guinea pig respiratory problem

Question
My two guinea pigs are sneezing quite frequently and have crusty stuff in the corner of their eyes (like a human) that i clean away everday...im not sure if this is normal or signs of a respiratory infection...I use fleece bedding so I do know its not caused because of their bedding.  It costs 52 dollars Canadian per guinea pig to even get a checkup (not including medicine) so im wondering if you have any alternative medicine I could give them that won't hurt them if they actually dont have any problems but will help if they do.
Thanks in advance!

Answer
Hello Karen-

This sounds like Bordetella, a respiratory infection. I would begin by seperating the piggies. They spread illness by nasal mucous, feces and urine. Although you may be keeping them clean, they are still eliminating waste products.

Antibiotics are the worst treatments for guinea pigs. There immune systems cannot handle the effects of antibiotics. You will need to add fruits and vegetables high in Vitamin C to their diets. Begin to supplement with fresh parsley (about .5 ounces per day), broccoli (1 ounce daily), oranges (2 ounces daily), cabbage (2 ounces) or turnip greens (.5 ounces daily). The actual requirement is for about 10mg daily. If you supplement by adding a Vitamin C pill or drops to their water, don't buy the dops made for children that include Vitamin D, or you may risk Vitamin D poisoning. Also remember to change their water daily. A good rule of thumb is to add is to add about 250mg of Vitamin C (a typical type tablet) per cup of water. Continue to feed your piggies food high in Vitamin C even after their infection has passed, piggies require high levels of Vitamin C in their diets.

Your veterinarain would be able to run a test to see if they have an allergy to the fleece bedding. A lot of piggies have allergies and will develop conjunctivitis to hay, I have not heard of them being allergic to fleece.

Try washing the eyes with an infusion of the herb Eyebright. This will kill the bacteria, stop it from spreading and help relieve the eye itself. Simply add 1 (one) tablespoon to about 24 ounces of water and boil rapidly for about 15 minutes. The water will turn from yellow to light brown. Strain the herb and store infusion in a glass jar. (Old spaghetti jars are great for this) Apply the infusion 3-4 times per day with a clean cotton ball. Be sure not to put a used cotton ball back into the infusion or you will spread the bacteria and be sure to use a clean cotton ball per piggie. You should notice a big improvement in eye health in a 48 hour period.

If your piggies respiratory symptoms do not clear up, I highly recommend you take them to a veterinarian. There they will receive a shot of antibiotic (probably Baytril) to fight the infection. If this should happen, please, continue feeding the Vitamin C foods, it is imperative for your overall piggies health.

I hope this information has helped you and your pet.

If you would like additional information on natural and herbal remedies for human and animal concerns, please contact me at wintersaurora@yahoo.com and I will be happy to assist you and send you a catalog of my home made herbal remedies.

Thank you and best wishes to you and your pet.

Sincerely,
Sharon Hubbs, AHG
Certified Natural Health Consultant & Herbalist