Mites and Spray

[fuzypeaches]

I thought that my pigs might have mites, so I bought spray (Hagen) that is used by spraying the bottom of the cage, not on the guinea pigs. It says that the smell of the spray will take care of the mites... has anyone used this and does it work....
Also, Moe is still really hard to pick up but I noticed that his back toenails are getting long, so how do I go about clipping them? I don't know if he will even hold still to let me get to his feet. SO then should I just hold onto him untill I am done or do I wait until they are a bit more comfortable with me?

 

[cavy-cool-crazy]

I very much doubt sraying something in the environment will affect the mites. It can't be all too good for the piggers to breathe in the smell and mist from the spray either. It needs to be stuff used directly on the pig which is safe to use - ideally Ivermectin. I'm pretty sure Revolution is the second best. Read over https://guinealynx.info/mites.html for more information.

 

[Slap Maxwell]

Any spray will definitely not take care of mites. You need Revolution or Ivermectin, Advantage might work, too. See your vet to perscribe the former or you can treat yourself with Ivermec. Your vet can also inject it or give it orally. No dips or sprays will kill mites.

 

[aqh88]

Sprays and such are very dangerious for guinea pigs. I would not touch a single one of them and I suggest cleaning off the cage right now. Throw that crap away before someone ends up seriously ill or dead. Shampoos, powders, sprays, and similar products are not safe for guinea pigs. Most guinea pigs exposed to powders or sprays develop serious respiratory problems. Ivermectin is the safest and still one of the most effective treatments for mites. Advantage will not kill all mites but is great for lice. Revolution is strong enough to kill just about everything but has a higher chance of side effects than either of the other 2 products. All of these products are applied in drops behind the ears.

 

[pink_cottonball]

What if we can't find Ivermectin, etc. A vet billw ould be really expeensive and though I love my piggers I am naot all to keen on spending 100$ or more on a vet treatment fro mites. WE started to actually spray the guineda pigs themselves and it seems to be a little bit better. However,, now I think about how GUinea pigs are prone to upeer resperatory problems spray can't be very good to use.. I really don't want pigs to get sick or die. I don't want them to be struggling with mites either. So... I know we nmeed to
#1 stop spraying that stuff
#2 find ivermectin etc..
The only problem is we ahve looked everywhere we possbily can... nothing like ivermectin,revolution or anything just sprays. Can you order it online? How much?

 

[Katie]

(broken link removed)

I get mine here. You will also need about 3 or 4 syringes with needles in order to draw the ivermectin out from the vial. You want one syringe per application, per pig.

You will also need a scale to weigh your pig in order to use the correct amount.

Mites are not something to fool around with. They can kill a guinea pig.

 

[aqh88]

Yep start looking online. I get all my horse supplies including ivermectin at (broken link removed).

 

[Percy's Mom]

You can also check farm supply stores like Southern States. Most of them will have medications for horses, sheep, etc., and 1% Ivermectin Injectable is typically a horse medication.

 

[aqh88]

I don't know anyone that's used injectable ivermectin on a horse. It's for mostly hogs and 2nd cattle. For horses we use oral paste which is a bit trickier to use on a guinea pig since it has to be diluted and mixed really well but it is cheaper and does work.

 

[Sabriel]

If you want to kill mites in the enviroment you could use a tea tree oil mist on the cage after you bleach it and *after* you use ivermectin on your piggie.

I use a spray with tea tree oil on Lina when she gets dry skin. The tree tea oil has to be very diluted due to it's toxidity in large quanities. Humilac is also good but I can't find it in Toronto. My vet is out and the vets down the street won't sell it to me without one of their vets lookin at her (Dr.Munn even offered to call them)

 

[pink_cottonball]

ANybody heard of ( I know your going ot hate this but... ) buyiing horse paste (It would have to be from petsmart.. I would rather buy from there than allow my pigs to die or live worse than they could be)and mixing it with jelly, NOT JAM...then feeding it to them. Found this recipie online at a similar but smaller site than cavycages.THe person who wroote it ssaid they got ti from there vet and the site looked ok..however looks aren't really anything.. does it sound ok..any one else used it??

 

[aqh88]

I've used horse paste several times since I already have it around but finally decided that it was worth the money to buy a bottle of injectable. Mix it with water or vegetable oil though not jelly. I put it in an empty bottled water container, squirt in the required amount of water, shake it up really really good, and then pour a small amount out into the cap to suck up into the syringe. Check guinealynx for specific horse paste dosage and information before you do this. It takes a very tiny dose even after it's diluted and you have to make sure all the paste is dissolved. If you get a chunk of undisolved paste you could severely overdose your guinea pigs. Ivermectin will not stay in solution or keep this way so throw it out after you dose all the guinea pigs and mix up a new batch next time. Also make absolutely certain the past you buy only says ivermectin. There are several different horse dewormers and some mix ingrediants with ivermectin. Such as don't touch zimectrin gold. It will certainly be too strong for a guinea pig.

 

[Ly&Pigs]

I have used horse paste. You have to have ivermectin 1.87% horse paste with no extra ingredients added. You must dilute it with either 22 cc of water, veggie oils like canola or olive oil or propylene glycol. You cannot under any circumstances mix it with jelly or jam. Ivermectin has to be given exactly as the instructions on guinealynx state or you will overdose your pig(s). The horse paste can only be given orally.
https://guinealynx.info/ivermectin_treatment.html

If you keep using the spray, you may end up with dead pigs. We don't want to see that happen. Sprays aren't really effective. Please stop using the spray and get some ivermectin and dose properly. If you need help with dosages (also, please ask before you dose to confirm the dosage) we will be able to help you. We will need their weights so you need to weigh them and tell us what type of ivermectin you are using.

 

[pink_cottonball]

Ok, Ly go to this link and PLEASE tell me if any of these pastes ar ok to use on my pigs. (broken link removed) Also, we have stopped using the spray. POur pigs are way to squirmish to inject with ivermectin so Horse paste is our last resort. I know you don't like petsmart but It's that or dead pigs. Which would you rather have? I know which one I would.
Now, let me get this straight. I mix the horse paste with water. Then,how do I get my pigs to eat it. We have an extara water bottle do we just add it inalogn witht he normal water bottle or should we only put in the medicine bottle? I've heard that if the water tastes funny they won't like it and then they'll die of dehydration. So, please give me a clear answer on this, I don't care if you pm me that would workk to. I need anyone who is experianced to help because I don't want dead piggers in my house!

 

[Slap Maxwell]

Where are you located? Go to Yahoo Yellow Pages and look up "feed store". They will definitely have Ivermec. That way you don't have to support Petsmart.

 

[Percy's Mom]

Our pigs are way to squirmish to inject with ivermectin so Horse paste is our last resort.

If you find the Ivermectin 1% Injectible, you don't actually inject it. That concentration is just the correct one, so you don't have to add anything else to it. You measure it in a syringe and apply it on the skin behind their ears. There is a ton of information on dosing and how to apply it on guinealynx.

 

[cavywench]

I use a horse paste also. I bought a tube of Eqvalan at (broken link removed)

They also carry Equimectrin and Ivercare. I was pleasantly suprised that the quickness of their shipping.

 

[Sabriel]

Fuzzy peaches and Pink Cottonball are in Canada. Most American sites won't ship anything remotely medical related to us. I could not order humilac spray from the US and had to use something else for Lina.

 

[cavywench]

Ooops - silly me for a fast perusal! Hopefully it can help someone else though!

 

[Sabriel]

I helped them find a few feed stores on another thread. Let's all just cross our fingers and hope they can find some. If not I'll call up my friend with horses in the area and ask where she buys her horse paste. With as many horses and ponies as those people have I am sure she will know where to buy some.