Sneezing & Nose Bleed

[Pigglywink's Rachel]

Hello everyone... sorry for my very long absence... I've had quite a bit going on in my life and haven't had time to keep up on the computer, but am now having (or rather, still having) a problem with one of my piggies.

Caramel is about 9 months old, she was almost two months old when I got her in March 2009. Ever since I got her, she had some discharge from both of her eyes, which I found rather troublesome. I took her to the vet regarding it, who suggested that I use a mild anti-biotic eye drop, which I did. It didn't make any difference, one way or the other (either better or worse), so I discontinued use after a month of treatment, which again, didn't seem to affect it one way or the other.

I also tried treating it as a possible allergy, by buying dust extracted hay (does anyone have any idea how much that stuff costs in Canada?), but again, it didn't make any difference. I took both girls out of their hutch, thinking maybe they were allergic to the poplar wood it was made out of, with, again, no change. They've been on Pro-Fleece bedding since I got them, and, I even tried taking them off of that and just having them on plain cotton towels in a modified C & C cage (just the cubes, no cloroplast). It didn't matter what I tried, nothing seemed to change the situation at all, so I eventually stopped worrying about it, and just cleaned her eyes with warm water when they started to get crusty.

Then, about three months ago, Caramel started sneezing. Nothing too excessive, just six or seven sneezes in a day, and I noticed that she was getting crusty bits around her nostrils. Again, I took her to the vet, who gave her a thorough exam this time (eyes, ears, mouth... what a treat the mouth was). She said that there was no sign of Caramel having a respiratory infection or anything along those lines, and suggested that I give her 0.1 mL of a children's decongestant, as the only thing she could think of was allergies. I put Caramel on the recommended dose, once a day, for a week, and it seemed to help her somewhat, in that her eyes completely cleared up (with no problems since), and it got rid of the crustiness around her nose, although the sneezing still remained.

Ever since, when she starts to get crustiness around her nose for more than a couple days, I give her one or two doses of the decongestant, and it seems to clear it up, but it always comes back every two to three weeks.

I noticed tonight, while the girls were having their run in the living room, that not only did Caramel have crustiness around her nostrils again, but that there was a fairish amount of blood under her nose as well. I immediately panicked, and then calmed down, got her out of her run and washed her face with warm water (she tried to bite me twice, which she's never done before), and confirmed that she didn't have any cuts on her face that would explain the blood. I can only assume, then, that the blood came from her nose.

So, finally (and my apologies for the long back story), I have two questions. Is it possible that the nose bleed could be the result of allergies? And is it safe to keep treating her with a decongestant, or will continued use cause her more harm than good? I can't seem to track down the source of the allergies, unless she's allergic to guinea pigs, so I'm really hoping for some advice as to how to proceed.

Thanks in advance for the advice that I'm sure to get.
Rachel

 

[lovelygirl]

sorry have no ideas for you but hope Caramel is feeling better soon! and you get to the bottom of this mysterious problem!

 

[alcesterpigs]

It could be an ongoing allergy problem. However, I would check for anything stuck in her nasal passages, for example, hay.
Is she bleeding from just one nostril or both of them?

 

[Laura-CCC4]

Was it a few drops of blood or more than that? A hay poke in the nose/hay stuck in the nose can lead to sneezing and a little bleeding.

I have a few pigs with long-term allergy problems. The type of hay I give them seems to make a big difference in their symptoms. I normally give Orchard Grass, but had to buy Timothy recently as the Orchard Grass was not available. Since I switched to the Timothy, three of my four allergy pigs have had a huge reduction in their symptoms (watery eyes and slightly crusty nose).

Dust-extracted hay can still be quite dusty, so do give each handful a good shake in a cardboard box before you put it in the cage. Do they have hay on the floor of their cage, or only in a hay rack? This can also make a difference.

I do remember when you first posted about Caramel and her symptoms, I've missed seeing you around - I hope you have been well.

 

[Pigglywink's Rachel]

It was only two or three drops of a blood, from one nostril. I can't see anything up there, and she seems to be better today, so it's possible that she did get stuck by a piece of hay, I suppose.

I use orchard grass for the girls, because all of the timothy hay that I've been able to find locally is either an alfalfa/timothy mix (60/40), or the timothy hay itself is very sharp, with an almost straw-like consistency, and I was concerned about them getting poked in the eye or nose by it.

The stuff that I can buy from the pet stores is too expensive, considering how much of it the girls go through, so I buy the orchard grass by the bale from a feed supply store. I keep it outside on my balcony, and shake it off well before putting it in their cage.

They currently get their hay in a bin inside their cage, which they use for their eating, and as a litter box. I will, however, go to the pet store and buy a bag of timothy hay to use for a week, to see if that makes any difference.

In and of herself, Caramel seems to be doing well. She eats her hay, pellets and fresh veg, and drinks from her water bottle (finally... it only took them six months to start using it). When I first got her she weighed 940 g, and is now up to 1396 g, which seems to be her final weight, as she's been hovering around the 1400 mark for the last two months, with fluctuations between 1380 and 1402.

The only question, then, that I have left continues to be around the allergy medication... is it safe for her to get a dose or two every couple of weeks long term?

Thx.
Rachel

 

[Laura-CCC4]

I can't answer medically on the safety of regular long term use of the childrens decongestant, other than to give you my experiences.

One of my allergy pigs is affected quite notably by the hay; she usually develops "grumbly" breathing which does not clear up on it's own (but does not get progressively worse). The only way I have found to stop the grumbly noise is to give 0.2ml of Sudafed Expectorant (not decongestant); this works almost straight away and solves the problem. Usually the problem does not return for another couple of weeks, even though she will have a bit of a crusty nose, and when it does occur again it is solved in the same way. On average I find she only needs a one off dose, at most three times a month.

She is otherwise healthy, although I suspect she is slowly beginning to fade with age. (I think she's around 4 years old.)

I know the use of some medications can affect the kidneys (and I believe liver, too), but my gut feeling is that such a small dose that is not given too often would not be of major concern. If it was given daily for a long time then I would be worried, or more than once weekly for many weeks.

 

[alcesterpigs]

Obviously, it is better not to expose the pig to the allergen, but a low, occasional dose of Sudafed should cause no untoward side-effects.
(In the extremely unlikely event that there were untoward side effects I would rather see the pig on Sudafed and have a good quality of life than have a miserable time continually sneezing.)