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can AC cause breathing problems / URIs?

piggiemummy03x

piggiemummy03x

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just wanting to know if AC units can cause any sort of problems for pigs? the unit isn’t facing them but is obviously a little close to the cage only being a small room and not being able to reach the window otherwise etc. just worried as the unit seems so big i don’t want to cause my girls any sort of problems and now i’m worried😪
what should i look out for and how likely is it to cause a problem?
 
Hannah_xx said:
I have an AirCon in the piggie room that is turned on during the summer months. We have been using it for almost 2 years without any problems to the sqweaks :nod:
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thanks for the reassurance! heard one of mine sneeze this morning and it got me panicking!
 
piggiemummy03x said:
thanks for the reassurance! heard one of mine sneeze this morning and it got me panicking!
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As long as you haven’t got it on super cold setting they should be fine.
I tend to just use mine early afternoon on hot days (I’m is Australia) 12-4pm ish. I try not to have it on first thing and all day, as I too worry it may be a bit much.
:nod:
 
I should have thought it would help prevent problems, if anything, as it reduces humidity, and humidity is what causes problems for pigs.
 
Hannah_xx said:
As long as you haven’t got it on super cold setting they should be fine.
I tend to just use mine early afternoon on hot days (I’m is Australia) 12-4pm ish. I try not to have it on first thing and all day, as I too worry it may be a bit much.
:nod:
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well heres the thing lol.. the current AC unit doesn’t properly work, so its set to 16 degrees, but the room is sitting between 22/23 degrees.. do you think thats okay or is the air coming out too cold? we’ve had it on all day last few days as our place is hitting 30 degrees INSIDE.. i hope it won’t be too much🥵
 
If you set an air conditioner too cold, it will freeze up literally and produce ice. That means it is set too low. I keep my air conditioner in my house at 73 F/22.7 C during the day and 71 F/21.7 at night. My piggies do well with those temperatures. It sounds like you have a good temperature for the room right now.
 
My boys never had issues with my central AC system that goes throughout the entire house.
 
RedLoredAmazon said:
If you set an air conditioner too cold, it will freeze up literally and produce ice. That means it is set too low. I keep my air conditioner in my house at 73 F/22.7 C during the day and 71 F/21.7 at night. My piggies do well with those temperatures. It sounds like you have a good temperature for the room right now.
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thankyou!
 
Cold is not usually the problem for guinea pigs, they struggle more with heat and with damp. If the air temperature in their room was dropping below maybe 18C/65F, then I might start considering turning off the AC, but I'm guessing that, since you're using AC to begin with, temperatures that low seem like an impossible dream right now!

Make sure the cold draught is not playing directly on the cage and they'll be absolutely fine.
 
Cheekypigs said:
Cold is not usually the problem for guinea pigs, they struggle more with heat and with damp. If the air temperature in their room was dropping below maybe 18C/65F, then I might start considering turning off the AC, but I'm guessing that, since you're using AC to begin with, temperatures that low seem like an impossible dream right now!

Make sure the cold draught is not playing directly on the cage and they'll be absolutely fine.
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thanks so much!
 
hey guys can someone just reassure me please.. what are the typical symptoms of URI?

iv noticed della yesterday and today while eating her veggie’s she’s sounding a little congested… could this be a sign of a uri or am i just being paranoid😅 will of course mention to the vet when we get in to see her!

neither of the girls have runny eyes / nose, i have heard a few sneezes and expels of air through the noses but can’t saw for sure its definitely more than usual because at the moment i’m looking out for them lol!

no loss of appetite or drinking.. just need a bit of reassurance!
 
piggiemummy03x said:
hey guys can someone just reassure me please.. what are the typical symptoms of URI?

iv noticed della yesterday and today while eating her veggie’s she’s sounding a little congested… could this be a sign of a uri or am i just being paranoid😅 will of course mention to the vet when we get in to see her!

neither of the girls have runny eyes / nose, i have heard a few sneezes and expels of air through the noses but can’t saw for sure its definitely more than usual because at the moment i’m looking out for them lol!

no loss of appetite or drinking.. just need a bit of reassurance!
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Usually cracking or rasping from the chest, reluctance to eat due to the difficulty in breathing, weight loss.

Any noise from the nose is usually something along the lines of dust obstruction
 
Piggies&buns said:
Usually cracking or rasping from the chest, reluctance to eat due to the difficulty in breathing, weight loss.

Any noise from the nose is usually something along the lines of dust obstruction
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i don’t know about cracking and not too sure what rasping sounds like haha! but she just sounds a little congested like she has been before. no reluctancy to eat and no weight loss. hopefully i’m just paranoid😩
 
well della is still sounding congested this morning so i’m worried.. i really hope our vet is feeling better today and back at work, if she isn’t i may have to take her down anyway as i’m so worried about uri😩
 
how likely is is that shes got a uri based on the fact shes been on baytril (last dose yesterday AM) how do they diagnose a uri? I'm worried about giving her more ABs if she doesn’t actually need them.. will the vet definitely be able to know if somethings wrong?
 
also vet isn’t in again today so i’ve cancelled dellas scan as too worried about anyone else doing it😭😭😭
 
so my girl della has been on and off antibiotics for a lot of her life now and i’m really starting to worry about her developing a resistance.. is this possible in pigs? shes only just finished her last week of baytril for suspected UTI and now I'm worried about a URI and i just don’t know what to do. has anyone here had pigs on long term antibiotics / been on multiple courses in short periods of time?
 
piggiemummy03x said:
so my girl della has been on and off antibiotics for a lot of her life now and i’m really starting to worry about her developing a resistance.. is this possible in pigs? shes only just finished her last week of baytril for suspected UTI and now I'm worried about a URI and i just don’t know what to do. has anyone here had pigs on long term antibiotics / been on multiple courses in short periods of time?
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Hi

Yes, like every being else, guinea pigs can develop resistancy to a certain antibiotic from overuse but swtiching to an antibiotic can usually deal with that problem.

What you seem to be looking at - as you are looking at a different type of bacteria/different illness - is more likely a weakened immune system than rather than a resistancy.

How old is your piggy?
 
piggiemummy03x said:
also vet isn’t in again today so i’ve cancelled dellas scan as too worried about anyone else doing it😭😭😭
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Why are you worried about another vet doing it? Are the other vets not cavy savvy?

piggiemummy03x said:
how likely is is that shes got a uri based on the fact shes been on baytril (last dose yesterday AM) how do they diagnose a uri? I'm worried about giving her more ABs if she doesn’t actually need them.. will the vet definitely be able to know if somethings wrong?
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A URI is diagnosed through listening to the chest.
If there is something to hear to suggest a URI then a vet will be able to know.
 
Wiebke said:
Hi

Yes, like every being else, guinea pigs can develop resistancy to a certain antibiotic from overuse but swtiching to an antibiotic can usually deal with that problem.

What you seem to be looking at - as you are looking at a different type of bacteria/different illness - is more likely a weakened immune system than rather than a resistancy.

How old is your piggy?
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i thought so😩 so does that mean if a piggie became resistant to one, it wouldn’t be all ABs they are now resistant too? only that one? sorry if this is a really stupid question. i’m just concerned as my della has been on antibiotics what feels like her whole life! shes had lots of bladder problems and seems prone to infections so we are never really off ABs for long before she’s prescribed again.. i’m just really concerned one day they may stop working and we won’t have another option…


i don’t believe she has a resistance yet as her course of baytril (finished yesterday) definitely made a difference (smelly wee), I'm just worried for the future and at times like today when I'm going down with a concern as i know sometimes vets will just prescribe a course if a URI is possible to be on the safe side.. but i’m worried about her having them incase its not actually needed but then i’m also worried if she does actually need them going without… i honestly don’t know what to do😭

della is 1 year and 4 months old, so still very young
 
Piggies&buns said:
Why are you worried about another vet doing it? Are the other vets not cavy savvy?



A URI is diagnosed through listening to the chest.
If there is something to hear to suggest a URI then a vet will be able to know.
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no they are not, they are able too see piggies its just my usual vet has way more experience, i figured if there was something on the scan we would have to wait for her anyway to do anything so am hoping pushing the scan back wont be / cause a problem.. if shes off long term though i may have to reconsider.

okay thats brilliant..
 
its a really tricky one because she has no other symptoms apart from sounding congested / a bit bunged up, especially eating veggies, my logic is, if there is something wrong its better to be caught in the early stages then letting it get worse, but then i also have the worry of the vet possibly just giving her a course to be on the safe side (i have seen this happen in lots of cases for suspected URI) and then her not actually needing it and the worry of AB intolerance.. its so hard
 
piggiemummy03x said:
its a really tricky one because she has no other symptoms apart from sounding congested / a bit bunged up, especially eating veggies, my logic is, if there is something wrong its better to be caught in the early stages then letting it get worse, but then i also have the worry of the vet possibly just giving her a course to be on the safe side (i have seen this happen in lots of cases for suspected URI) and then her not actually needing it and the worry of AB intolerance.. its so hard
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Have you tried putting your ear to her body? This may give you a rough idea of where the congested sound is coming from. If it is from the chest then it is certainly the right thing to be getting her seen. From the nose is generally not a sign of a URI but still always advisable to get a vet check done
 
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