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Piggy Coughing Hard And Sneezing! Help!

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kkschmitz

kkschmitz

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I have a boar that is a few months old now and he had recently started coughing very loud and sneezing... He is still eating, drinking, but he seems less active and more hidey than normal. We just got him a friend a little while ago whom I noticed sneezed, but stopped and is back to normal. Possible URI? Cold? Dangerous? Vet needed? HELP PLEASE!!

Ps. I must also note that my mother says that we should try diffusing essential oils into the room but I fear that would only worsen the situation. I think that delaying going to a vet could be a bad decision to choose.
 
Can you advise what part of the world you are in please. It's the middle of the night over here in the UK and all our specialists will be asleep - sorry. :(
 
Piggies often sneeze or make a coughing sound every now again - usually if they've just dived into a fresh pile of hay, or if they've eaten their veg too quickly and it's 'got stuck'. Any more than an occasional cough or sneeze should be checked out by a vet, particularly if the piggy is also looking generally unhappy - as yours is.

Please take him to a vet asap for diagnosis and treatment. It may be a URI, which would be fatal if left untreated. It could also be any number of other things, which only a vet could diagnose.

Please let us know how you get on.
 
Essential oils are harmful for animals with such a small and sensitive respiratory system.

If the coughing is regular and not connected to greedy eating, then it needs to be checked out, especially if your piggy is below par. URI (respiratory tract infection) can kill or, at the best, leave your piggy with life long problems like chronic lung disease. the longer you wait, the less the chances of an easy or quick recovery.

What you can do until you can see a vet (these measures do NOT replace the essential antibiotic treatment!):
- please a bowl of steaming water (no additives) next to the cage
- weigh your piggy daily instead of the regular weekly weigh-in, as you should always do when you suspect illness. Ideally always at the same time after a meal. If necessary, top him up with hand feed. Here is our illustrated step-by-step guide, which I recommend you to read carefully. The need to breathe comes before the need to drink and thirdly the need to eat. https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/complete-hand-feeding-guide.115359/
- please show your mum this link here: http://www.guinealynx.info/uri.html
- It would also be good if you worked out together a system of setting aside a bit of money each week towards a vet fund, so you can always afford vet care as soon as needed. Illness and emergency never happen at a good time, but the wrangle over a vet visit and especially any delay resulting in the death of a pet can put a massive strain on the whole family. Vet cost are unfortunately the biggest part of the piggy budget.

Could you please add your country to your details, as we are dealing with members from all over the world. Click on your username on the top bar, then go to personal details and scroll down to location. Thanks! This will help us to adapt any advice and recommendations to what is available in your country.


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Thanks a lot! I will be sure to let my mom know, I have already told her but she disagrees, for we have diffused oils into the room before my piggy got sick. Any more help would be gladly taken :-)
 
Could your piggy have been reacting to those oils and essences? However, any persistent coughing needs to be checked out.
 
I must also note spme more details... Smudge (sick) is itchy but has always been, he has recently lost his voice. Aka no sound coming out when he tries to purr, wheek or rumble to peanut (healthy male). Only now has he started to talk a bit, but he normally is a LOUD boy
 
I'm afraid that illnesses cannot be diagnosed over the internet. If you suspect your piggy is poorly, then you really must seek the help of a vet.
 
I will reiterate what others have already said - please take them both to a vet to be checked.
The loss of voice and other symptoms could suggest a serious URI bug.....which if not treated immediately could become chronic and lead to other systemic symptoms in future involving liver and heart.
x
 
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