Guinea pig allergies

[Guineasoftx]

Hello all! What can I do with a pig with allergies ?
originally it presented as congestion breathing noises, so off to the vet we went. upon arriving and examined, he was diagnosed with chronic sinusitis , either due to allergies or irritated nasal passages.

we were given cerenia nose drops for irritation, and atarax for an antihistamine. Instructed to wash hay before giving it to them and return if it doesn’t get better. He currently is breathing perfectly fine, no noises or anything after medicine.

my question is , is there anything else I can do for him? I feed orchard grass hay as of 4 days ago. Pellets and veggies Daily. They’re on fleece , so the only irritant I can think of is the change of hay. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[Featheryfriend]

One of my pigs also has allergies. Switching to only fleece mostly solved it for her luckily.

Another thing you could do is run an air purifier near the enclosure. I really like the Coway air purifier I have and can definitely reccomend it. It has a sort of "smart" setting where it kicks on when it senses air impurities and is quiet the rest of the time. It helps Penny's allergies as well as mine.

 

[artcasper]

Awww poor piggie! How can you wash all the hay though - that's a huge job!

 

[Guineasoftx]

Awww poor piggie! How can you wash all the hay though - that's a huge job!

Like before I put it into their cage ! Washing the entire bale before use can cause mold and we for sure don’t want that!

 

[Guineasoftx]

One of my pigs also has allergies. Switching to only fleece mostly solved it for her luckily.

Another thing you could do is run an air purifier near the enclosure. I really like the Coway air purifier I have and can definitely reccomend it. It has a sort of "smart" setting where it kicks on when it senses air impurities and is quiet the rest of the time. It helps Penny's allergies as well as mine.

They’re on all fleece , I was thinking of an air purifier personally, but the one I have is too small and hard to find the filters. I’ll have to look into that one ! Thanks.

 

[artcasper]

Like before I put it into their cage ! Washing the entire bale before use can cause mold and we for sure don’t want that!

That just sounds like a massive job.. you would have to wash hay daily.. could you try a different hay? Sorry I am not terribly knowledgeable about pigs with allergies.. I am just allergic to the hay lol!

 

[Guineasoftx]

That just sounds like a massive job.. you would have to wash hay daily.. could you try a different hay? Sorry I am not terribly knowledgeable about pigs with allergies.. I am just allergic to the hay lol!

Me and my partner are allergic to Timothy, though we tried to suffer through it. So we had to make the switch because we were suffering. So if washing the hay helps everyone , it’s worth it.

 

[rp1993]

Are you washing your bedding in plain non bio laundry detergent? And you have no air fresheners or anything near the cage?
one of our boys is sensitive and those things have triggered it in the past!
hope you can get it under control soon.

 

[Guineasoftx]

Are you washing your bedding in plain non bio laundry detergent? And you have no air fresheners or anything near the cage?
one of our boys is sensitive and those things have triggered it in the past!
hope you can get it under control soon.

We use free and clear, no scents or dyes , no air fresheners and I’ve even stopped wearing perfume once I got the piggies and found out they can be sensitive to it.

 

[Featheryfriend]

They’re on all fleece , I was thinking of an air purifier personally, but the one I have is too small and hard to find the filters. I’ll have to look into that one ! Thanks.

Sweet! You should be able to find the Coway and its filters on Amazon, I see you are also in the US.

Other things that I'm thinking of now... stuff that helps humans with allergies and sinusitis. Taking off your clothes when you come in from outside and changing into fresh "inside" clothes. Not wearing shoes around the house. Vacuuming frequently. Wet dusting instead of dry dusting. If you have other pets that go outside, like cats or dogs, a quick damp wipe can keep them from bringing in irritants. You probably already know these tips if you have allergies yourself though.

I had chronic sinusitis for like 15 years and it was the pits. In my case it may have been fungus-related because it finally went away for good after a big round of anti-fungal meds. Antibiotics and antihistamines never did much for me. So if nothing standard seems to solve your guinea pig's sinus woes, I think it's worth asking the vet about possible fungal origins. That's what I always tell human friends anyway, don't see why guinea pigs would be any different in that regard.