habit scratching???

[trekkerpig]

my girls have recently been treated for mites. Most of Ruby's hair has grown back and she had an open wound that healed up nicely. But she's still scratching!! I don't know it it's still mites or if it's just scratching out of habit. Before when she had mites there was patches of hair loss and she looked generally unhealthy. now her hair has grown back there's just this one spot she won't stop scratching. It's usually only around nighttime that she scratches.

Is this purely out of habit or do I need to take another vet trip???

And if is out of habit, how do I discourage that?

[GuineaPiggy]

my girls have recently been treated for mites. Most of Ruby's hair has grown back and she had an open wound that healed up nicely. But she's still scratching!! I don't know it it's still mites or if it's just scratching out of habit. Before when she had mites there was patches of hair loss and she looked generally unhealthy. now her hair has grown back there's just this one spot she won't stop scratching. It's usually only around nighttime that she scratches.

Is this purely out of habit or do I need to take another vet trip???

And if is out of habit, how do I discourage that?

How long ago was the vet visit? How many times have you been to the vet or had her treated? I ask this because you usually need more than 1 dose of the stuff if ivermectin/selacmectin was used because they do not kill the eggs.

[trekkerpig]

They went a while back and just had the one dose but a month later they seemed to be scratching a lot again so I brought them back in last week and the vet said if they didn't seem to be improving after this dose then they wouldn't need more. They have improved greatly in coat condition it's just this one spot where they are scratching. But I'll certainly bring them in on Friday again for another dose, because I just read on GL they need three doses to make sure eggs are killed and that goes with what you've said. I suppose if the problem continues after that I'll talk to the vet.

Is there anything else that works that's not ivermectin/selamectin?? Also I use 'revolution' monthly on my cat.....I read something about this working on guinea pigs as well. It's quite costly but would it be a good idea to use that in future? Or even now?

[GuineaPiggy]

They went a while back and just had the one dose but a month later they seemed to be scratching a lot again so I brought them back in last week and the vet said if they didn't seem to be improving after this dose then they wouldn't need more. They have improved greatly in coat condition it's just this one spot where they are scratching. But I'll certainly bring them in on Friday again for another dose, because I just read on GL they need three doses to make sure eggs are killed and that goes with what you've said. I suppose if the problem continues after that I'll talk to the vet.

Is there anything else that works that's not ivermectin/selamectin?? Also I use 'revolution' monthly on my cat.....I read something about this working on guinea pigs as well. It's quite costly but would it be a good idea to use that in future? Or even now?

Yea i use selamectin revolution 2.5kg aswell, its $50 for 3 little capsules thing, and 1 dose lasts 1 month each. When i took my guy to the vet, the vet gave him an ivermectin and mexa(?) injection, costed $16 each. The vet told me i had to bring him in every month, so i asked for the drops and she said nz dont have them only selamectin and they work just as well.

Ivermectin/selamectin is the preferred medication for mites for gp. You can also get the ivermectin paste and dilute it with vege oil or those ivermectin pour ons, which costs considerably less.

[Ly&Pigs]

Since the pigs only had one dose of ivermectin the eggs have hatched and the mites are still present so they weren't treated properly the first time around. It takes at least 3 doses spaced a week apart to completely get rid of mites. In really bad cases it will take more than three doses.

[GuineaPiggy]

Hi Ly when a guinea pig has mites and is dosed, what happens if he eats his own poop? Will he be eating the parasites again?

[foggycreekcavy]

There most likely wouldn't be any live parasites in the cecal poops. Nor in the fecal poops either. Mites live in or on the skin, not in the intestinal tract.