and hay is dried grass. I am wondering if your vet may have been thinking about E-Cuniculli as a reason for the wormer, do any of them have signs of a head tilt? I don't respiratory symptoms are part of it though.

This does sound more environmental to me, how long has it been going on? are there any air fresheners nearby?

I also have an air purifier like Gizzy has mentioned and it does seem to help. It is a HEPA one too.

If you are worried though, I would ask the vet to check them all just in case.

 

[J-Piggies]

Thanks for the advise guys, they are in a shed and I haven't exposed them to anything like air freshens etc that I am aware of.
One of them has displayed a head tilt probably 3 times over a 6 month period, but that's it. I am going to go ahead with worming as a precautionary method of parasitic issues that I'd never detect in them, just in case.
I like the idea of these HEPA air purifiers though, can anyone tell me more about how they work and what kind of area they can cover? Also how much they are and where a good place to get them from would be?
Tomorrow is pay day so I will be booking them all in for a vet check to rule out serious issues!
Please keep the good advise coming if anyone thinks of any more helpful tips! Much appreciated

 

[Abi_nurse]

Have you changed off the saw dust yet? I have a piggie who is actutely prone to coughing and sneezing when she is bedded on it. I changed her off and never had a problem since. The only time I ever hear her coughing now is when she's eating too fast. It may just be the cold weather but it's hard to say. Hope you get it sorted.

x