Ivermectin Question

[kwene_2009]

I am pretty sure that my guinea pig Ollie has mites. He has the itchy patches on his skin, does not like me to pet him, and has had some hair fall out. I have horses so we have ivermectin paste, but I don't know what to do with it for him. The stuff on guinea lynx says to dilute it, but I was wondering if it was really okay to dilute with water or vegetable oil? Also, will I have to seperate both pigs while Ollie gets better? I know I have to treat them both.... Does anyone have any idea how he got them? I just feel terrible for him... Can I get the mites or my dogs and cats? Thank you!

[paula.m.moore]

You/your dog/cat can't get mites. You do need to treat both your pigs, even if the one isn't showing symptoms, and since they live together anyway and you'll be treating them both simultaneously, you shouldn't need to separate them.

The best thing to dilute the paste with is propylene glycol and GL says for immediate use, you can use vegetable oil.

[kwene_2009]

Originally Posted by paula.m.moore

The best thing to dilute the paste with is propylene glycol and GL says for immediate use, you can use vegetable oil.

Thank you very much!! What is psopylene glycol and where can I find it?

[alm_nin]

I read on GuineaLynx that a mite called Cheyletiella parasitivorax can spread between guinea pigs and dogs and cats. How do you know if they have this kind of mite, or the kind that only spreads between Guinea Pigs? I am currently treating my guinea pigs for mites with Revolution, but I am concerned as to whether my other pets can get them.

[paula.m.moore]

I believe you can buy propylene glycol at most feed stores or some lawn/garden type stores. It's a clear liquid that can be used as a carrier. Here's more info: Propylene glycol - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

As for the cheyletiella parasitivorax mites, according to guinea lynx, you can see them, though they might be very small. Mange mites are not visible to the naked eye, so if you can see something that's pale yellow to white on your guinea pig, it's probably lice but could be this type of mite. Topical ivermectin is the recommended treatment.

If you're already treating your pigs with Revolution and you suspect cheyletiella parasitivorax mites, it might be wise to also treat the dogs/cats/other animals in the household to make sure no one has any creepy crawlies.

[alm_nin]

Sorry I'm just very confused on the whole mites/lice and treatments. Would Revolution treat all the kinds of mites and lice? I have also read about how mites can be dormant for years before they show up, is this just with the mange mites or with all of them? Are the mange mites the most common bugs to be concerned about? I don't see any bugs on my piggies, they just have dandruff and one has a small patch of thinning hair. I don't necessarily suspect the cheyletiella parasitivorax mites, I have just been trying to find out what I should worry about as to my other pets getting bugs too. My dogs are already on Frontline, do you know if that would work against mites?

[Ly&Pigs]

I think you are overworrying yourself about the mites. The most common ones that pigs have are mange mites. Get yourself some ivermectin or revolution and treat all your pigs at the same time. I don't think there is a lot of danger for cats/dogs getting the mites from the pigs.

[alm_nin]

Ok, thanks. I guess I didn't know how worried I should be about the mites, and since I tend to have bad luck with health problems in my pets (including a dog allergic to GRASS!) I just wanted to make sure I was educated enough to catch anything early to prevent major problems.
I have done the first treatment about a week ago on all three pigs with Revolution, and they each have one treatment left in another week.

[paula.m.moore]

alm_nin: I also have a poor dog who is allergic to grass! And it's horrible, she insists on rolling in the freshly mowed stuff no matter how much she suffers for it afterwards!

But as for anything being passed from your piggies to your other pets, I asked my vet this question once and she said that unless you have your dog/cat very near (like, touching) your pigs a lot of the time you probably have nothing to worry about.