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Sneezing Normal?

B

BaaaaL

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
Sep 30, 2017
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Location
Hungary
Hello everyone!

I would like to request some opinion regarding the following situation:

We bought two female guinea pigs from a store about 5 weeks ago, they are approximately 3 months old as of now. They occassionally sneezed in the beginning, but a week ago, we thought the sneezing had become more frequent, so we took them to a vet. Supposedly, he was a specialist in exotic animals with a matching certificate. He checked them both, and said he did not see anything wrong with them physically, breathing sounds were normal, eyes, nose, lymph nodes normal. He said he didn't think giving them an antibiotic shot was a good course, so we got some immune-boosters we have to syringe-feed them every day. Anyway, they seemed to sneeze less for a while, but today, I heard the bigger piggy sneeze about 3 times, and the smaller one once or twice. Otherwise, they seem to be fine, their eyes are wide open, and shiny, no sign of crust or mucus, their noses are dry, their appetite is fine, they come running as soon as I fiddle with their hay, or put new hay/veggies/pellets in, and they also drink a healthy amount of fresh water. They react to environmental stimuli normally, they wheek whenever there is a plastic bag rustling nearby, and sometimes chase around the cage, and run from our hand.

Given what the doctor said, and what I'm describing, does this sound like a URI? It has been a week, and from what I know, it would have gotten more serious already.

I'm not sure giving specifics about their environment would help, as I live in Hungary, so you are probably not familiar with products here. I'm using some generic pine shaving on top of wood pellets for a bedding, and they receive Versele Laga Cavia Complete pellets two times every day (supposedly the best pelletted food on the market here) and some veggies (beetroot, carrots, etc.) every morning as a treat.

Thanks for your insight, I'm kind of freaked out, as they are our first piggies.

EDIT: We have opened a new bag of hay today, and thought maybe it's dusty, but it is the same brand they get all the time, so I'm unsure.
 
No it doesn't sound like a bacteral uri , l would e thinking invomental problems

I have a HEPA air filter to combat the dust in my pig.room !
If your pigs are indoors l would highly recommend one! But if they are outside, then perhaps a few drops of ollabas oil close to the pigs cage may help

PS it sounds like you have a caring pig savvy vet,
 
Thanks for your answer!

I myself have isolated a few possible cases, but they are hard to test. They often do a "soft" sneeze when they are running around the carpet, it's more like a "puffing" sound, as if they are just expelling air, the carpet is quite old, and has been stored in an attic for a while. However, the sneezes they did today were more like you would imagine a cartoon character sneezing, high pitched, and they cleaned their noses after that. I'm suspecting the hay, or the bedding. Unfortunately, I have yet to locate a pet store in my city where they sell paper-based safe bedding, so I can try eliminating the pine shavings.
 
Also, when do I have to start worrying, and really suspecting a bacterial URI? Say, if their eyes become crusty, or they stop eating? What is the usual course of symptoms in a URI?
 
  • Guinea Lynx :: URI





  • Refusal to eat or drink (anorexia)
  • No feces (as a result of not eating)
  • Labored breathing, wheezing
  • Sneezing, coughing
  • Crusty eyes, eyes that are almost sealed shut
  • Discharge from eyes or nose (read about normal Eyes)
  • Dull and/or receding eyes
  • Rough or puffed-up coat
  • Lethargy, hunched posture
 
BaaaaL said:
Hello everyone!

I would like to request some opinion regarding the following situation:

We bought two female guinea pigs from a store about 5 weeks ago, they are approximately 3 months old as of now. They occassionally sneezed in the beginning, but a week ago, we thought the sneezing had become more frequent, so we took them to a vet. Supposedly, he was a specialist in exotic animals with a matching certificate. He checked them both, and said he did not see anything wrong with them physically, breathing sounds were normal, eyes, nose, lymph nodes normal. He said he didn't think giving them an antibiotic shot was a good course, so we got some immune-boosters we have to syringe-feed them every day. Anyway, they seemed to sneeze less for a while, but today, I heard the bigger piggy sneeze about 3 times, and the smaller one once or twice. Otherwise, they seem to be fine, their eyes are wide open, and shiny, no sign of crust or mucus, their noses are dry, their appetite is fine, they come running as soon as I fiddle with their hay, or put new hay/veggies/pellets in, and they also drink a healthy amount of fresh water. They react to environmental stimuli normally, they wheek whenever there is a plastic bag rustling nearby, and sometimes chase around the cage, and run from our hand.

Given what the doctor said, and what I'm describing, does this sound like a URI? It has been a week, and from what I know, it would have gotten more serious already.

I'm not sure giving specifics about their environment would help, as I live in Hungary, so you are probably not familiar with products here. I'm using some generic pine shaving on top of wood pellets for a bedding, and they receive Versele Laga Cavia Complete pellets two times every day (supposedly the best pelletted food on the market here) and some veggies (beetroot, carrots, etc.) every morning as a treat.

Thanks for your insight, I'm kind of freaked out, as they are our first piggies.

EDIT: We have opened a new bag of hay today, and thought maybe it's dusty, but it is the same brand they get all the time, so I'm unsure.
Click to expand...

Good that you had them vet checked, first and foremost. I would suspect that it is the hay dust. Some piggies are more sensitive. Try another brand and see whether that makes a change. There are differences between dust extracted hay brands. If you want to ask for recommendations and experiences from other members, please make sure that you add your country, state/province or UK county to your details as we have got members from all over the world. Click on your username on the top bar, then go to personal details and scroll down to location. Thank you!
 
It doesn't sound like a URI, especially with a vet check. It's potentially a reaction to something environmental (hay dust, bedding, etc.) It might be worth trying different brands and seeing if one bothers them less.

If it makes you feel better, one of my pigs seems to have allergies... she sneezes a ton and sometimes has watery discharge from her eyes. I suspect she is allergic to some grasses, as the eyes tear like crazy outside. I buy hay that isn't very dusty and she is better with that, but she still sneezes ten times more than my other pigs ever have. She has had a vet check and is healthy... she's just sneezy.
 
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