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Snotty Nose/sneezing But Clear Chest, Cause For Concern?

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CraigGlasgow

CraigGlasgow

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So Weasley's still suffering slightly from his bloat although it is getting better, managing a few days of semi-decent poos enough to start experimenting with veg. He has however throught this whole process had small amounts of eye crust, bouts of sneezing and sort of pulsing/hiccupy motions, and a very arched/protruding backbone, but hasn't had any snot etc. I've mentioned this to the vet and they've been checking his chest at his weekly checkup and have concluded he is probably just a sneezy pig or it's part of the stress and/or the pressure and air building in his system. He hasn't had a checkup this week however as the vet wanted to leave him a fortnight to see how the bloat managed so was last checked last Wednesday (15/2).

Last night and this evening I have however noticed a small amount of whiteish liquid snot-like droplets under his nose after one of his sneezing bouts, and is also occasionally making small chirpy like noises which I haven't really heard him make before. I did fall asleep with the window cracked open on Sunday night which was a bit chilly, but he's slept in far colder conditions before on a regular basis when I lived up in the far north, had plenty of hay and his heat pad in the cage so I'm probably just being paranoid but could it be a URI/cold setting in? He is still eating/drinking normally and quite active and the snot doesn't appear consistently, just once or twice. I've tried to have a listen to his chest, his breathing is steady and doesn't seem too fast or laboured other than the initial shock of being placed against my ear. I've been listening just behind his front legs (I'm hoping that's the right place?) There is some bubbly/crackling noises but these sound like they're coming from lower down and the breathy sounds from further up without any overlap so I'm thinking these are just gut noises as I can still hear them much more clearly when I listen lower down.

I'll call the vets in the morning to get him in for an appointment but is this something I should be worried about or which needs a call to the emergency vet? I still have some of his UTI Septrin from a few weeks ago which I could give but I'm loathe to do so after he's finally started to move back towards a normal gut again after so long.

@Wiebke I'm assuming you'd be the best person to ask about this?

Thanks all for any help :)
 
From my very recent experience piggies can get uri's with very minimal symptoms and the earlier it is treated the better the chance of recovery (because it can cause scarring and lasting damage to the lungs). With emergency vets you are going to have to weigh up your options, how knowledgeable is your emergency vet and how poorly is your piggy. If they are otherwise seemingly themselves and your e vet is not clued up then I would go first thing in the morning as experience and knowledge around doing the right tests and prescribing the right antibiotics is going to be key for getting on top of it if it is a uri
 
@Lady Kelly He's had one before but it was very noticeable (Wheezing, streams of snot etc.). He'd also been on the antibiotics over a month with all these symptoms persisting which is also why the vet had discredited the idea when I first mentioned it, they've been checkign his chest more to humour me becuase I keep asking but I'll ask them to check him again. He seems otherwise fine other than the already consistent bloat symptoms and now this wee bit of snot and chirping, he also hasn't sneezed again in the last hour or two either. The emergency vets here can be a bit hit and miss really, I've seen ones who are very cavy savvy and some who have been googling and looking up textbooks or running through to ask the nurses to clarify, the EVet is the animal hospital so they've got a huge range of staff. If it doesn't sound urgent I'll wait and call the regular vets first thing tomorrow? I'll keep a close eye aswell for any changes in breathing or more sneezing/snottyness. Is there anything else you can recommend if you've just gone through this?
 
My experience is very minimal and with dental issues and bone deformity as well my Isobel didn't survive. I know the vet mentioned that her lips were losing colour/going darker from lack of oxygen and I could see her sides physically pulsing. So those are some other things you could perhaps keep a close eye on.

What does your vet think you are dealing with as it sounds like the bloat might be secondary so unless the vet can get to the bottom of the problem it could carry on
 
CraigGlasgow said:
So Weasley's still suffering slightly from his bloat although it is getting better, managing a few days of semi-decent poos enough to start experimenting with veg. He has however throught this whole process had small amounts of eye crust, bouts of sneezing and sort of pulsing/hiccupy motions, and a very arched/protruding backbone, but hasn't had any snot etc. I've mentioned this to the vet and they've been checking his chest at his weekly checkup and have concluded he is probably just a sneezy pig or it's part of the stress and/or the pressure and air building in his system. He hasn't had a checkup this week however as the vet wanted to leave him a fortnight to see how the bloat managed so was last checked last Wednesday (15/2).

Last night and this evening I have however noticed a small amount of whiteish liquid snot-like droplets under his nose after one of his sneezing bouts, and is also occasionally making small chirpy like noises which I haven't really heard him make before. I did fall asleep with the window cracked open on Sunday night which was a bit chilly, but he's slept in far colder conditions before on a regular basis when I lived up in the far north, had plenty of hay and his heat pad in the cage so I'm probably just being paranoid but could it be a URI/cold setting in? He is still eating/drinking normally and quite active and the snot doesn't appear consistently, just once or twice. I've tried to have a listen to his chest, his breathing is steady and doesn't seem too fast or laboured other than the initial shock of being placed against my ear. I've been listening just behind his front legs (I'm hoping that's the right place?) There is some bubbly/crackling noises but these sound like they're coming from lower down and the breathy sounds from further up without any overlap so I'm thinking these are just gut noises as I can still hear them much more clearly when I listen lower down.

I'll call the vets in the morning to get him in for an appointment but is this something I should be worried about or which needs a call to the emergency vet? I still have some of his UTI Septrin from a few weeks ago which I could give but I'm loathe to do so after he's finally started to move back towards a normal gut again after so long.

@Wiebke I'm assuming you'd be the best person to ask about this?

Thanks all for any help :)
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If your piggy is still eating and drinking, then I would chance it until tomorrow; however, I would check on them during the night. Any piggy that is lethargic and off its food/drink is an out-of-hours emergency.

Please place a bowl of steaming water next to the cage and keep it changed to help ease the breathing. Protect the cage against direct drafts from the window with a fleece or beach towel.

It sounds like a somewhat congested nose, but whether that is due to narrowed airways or a URI is for the vet to decide.
 
@Wiebke Thankyou :) I've got draft excluders under the doors and a towel under the window for now, I'll get the water on the go aswell. He's eating plenty (he's put on about 30g in the past week or so and is still eating at least 30g of dry food plus his hay) and is drinking at least 200mls of water or I'd be far more concerned.

I've just given his mouth a quick check after what @Lady Kelly said and noticed his teeth are looking a bit marbled, could this snottyness be part of a vitamin C issue due to the reduced veggies?

@Lady Kelly he's been through the test mill, xrays, ultrasounds, fungal tests, urine tests, he lost his mate just before xmas so they're putting it down to stress.
 
CraigGlasgow said:
@Wiebke Thankyou :) I've got draft excluders under the doors and a towel under the window for now, I'll get the water on the go aswell. He's eating plenty (he's put on about 30g in the past week or so and is still eating at least 30g of dry food plus his hay) and is drinking at least 200mls of water or I'd be far more concerned.

I've just given his mouth a quick check after what @Lady Kelly said and noticed his teeth are looking a bit marbled, could this snottyness be part of a vitamin C issue due to the reduced veggies?

@Lady Kelly he's been through the test mill, xrays, ultrasounds, fungal tests, urine tests, he lost his mate just before xmas so they're putting it down to stress.
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If he's been off vitamin C for longer I would consider giving a vitamin C supplement. He is getting some via his pellets, but you may want to give a bit more. However, I don't think that this is the cause.
 
@Wiebke I had tried him with the Oxbow supplements but he won't touch them. He's been getting peppers through most of it, however they seem to be part of what's causing the bloat as he managed fine on cucumber,corriander and lettuce and only strated swellign again after some Green Pepper. He was getting ProC sprinked on his veg as he won't eat the dry food with it on it and drinks less with it in his water. I'll try syringing some in though and he'll just need to like it or lump it, and try increasing the amount on his veg too.
 
CraigGlasgow said:
@Wiebke I had tried him with the Oxbow supplements but he won't touch them. He's been getting peppers through most of it, however they seem to be part of what's causing the bloat as he managed fine on cucumber,corriander and lettuce and only strated swellign again after some Green Pepper. He was getting ProC sprinked on his veg as he won't eat the dry food with it on it and drinks less with it in his water. I'll try syringing some in though and he'll just need to like it or lump it, and try increasing the amount on his veg too.
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You can always dissolve the vitamin C in a little water and then syringe it. That is what I do with mine when they need extra vitamin C, as most piggies won't take it willingly.
 
Wiebke said:
You can always dissolve the vitamin C in a little water and then syringe it. That is what I do with mine when they need extra vitamin C, as most piggies won't take it willingly.
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I'll give that a try then, thank you :) Would I be better of gooing soupy or pasty in your experience? I dont' want to over water it and end up with a prolonged fight if it's going to be a struggle :P
 
CraigGlasgow said:
I'll give that a try then, thank you :) Would I be better of gooing soupy or pasty in your experience? I dont' want to over water it and end up with a prolonged fight if it's going to be a struggle :P
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I mix it with 1 ml of water, so it goes down in two mouthfuls (a mouthful for an adult piggy is about 0.5 ml).
 
Wiebke said:
PS: if you need tip on piggy wrestling for medicating, this guide her can help you: Administering Medications
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Thanks. I'll save that for next time :) I couldn't get the oxbow supplement to degrade in water, it just sooked it all up and went a bit soft and lumpy with the bits of hay floating about in it, so I'll just stick with the proC for now and see if the vet can recommend/provide anything tomorrow. The steamy water seems to have helped a bit though, snottyness is far less prominent and the chirping seems to have stopped :)
 
So the vet gave him a good look over and spent a few minutes checking and re-checking his breathing. His lungs sound clear and no signs of any damage, the only thing he could notice was a small clicking sound randomly every few breaths when listening to his upper chest/sinuses so he thinks it's a very mild URI if anything, and more likely a build up of mucus in one of the airways causing irritation and snotty discharge as it is running clear/white and very liquidy. He doesn't want to start him on antibiotics yet because we've only just started getting his guts back on track after the last lot for his UTI, but gave me them on hand to start if the symptoms get any worse, but for now just try to get him back on the vitamin C any way possible for the extra boost and hope his immune system sorts it all out.
 
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