Scabby sores on new piggie (3-4 month old)

[uthoria]

What could it be?

[laura220]

Mites probably. You should treat with ivermectim.

[uthoria]

Originally Posted by laura220

Mites probably. You should treat with ivermectim.

Where do I get that?...should i just take him to a vet...or is it something I can just treat at home?....Im asking not because im cheap but because im short on cash.

[laura220]

Read this.. http://guinealynx.info/mites.html

I think it is possible to treat at home if you can find it at your pharmacy. If you already have an experienced exotics you can go to him for the injections.

[daftscotslass]

Go to the vet. Don't try and dose Ivermectin yourself if you're not experienced. Your piggy might need more than one dose - it can cost anything from £5-£20 a time (that's US $10-40) depending on your vet. Scabby sores are an advanced stage of mites so it needs to be sorted quickly - this is painful for your piggy.

[Ly&Pigs]

Start here http://guinealynx.info/mites.html and then you can go to the gl ivermectin page here http://guinealynx.info/ivermectin.html.

[Ly&Pigs]

Don't try and dose Ivermectin yourself if you're not experienced.
I really don't agree with this statement because how can one become experienced if they don't do it. I had no experience but I followed the instructions on gl thoroughly and dosed my pigs fine. If you need dosing help, you can post on guinealynx and they will help you figure out the appropriate dose.

I will say that if the sores are bloody, please go to a vet. If it's just dandruffy looking scabby stuff, you can treat yourself.

[rabbitsncavyluv]

Did you get them at the pet store? You can submit the vet bills to them.

[uthoria]

Ill just take him to the vet....My wife has noticed that he cries when petted....I just hope my other pig doesn’t have them now...the two have not been put together yet...but my wife has held the new piggy close to the main cage before I told her to stop as it was defeating the whole purpose of a quarantine period. My wife bought the piglet from a mom and pop pet store and he was kept with rabbits. I wanted to adopt a new pig from a pig rescue but my wife was to impatient and now it is going to cost $$$...if my adult boar has mites because of all this Ill be extremely angry

[uthoria]

Originally Posted by rabbitsncavyluv

Did you get them at the pet store? You can submit the vet bills to them.

The store made my wife sign a contract....basically we can’t return it and they will not repay any medical expenses...that should have been the first sign of trouble but they told my wife that all their animals are checked by a vet

[cavy_lover]

I know this is a little off subject but my boar has scabs on his skin also. They are not at all bloody, he has no hair loss, no loss of appetite, not in any pain... could this be mites as well? He also is not excessively scratching just acting normally. But he still has scabs under his fur. Did your pig show only these signs, that is only scabs on the skin or the other signs of mites as well?

[Ly&Pigs]

Uthoria, you need to take them both for treatment because your wife did hold the one that was supposed to be in quarantine close to the other cage. It's better to be safe than sorry and even if the other one doesn't have mites it won't hurt to be treated.

Cavy_lover, did you read the link to the mite information? It will tell you signs to look for.

[Ly&Pigs]

if my adult boar has mites because of all this Ill be extremely angry
How long ago did you get the new piggie? It's common for pigs from petstores to have mites.

There really isn't any reason for you to get angry because your adult boar has mites, it can be easily treated. Mites normally lay dormant in a pig until stress or illness cause a weakening in the immune system thus bringing the mites out of dormancy. Even the healthiest pigs can get mites if they get ill or stressed.

It does suck that your wife had to sign a contract at that petstore. In the future please try to find pigs at shelters/rescues and avoid petstores altogether.

[uthoria]

Originally Posted by Ly&Pigs

Uthoria, you need to take them both for treatment because your wife did hold the one that was supposed to be in quarantine close to the other cage. It's better to be safe than sorry and even if the other one doesn't have mites it won't hurt to be treated.

Cavy_lover, did you read the link to the mite information? It will tell you signs to look for.

I cant afford it (it is going to be $120+ for one)....ill have to take the other one in next month...

anyway, when I go to the vet and he precedes to rip me off...should I just insist on Ivermectin treatments?...i have a feeling the vet is going to try to scam me and run every test under the sun (he is the only local "exotics" vet)


Im so pissed right now

[uthoria]

Originally Posted by Ly&Pigs

if my adult boar has mites because of all this Ill be extremely angry
How long ago did you get the new piggie? It's common for pigs from petstores to have mites.

There really isn't any reason for you to get angry because your adult boar has mites, it can be easily treated. Mites normally lay dormant in a pig until stress or illness cause a weakening in the immune system thus bringing the mites out of dormancy. Even the healthiest pigs can get mites if they get ill or stressed.

It does suck that your wife had to sign a contract at that petstore. In the future please try to find pigs at shelters/rescues and avoid petstores altogether.

[font=&quot]Ill be angry (at my wife) because I specifically told my her to keep them separated...and I was already upset at the fact that she bought an animal from a pet store when she knew all about pig shelters. She wanted a new pig and just couldn’t wait and it is going to cost us $$$ when we could have just went to a rescue and saved a lot of $$$, drama, and time

also, we got the piggie last friday
[/font]

[Ly&Pigs]

I hear you. I would NOT let the vet do a skin scraping and insist on ivermectin. The pig will need at least 3 treatments 7-10 days apart. The only problem is that if you don't treat both at the same time and they are later put together before they have both been treated with 3 doses, the untreated one can give the treated one mites again. I would seriously consider skipping this very high priced vet and dose yourself. You just need a good scale to weigh them and you can get horse paste from your local feedstore. Then just follow the ivermectin instructions on guinealynx and save yourself money.

[Percy's Mom]

Yes, she got excited and held them close to each other. Yes, she bought the new pig from a store. And both of those are frustrating to say the least, but neither of those situations means that if the new pig had come from a shelter or they had been quarantined properly, that you wouldn't still be dealing with mites. As was already pointed out, perfectly healthy pigs can start showing signs of mites. Check the information on guinealynx about mites and ivermectin. You can usually purchase ivermectin at a farm or pet supply store and dose your piggers yourself to save money on vet bills.

You mentioned that the vet was probably going to try and scam you. Were you planning on never taking them to the vet at all?

[uthoria]

[font=&quot]Well, im going to take the piggy in to the vet as an examination is only $42...he isnt overpriced (that I know of) but vets in California are like mechanics...they want to test for everything just so they can charge you when they have already found the probably problem

anyway, where can i buy ivermectin?...And i live in southern California....my local feed store will be extremely overpriced

what I might do is take the new pig in...and if he needs ivermectin treatments ill ask the vet if i can just bring in my other boar for just the injections for containment reasons.[/font][font=&quot][/font]

[uthoria]

[font=Times New Roman]

Originally Posted by Percy's Mom

Yes, she got excited and held them close to each other. Yes, she bought the new pig from a store. And both of those are frustrating to say the least, but neither of those situations means that if the new pig had come from a shelter or they had been quarantined properly, that you wouldn't still be dealing with mites. As was already pointed out, perfectly healthy pigs can start showing signs of mites. Check the information on guinealynx about mites and ivermectin. You can usually purchase ivermectin at a farm or pet supply store and dose your piggers yourself to save money on vet bills.

You mentioned that the vet was probably going to try and scam you. Were you planning on never taking them to the vet at all?

[/font] [font=Times New Roman]To tell you the truth, I wasnt planning on getting a 2nd pig period...the one we have is work enough...my wife always complains about the cleaning/bedding changes and I kept telling her that a 2nd pig is only going to make it worse. The thing is, my wife wasnt aloud to have any pets as a child (unlike myself who grew up around all sorts of animals) so now that we are married she is going crazy (the adult boar is her pet). Now that I see the scabs and sores I will take the pig to the vet because I want to know what is wrong and i want it fixed ASAP...before I was just going to quarantine him and wait till my brother (he used to be an animal technician and has experience in small animal care) could come over and check him out. I think im upset at the fact that I really didnt want another animal and now Im going to have to dish out $$$ because my wife was to busy acting like an impulsive child. To make matters worse, this is a really bad time as my entire family is in financial trouble and I cant afford to deal with vets or driving around town lloking for stores that carry [/font][font=Times New Roman]ivermectin [/font][font=Times New Roman]and I have no idea were the nearest farm store is…and it pissing me off that I have to deal with this since my wife acts like im the only one that can fix it...im so overwhelmed and its making me angry at the whole situation...i just want to scream

...at least Charlie (the new pig) is better off now...[/font]

[rabbitsncavyluv]

I'm in SO CAL. Are you in OC/LA area or San Diego?

There is a list of vets at www.cavyhaven.org It is cheaper to treat yourself, but if you don't feel comfortable, then a vet may be the best option unless you have someone near you to show you.

You need to treat each pig at the same time, or the other will just keep reinfecting the other. Read over the GL page on mites and ivermectin.

You can order ivermectin online. Most feed stores have the paste form.