Quick fix for dusty bedding

Gadzy

Gadzy

Junior Guinea Pig
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Hi all,

One of my guniea pigs seems to be constantly having some breathing issues. Vets have checked the chest and can't notice anything so all I can think is the woodshavings I'm using is too dusty and not good for one of my pigs. The other is fine.

I understand fleece lining would be the best for dust issues but that's the last resort for me for certain reasons. I will use it if I have too.

What's the best alternative for dusty bedding? I've read megazorb can be good but also read it's very dusty also. I also read that bedmax woodshavings are good. I'm thinking of going to my local horse place and asking for the best bedding with the least amount of dust
 
I loved aubiose the short time I used it. Perhaps you could use newspapers and hay? Otherwise I don’t know what to suggest.
 
I used washable puppy pads and hay for years and was happy with it. The only reason I changed is that my piggies are no longer outside. You need to get the hay from your local horse supplier as you get through A LOT.
 
No you don’t need to dampen it. Just make sure you put in enough.
 
I have a huge amount of aubious here in my house. Its only roughly £10 for about 20kg of it. I use it for my rats litter tray, if it's dust free enough for rats, Guinea pigs will be fine. I've used it for gerbils aswell as their main substrate for digging and burrowing in, and they were fine, where as on woodshavings they were getting respiratory distress from it.

Aubious is finely chopped up hemp stem, it absorbs urine great and reduces odour aswell. Only down side is, it's messy, but it vaccums up lovely.
 
@SkyPipDotBernie @eileen @Siikibam

Okay, so my guniea pig has been having some very weird breathing problems. I have had this before and the vets checked her lungs and heart and seemed fine at the time but it's back here again with her. I don't know if it's the previous bedding that irritated her but something isn't right.

I went out and especially bought some auboise to see if it would help but she's still doing it. It's like a clicking nose from her nose and her breathing seems quite laboured at times. I rang the vet and said to start her on the Baytril again as I have it here still. I can't see how it's an infection if nothing is coming up on the stethoscope etc.

I have put both the pigs on the floor next to my bed with towels down to see if it helps and I think it might be or the antibiotic is starting to work. I have a feeling she may need to be on antibiotics all her life because this is a reoccurring thing and I'm not sure what's going on. I can't see how Baytril will work if they can't hear anything going on with the lungs though. I'm stumped and I believe the vets are stumped. She said to remove any bedding at all and start the Baytril to see if we can get her breathing back to normal. It had been fine, but as I said it's a occurring thing. Not sure if she's very prone to respiratory infections or it's just simply something in the bedding or hay that is affecting her.

I will tag in @Wiebke as well as I know she's very clued up, but there's no rush. I have a feeling I may have to start using fleece liners but if Auboise is virtually dust free it can't be that. I'm going round in circles here. She did have a abcess capsule removed a few weeks ago but the breathing thing was happening before that anyway so I don't know.

Any ideas 🤔
 
Have you double checked to see there are no other irritants that could be triggering it? There would be no harm in trying fleece to see if there’s an improvement.
 
IzzyGad said:
@SkyPipDotBernie @eileen @Siikibam

Okay, so my guniea pig has been having some very weird breathing problems. I have had this before and the vets checked her lungs and heart and seemed fine at the time but it's back here again with her. I don't know if it's the previous bedding that irritated her but something isn't right.

I went out and especially bought some auboise to see if it would help but she's still doing it. It's like a clicking nose from her nose and her breathing seems quite laboured at times. I rang the vet and said to start her on the Baytril again as I have it here still. I can't see how it's an infection if nothing is coming up on the stethoscope etc.

I have put both the pigs on the floor next to my bed with towels down to see if it helps and I think it might be or the antibiotic is starting to work. I have a feeling she may need to be on antibiotics all her life because this is a reoccurring thing and I'm not sure what's going on. I can't see how Baytril will work if they can't hear anything going on with the lungs though. I'm stumped and I believe the vets are stumped. She said to remove any bedding at all and start the Baytril to see if we can get her breathing back to normal. It had been fine, but as I said it's a occurring thing. Not sure if she's very prone to respiratory infections or it's just simply something in the bedding or hay that is affecting her.

I will tag in @Wiebke as well as I know she's very clued up, but there's no rush. I have a feeling I may have to start using fleece liners but if Auboise is virtually dust free it can't be that. I'm going round in circles here. She did have a abcess capsule removed a few weeks ago but the breathing thing was happening before that anyway so I don't know.

Any ideas 🤔
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How long had it been since you have had her on the aubious from the shavings?

Is your vet clued up about Guinea pigs? Do they specialise in them?could be the baytril isn't the right antibiotic.
 
Yes, this vet is very good. She has twleve of her own as well.

The breathing has been funny for the last few days so only today for a few hours have they been on the Aubois, so it could be a issue from previous bedding etc still. She seems better on the floor next to me on the towels at the moment.
 
IzzyGad said:
@SkyPipDotBernie @Siikibam @eileen

I think I'm just going to get some fleece liners and have done with it and if that doesn't work then I know it's nothing to do with the bedding.

Where's the best place to purchase fleece liners?
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Hi!

I would also see whether fleece bedding may help. You can get cheap acrylic or polyester bedspreads or baby blankets that you need to wash any surface sealing conditioner out first and then you also need an absorbent underlay of some sort to soak up the urine that wicks through the conditioner free fleece.

Here is our detailed fleece guide that tells you exactly what is needed and how you best go about it: A Detailed Guide For Fleece Bedding
 
@Wiebke @eileen @Siikibam

I have been racking my brains deep in thought and I wonder if it's the change in hay. I bought a massive bale of it from a local farmer and I wonder if she's allergic or reacting to something with that hay. I'm pretty sure she had this around the time she began doing this. I haven't noticed it this bad and I don't think it's anything to do with the operation she had because she was doing this before the capsule was removed so I really don't know. I had the lungs checked when she had this twice before and they found nothing. Or heard nothing to indicate a problem. I have removed all of th farmers hay and bought some meadow hay which they always had since I bought them to see.

Can pigs be allergic to certain hays or have hayfever problems?
 
IzzyGad said:
@Wiebke @eileen @Siikibam

I have been racking my brains deep in thought and I wonder if it's the change in hay. I bought a massive bale of it from a local farmer and I wonder if she's allergic or reacting to something with that hay. I'm pretty sure she had this around the time she began doing this. I haven't noticed it this bad and I don't think it's anything to do with the operation she had because she was doing this before the capsule was removed so I really don't know. I had the lungs checked when she had this twice before and they found nothing. Or heard nothing to indicate a problem. I have removed all of th farmers hay and bought some meadow hay which they always had since I bought them to see.

Can pigs be allergic to certain hays or have hayfever problems?
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Your piggy may be sensitive to hay dust from not dust extracted hay - although how effectively dust has been extracted can vary from brand to brand.
 
@Wiebke

Would the breathing instantly get better you think after changing something or would it be gradual. She's currently on Baytril as well as a precaution
 
IzzyGad said:
@Wiebke

Would the breathing instantly get better you think after changing something or would it be gradual. She's currently on Baytril as well as a precaution
Click to expand...

The only piggy I ever had with sensitivity to hay dust did show the typical crackly breathing from the throat. Baytril could make the symptoms temporarily disappear but not cure them. However, it took several days for symptoms to ease after I switched to dust-free hay with her. They flared up whenever I had a particular dusty batch of farm hay for my other piggies, so the connection to the dust was obvious because she otherwise never displayed any breathing issues for the rest of her 6 years long life and she died as one of the very last (if not the last) of her massive rescue intake that ended with a court conviction.

Here is our hay guide, including places you can source good dust extracted hay without having to use a pet shop: A Comprehensive Hay Guide for Guinea Pigs (incl. providers in several countries)

At this stage you are very much into working out by trial and error what could be behind the breathing issues.
 
In extreme cases you may have to wash and dry your hay... These cases are thankfully rare but we have seen them on here from time to time.
 
IzzyGad said:
@Wiebke going to the vets to be sure this morning. It's just constant and something isn't right. More money, but hey ho it's only paper right 🤔
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All the best!

It is still worth pursuing both avenues re. bedding and hay; but it is even better if you can discuss this with your vet.
 
@Wiebke Just been to the vets, lungs sounded fine and heart. She said there could be a viral thing going on which is creating mucus or some sort, but it's not to do with the lungs which she said is good. She mentioned getting a nebuliser and doing that once daily. She was better after that but within a hour of having that done she's back to it again. I asked if it's life threatening and she said from my examination and what I've seen I don't think it is but its famous last words. She's giving me a powder to sprinkle on her food which is meant to help break down mucus a bit. I don't know what else I can do. She's on towels, anti biotics, new hay, been to the vets for a check up who said other than the mucus and breathing through the nose she seems well. I just have a feeling it's something worse, but I've had three vets say the same thing. I don't know what else to do. I have a feeling I could be at the end of the road in terms of solutions. I have a feeling it's sadly a condition that may finish her off at such a young age. @Siikibam
 
I know words are just that, but I think you should try not to worry. If it’s not causing her to lose weight, be lethargic, quieter than usual, or not her normal self, and the vets haven’t found anything of worry with regards her lungs, heart or respiratory system then it may just be she’s one of those rare ones who have an allergy to some kind of irritant that’s not straight forward.

As suggested by Wiebke I would think about hay and bedding as the primary things to ‘play about with’ and see which may work better for her. Did you talk about hay and bedding with the vet?

Hugs.
 
@Siikibam I currently have them on towels for bedding so no dust there and limited hay which seems to be not dusty at all.

I'm not sure if she's had a reaction how long it would take to get over it? She's had this for a couple of days now and I'm at a loose end.

She's on Baytril, new bedding. New hay, dusted and vaccumed everything.
 
IzzyGad said:
@Wiebke the vets have just rang to give me something else to try called Bisolvon?
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Bisolvon is a mucus thinning powder that helps with clearing a blocked nose - it will hopefully ease the discomfort and help with the air flow as guinea pigs don't breathe much through the mouths.

I would still strongly recommend to see whether changes to the bedding and hay will bring noticeable improvement so you know which area to pursue and fine tune further. My first area of change would be the hay.
 
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