|
|
Post by reeses on Feb 23, 2020 21:17:15 GMT
We have two female piggies who we bought from a home a year and half ago. They grew up together. About 6 months ago they began nipping at one another, so we separated them , but they can still see and hear each other. That solved the aggression towards each other, but then we noticed scabs on their sides. It appeared they were scratching themselves now. Perhaps something was irritating them. We stopped giving them pellets, but made sure they has plenty of Timothy hay and fresh veggies, little fruit, several times a day. The scabs cleared up almost immediately. We thought the problem was solved. Now the smaller of the two piggies, after months of no pellets, has started (VERY recently after MONTHS of no pellets), pulling her hair out. Her sides and belly are becoming thread bare.
Without the immediate answer of going to a vet, does anyone have suggestions as to what we may do to figure out what's bothering our young piggie so much to chew her hair out? By the way, we have no chemicals or other pets around them and they get plenty of vitamin C foods.
|
|
|
|
Post by 3piggles on Feb 23, 2020 21:42:17 GMT
Hello and welcome to Wheekers  It sounds as if your pigs not only have mites, but have had them for long enough to be getting desperate. I definitely suggest a trip to the vet, as soon as possible. Don't let the vet do a skin scraping, if he/she suspects mites. The skin scraping hurts the pig a lot, especially if they have mites. Have the vet do the treatment. I think all of the problems may have been caused by mites stressing the girls. Also, resume the pellets. Pellets are formulated to give pigs the nutrients they need.The lack of nutrition may be contributing to the problems. While extra veggies are good, keep the extra fruit to a minimum. I don't know where you live, country-wise, but if you can, buy some Oxbow guinea pig pellets, and get them back to eating good pellets. Unlimited hay is great, too Good luck, and I hope the vet can sort the poor pigs' problems! |
|
|
|
Post by gremlin40 on Feb 24, 2020 6:46:43 GMT
Omg dreaded mites.
There are 2 kinds...static lice and the ones that kill.
K...just had a massive battle with the ones that kill...they are the hardest ones to get rid of. It takes up to 8 weeks depending on severity of infestation.
So...first key point: the eggs under the skin do not hatch all at once. From experience, each batch and hot zone will hatch at a different rate of time and the little a-holes can stay dormant for a bit if the environment is not favorable...they are tough little scabies.
Invermectin is best for medicinal treatment...a vet admitted to me that advantage and revolution are made for prevention, not treatment. Invermectin does not have to be injected to work...get the pour-on and follow the instructions for guinea pigs...the drops go behind the ears and absorb into the blood without injection.
Well.. I live in Canada and it is a nightmare trying to get invermectin so I learned from a pet rescue shelter worker about diatomectus earth...and after 8 weeks my little guy is on the home stretch...he was SEVERELY infested...the little bugs just kept on hatching omg. I learned quickly the signs...he would be fine for a week and suddenly he would start furiously scratching and biting and I knew another batch of eggs was hatching under his skin where the scabs were (caused by the adults burrowing in to lay eggs and the guinea guy biting the area), the hair would fall out with the glue and eggs on it.
The diatomectus earth kills the larva and adults...just dries them out and kills them quick.
Baby herbie was so badly infested when I got him as a tiny little baby...he had a seizure in my hands as I was trying to get a medical sweater on him to keep him from self-mutilating. He was absolutely tiny...only 4 weeks old. I got him from a pet store.
There is no easy treatment for mites hon...be on top of it every day and be prepared for up to 3 months of working with your piggies hard on these bugs...if they are the ones that burrow into the hair follicle, watch for secondary bacterial infection at the burrow sites. Don't try to remove the scabs no matter what...I used triple antibiotic polysporin and it worked awesome...and children's benadryl is recommended for the itching by the Los Angeles Guinea Pig Rescue Shelter if it gets really bad.
I use colloidal silver internally for the antibiotic...my guinea pigs both had ringworm, sarcoptic mange, and Felix got a touch of pneumonia on top of all of it.
The LA Guinea Pig Rescue Shelter videos on youtube taught me so much so fast. I warn you...some of the videos made me sob with shock because the little critters were so sick...but the shelter saved their lives...one little baby fella was so sick with sarcoptic mange that he went into a seizure every time the workers touched him to wrap him.
Chirodiscoides caviae mites may cause mild to no clinical signs at all and are generally not life-threatening. These are also called static lice.
Trixacarus caviae mites (sarcoptic mange mite) can cause extreme clinical signs because they cause extreme itchiness. These mites cause such itchiness that your guinea pig may even go into seizures and die.
|
|
|
|
Post by gremlin40 on Feb 24, 2020 6:48:23 GMT
Watch the weight loss too...alfalfa pellets can help a lot to keep their weight up.
Don't forget to increase the Vitamin C drops just a little bit too. They need the extra bit when sick.
Oxbow hay is awesome ... 3piggles is absolutely right about the nutrition thing...both my little guys are doing amazing and are 4 times as big as when I got them on December 4 and 21... I am going to have a couple of biiiig guinea piggies lol. They're only a few months old and they are pretty big now.
|
|
|
|
Post by Bean on Feb 24, 2020 8:11:30 GMT
Is their skin totally clear? There's something called barbering, where guinea pigs pull their own, or a companion's hair out. In those cases the skin would look totally clear and without itching. There are many reasons they can do it - it can be related to stress, pain, dominance or boredom, and even nutritional deficiencies in some cases. (I would also be very reluctant to remove pellets from their diet altogether.)
If there's any issue with the skin, I'd agree it sounds like it could be mites or some other parasite. When one of my lot had mites many years ago, we just administered the oral ivermectin to them all - a few doses each over a few weeks with some added cage hygiene to make sure nothing lingered. They were gone in no time with no stress to the guinea pigs - it's a great treatment. You can often get it without seeing the vet as many places sell it for use on horses, but you'd need to get up to date and accurate information about doses.
Good luck and keep us posted with how they're getting on.
|
|
|
|
Post by reeses on Feb 24, 2020 17:10:06 GMT
Wow, you are all so incredibly helpful. There are no scans at all just hair loss. I don’t know if that means anything. We have a veterinarian appointment for our girls, and I am waiting to hear back from the vet the name of the treatment per one suggestion. Thank you all!
|
|
|
|
Post by reeses on Feb 24, 2020 17:17:34 GMT
Bean,
How can I tell the difference between barbering and mites?
|
|
|
|
Post by 3piggles on Feb 25, 2020 1:27:29 GMT
With barbering, the hair is eaten by the other pig. Think really bad haircut. Often just in some spots.
Hair loss leaves very thin hair in places, or bald spots.
|
|
|
|
Post by gremlin40 on Feb 29, 2020 20:34:22 GMT
With mites the fur will fall out usually in small clumps and the roots will look glued together...because they literally are.
Scabs will show up...both from the guinea pig biting and scratching and from adult mites burrowing into hair follicles to lay more eggs.
You can see the mites...they look like dandruff. There are static mites which don't kill, and the ones that do...these ones cause the guinea pig to self mutilate, which causes convulsions, seizure and death.
The key things to watch for: excessive scratching and biting, usually in a "hot spot", and there can be more than one if he's infested. The back above the tail, the chest...even the legs inside the armpitarea...these are pretty common areas for mites.
There is also ringworm, which is a fungus that can cause hair loss and is often mistaken for mites.
My guinea pigs had both at the same time...the diatomectus earth kills both and draws out infection at the same time...its a powder used in chicken coops to keep the chickens mite free and is chemical free...it's a mechanical pesticide.
|
|
|
|
Post by reeses on Mar 15, 2020 14:00:43 GMT
Don't know if any of these pictures help. Vet said - May be allergic to the Timothy hay, remove hay, wash bedding towels in baby wash vice normal, use bitter apple spray to curb "chewing" We removed hay, only pellet and Vit C tabs. Plus fresh kale, peppers, cucumber, a little cabbage, celery, etc. Scabs don't seem to be getting any better, after a week and half, she still "screams" when she scratches. Appetite is good, she seems to shiver a little when we hold her now. We've removed pellets, and put Timothy hay back in, continue to feed fresh veg. |
|
|
|
Post by 3piggles on Mar 15, 2020 21:21:16 GMT
That looks like mites to me, but I'm not a vet. Any other vet you can try for a second opinion. Also, the screaming when scratching sounds like mites. She's definitely suffering  I hope you can get a different diagnosis from a different vet. Also, don't remove the hay. Pigs have to have hay to force the food through their digestive tract. They have no digestive tract muscles, so without hay, they will plug up, and that's not good. If she can't handle Timothy hay, try a different type of hay, meadow, or a local hay from a farm. She definitely needs help. All digits crossed for you to find a good guinea pig vet! Also, we're not a medical forum, but GuineaLynx is. Try this link: www.guinealynx.info/forums/ and post the pictures there. I hope they can help! |
|
|
|
Post by Bean on Mar 16, 2020 9:59:45 GMT
I second everything 3piggles says. I'd definitely have picked a diagnosis of mites over a hay allergy, and removing hay from their diet experimentally is a terrible idea. I'd definitely not visit that vet again.
Posting at GL is a great idea - there are treatments for mites that you may be able to get hold of without a vet if there isn't another one you can see, like the oral ivermectin I mentioned. They'll be able to give you all the up to date advice on how to do that.
Good luck, your little one (who is adorable) is obviously very uncomfortable so I hope you can get her help very soon. Please keep us posted.
|
|
|
|
Post by reeses on Mar 17, 2020 23:23:39 GMT
I've gotten some Ivermectin pour-on solution from Tractor Supply and dosed Reese and her sister, by advice of Guinealynx, according to their dosage calculator. I've read that Ivermectin is often touted as a wonder drug and people see almost immediate results. We'll see if this helps. Thanks for all the advice and support, I'll keep this board updated on her progress/status.
|
|
|
|
Post by Bean on Mar 18, 2020 8:14:27 GMT
That sounds great - good luck and I'll keep everything crossed that it solves the issues.
|
|
|
|
Post by 3piggles on Mar 18, 2020 15:09:31 GMT
I think where mites are concerned, and the effect mites have on the pigs, it is a wonder drug, to the pigs, at least. It's almost immediate relief from a horrible condition. I've used the liquid before, but didn't know Guinealynx had a dosage calculator. It didn't go well, so I will definitely check out their dosage calculator! Glad you got to douse both girls. I hope you have some happy, healing pigs very soon |
|
I hope you can get a different diagnosis from a different vet.