URI please help.

[lilpiggi]

i recently had one guinea pig pass away from a upper respiratory infection and two days after I toke my remaining two guinea pigs to the vet, she checked their breathing and said that they were healthy but I'm extremely worried as I know guinea pigs hide symptoms of illness, if anyone can give me any tips on how to prevent a uri or detect it I would really appreciate it. i have also been spot cleaning their fleece liners daily and trying to listen to how their breathing sounds and looking at their eyes but I really don't know what I should be looking for.

 

[Piggies&buns]

I’m sorry for your loss.

First, don’t overly worry yourself. I know it’s hard when you have lost one and you are worried for the others, but it’s so important to enjoy them and not overly look for problems. All you can do is monitor them and carry out daily checks and health checks as you would normally - ensure they are eating well, weigh them regularly (weekly for a healthy piggy, daily where a piggy is worrying you/showing signs of illness), check eyes and nose are clear - no discharge, no clicky/hooting/wheezing/consistent and excessive coughing. Keep their cage clean and ensure a good hay based diet with a variety of veg.

 

[lilpiggi]

thank

I’m sorry for your loss.

First, don’t overly worry yourself. I know it’s hard when you have lost one and you are worried for the others, but it’s so important to enjoy them and not overly look for problems. All you can do is monitor them and carry out daily checks and health checks as you would normally - ensure they are eating well, weigh them regularly (weekly for a healthy piggy, daily where a piggy is worrying you/showing signs of illness), check eyes and nose are clear - no discharge, no clicky/hooting/wheezing/consistent and excessive coughing. Keep their cage clean and ensure a good hay based diet with a variety of veg.

thank you!, I have heard a sharp cough from them every so often and slight puffing along with sneezing, should this be something I need to be concerned about?

 

[Piggies&buns]

Coughing and sneezing is not necessarily a problem if it is only a few times and isn’t consistent. Piggies have narrow airways so if they eat too fast it can cause them to cough or a bit of dust gets in there it causes irritation until they sneeze it out. However, at the beginning of an illness symptoms are often inconsistent while the bug takes holds - so it’s not possible for us to say whether you should be concerned or not at this stage given we can’t see what you are seeing and can’t gauge its consistency or whether piggy was eating when it was happening etc - all you can really do is go with your own instinct and seek a vets advice if you are concerned. As vigilant owners, we can often pick up on things early - we can often see when our piggies are just a bit off but there aren’t any specific symptoms quite yet appearing