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Horrible sneeze!

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jessica*rabbit

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Norahs been sneezing a lot recently, we took her to the vet who said they were both fine. and just now ive heard some really loud sneezes rather than a *tish* its like a strangled sqeal/sneeze. shes fine though! jumping all over me as I'm typing, wittering away, the only difference ive noticed is thats shes more cuddly than usual. when she sneezes she puts her paws up and cleans herself. its so odd, but the sneeze isnt right! x
 
Hold your ear to the troat and chest of your piggies to check on the breathing for as long as you are worried about URI.

There is nothing stuck in the nose, is there? Have you started a new bag of hay or bedding lately?
 
yes sawdust, OH bought it not thinking, ive changed it now and replaced it for fleece. i wont give them any hay tonight and listen out for more sneezes. i dont think theres anything wrong with her, maybe just dust up her nose, or hay fever maybe. x
 
It's not a case of not giving any hay, just shake it out lots. She still needs her regular fresh hay.

It is worth considering what else could be irritating her. One thing to think about is whether she sneezes most when fresh bedding is put in; in the cases of fleece/Vetbed users, maybe the detergent hasn't rinsed from the fabric effectively and is bothering the pig. For those using traditional bedding, perhaps the Megazorb/Carefresh/Aubiose etc. doesn't suit that pig.

The hay may be 'dusty', even those specifically labelled Dust Extracted are not usually that dust free. The only hay I have found thus far to be truly free of dust, is Dust Free Hay, no amount of shaking it out leaves plumes of dust in the air. Even Oxbow can be a little dusty. It's a worthwhile habit to get into to shake each handful out inside a big cardboard box, get as much off as possible before feeding to piggie.

If you can build up a picture of what is happening around Norah when she sneezes, it may help you and the vet determine if it is more likely to be allergy/sensitivity to something specific, or something else. Details I would list include:

Date
Time
Pollen count (if known)
How long since last full cage clean
How long since you put fresh hay in
If the windows have been open
If any air freshener/aerosols were used in that room or the neighbouring room in the hour before sneezing starting
If you did any dusting in the same room

Something may become apparent within a few entries. Keep with it for as long as you feel necessary e.g. until you have spotted and removed the irritant and the sneezing decreases.
 
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