Question about mites

[TheAlmightyMiko]

I was just browsing on the Guinea Lynx forums and in the thread "New to Piggies have a scratching question", I found a post that stated that

[font=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]Mites don't come from anywhere, they are a dormaint condition that all pigs have[/font]

Nobody challenged this at all, but I have never come accross this info before! Is this true? I couldn't really find anything anywhere else on GL that mentioned this, and since I personally don't have an e-mail address other than my hotmail, I havn't been able to subscribe to the GL forums. Any responses would be helpful!

 

[DocDolittle]

Yes, it is true. Mites remain dormant in all guinea pigs, but often times stress and other conditions can wake them up. I have asked this question to several vets, and they have all confirmed it.

 

[TheAlmightyMiko]

Wow, you learn something new every day! Has your vet, or anyone else's, reccomended any sort of preventative treatment for mites with ivermectin, or is it better to just let it alone until the first symptoms appear?

 

[aqh88]

That's why it's good to treat all new pigs with ivermectin. I know a few people treat their pigs every 3-4months. Since I already treat my horses every 2months I just do the pigs too.

 

[TheAlmightyMiko]

Thanks for that reply, I'm glad to know it's safe to treat as a preventative measure. I was worried because I have read that pigs can OD on ivermectin, but as long as I give them the proper dosing I can treat them every 4-6 months without a problem, then?

 

[aqh88]

If you are giving the proper dose it is safe to give it at least a week apart. You are only at risk of overdose if you treat them twice in one week or give them more than the appropriate dose. It is easy to overdose when dealing such small doses but after a few months there won't be any ivermectin in their system.

 

[Piglet]

Sounds good to me miko

 

[critterlover]

Mites remain dormant in all guinea pigs

This doesn't make any sense to me, although I've heard it repeated a lot. Why would 3 applications of Ivermectin not kills all the mites, including all the eggs? My guess is that in cases of reoccurence, only 1 application of Ivermectin was given and there were eggs still present which hatched when the cavy was under stress. Call me crazy, but I don't believe that mites come from thin air, just as fleas don't.

 

[aqh88]

Ivermectin only kills adults. That is why you need to retreat. If you treat once then the current eggs will have hatched again in 7-10days. It's nearly impossible to get all the mites but a healthy adults immune system can keep them under control. This is also true for internal parasites which is what we use ivermectin for in livestock. The eggs are not affect in most parasite species.

 

[Ly&Pigs]

As a preventative measure though, you may only need to give one or two doses. If your pig is infested with mites then three treatments 7-10 days apart are recommended.

From GuineaLynx:
All parasites can, of course, be easily passed from one guinea pig to another in pet stores. If one of your guinea pigs has mites or lice, they must all be treated and their living quarters cleaned thoroughly. Since some parasites can live for several days off the host many parasite eggs remain viable for a long time, cleaning and disinfecting the living area is extremely important. New pigs may not only harbor illnesses, but parasites as well, a compelling reason for quarantining new animals from pets you already have. Some breeders routinely treat new animals for topical parasites while in quarantine to avoid exposing the whole herd.

Parasites sometimes seem to appear out of nowhere. Many infestations are so minor that they are not noticed (the immune response in a healthy animal reportedly keeps the population down, especially true of Sellnic mites). An animal under stress, such as a sow in late pregnancy or a cavy suffering from another illness is vulnerable to an outbreak. So besides the possibility that the parasite has been recently introduced, your pet may have had them all along, but exhibited no symptoms.