Padraig's Nose Is Still Runny.

[Toni D]

A couple of weeks ago I posted about Padraig and Seamus having snotty noses (watery not a discharge). Other than watery noses they are doing great. I took them to an exotic vet recommended on here and was given 7 days supply of Baytril and I got some fibreplex, although the vet thought it unnecessary. Their noses were still running after the 7 days so I got 5 more days supply of Baytril. Seamus is better now but Padraig still has a runny nose and didn't put any weight on last week, he was already smaller than Seamus. I took them to the vet again on Saturday and the vet said one option was to do nothing? I said that I had taken them back as Padraig should have put on weight last week like Seamus so doing nothing wasn't an option. She gave me 7 more days supply of Baytril and 3 days supply of Metacam. These are exotic vets but I feel somewhat disappointed. I wondered if Wiebke has any ideas/suggestions? They were kept on shavings as babies and then I had them on hemp but I have changed to shavings to see if that makes a difference. Other than the water running from his nose and now the lack of weight gain Padraig seems very happy - popcorning, eating, rumbling, etc.

 

[Toni D]

Does anyone else have any ideas/suggestions? Someone on another post said their piggy was on Bactrim for runny nose but I don't know what that is (I have a very poor memory at the moment).

 

[LozzyBee]

How is his nose now? Might be entirely different, but Barlo was snuffly a few weeks ago. He was seen twice by different vets who could hear the snuffle but said his chest was clear. They both suggested it could be the hay, could be bedding (they're on fleece), and to try changing the detergent, use no aerosols near him etc. I've changed to Surcare washing detergent, change their bedding every other day now (rather than twice a week - someone suggested could possibly be an ammonia build up on the fleece causing problems), use a homemade cleaning spray, and don't dry/iron laundry in the same room as them any more (they're in the lounge which is where I always used to do this). I also started buying hay from dustfreehay....I don't know which one of those things has worked, but something has as he's not snuffly anymore.

Not sure if any of these will help as Barlo didn't have a runny nose, he was just snuffly, but you never know.

Funnily enough, I have been super snuffly since moving the laundry up to our room to dry, so I do wonder if that could have been the culprit, but I'd rather me than him!

 

[Toni D]

Hi, thank you very much for replying His nose is still runny. It is just water not mucus. It is no better and no worse. I used F10 to clean the cage this last couple of times. I moved them onto to shavings from hemp (I don't like shavings because I think there is higher fungal risk) because they were on shavings when I bought them. I change all the bedding every 2-3 days and wash the cage; they are still relatively small for their cage so I don't think it can be ammonia. I do have a throw over one end of the cage so that I can have the window open for fresh air but the throw stops any draught - I will put that through a wash without detergent just to make sure but other than that there is just the sofa bed with no covers, which is 5 feet away from the cage. I changed from Petshop hay to Timothy hay. Padraig himself seems happy enough still but I think he is fed up of me sticking syringes of stuff into his mouth. I did notice yesterday evening that the sneezing started quite badly after they had been scooting about the cage and popcorning, which possibly suggests allergy . I don't want to move to fleece as they urinate everywhere despite my best efforts with toilet training when they first arrived. To be honest I am now crying as he is no better - thankfully he is no worse and has put the same amount of weight on as Seamus this week. I have spent about 150 pounds so far on vet bills and fibreplex and I have no idea what to do next. The vet suggested doing nothing medicine wise but I wondered if a different antibiotic might be better for URTI or maybe an anti-allergen to confirm allergy but Seamus had a runny nose and Baytril cleared that up. Sorry for twittering but thanks again for your suggestions. I will wash the throw for starters.

 

[gizzy]

l have an old Sow , that is prown to the ocasional snuffles and l find dabbing olibas oil around the outside of the cage can be quite benificial

l also have a HEPA air filter in my pig room

 

[Toni D]

I've not hear of HEPA air filters but will certainly look them up as I like the sound of that. Padraig doesn't have any troubles breathing - he just has a watery nose. He then wipes it again and again until there is bedding stuck to it. I then have to wash his nose so it doesn't build up and block (as per vets instructions).

 

[LozzyBee]

*Hugs* to you.

My boys wee everywhere and they're on fleece. The fleece wicks away the moisture to the absorbent layers below. I used to use it on my children when they were babies in cloth nappies so I know it works lol. I have fleece laid out across all but about 6 inches at the end of the cage, and then I have newspaper and hay on top for that 6 inches at the end. I'm making more work for myself, but they do prefer having their hay like that rather than in a hay bed or on racks. They don't seem to have a preference to sleeping on the hay or on the fleece, seems to depend on their mood!

One of the other things I forgot to mention is that I used to have shavings under their hay, but changed this to just newspaper.

One of the more knowledgeable members suggested to me to try fleece if I wasn't already. Might be worth a go if things don't improve.

 

[Toni D]

I have just noticed your earlier comment about dustfreehay - is that a brand you buy on the internet? I put fresh hay in on an evening and that is when he sneezes most so that could be worth trying. My two seem to lay on their hay most of the day constantly nibbling away. When you say fleece - is it specially made cage liners? I have to be honest and admit that the idea of fleece doesn't appeal to me so I will try to resolve it in other ways first but if I can't then fleece it will have to be.

 

[GPTV]

i use newspaper, covered with 1-2 inches of crosscut shredded paper & then the hay in clumps on top, i used it in the hutch outside & now the cage indoors at present.
i think some members find that with wood shavings it causes respiratory issues, its the urine reacting with the wood, releasing natural chemicals that can cause runny eyes & breathing problems/snuffles.
it's the same as humans though, we are all different & react in different ways to certain triggers. perhaps that's why Seamus has cleared up & Padraigs not quite there yet.

Fleece, vetbed, megazorb & auboise all seem to be favourite bedding materials on here. quite a few members have puppy pads/ newspaper or towels as under layers.
Don't use fabric conditioner in with the fleece (if you do end up with fleece), it needs about three washes without to allow the fabric to wick away the liquid/urine. (doesn't need to be dried between each wash) the conditioner will cause the liquid to sit on top of the fabric causing puddles.

do you have any plug in air fresheners or other similar products? as these could also irritate his breathing.

Yes dustfreehay is a company that extracts dust from their hay prior to packing it. its very popular on here. try shaking your current hay outside into another bag, see how dusty the current hay is - if its very dusty this might be a factor in his breathing. if its extremely dusty or smells mouldy just throw it away. Hay should have a lovely sweet, grassy smell that makes you want to bury your head in it

let us know how he gets on
xx

 

[Toni D]

When I had lots of G.Pigs in my heated shed I used megazorb on top of newspaper but I can't get hold of newspapers now (although the new 'cheap' newspaper may be worth buying for this purpose) so I use puppy pads. I decided to try Aubiose to see what it was like but then the runny noses appeared so I moved to shavings as that is what they were used to. As I say I am not a fan of shavings as I have it in my head that wood can be a source of fungal spores. I never had problems with megazorb so may try that again. I have just cleaned the cage and put fresh hay in and noted that the hay I am using is PAH Timothy hay that says it is dust extracted. I don't notice any dust coming from it when I am spreading it out and it smells almost as good as chocolate! Padraig has sneezed three times since I put them back in but is now fine and his nose isn't watering. I don't use any plug-ins or air fresheners but the throw would have smelled of the washing liquid (bold which is notoriously smelly). I have now washed it at 60degrees in plain water so hopefully that might make a difference.

Thank you everyone for your thoughts and suggestions. I will keep trying different things with fingers crossed!

 

[LozzyBee]

. Hay should have a lovely sweet, grassy smell that makes you want to bury your head in it

YES! I felt like I wanted to spread the hay from dustfreehay on the floor and lie in it! I'd never felt like that with they hay I was buying from the pet shop lol. My daughter said it was "like summer in a box"

 

[GPTV]

YES! I felt like I wanted to spread the hay from dustfreehay on the floor and lie in it! I'd never felt like that with they hay I was buying from the pet shop lol. My daughter said it was "like summer in a box"

Now that's what hay should be like
Sounds like some brilliant stuff
Xx