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A Scratchy Problem

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Midge&Panda

Midge&Panda

Adult Guinea Pig
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Sandy is being treated for mites at the moment, She has just had her second panomec injection but is still suffering from the itchiness. She has an open sore just behind her shoulder which she keeps attacking. It will dry nicely then she has a go at it. We are putting powder on it to keep it clean and her nails are nice and short. She is also having metacam to help with the pain. She has been losing weight because of the condition. Any other suggestions to help her. Thanks.
 
Wounds from scratching are hard to stop, partly because half of it is habit in the cycle. One of my girls came to me covered in wounds from scratching, we had to make her a jacket (on vet advice) just to try and break the cycle of her scratching. After a few days it did, but it's something you'd have to seek advice on and she'd have to be constantly supervised with it on.
 
Hi Midge&Panda,

I am new to the forum but hope you don't mind me asking if it may be possible to get a type of antihistamine for piggies? My son suffers with hay fever & scratches like mad but once he starts taking them it seems to break that cycle. I am not sure if they have that for piggies but may be worth asking your vet. Sending healing hugs to Sandy x
 
I've been reading through some old posts and it seems some owners have used piriton to help stop the itching from mites. I know it's safe to use with the metacam but does anybody know about using it with panomec injections. Sandy had it just over a week ago and is due one on Friday.
 
Midge&Panda said:
Sandy is being treated for mites at the moment, She has just had her second panomec injection but is still suffering from the itchiness. She has an open sore just behind her shoulder which she keeps attacking. It will dry nicely then she has a go at it. We are putting powder on it to keep it clean and her nails are nice and short. She is also having metacam to help with the pain. She has been losing weight because of the condition. Any other suggestions to help her. Thanks.
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I am very sorry that she has got it so badly! Hopefully, the second round will help. If you can prevent her from getting at the spot with a bandage etc. it may help the open wound to heal. It won't be quite easy though to keep her from wiggling out, but it may be worth a try.
Sometimes, piggies bite just from reflex; if you can, just disinfect the open wound gently. Pebble had some success with using a very diluted solution of F10 in a severe case to prevent fungal etc. getting into wound. Perhaps your vet may think that that is a good idea?

My Pili Pala still has a bald spot where she damaged the hair roots too badly for any hair to regrow. :(

What kind of powder are you using? Has your vet prescribed it?Please ask your vet what you can use safely in conjunction with the prescribed medication and don't be tempted to home treat.

It would be good if you could give her extra vitamin C or some metatone to boost her immune system and help her fight off the mites. Top her up with syringe feed after each meal to keep her weight stable as long as her appetite is impacted.
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/complete-syringe-feeding-guide.115359/
 
Thanks Wiebke, It's just an antiseptic drying powder (otc). I'll pick up some metatone for her today, She's getting topped up twice a day with cc.
 
A course of steroids can be effective too, but she would need to come off Metacam while on them.
 
Thanks Helen, She had a dose this morning and I'm not going to give her any more till she's seen the vet on Friday (pm) just in case she wants to give her steroids.
 
I think you can give up to 24 hours before, so if she needs to between now and then you could give up to 24 hours before the vet appointment.
 
A quick update on Sandy. A visit to the vets on Friday and she had her 3rd injection unfortunately the wound had become infected so she is now on septrin (1ml twice a day) and isoderm gel to be applied twice a day. It must be working this morning she was first out wheeking for breakfast. She's not done that in a while.
 
I'm struggling with mites at the moment. One wee girl passed away because she was so ill - just had no interest in anything and eventually died. Another has been treated successfully (fingers crossed) and Emilia has been to the vet - it's her second infestation. She's had spot treatment and an injection. I can see some regrowth but I'm treating her quite large bald spot with organic Aloe Vera cream to relieve the itching. Her eyes are bright and sparkly so I'm hoping she'll recover. The vet recommended making sure that she has plenty of Dandelion and Raspberry leaves to keep up her Vit C. He says that if there are mites in the hay there's not a great deal you can do about it and he's suggested that I change hay and see if that helps, which I have All eight girls have the same food and the same hay so it's odd that some are affected and others not. All my girls are from a rescue so there's no way of knowing about their background really and how robust they are.
 
I never had any problems until I had to start buying hay from pet shops - I have tried several times with several different sorts but always have problems. I'm extremely allergic to the bugs in hay, so I can always tell!
 
Thanks. I've been buying mine from The Range but I have a large bag now from a stable which grows their own and 'm going to look into a farm supplier.
 
Is it not mange mites you are dealing with? If it is then they are invisible to the naked eye and unlikely to have come in on the hay. Has she only had one injection? usually they need at least 3?
 
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