Mites mite infestation suspected--who to treat?

[Silverbeat]

I recently bought some old blankets at the goodwill to use for my pigs for floortime. Yesterday I put them out on the blankets while I was working on pig-proofing their room so they could have free range of it. I didn't wash the blankets first as I usually do. Today my five sows are all much more itchy that they were 24 hours ago. I think there were mites living in the blankets. I have a few questions about how to proceed.
1. my two boars are in a separate room, none of their bedding has been in contact with these blankets, and I haven't handled them since yesterday. Should I still treat them, or should I just keep them separate until the mites are eliminated?
2. I have a rabbit who was out on the blankets with the cavies [they were separated, but shared the same bedding] and she is now in the same room as them, with the blankets. Should I treat her as well? She does not seem itchy, but could she be a host?
3. Ivermectin or Revolution? Which is best for a big herd?
4. One of my sows is on Baytril for a UTI for the next week. The following week we are starting her on a trial period of Lotensin and Lasix [for possible heart disease]. Is the mite medication going to be influenced by this, or vice versa?
5. How do I go about ridding the blankets [and all of their fleece bedding] of the mites? Hot water wash?
Thank you.

 

[1frankie7]

Are you sure it's mites, and not lice? Mites Can't live long without a host, so I would lean to lice.

It never hurts to treat for mites though, I would use ivermectin.

 

[foggycreekcavy]

Mites would not be able to live on the blanket without a living host. I imagine it's the same with lice. I would be more inclined to think it's the laundry detergent the Goodwill uses--I know when I get towels from there they are really strong smelling and I have to wash them before using.

However, if you wanted to treat anyway, the Revolution is certainly easier, since it's just one treatment per pig, whereas the ivermectin will need at least two and preferably three. I'd check with your veg regarding using any alongside the other drugs, or check over at Guinea Lynx.

 

[Silverbeat]

GuineaLynx says Ivermectin treats both, so I guess that would be the safe route. It also says that they are host-specific, so myself and the rabbits are not at risk for getting lice/being hosts?

Mites would not be able to live on the blanket without a living host. I imagine it's the same with lice. I would be more inclined to think it's the laundry detergent the Goodwill uses--I know when I get towels from there they are really strong smelling and I have to wash them before using.

That's a good point--when I checked one of my cavies' fur/skin it seemed a little red but I didn't see any dandruff, loose/falling out fur or bugs. Sophie has a vet appointment in a week, perhaps I will just wash everything today and see if they improve.

 

[lissie]

It could be fleas. They are harder to get rid of and they are not host specific.

 

[frashy]

Mites actually live in the piggies skin, and they are dormant there till they become active from stress. Sounds to me like an irritation from the blanket, probably from the detergant like Foggy was saying. Lice wouldn't be able to survive along time without a host, and if the blanket was washed before they sold it, then any lice that was on it would of been killed. Also, if there were lice on the blanket, it would be a huge coinsidence, because the previous owner would of had to have a guinea pig with lice that let it play on the blanket. Even if that were the case, the lice would of probably died by now, even if it wasn't washed.

 

[RaisinSpock]

When my piggy had lice we used ivermecten and it worked wonderfully. They were gone by at least the 4th or 5th day. Check thoroughly through the fur for little white bugs. I'm not sure what you do for mites, but if it is lice i reccomend ivermecten.

 

[Silverbeat]

It must have been the laundry detergent, because they are all fine now. But it was a good lesson and now I know what works best on what! Thanks all who replied!

 

[Silverbeat]

Update, y'all.

My pigs do indeed have lice. They are being treated with Ivomec and I am going to double-wash their blankets, tumble-dry them on high heat and then hang them out to bleach in the sun.
For the next month I am going to bed them all on Newspaper that I will change every day.
Also, a funny side-story. I have been going to my vet for upwards of five years, she knows me very well because I have been in the practice pretty much once a month for the past five years.
She and her tech were unable to find any lice on my pigs, so I spent about 7 minutes picking through Sophie-Mo's thick fur and finally found one. I stuck the tape on it and handed it to my vet. Her reaction was this:
[very sincerely] "Aww poor girl. I'm sorry I couldn't find one, you've got a good eye!" ..then.. with a big excited smile on her face, "you wanna see it under the microscope!?" [Me:] "Yeah!!"
It. Was. Disgusting. But very cool.
Here's hoping I can get rid of these yucky things.

 

[pinky]

I bought a framed watercolor from Goodwill. I was surprised to see such a beautiful picture there. I have an art degree so I knew it was a quality piece of signed artwork. Imagine my surprise when I took it out of my trunk and saw a bug crawling under the glass... I'm pretty sure it was a bedbug. I took it apart in my garage and killed the bug. I put it back together, wrapped it in plastic and left it in my garage where it would be below freezing in case there were eggs. I am very careful now about anything I get from resale type shops. People who have bug infestations dump their things and people unknowingly bring them into their homes.

 

[Silverbeat]

Like I said, I usually wash stuff out pretty well but this time I thought nothing of it. I honestly did not think this kind of thing was possible. I've learned my lesson though.. never again!