sneezing a lot

[PennyCopper]

Is it possible for our GP to have allergies? We use fleece for bedding but this little girl sneezes a lot throughout the day.

Thanks.

 

[Wiebke]

Is it possible for our GP to have allergies? We use fleece for bedding but this little girl sneezes a lot throughout the day.

Thanks.

Hi!

Guinea pigs can have sensitivities and allergies. By far the most common is to hay dust (which of course spreads out on any bedding); some piggies are sensitive to a high degree. Is your hay dust extracted and would you consider trying a different brand?

Other triggers can be: pollen, dust from loose bedding, air conditioning/dry radiator air, scented air purifiers, scent sticks, perfumed human skin products, smoke etc. It is a slow process of elimination.

 

[PennyCopper]

Hi!

Guinea pigs can have sensitivities and allergies. By far the most common is to hay dust (which of course spreads out on any bedding); some piggies are sensitive to a high degree. Is your hay dust extracted and would you consider trying a different brand?

Other triggers can be: pollen, dust from loose bedding, air conditioning/dry radiator air, scented air purifiers, scent sticks, perfumed human skin products, smoke etc. It is a slow process of elimination.

Thank you. I have a vet appointment next Saturday. Will the vet be able to tell if its allergy or infection? I read so many posts about respiratory infections.

 

[PennyCopper]

I

Thank you. I have a vet appointment next Saturday. Will the vet be able to tell if its allergy or infection? I read so many posts about respiratory infections.

Currently using Oxbow Western Timothy. The bag does not say specifically 'dust extracted'. I absolutely am open to switching brands. Thanks again.

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you. I have a vet appointment next Saturday. Will the vet be able to tell if its allergy or infection? I read so many posts about respiratory infections.

Your vet will check whether the airways are free of obstruction. Any respiratory infection would have long progressed.

URI is NOT like a viral human cold that often starts with sneezing; it is a bacterial infection whose main symptoms are crackly and raspy breathing, loss of appetite (as the need to breathe comes before the need to drink and only thirdly the need to eat) and lethargy caused by not eating. In a fully developed upper respiratory infection, the eyes and nose are being glued up with thick yellowish/greenish mucus. If the lungs are affected you see laboured, heaving breathing in the degree that the lungs fill with fluid (pneumonia).

Sneezing in connection with a URI means sneezing constantly and regularly every few minutes for hours on end. It is not just a few times a day when giving itself a piggy wash to clear the nose, a big one-off sneezing fit or sneezing whenever your piggy has stuck their head into the hay or sniffed the bedding and picked up another pollen/dust particle.
However, any vet will treat for URI if there is the least doubt, simply because it can kill or permanently damage if left untreated.

If your piggy is just sneezing without any other of the symptoms mentioned above, then it is most likely not a URI.

 

[Lucyscavies]

When they have laboured breathing do they still eat and drink and what noises do they make?

 

[PennyCopper]

Your vet will check whether the airways are free of obstruction. Any respiratory infection would have long progressed.

URI is NOT like a viral human cold that often starts with sneezing; it is a bacterial infection whose main symptoms are crackly and raspy breathing, loss of appetite (as the need to breathe comes before the need to drink and only thirdly the need to eat) and lethargy caused by not eating. In a fully developed upper respiratory infection, the eyes and nose are being glued up with thick yellowish/greenish mucus. If the lungs are affected you see laboured, heaving breathing in the degree that the lungs fill with fluid (pneumonia).

Sneezing in connection with a URI means sneezing constantly and regularly every few minutes for hours on end. It is not just a few times a day when giving itself a piggy wash to clear the nose, a big one-off sneezing fit or sneezing whenever your piggy has stuck their head into the hay or sniffed the bedding and picked up another pollen/dust particle.
However, any vet will treat for URI if there is the least doubt, simply because it can kill or permanently damaged if left untreated.

If your piggy is just sneezing without any other of the symptoms mentioned above, then it is most likely not a URI.

That was such a well educated, and clear reply. I appreciate all your knowledge and time to reply. I see none of the other symptoms. I will monitor and see the vet end of the week. Thank you.