Could it be the hay?

[Fred&HarryPigs]

Hi

I’m wondering if anyone has experienced something similar. I’ve got two boys who are 10 months old we are currently going through treatment for skin issues (as discussed in a previous thread), but I also want to talk about an issue which Harry has been having with his breathing. Two weeks ago I purchased my first load of Timothy hay from a Haybox.com. The boys seem to both really enjoy the hay and I must say it does look and smell lovely - I’m really happy with it.

The day after I started using the new hay I noticed that Harry sounded a little bit congested when eating his vitamin C tablet, the noise went away after a couple of hours so I just put it down something being stuck his nose. Since then on three separate occasions, I’ve heard him making the same noise which is only noticeable when he’s eating or scratching. He has always suffered from a slightly runny nose on and off and will often have leftover white cleaning fluid around his eyes. I’ve had both of these issues checked by the vet on more than one occasion and the vet was not concerned about at URI. Eye gel drops were provided but they didn’t do anything.

The vet suggested on the last visit in December that he might be more sensitive as he still eats, drinks, toilets as normal and has so much energy. I accepted this and we all carried on as normal.

Fast forward to 2 weeks ago when he started making the noise, I kept an eye on him and decided that it was worth booking another vet visit to get his skin and breathing looked at. The vet listened to his breathing and said that it sounded absolutely fine. She also listened to the videos of him making the noise and said it sounds fine. Harry does have a heart murmur but the vet said it was very hard to hear and it is very slight murmur (we knew this following the first visit in November).

Since the visit last week I’ve heard Harry making the noise again which sounds like a popping/crackly/ squeaky noise.

My question is, could this be down to the new hay? I’ve ordered their old hay which is arriving today and I will trial to see if this resolves the issue. I don’t feel as though I can keep taking him to the vets and they are adamant that there is nothing wrong and I trust them but everything I read online is very conflicting.

I appreciate no one can make any comments without hearing the noise. I will try and create a YouTube account and post a link to the video.

Thank you!

 

[Fred&HarryPigs]

Hi

I’m wondering if anyone has experienced something similar. I’ve got two boys who are 10 months old we are currently going through treatment for skin issues (as discussed in a previous thread), but I also want to talk about an issue which Harry has been having with his breathing. Two weeks ago I purchased my first load of Timothy hay from a Haybox.com. The boys seem to both really enjoy the hay and I must say it does look and smell lovely - I’m really happy with it.

The day after I started using the new hay I noticed that Harry sounded a little bit congested when eating his vitamin C tablet, the noise went away after a couple of hours so I just put it down something being stuck his nose. Since then on three separate occasions, I’ve heard him making the same noise which is only noticeable when he’s eating or scratching. He has always suffered from a slightly runny nose on and off and will often have leftover white cleaning fluid around his eyes. I’ve had both of these issues checked by the vet on more than one occasion and the vet was not concerned about at URI. Eye gel drops were provided but they didn’t do anything.

The vet suggested on the last visit in December that he might be more sensitive as he still eats, drinks, toilets as normal and has so much energy. I accepted this and we all carried on as normal.

Fast forward to 2 weeks ago when he started making the noise, I kept an eye on him and decided that it was worth booking another vet visit to get his skin and breathing looked at. The vet listened to his breathing and said that it sounded absolutely fine. She also listened to the videos of him making the noise and said it sounds fine. Harry does have a heart murmur but the vet said it was very hard to hear and it is very slight murmur (we knew this following the first visit in November).

Since the visit last week I’ve heard Harry making the noise again which sounds like a popping/crackly/ squeaky noise.

My question is, could this be down to the new hay? I’ve ordered their old hay which is arriving today and I will trial to see if this resolves the issue. I don’t feel as though I can keep taking him to the vets and they are adamant that there is nothing wrong and I trust them but everything I read online is very conflicting.

I appreciate no one can make any comments without hearing the noise. I will try and create a YouTube account and post a link to the video.

Thank you!

I’ve managed to upload to YouTube. I hope it works.

 

[Fred&HarryPigs]

I’ve managed to upload to YouTube. I hope it works.

 

[Siikibam]

Your video unfortunately doesn’t work. The forum can’t host videos so you need to upload to a third party (such as YouTube). Then you can post the link here.

Are there any irritants in the room they stay in? Otherwise I’m afraid I have no experience with wheezy piggies. Hopefully someone will be along to answer you more comprehensively.

 

[Fred&HarryPigs]

Your video unfortunately doesn’t work. The forum can’t host videos so you need to upload to a third party (such as YouTube). Then you can post the link here.

Are there any irritants in the room they stay in? Otherwise I’m afraid I have no experience with wheezy piggies. Hopefully someone will be along to answer you more comprehensively.

Ah that’s a pain, I uploaded into YouTube and wasn’t really sure what I was doing! Here’s a link to the channel incase anyone can see it https://youtube.com/channel/UCDBzVLYrOqRbR2JD50TOuCw

There’s no other irritants in the room, they are on fleece which I change and wash twice a week with sensitive non bio detergent

 

[WobblyPiggy]

Hi, sometimes guinea pigs do make a hoot noise...it could be that something is irritating him...if you use sawdust try changing to bath mats...fleeces...stuff like that as this was a major factor for my piggies both for skin issues and their breathing...also with the hay I shake mine out before its given to them...just grab handfuls and stick them in a separate bag and shake let it settle a few minutes and then give it a quick shake while you pick it out...the majority of the dust and small parts that are notorious for hay pokes should fall to the bottom of the bag...Next make sure their immediate area is clean as dust sometimes plays a part too...as for the extra eye gunk we have that too we just use eye drops and clean around the eye with a cotton pad and some warm water to make sure it doesn't clump in the fur around the eyes...sometimes its just that they don't get all of it...if they're particularly young they're still figuring out how to clean fully and will pick it up on their own...the eye drops will help make sure there isn't dust in the eye...one of my older piggies makes alot of hooting when she cleans herself and goes through phases of extra eye gunk it normally passes after a week...

 

[Piggies&buns]

Any noise which comes from the nose is most likely due to irritation. They have narrow airways and don’t breathe through their mouths so anything in the nose will produce a sound when they breathe. This mostly clears itself after a few hours.
Its crackling, wheezing from the chest which is of concern for a URI. If the vet has definitely ruled that out then it might be environmental. That doesn’t mean to say you shouldn’t go to the vet again though if you are concerned.
Dry air can sometimes cause noisy breathing (provided it’s not a chest crackling sound) - a bowl of steamy water next to the cage can sometimes help clear symptoms.
Otherwise, hay may be the issue but Haybox hay is well dust extracted.