Sneezing Sneezing and running nose?

[dmbernard]

Hello. I recently adopted two 2-year-old boars from a shelter. One of them (Charles) started sneezing a bit a few days ago, and at first I thought nothing of it because my room tends to get very dusty and hairy (thanks to three dogs). However, I recently moved into my college dorm with the piggies and noticed today that Charles was sneezing a lot more and had a runny nose. I cleaned his nose and it didn't keep running but that got me worried. I scheduled a vet appointment for tomorrow at 4; I'm just nervous about if he'll make it till then (I may have read a few too many scary things about URIs). Other than sneezing, he seems fine - no weight loss, loss of appetite or lethargy. Also, his mucus was very clear.

Is there anything I can do to help him until his vet appointment?

(Also, I should probably note that when I transported him to my college, I used dog piddle pads which have baking soda. He's a nibbler so he probably chewed on them a bit.)

 

[bpatters]

Just keep an eye on him and make sure he's still eating and drinking normally. That's really all you can do. But taking him to the vet is a good idea since he has those symptoms -- a URI can possibly get serious very quickly.

 

[dmbernard]

Thanks - I'm just freaking out. I wish I could take him to the vet sooner.

 

[dmbernard]

Just a quick update - I brought Charles to the vet and the vet does seem to think he has a respiratory infection. He's now on a dose of antibiotics.

 

[dmbernard]

So Charles has been on antibiotics for three days now but he's still sneezing. I'm starting to get worried again.

 

[bpatters]

What kind of bedding is he on?

 

[dmbernard]

I'm using the Carefresh paper bedding. It's not causing the other guinea pig to sneeze, though.

 

[bpatters]

The paper bedding shouldn't be a problem unless it's really dusty.

The fact that the other pig isn't sneezing doesn't really tell us anything. Your first pig might be allergic, the second one not.