Sonnet Seems To Have A Cold :(

[Gethenian]

...and I suspect she gave it to me!

I had her out for cuddle time on Tuesday and noticed her coughing. I thought it was because I was scritching the scruff of her neck too hard, but she's kept it up. Yesterday I woke up with a scratchy throat and today I can't speak at all.

I have put a blanket over the side of the cage that faces the air to block drafts, and am planning to up the pibs' vitamin C intake and give Sonnet a bath later, just to make her more comfortable. But should I separate her from her friend Kindle or try to get her to a vet right away?

Thanks!

 

[Elwickcavies]

It is very unlikely that she passed on a cold to you, as pigs tend to have bacterial infections rather than viruses. Is there any sign of a snotty nose or difficulty breating, or is it just the cough? Is she still coughing?

 

[Mrs Sport_Billy]

Hello

I wouldn't give your piggy a bath at the moment. If they have a chest infection (URI) then this could make them worse as it causes stress.

 

[Gethenian]

I haven't noticed a wet nose or difficulty breathing, but yes, she is still coughing every few hours.

I'll hold off on the bath, as she doesn't like to be picked up much yet and I don't want to stress her out. :/

 

[gizzy]

So sorry to hear your pig may have a problem , i think it would be safest to remove her cage mate untill you
Know for shure. Also blanket over the cage ? Do you meen tolaly ? If so you might be rstrict the air flow,

May not be good to have sill air ! Still air may promote bactera groth

 

[Gethenian]

No, Gizzy, not the whole cage! (Pardon the mess, the place is getting a full cleaning as soon as I'm feeling better.)

So, that far side of the cage is where Sonnet (the grey one) just LOVES to sleep. Despite having two lovely huts in there, she tucks herself under the angled edge of the hay tray and that is where I find her every morning. That end of the cage is right under the air conditioner/heater unit, which isn't blowing hard directly onto them, but there is a tiny bit of a draft so I thought I'd cover it up just in case that was upsetting her lungs. That purple cloth is an old teeshirt I threw in there to give her something to snuggle under. Kindle is trampling it just now because the two of them were playing when I photographed them.

The good news is since I'm feeling poorly, I get to take a day off and spend all my time up here with them. I've only heard Sonnet give one tiny little cough all day, so it does sound like she's getting better. I also took her out and got her to not just hang out with me for longer than a few minutes, she cuddled down in the crook of my arm for a nap under the covers. So she's not avoiding me as she was when she was coughing a lot, either. Kindle still seems fine.

I'll keep a close eye on them both, but I don't think I'll separate them unless I hear Sonnet coughing more.

 

[MerryPip]

Coughing doesn't necessarily mean a respiratory infection, it can be a piece of food caught in the mouth or dental problems as well. But if she's settled and has no obvious problem just now then I'd just keep on eye on her carefully for the next few days.... Make sure she's out of draughts but with fresh air.

Like Sport_billy says, it's best to avoid baths for piggies who are ill for any reason as it's not soothing like it would be for us, usually it just gets them more upset...

 

[Gethenian]

Thank you, MerryPip!

My Kindle does love her baths, though. I only give them when she's gotten herself properly in need of one, once every few months or so, but she goes completely limp in my hand and purrs. ^_^ You're probably right about Sonnet, though. She's more skittish than Kindle is and I've never bathed her before, it would be foolish to introduce such a new experience if she's not well. I was just thinking with human logic that the steam might make her feel better.