General Bald spot and lots of itching. Mites or something else?

[Natalie Boyle]

I started noticing a partially bald spot on one of my boars, Gus, that he has been itching at a lot lately. It's right on his back, not his hindquarters or near his face, just dead center on his back. He has to twist his whole body around just to itch it. I looked him over and it appears to be the only bald spot he is itching at.

I checked my other boys, Barely and Carlos, and while they do scratch and itch occasionally they do not have any noticeable bald spots. I don't know if Gus has mites or some other kind of condition that can be fixed with a simple wash with special guinea pig shampoo or something. All I do know is that the last time I told my parents that I wanted to get my boys checked at a vet as their previous owners never did they told me no, or that I can only go if there is an obvious threatening problem with them, as they don't think I should spend a lot of money on taking three rodents to a specialty vet and that I should just go local (I told them that only a specialty vet will be able to tell me a more accurate diagnosis of what could be wrong with them and such, but oh well...).

If Gus has mites then I need to take him - along with Barely and Carlos - to the vet to get checked within the next day or two, but if there is a way to find out what it is he has without spending a lot of money on taking them to a vet then I'm all for any suggestions. Maybe there is something else I need to look out for to indicate that it's mites?

 

[MochaAndMoo]

Sounds like a parasite.
Can you see any "dandruff" looking flakes in their fur? The most common parasite by far is mange mites, which are microscopic. Lice is visible in their fur.
Luckily for you, you don't have to see a vet to treat these parasites. You can use Ivermectin to fix infestations, for pretty much all the information you'll need, you can find it here.
I seriously suggest you have a talk with your parents about the commitment that comes along with guinea pigs and how they are very vulnerable to disease, I have spent over $1000 in vet bills for one of my pigs in the past and it isn't fair to keep pets you may not be able to treat when they are ill.
I wish you the best of luck and I hope all goes well.

 

[bpatters]

You can treat for mites yourself. You'll need a kitchen scale to weigh your pigs, and some ivermectin.

This is the easiest to use: https://www.amazon.com/Ivermectin-Pour-On-For-Cattle/dp/B00JAL3AAW/ref=sr_1_3. and here's the dosing information: https://www.guinealynx.info/topical_ivermectin_pour-on.html.

Dose all your pigs at the same time, and repeat once a week for 3-4 weeks.

 

[Natalie Boyle]

Sounds like a parasite.
Can you see any "dandruff" looking flakes in their fur? The most common parasite by far is mange mites, which are microscopic. Lice is visible in their fur.
Luckily for you, you don't have to see a vet to treat these parasites. You can use Ivermectin to fix infestations, for pretty much all the information you'll need, you can find it here.
I seriously suggest you have a talk with your parents about the commitment that comes along with guinea pigs and how they are very vulnerable to disease, I have spent over $1000 in vet bills for one of my pigs in the past and it isn't fair to keep pets you may not be able to treat when they are ill.
I wish you the best of luck and I hope all goes well.

I think the reason my parents were a bit reluctant to let me take my piggies to the vet last time was because 1) there was nothing actually wrong with them, they've just never been to a vet or had a check-up when with their previous owners, and 2) the only vet near my home that has any experience with guinea pigs is nearly an hour's drive from my house. I'm a first time owner of guinea pigs and this is all still very new for me. I do want to avoid spending a lot of money taking them to the vet if all I need to do is give them some medicine to fix the problem.

I read some of the articles on Guinea Lynx and they say to use Ivermectin and wash their bedding (which I did the other day). I also noticed that the hair was a bit thin on his back about a month ago but only recently I noticed the bald spot. I also didn't see any dandruff like stuff and his skin is pink but no visible sores. He did have some dirt on him after having his run around with Carlos and accidentally knocking over one of the food bowls.

I'm now looking up places where I can buy Ivermectin cheap (and if I need to I can order it online). Is it best recommended that I give them the Ivermectin orally or topically? Also, should I give them any baths before or after I give them the medicine using certain shampoos or not? I only ever gave Barely a bath once after I gave him floor time when I first got him and he rolled around in his pee for a bit. Just asking.

 

[bpatters]

The instructions I gave you were for the kind of ivermectin that's the easiest to give a pig without the danger of an overdose. The instructions for dosing are labeled "topical."

Don't bathe them until after the last mite treatment -- water drives the mites wild, and that makes the pigs mighty cranky.

 

[Natalie Boyle]

Okay, thanks. I will order it today.

 

[Natalie Boyle]

Okay so I talked about it with my parents the other day and they told me to monitor Gus' condition for a few days and look for other signs that it might be mites before I go buying anything. Fair enough, because if it's just a nervous habit or something else that can be fixed easily then fine.

Well, today Gus tried so hard to itch his back that he flipped himself over. It would have been cute and funny if I didn't know that he had a problem. So I got him into one of the cozy sacks I made and held him up under a light to see his back. He has pretty long hair so I had to use both hands to be able to see it: one to hold the sack he was in and the other to use a soft bristle pet brush to move the hair aside to see his back. On closer inspection I saw that he does has some dry skin on his back. He also didn't like me brushing his fur at all. Still no sores so that's a plus, but at this rate he will hurt himself unless I do something soon. (Also he does need a bath, but if he does have mites then I can't give him a bath until after the mites are gone)

So I talked to my dad about the issue (he's the one most reluctant to do anything right away, and he was the one who automatically assumed that Gus simply had fleas and just needed a bath, but you do that with dogs and cats, not guinea pigs) and I told him about the dry skin on his back. Now he knows and accepts that my theory about him having mites was correct.
Then I told him about the medication needed to treat it and that the one most recommended was the one bpatters linked me. He doesn't like the fact that it's almost $20 to buy even with free shipping and doesn't want me spending so much money on medicine I will only use a few times then never touch again. He told me that he won't let me buy any medicine unless I do more research on it, or more likely find it cheaper and in smaller quantities. (Technically I can buy it with my credit card, but it's still his money on the card and he will not be happy with me)

If anyone knows where I can buy some in the DFW area over the counter then please let me know. For now I will do my own research and hopefully I can either find a place I can buy it locally today or I will go ahead and buy the one recommended to me if I can't find it anywhere else.

 

[bpatters]

You can find it cheaper in paste form (probably about $5), but the small amount of paste you get is intended for a 1,000-1,200 pound cow or horse, and requires massive dilution in order to treat your guinea pig. It's much easier to overdose the pig, sometimes with disastrous results.

Your guinea pig can have seizures from the mites, and they're very uncomfortable for the pig. It's unfair for your father to refuse to treat him -- every pet deserves medical care. Food and shelter is not enough. Part of being a responsible pet owner is providing medical care when needed.

If you can earn your own money by doing chores, you can buy it yourself. Or if you know someone is giving you money for Christmas, ask if you can have it early. But if you can't do that, and if your father is unwilling to have your pig treated, the kindest thing to do would be to surrender it to a rescue that will see that it's taken care of. Then wait until you're in control of your own money before getting another pet. That way, you can make sure that it has what it needs to be healthy and happy.

 

[Natalie Boyle]

Well, I finally forced my parents to sit down and talk it over with me about buying the medicine I needed. I did my research and found out where I could get the medicine for cheap but - sadly - it is only sold in the UK, and you can't buy medicine from there and have it shipped to the States as customs will destroy it. So my mom did some research of her own and looked up the medicine I told her about, and after reading it she told me that I couldn't get it because the instructions on the site said to not use it on any animal the medicine is not intended for. I told her there is no place nearby where you can get the medicine meant specifically for guinea pigs without going to a specialty vet, and that all instructions I read on other websites say to dilute the medicine to make it more safe for guinea pigs. Still my mom either didn't believe me or was reluctant to let me use medicine intended for another animal on my boys, so she looked around on Google and found an alternate solution for me to try before resorting to going to a vet: Ultra Care Flea and Tick Spray for small animals. She read a review on the Petco website and someone had said they used it on their guinea pig when they thought it had mites (like me with Gus) and they stopped itching within a week or 2. Everyone else who reviewed the product were pretty happy with it so my mom made a deal with me in that I gave the flea and tick spray a try before I decide to take my boys to a vet.

So I went to Petco and grabbed a bottle - along with some more food and a double sided metal comb - then I talked to the cashier about the product. He said it should work with mites, although he wasn't 100% sure as he mostly specialized in reptiles and their guinea pig expert was out at the time. He did make a deal with me in that I try the spray out and if it doesn't work I just bring the bottle in with the receipt and he will give me a full refund. Great, so I bring it home and the next day I use the spray on Gus, following the instructions to get the spray on his skin, keep it away from his face, and do not put him back in the cage until he is completely dry. While he was drying I used the new comb I got and brushed him. He absolutely LOVED the brushed, and at one point he went limp and as flat as a pancake as I combed his fur, and he almost always never sits still when I'm holding him. This gave me a chance to get a better look at the bald spot on his back. Turns out what I thought was dry skin actually wasn't: it was just really short fur, either the fur growing back or he couldn't reach it. I also remember reading that guinea pigs with mites do not like being held or brushed as it hurts them but Gus was alright with his fur being combed and the area around the bald spot didn't hurt him even when I pet/brushed him there. Maybe it's because I used the spray on him first, I don't know. And I would know if my guinea pig was in pain or didn't like being brushed for whatever reason as all 3 of my boys are very expressive vocally.

As of right now I don't think 100% as much right now that it's in fact mites. Now it's been 4-5 days since I put the spray on him. He still tries to itch that area, but not as aggressively as before and not as often. He actually seems more content now then he has been in the past few weeks. He still chases Barely and Carlos around but they don't really "fight" as much as they did when they had their old cage layout. It could be because I removed their igloos and only gave them cozy sacks to sleep in, as they almost always fought for sleeping spaces over anything else. Just in case I will spray him again after Christmas and continue to monitor him, but he seems in the clear for now.

 

[Soecara]

So my mom did some research of her own and looked up the medicine I told her about, and after reading it she told me that I couldn't get it because the instructions on the site said to not use it on any animal the medicine is not intended for.

The companies say this simply to cover themselves legally so they can not be sued for off label usages of the product. Ivermectin has been clinically shown to be generally safe for most mammals if dosed correctly (guinea pigs and humans included, though it is not safe for some individuals of certain dog breeds due to a genetic variant). A large number of vets will even use Ivermectin on guinea pigs, though in my opinion if you are going to a vet for mite/lice/flea treatment you are better off asking for revolution instead as ivermectin needs redosing every week so it can mean multiple vet trips. Here is a scientific article referring to a test for the effectiveness of ivermectin vs revolution (selamectin) for treating mange mites in guinea pigs https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23039980

What are the active ingredients in Ultra Care Flea and Tick Spray for small animals?
Generally I am quite wary of such products as most either don't contain a percentage of the active ingredient that is high enough to effectively treat the problem, don't actually contain anything that would treat the problem they are advertised for, or they contain dangerous/extremely dangerous chemical/s with no clear guidelines as to the amount that should be applied or warnings as to possible side effects meaning owners can overdose their pets or their pets could experience possible side effects that the owner was unaware of either of which could be potentially fatal. Though I do understand you are in a very difficult situation where your parents are in charge of what treatments your animals will or will not receive.

 

[bpatters]

Don't use the flea and tick spray. For one thing, it won't do anything for mites. What does a cashier know about treating animals? And second, guinea pigs groom themselves, and they have very sensitive digestive systems. You're risking major gut problems by using it on a guinea pig.

Ivermectin is used for nearly every species in the animal world, including humans. It's routinely prescribed by vets for mites, lice and other parasites. Take a look at the Guinea Lynx website, and recommend to your mother that she do the same -- it's the premier lay medical site for guinea pigs worldwide, and there are thousands of people who swear by it. It's also additionally recommended by many vets, my own included.

 

[Natalie Boyle]

Okay, time for an update.

First off, Merry Christmas and Happy 2016, everyone!

Second. Well, whatever Gus had - if it was mites, fleas or whatever - he has stopped itching his back over the past 2 weeks (I spend a majority of my day in my room working on my computer so I can monitor them all the time, and if he is still itching his back he does it when I'm not around, which is rare) and is in a much better mood lately by popcorning everywhere and making a ton of noise when I feed him, and I think some of the fur that was torn out has started growing back. He even popcorned for no reason the other day when I walked past the cage, and he and Carlos both get excited when I spot clean the cage. Barely is still a lazy pig like always, but either way Gus seems to be doing well! I will continue to monitor him and the other boys in case it starts happening again, but so far they seem okay!

And third. Also, my grandpa, dad and I are halfway done with building a new stand for the cage to go on! I will make a post about it in a cage design thread or somewhere along with pictures. We built it in two pieces with one sitting on top of the other and it will eventually be on wheels to make moving it around easier as it's made of MDF wood (which is FREAKING HEAVY). I still need to sand down the edges, put on some cocking in the portion the cage will sit on, some linoleum tiles to waterproof it, then paint it to match the colors of my bedroom. That will take at least another 2-3 days and my grandpa and grandma leave to head home tomorrow, so my dad and I will finish it. With this new stand I can provide more storage space for my guinea pig stuff (right now it's just scattered around in my room with no place to go) and it will be easier to clean the cage. Ans it's slightly smaller than their current cage so there will be just a bit more open space again in my room. Also I could switch over to wood pellets easily as the absorbent layer any time after that since there will be a solid base for the pellets to sit on, but that won't be until much later.

I will make a post about it when it's done and posted online!

 

[Soecara]

Glad to hear he is doing better.