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Ivermectin Still Scratching

Guinea_88

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Hello, I noticed my guinea pigs were scratching a lot but they had no bald spots or scabs 3 weeks ago. So I bought some ivermectin paste, diluted it and gave them the correct dose. After the first dose, the scratching seemed to slow down but after the 2nd and now 3rd dose it seems to be back to normal again. When my ivermectin paste arrived the weather outside was -20 degrees celsius and it was left outside all day. Do you think since it froze it made the ivermectin ineffective? Also, while I was treating them for mites I didn't bleach their cage or anything, I just did regular cleaning. My guinea pigs are scratching again a lot but they have no patches of missing hair or scabs. Do you think it didn't work because the medicine froze or because I didn't bleach the cage? Should I buy another tube and try again? I am worried that the mites have gotten used to the ivermectin and it may not kill them. Thanks for any replies.
 

bpatters

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If they really have mites and the treatment is good, you don't need to bleach. Mites need a living host, so when they're all dead on the pig, they'll be dead in the cage.

It may or may not have frozen. Compounds have different freezing and boiling points, and a paste would require a lower temp to freeze than something like water. That said, the data sheets on it say don't freeze it.

That kind of ivermectin is designed to be used pretty much all at once, and loses its strength pretty quickly after it's opened. Can you get the 1% injectable kind? It's more stable.

It's apparently cold where you are. Could it be that the problem is dry skin rather than mites?

Also, what is the strength of the ivermectin you used? And how did you dilute it? The paste is difficult to dilute correctly.
 

petluv

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The exact same thing is wrong with my Abby! She had the 3 doses of liquid ivermectin, a drop behind each ear, weekly for 3 weeks. Nothing. Still itching no hair loss or scabs. I still need to try an anti fungal bath like was suggested. After that she’s going to the vet. She’s uncomfortable even without hair loss or scabbing. I’m actually afraid the antifungal bath may dry her out and irritate her skin, but it’s got to be tried. It should come soon. Never bathed a piggy but first time fr everything.
 

petluv

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Bpatters do you think Abby could have dry skin? Should I try the antifugal first? What do you use to moisturize their skin?
 

Guinea_88

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I first added 22c of water to a 250lbs dose and then measured out .28 cc for each guinea pig. Both of my boys weigh 1400 grams. I finished the last dose last week and nothing has changed. They do scratch a lot, they scratch their sides with their back legs, they scratch their face and bend their bodies to scratch their tummies. However, they don’t have any hairless spots or scabs. I feel like it is too much scratching to be dry skin. Also, I live in Canada so all I could find was the paste. Thanks.
 

bpatters

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@Guinea_88, what brand and strength did you use? I'd have to know that to calculate the exact dose, but that seems like a LOT of ivermectin for a guinea pig.

Try a fungal shampoo. Here's the reference: https://www.guinealynx.info/fungus.html

[MENTION=45113]petluv[/MENTION], fungal shampoos will not dry out their skin unless you don't rinse them well.
 

Guinea_88

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I used bimectin ivermectin wormer. And sorry, I put the wrong amounts in my post. Since mine is a Canadian brand it was in kg so I squirted out a 100kg dose and added 20 mL of water. The whole tube contains 120mg of ivermectin and the dosing is from 100 kg to 600 kg meaning a 100kg dose would contain 20mg of ivermectin. Then i added 20 mL of water making the diluted mixture 1mg ivermectin to 1mL water and used the oral dosing chart to find their dose which is 0.28 mL.
 

Guinea_88

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It seems to have had no effect on them because they still scratch quite a bit but their coats look visibly healthy, no bald spots or sores.
 

bpatters

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Is this it? (broken link removed)
 

Guinea_88

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Yes, it’s that one but I ordered it from pleasant ridge canada .
 

Guinea_88

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So do you think the ivermectin wasn’t strong enough to kill all the mites?
 

bpatters

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I actually think you used way more ivermectin than you needed, but I haven't had time to work the dosage out.

But that would suggest that the problem isn't mites at all.

I may or may not get this figured out tonight, but I'll do it first thing tomorrow.
 

Guinea_88

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If the problem isn’t mites, what do you think it could be? I think you might be right, maybe the heating dried out their skin or something.
 

bpatters

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OK, I finally had time to check it, and asked a friend to check as well. The calculations look OK, so that leaves you with two possible issues: one, your pig doesn't have mites, or two, the ivermectin was no good.

The only other thing I can think of is that you can't store ivermectin once you've diluted it with water. You have to make a fresh batch each time. So depending on whether you kept it, it's possible the first dose was good but the others were not.
 

Guinea_88

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Hello, thanks for your reply. I diluted the ivermectin fresh every time I dosed them. If it is not mites, what do you think it could be?
 

bpatters

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Fungus? Dry skin? Allergies?

Can you check the humidity in the room?
 

Guinea_88

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I don’t think it could be fungus because they have no bald spots or anything. How can I check the humidity of the room?
 

Guinea_88

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Hello, I wasn't able to check the humidity of the room, but I might treat for fungal. They still are scratching after their treatment for mites, and have a bit of dandruff. There aren't any bald spots or scabs, but when I lightly pull on their hair, 3 or 4 strands of hair come out. How do I treat for fungal? Do I just use the nizoral shampoo? Some websites said to use creams, but where would I apply the cream, my guinea pigs have no bald spots or scabs.
 
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