I will start by saying that I have had Maude for nearly 3 years. Shortly after I first got her, I noticed she would cough every once in a while and before the cough sometimes her breathing would sound a bit wheezy. Well, I took her to the vet and he said her breathing sounded clear and she seemed fine. From then on I would never hear her cough or make unusual sounds in her breathing except perhaps a few times throughout the year. It has now been over 2 years since this all happened, and I noticed it happening again, only this time it happened multiple times a day for about the past week so far. I read about rare cases of guinea pigs having allergies and I figured that perhaps since the seasons are changing here, maybe the air was irritating her. I bought an air purifier and since setting it up she has not coughed or made any unusual sounds, at least from the time I've been around her. I have still seen her popcorn, she is eating her veggies, hay, and pellets, and she bubbles in happiness for food. I also want to mention that she seems to be sleeping deeper and more often, though it has also become a bit chillier than usual here, but it is not too cold in the house for her and I've put extra pillows and old shirts for them to burrow in. Also, I gave her a hair cut (she is a peruvian) and I did a bad job of avoiding getting tiny bits of cut fur in her face and I was wondering if she could have inhaled some and it caused her irritation. Lastly, they are housed on fleece and towels, so no sawdust. Does any one have any suggestions as to whether I should be concerned? I know it is not a URI because she has been housed with 2 pigs since and they would have caught it. The fact that it has also been over 2 years since I initially noticed this behavior leads me to believe it's not a URI but could it be heart problems? If it was a heart problem would she have gotten along this fine with it for the past nearly 3 years or would it have gotten much worse by now? Could it just be allergies such as humans have to the different seasons?
