Skin rash

[JudeH]

My pig Petunia (tunie) has a skin disorder, dry, flakey and hair falls out. The vet gave her medicated shampoo and it seems to be helping, but has anyone else heard of this? The hair falls out in clumps with dried skin on the ends. Any suggestions will be appreciated. Also she has sores on her neck, but I believe the new pig Lily could be the cause of that. Thanks Jude

[PiggieMamaKelly]

Sounds like mites. Has the vet ruled out mites?

[Ly&Pigs]

It's mites, it needs to be treated with ivermectin or revolution. See www.guinealynx.info/mites.html for more information. If not treated properly it will get worse and can be fatal. The medicated shampoo is not going to treat mites.

[nenaramirez]

I had the same problem with my pig once, and it seemed very painful to him I took him to the vet and he prescribed ivermectin and he responded to the treatment perfectly!!! but definetly take him to the vet...

[rabbitsncavyluv]

STOP the shampoo. Find a better cavy savy vet and treat both pigs and any others in the household for mites. She has parasites burrowing under her skin and is in great deal of pain.

[JudeH]

Thank You all for the heads up on Tunie's and Daisy's skin! I could have lost them both. This is Sunday I had to go out of town and couldn't get them in any sooner anyway but they have a 4:30 appointment on Tuesday. The girl at the desk said right away they knew what it was and yes it sounded like mites, that made me feel better, also this IS a different vet, and they give them shots for it. I'll let you know what happens. Luckily both are eating well and drinking well
Where would they have picked this up at? We take them out side on leashes Could that be it?

[WEAVER]

Let me begin by saying PLEASE do not use a leash of any kind on your piggies. Thet can hurt their backs very badly being in a harness or walking on a leash.

About the mites. . . mites are just one of those things. They did not catch them from being outside or anything like that. Piggies sometimes can get outbreaks from stress, changes in their life, you being gone could even give the mites. Once they are treated they will feel much better. The shot will help them faster and they will be on their feet again in time. DOn't forget though they need 3 treatments, every 7-10 days.

[KjerstiMoo]

My vet said that almost all animals have mites, but usually their immune system keeps it in check. It can flare up if a pet gets sick and then it can pass it on to others.

[JudeH]

The halters we have for them simply keep them from taking off on us. We don't walk them or make them do anything. We just sit in the grass and let them get some sun and air, when it's warm of course. These are suppose to be especially for piggies, can this still hurt them? I mean we just sit and let them wander as they please, or just sit and eat grass . I'd never try and make those little short legs walk! Thanks for all the info thought! Jude
And Daisy, Petunia and Lily)

[PiggieMom]

I would still refrain from using the leashes. Because if one does try to get away they may jerk the leash and hurt their back. I would instead try and build an outside play pen so that you all can still enjoy outside time together. You can make a simple pen out of grides and zip ties.

[JudeH]

I took the girls to the vet last Tuesday (I haven't been able to get on here since then) He gave all three shots of that Ivermectin (SP?) stuff. Even Lily the healthy one! And they started acting better almost as soon as we got them home! Poor Petunia had a seizure while he was giving her the shot so he got to see that. I didn't know we had a vet in our small town that did guinea pigs but the pet store lady clued me in. Anyway he and his family have had piggies so he knew alot about them. He'd never seen this though and brought out a stack of articles where he'd been reading up on it prior to us coming in. I always considered myself a good pig owner, I felt terrible when I realized how sick my girls were! But now they are wheeking squealing whistling and standing on hind legs begging for treats again! They have 2 more shots to go, and he gave me an awful smelling liquid of lime and sulfer to wash the coroplast in, along with their igloos. Which I did. Anything I didn't think would wash good got pitched in the trash. We have one more wash with the stinky stuff next week, then after the third shot should be back on track! I can't thank you all enough!! I would have felt awful if I'd lost the girls. Of course now that Petunia and Daisy feel better they're back to fussing with Lily on who will be alpha sow. I think because she had all those babies she feels like she is in charge, but Daisy has other ideas! And "Tunie" talks up a storm when you hold her like she's tattling on the other 2!!! I'm sure her conversation would be "I can't get any sleep when they fight and I haven't been well!!" Thanks and blessings to all who answered me! Love ya all! Jude