Skin Problems Are these healing wonds or something more serious

[LunaKitty]

So, today I started doing my guinea pigs first health checks and I found these weird dry looking scabs I took pictures after putting a little antibiotic ointment on them. I checked him all over and their only on his left side. His cage mate was a pregnant (I just took them in last month and was told they where both girls...but found out this piggie was a boy and the other is pregnant) and started getting aggressive with him. He is separated but I need to know does this look like wounds or something more serious.

This one had a scap on it but as I was rubbing the ointment on it it slipped off. He didn't even seem phased by it.


Behind his ears... theirs no hair their


This ones on his shoulder and I took this one before I put any ointment on



In his ear


This is the first time having piggies... they where both in a tiny 1 by 2 feet cage with pine chips. Feed kaytee with seeds and puffs, never giving any veggies and I don't even know what kind of hay their where fed but it was really hard and brownish. I have no idea how old he is, but he's really small so I assume under 6 months. Sine then I've moved them into separate midwest cages (their side by side and the boy has a top on his cage), their bedding is fleece on top of towels and then puppy pad. I feed them oxbow pellets, and a mix of oxbow timothy & oxbow orchard grass (and preggers gets alfalfa in her mix). Joker (the pig in the picture) gets a cup of fresh veggies every day, fresh water, oxbow barley treats twice a week and lots of stuff to chew. I also use vinegar and water to clean his cage. I said this all just encase.

 

[LunaKitty]

Oh gosh my nails look so bad!

 

[onibaku06]

Hi LunaKitty. I'm sorry that you and your piggies are having some issues tonight. And your having babies as well. Make sure to check the Pregnancy section for advice on that.

(broken link removed)

In regards to your pics, it's hard to tell. Those sores may have been caused from a fight between the two, or it could be signs of a mite infestation. My personal opinion, I think he has a fungal infection. (Which could cause excessive scratching, causing sores) I would recommend a trip to the vet. I've learned over the past 6 months that a piggies health can decline rapidly, with almost no signs of warning. Good Luck.

 

[bpatters]

The top and bottom picture looks like he's been bitten. The nibbled ears are likely because of the cramped conditions they were in, and but the top one looks like an actual bite. It seems to be healing, but I'd keep a close eye on it -- feel it to make sure there's no pocket of infection underneath it (it would be a lump) and that no redness, swelling, or drainage occurs. If it does, get him to the exotic vet ASAP -- piggy abscesses are much easier (and less expensively) dealt with sooner than later.

The middle two also look like healing bites, but there's some missing hair, also. If he scratches at those, I'd treat them both for mites. Otherwise, just observe as above.

 

[Soecara]

Just thought I would point out that the bald patch behind the ear is 100% normal, and all pigs have it but they vary in size. I would be mildly concerned that the wound on the shoulder could be a fungal infection, but it may not be (just keep an eye on it and see if it spreads https://www.guinealynx.info/fungus.html). Other then that they look like war wounds, be aware that damage done to the edges of ears will not repair, so his ears will likely retain their ragged edge.

 

[LunaKitty]

Thank you I'll definitely keep an eye on them... I have started a health journal for both pigs and wrote this in.
I put antibiotic ointment on all the spots... is this ok or is their something else I should be putting on him?

 

[bpatters]

If you're using an antibiotic ointment on any place where the pig can lick it, or reach it with its paws and then lick its paws, put only a TINY amount on and rub it in well with a q-tip.

 

[LunaKitty]

Good to know...I just rechecked him and his ear looks clear and theirs no spreading so far...yay

 

[crystalrella]

It could also be ringworm, which is contagious to humans, dogs, and cats. Guinea Lynx has some good pictures of what ringworm looks like on pigs. It normally looks vary scaly.

 

[animalmadlover]

The patch of bare skin looks a lot like mites to me and while your guinea pig was itching itself it may have formed the wound. My guinea pigs have had this before. But it could also be a bite from your other guinea pig. You'd better take your guinea pig to the vet to make sure.

 

[Soecara]

It could also be ringworm, which is contagious to humans, dogs, and cats. Guinea Lynx has some good pictures of what ringworm looks like on pigs. It normally looks vary scaly.

Ringworm is a type of fungal infection, and is covered in the link I gave earlier.

The patch of bare skin looks a lot like mites to me and while your guinea pig was itching itself it may have formed the wound. My guinea pigs have had this before. But it could also be a bite from your other guinea pig. You'd better take your guinea pig to the vet to make sure.

In this case I have to disagree with a vet visit. If it is fungal or mites it will spread or other symptoms will become apparent, they both are treatable at home, and the only way a vet could diagnose it is either with a skin scraping (which is wrong 50% of the time) or with a UV light (but not all fungi glow under said light).

 

[animalmadlover]

I didn't know that mites were treatable at home! How do you treat it?
I normally have to ring my vet up so that he can drop the perscribed medicine in my mailbox.

 

[Soecara]

Ivermectin can be used to treat your guinea pigs for mites and lice at home. You just need to be careful what kind you get, as it comes in many different concentrations and each concentration requires a different dosage amount. Some concentrations even need to be diluted before you can use it. Overdosing with ivermectin can be very dangerous but it is very safe if dosed appropriately, so you need to carefully measure the amount required, this is often done with a needless 1ml syringe. Here is a link with more information https://www.guinealynx.info/ivermectin_topical.html

The other alternative is Revolution, which in some countries you can get in pet stores while in others only a vet can prescribe it. Here is a link with info about mites https://www.guinealynx.info/mites.html

 

[animalmadlover]

That's the same stuff that my vet perscribes Thanks for the link. I'll have a look to see if I can buy it but it might be cheaper to get it from my vet.