Sneezing Sneezing with mucus and heavy breathing?

[BCPiggies]

Hello,

Around 6 months ago, I dropped my piggies Basil. He landed face first, on one side of his nose, and hurt his lip. His lip healed and he was okay. Since then, he has been gradually sneezing more, and more, and more. Sometimes when he sneezed, mucus would come out, but it was always only the one nostril that he landed on that produced mucus. Now, he is sneezing around every ten seconds, and mucus is coming out. The mucus is always either a pale yellow thick substance, or a clear liquid. He also now has heavier breathing, not wheezing, but his breathing is much more audible than my other piggie Chip's. Other than this, he has been growing more and more impatient with me, and if I try to hold him, he will struggle out, and then happily run all over the place, running over me too, which he never used to do. Besides these symptoms, he is perfectly fine, if not a bit underweight. However, I got Basil and his brother Chip when they were very underweight, around 600 grams, and have been slowly but steadily increasing their weight ever since. Basil is now 895 grams, and Chip is 960 grams. He eats perfectly fine, his eyes are perfectly fine, he is happy, and he popcorns and wheeks. They both used to have mites, and I don't know how this would be related to Basil's problem, but I'm including it anyways just in case. I successfully treated them with ivermectin and they have had no signs of a single mite since. He seems completely content, and still acts just the same, being excited for veggies and running in circles, drinking water, and having no problems with defecating or urinating. His nose is not crusty. I have looked in depth about URIs, but I do not believe this is the case, because it is only one nostril and is very much linked to me accidentally dropping him, which I have criticized myself for doing over and over again. The only other symptom of a URI that he has is that when I hold him, but only when I am holding him or he is fighting with Chip, he has a puffed up coat. His eyes are wide open and bright. He does not have a hunched posture. I do not even know if there have been enough cases like this for someone to have a solution to this. My parents are very against going to the vet, for they think money should not be wasted on rodents, and know nothing about Guinea pigs for I alone take care of them, and are convinced he "just has a cold" even though Guinea pigs cannot contract such illnesses. I weigh him weekly, and use fleece bedding, so there is no chance he is losing weight, and no chance he is allergic to the bedding. If you are still reading this incredibly long message, I greatly appreciate it, and I am hoping for your advice.

Thanks in advance,
BCPiggies

 

[jaycriae]

Hm, I haven't heard of an issue like this before in a guinea pig, but one of my human friends has a similar problem, where she had trauma to her nose and now has a tendency towards sniffles and sneezes because the cartilage in her nose shifted.

I suppose it's possible that's what happened here, but you really want an experienced exotics vet to double-check, and to make sure he isn't in any ongoing pain. Try offering to do extra chores, pay for the vet appointment, get it as a bday present, etc- if you can't convince your parents, though, know it isn't your fault.

Definitely keep watching out for any signs of URI- the fact that it's only happening in the one nostril that was injured makes me inclined to think you're right about the cause, but that's a very rare thing, so it's worth being very sure that he's not actually sick, and the nostril is a coincidence.

I recommend you start weighing him weekly, before breakfast, and keeping track of his weight to make sure he isn't losing any.

As far as his changed behavior towards you after the fall- that's normal, and you just have to slowly and carefully earn back his trust. Start with feeding him veggies by hand while he's in his cage and minimize holding him for now, if he gets too scared and upset being held.

Good luck!


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[bpatters]

The pale yellow thick substance indicates infection. Get him to a good exotic vet, and have him checked out.

 

[BCPiggies]

My parents still absolutely refuse going to the vet. I did some research, and I'm pretty sure that bpatters is correct, and that Basil has a bacterial infection in his nose. However, I have not yet seen a TREATMENT for this. Seeing as I cannot go to the vet, I was wondering, what should I do? Is there any way I can treat him at my house? I have successfully treated them with ivermectin before, but that was with several websites providing extensive knowledge of EXACTLY what I should do, with what, how much, and where. Is there a safe way I could treat him at my house, that also wouldn't have a bad effect if it turns out he does not have a bacterial infection, but something else?

 

[bpatters]

You can't get antibiotics without a prescription from a vet, so there's really nothing you can do.

I do have a very hard time understanding parents who will let a child have a pet but are not willing to provide vet care. That pet depends on you for its very life, and good care includes medical care as well as food, water and bedding.

As harsh as it may sound to you, maybe the best thing to do is to surrender the pig to a rescue that will care for him, and either not get another pet until you can pay for vet care yourself, or get one that your parents will agree to treat.

 

[jaycriae]

If you have the money, and just can't convince your parents to take you, you could ask a friend who can drive or take an Uber/Lyft/taxi.

 

[CavyMama]

I have successfully treated them with ivermectin before, but that was with several websites providing extensive knowledge of EXACTLY what I should do, with what, how much, and where. Is there a safe way I could treat him at my house, that also wouldn't have a bad effect if it turns out he does not have a bacterial infection, but something else?

Ivermectin is available over the counter but it's for treating parasites so it wouldn't help you in this case. Where did you get your pig? And how long have you had him?

 

[BCPiggies]

After persistent prodding, I am happy to say my parents are willing to take me this time, and that I now have saved enough money for another visit if need be! Thanks everyone! But bcpatters, I would have gotten my pigs from a shelter if I had one I could go to, so I'm definitely not going to be giving my pigs away to one-I understand your good intentions though. And CavyMama, don't worry, I'm not treating them with ivermectin for this problem, I meant when they had mites I treated them with it. <3 Toodaloo everyone!