Wet nose and sneezing

[Izzie913]

A couple of months ago I posted a thread about both my piggies making coughing noises:
Guinea pig Coughing Noise thread

My younger piggy (Pickles) has stopped however now and then Winter (my other piggy) does and it is often not after food. I have also noticed that Winter is sneezing a lot making his nose wet and snotty and sometimes a bit crusty. It also makes his fur very matted as he wipes all the snot on his belly and under his chin. I was wondering whether this is normal or should I see a vet or is there anything else I should do?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Bradshaw Piggies]

Hello,

This does need to be seen and assessed by a vet. It could be allergies or irritants, but you need to rule out anything more serious. Anything respiratory can worsen quite quickly so best to be on the safe side.

Hope you can get a vet appointment all goes well

 

[Freela]

It isn't normal and should be seen by a vet as soon as you possibly can. It can be symptomatic of a respiratory infection and they can progress pretty quickly so you want to deal with it as soon as possible. Let the vet know that your other pig has been exposed as well, they may choose to treat both (if the other pig is coughing, I would try to have them both assessed.) Best of luck to you and your pigs!

 

[Wiebke]

A couple of months ago I posted a thread about both my piggies making coughing noises:
Guinea pig Coughing Noise thread

My younger piggy (Pickles) has stopped however now and then Winter (my other piggy) does and it is often not after food. I have also noticed that Winter is sneezing a lot making his nose wet and snotty and sometimes a bit crusty. It also makes his fur very matted as he wipes all the snot on his belly and under his chin. I was wondering whether this is normal or should I see a vet or is there anything else I should do?

Thanks in advance!

Plenty of wet sneezing should be seen by a vet. Piggies may sneeze every day a couple of times when piggy washing as a means to clear their nose or when they have a one-off sneezing fit if something has got up their nose but much more than that is not normal.

It could be that something is stuck in the nose or there is an irritant in the air (hay, pollen, dust, perfume from air freshener or skin products, scent sticks etc.) It is much less commonly a symptom of URI.
Irritants to Avoid Around Guinea Pigs

 

[Izzie913]

Plenty of wet sneezing should be seen by a vet. Piggies may sneeze every day when piggy washing as a means to clear their nose or have one-off sneezing fit if something has got up their nose.

It could be that something is stuck in the nose or there is an irritant in the air (hay, pollen, dust, perfume from an air freshener or skin products, scent sticks etc.) It is much less commonly a symptom of URI.
Irritants to Avoid Around Guinea Pigs

Thank you for that link I've had a look at it. I have a scented candle in my bedroom but I have never lit it, could that be the cause?

 

[Guinea pig love123]

The vet must be seen for your piggy

 

[Izzie913]

Thank you all! I've booked a vets appointment for Tuesday. I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you for that link I've had a look at it. I have a scented candle in my bedroom but I have never lit it, could that be the cause?

Move it out and air the room well afterwards. Keep in mind that if it is a sensitivity, symptoms may take time to gradually disappear. However, if you have had it for a good while before symptoms blew up, it is very unlikely to be the cause.

 

[Izzie913]

Forgot to say how the vet went:

Winter has a nose infection and is on antibiotics for 5 more days
The vet says the cause of the infection was their bedding so their cage has had an upgrade from wood shavings to vet beds (basically like fleece liners but fluffier) and paper fibre bedding