Help !

[-Emma-]

:weepy: Ok so I suspected my piggies had mites because of bald spots and excessive scratching and I made a vet appointment ! I took them to the vet and she looked at them and said they had a mite infection ! She said they dont usually have guinea pigs in so she would have to order in the medication but then she found some for dogs cats and bunny rabbits at the back of the shelf and said its not normally for guinea pigs but she would half the sachet of gel ! She put a blob of gel on each of the back of their heads under their fur and she said it would work its way down their back and we werent to pet that spot ! She said come back if they keep scratching ! But its been 2 days and they are back to their normal scratching already !!

I want my piggies better !! I feel sooo sorry for them !!:weepy:

What can I do now ?

She dosent seem experienced !

Help please ! Are there any good home treatments for mites in the UK ?



Thanks !!

 

[-Emma-]

And also I feel one of my piggies isnt himself !

He is not as active and sleeping and lazing around alot more !
He isnt as shifty when I try to pick him up !
He is eating fine !


Im really worried about him !!

Please help ! :weepy: :weepy: :weepy: :weepy:

 

[-Emma-]

And he also wont let me pet him he just runs away and hides when he always lets me pet him !

 

[Biscuit]

Mites can cause a pig to be very uncomfortable, and dislike being touched. It is severely painful. It can make them more aggressive, as they are horribly uncomfortable. The lethargy you describe is disturbing. How did she diagnose the mites?

I recommend you try to find a cavy experienced vet. I would try to help you, but I don't know anything about Scotland.

There is no real home remedy for mites. It requires ivermectin treatments, which I believe must be administered more than once, with about a week in between. The dosage has to be correct which is why you need a cavy savy vet very badly. It can be topical (behind the ears like you described) or injected.

The cage will need to be cleaned very thoroughly.

Read here: Guinea Lynx :: Mange Mites

 

[-Emma-]

She put a bit of gel on the back of their heads and said that it should help and if they keep scratching come back ! But she didnt give them invectimin !!

I would have to travel about 3 hours to and 3 hours back to get a cavy savy vet !!

Help !

 

[Biscuit]

Are you sure the gel wasn't ivermectin? How were the mites diagnosed?

Mites can be very deadly. If they have bald patches this is serious. Are there scabs and sores?

 

[-Emma-]

Nope there is just one bald spot and as far as I know no sores ! She didnt tell us if it was invectimin ! Since they are still scratching does this mean that the gel didnt work ? The mites were diagnosed when she was about to put him back in the carrier and I said can you have a look at his back (she didnt even recognise) and then she said yep it loks like he has a wee mite infection !

 

[Biscuit]

Mites can be misdiagnosed, but treating with ivermectin I've always heard was a good idea either way.

I think you need to call the vet and find out what he was treated with. I just read your original post again and if the vet found something "not usually for guinea pigs" that is for dogs and cats, that could be very bad. Some medications are not safe for guinae pigs that are for dogs and cats. Others simply wouldn't be effective, and the dosage could be wrong.

 

[-Emma-]

Ok thanks !

 

[daftscotslass]

Did you say you were in Ayrshire? I can't see why you'd need to travel 3 hours to get a cavy savvy vet - perhaps ask the Ayr SSPCA who they use.

It's very unusual for a vet not to have or be able to access ivermectin as it is regularly used for large animals (sheep, cattle) as an anti-parasitic.

Please try and find out what they put on your pig - it could be dangerous. Most decent vets around here will give you a print out of the treatment that's been given.

 

[-Emma-]

ok thanks ! Yeah im in Ayrshire !

Emma

 

[muffin]

I definitely think you need to find out what your vet used. It's not normal so far as I know to use a product that you would use for cats and dogs, even if it can be used on bunnies. Halving it doesn't sound very precise either.

Try ringing other vets in your area, ask if they regularly see guinea pigs, and how they would diagnose and treat mites. Avoid any that would take a skin scraping and who wouldn't use Ivomec/ivermectin.

There is always the possibility that it isn't mites. It could be a fungal problem. See the info on this site to see if it could be a fungal skin problem:
Gorgeous Guineas - Identifying Skin Problems Look at the bottom of the page.

Small goosepimple type bumps on the stomach could be an indicator of mites. If you cannot find a decent vet, contact Thistle Cavies, they may be able to help.

THISTLE CAVIES

Please let us know how you have gotten on. Mites require Ivomec, about 8 days apart, for at least three treatments.

 

[-Emma-]

My mum called up the vet and she gave them ivemexin ( I dont know if it was invectimin maybe my mum heard it wrong ??) thats how she said the vet pronounced it ! She said on the phone that it would take about 6 weeks and that we would have to go back in 2 weeks for another treatment ! Does this sound ok (it was gel she put on the back of each of their heads) ??
It looks like he is getting a tiny wee sore ! What can I do ??? My mum wont take them back to the vet because she says that they have got the treatment and we have to go back in 2 weeks !!!

Im totally unconvinced !!

Ive not picked him up in 2 weeks ! What will I do ?

 

[-Emma-]

He is just scratching and chewing and pulling out his fur constantly ! Help I feel terrible !

 

[ava&lilly]

You definatly need to get him to some where that knows about guinea pig mites! sorry that i have no advice , but it sounds serious

 

[daftscotslass]

Ivermectin will not take 6 weeks to work, it should start working within days. You need a second treatment a week later for it to be effective. 2 weeks seems like a bit long to me.

 

[muffin]

I don't know why she didn't mention the need for repeat treatments at the first visit. I really don't think your vet knows what she is doing.

You said your piggy is pulling out his fur - is there much dandruff, does the fur look greasy at all? There is a possibility it could be a fungal problem, which needs teatment soon. You will need to pick your piggy up and put them on your lap and have a good look in good light. If your piggy has pink ears and a light coat in any part, is the colour of the skin under the hair much darker than the colour of the ear? It should only be slightly darker. If it is much redder and/or it feels very hot to the touch, that is a sign of fungal. Also a sure sign is that if you give a small tuft of fur a light tug, if it comes out in a little clump with bits of skin on the end, that could be fungal too. Please look at the links to Gorgeous Guineas and Thistle Cavies and look at their advice. The thistle website has pictures of very bad fungal.

Fungal and mites have similar symptoms, but fungal must be treated as quick as possible. You need a good diagnosis. Since you are having trouble with your vet, try and get your Mum to take you a better one. Try and ring around and see if you can find a better vet. Try explaining to your Mum that most vets don't know all that much about cavies. The lecture on them at vet school isn't compulsory and many vets see cavies as being of little value, so do little research on treatment.

 

[-Emma-]

We were at a good vet that knew what she was doing because she had had guinea pigs all her life and she was good with them but then we changed to another vet because it was closer and we thought we'd check it out to see how good it was ! But when we got there I had to point out to her that he had a mite infection because she didnt realise and they werent good ! She gave them the gel (Read above post) and she said it would take 6 weeks to work and we were to go back in 2 weeks for another treatment. But now my mum wont go back to the other good vet because she says we have to wait 6 weeks because she thinks the treatment will work but I dont because they are still scratching alot !!

Im sooo scared that they are getting worse than better !! But I cant tell because they are still just scratching the same as before !!

I really want to take them back to the other vet but my mum wants to wait 6 weeks !!!!! And the vet said I cant pick them up for 6 WEEKS !!

Please help !!

 

[I<3MyBabies]

I would suggest buying/ordering your OWN Ivermectin and administering proper dosages. If she already had one dose, wait the appropriate time, 1 week, and give the second treatment.

You can get it from a feed lot type-store, or order online.

 

[daftscotslass]

I think your best avenue now is to convince your mum that you need to go back for the second dose, preferably sooner than 2 weeks after the first.

Another option is to treat them yourself. You MUST be confident about their weights and calculating the dosage. You can buy it online from here - Easimec Ivermectin 0.5% 10ml

You can handle the pigs whenever you want, the vet is talking nonsense. The only time I would hold of on handling a pig with mites is if it's a severe infestation and to handle them would cause pain. Just keep away from the area that the ivermectin was applied.

Here is the dosing information. If you buy from the link above, follow the instructions for dosing for 0.5% topical solution here - Guinea Lynx -- Topical Ivermectin Treatment

Heck, if I was closer I would offer to do it for you!