[Gpdd] HEALTH - pig allergies

Cazza177 cazza177 at ntlworld.com
Wed Aug 9 13:48:53 EDT 2006


Dear Mike and Lindsay



Peter gurney says this (below) about allergies:-

ALLERGIES

There are a few guinea pigs that suffer allergies, which affect the
respiratory system and I seethe with anger every time I hear that a vet has
prescribed antibiotics for this problem. The symptoms are totally different
from a bacterial infection and the onset is far more rapid. If your guinea
pig suddenly develops a dry sounding rasp in its chest and nose yet in all
other respects it seem perfectly healthy, has a good appetite, not a
laboured respiration and is behaving in a bright and alert manner then you
can bet it is suffering from an allergy or just a cold.

What it needs is a decongestant, BISOLVON being the veterinary medicine.
However, if your vet will not prescribe this then give it 0.4 Sudafed, the
cough medicine formulated for chesty coughs in humans.   In many cases one
dose is sufficient but it can be given up to three doses.  If the condition
persists there are other drugs that can be given but these are prescription
only medicines.

When these conditions develop try to think if there has been a change of hay
or bedding which could cause the allergy. However, allergies, in many cases,
can be airborne and extremely hard to track down. If this is the cause of
the wheezing then it can clear up as quickly as it came, as the irritant in
the air moves on.

The lips of some guinea pigs are extremely allergic to the acid in fruit,
particularly in apples. It breaks down the membrane and can cause a fungal
or bacterial infection, which causes painful scabs. I use the old-fashioned
Gentian violet. DO NOT LET ANY CHEMIST TELL YOU THAT THIS PRODUCT IS NO
LONGER AVAILABLE. This excellent product can be obtained in most corn
merchants or establishments that sell horse tack.

Paint over the scabs on the first day but be sure to pick them off on the
second and every subsequent day as you repaint the site of the scabs.  In
sixteen years of living with guinea pigs I have never known this treatment
to fail!   

----------
From: Michael Hunter <hunte1mj at yahoo.com>
Date: Tue, 8 Aug 2006 16:05:02 -0700 (PDT)
To: gpdd at gpdd.org
Subject: [Gpdd] HEALTH - pig allergies

Thanks to all who replied both on the digest and
offlist about our Guinness.  His respiratory condition
is unchanged, but again, he doesn't seem too much
worse from the wear. We occasionally put a little
Vicks around his nostrils to try to clear up his
congestion, which works for a limited time. With any
luck, he'll be allergy-free (if that's indeed what it
is) after he gets used to our new environment.

Mike, Lyndsay, and the pigs:
Molly, Emily, Stella, Hannah, Guinness, Pippy, and Sophie

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