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Potentially sick guinea pig - sneezing

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Phil123

New Born Pup
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Hello, my guinea pig Russ has been sneezing a little bit more than usual in the last couple days. I've noticed the occasional bit of wheezing and crackling when he breathes as well, as well as a little bit of discharge from his nose and eyes. Overall, I would say the discharge is minimal but I have noticed it here and there. These symptoms haven't been continuous, but rather on and off over the last 3 days or so. Other than that he seems completely fine. His behaviour, diet, weight and everything else have been completely normal. Russ is about 6.5 years old, so he's an elderly piggy. Given everything that's happened with the COVID virus, I prefer not to take him to the vet unless I absolutely need to, as my financial situation is a little tight. How concerned should I be at the moment? I've done some research and it seems like these types of symptoms can range anywhere from allergies to an upper respiratory infection, which can lead to pneumonia.
Thanks
 
I would contact your vet and get him checked out as pigs can go down hill fast. Do you weigh him regularly? Any change in weight? This would also be an indicator of something amiss. I’m sure someone with more experience will be along soon to offer advice.
 
He needs to see a vet.
Often at the beginning of an illness symptoms aren’t consistent but the symptoms you describe should not be left unchecked and early treatment can make all the difference to the outcome. Vets have plans in place to deal with social distancing.

Keep an eye on his weight but absolutely call the vet today.
Let us know how you get on.
 
Thanks for the advice. The small animal specialist is working tomorrow afternoon, so we booked an appointment for Russ. Same thing today, some slight wheezing but other than that he seems normal. Hopefully it's not serious.
 
Hope all goes well tomorrow for you.
Hope it’s nothing to worry about and is easily treated.
Keep us posted.

And welcome to the forum
 
One other thing I've researched is common guinea pig allergies. One of the common ones I came across was aloe vera. I've been using this a lot on my hands lately as they have been very dry, and have been handling Russ with the aloe vera on my skin. The timeline of when I started using the aloe vera cream has matched the timeline of when his symptoms started. Has anyone else discovered that their pig has reacted negatively to hand cream when handling them?
 
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