Advice please :)

[DJ KT]

Today I noticed that my new piglet Zelda had a patch of fur missing (about just under an inch) and it was a little scabby where it looked like a scratch or something. At first before I picked him up it just looked like a coronet he has all over, but as i checked it out, and it wasnt supposed to be like that and it had a scab/scratch on it.

I have no idea how this has happened, as he has yet to meet my other piggy yet and is in his own cage. He has no lice, and the rest of his skin/fur is fine, he's eating and drinking fine, popcorning and acting as usual...

So any ideas?

Also is there anything I can use to put on the scabs to keep them clean or should I just use warm sea salt soak (low dilution of course) to clean it and let it heal up?

Over the last 10 years of having piglets, I've never had this happen, even when keeping more than one together, so i'm at a bit of a loose end on this one...

thank you in advance for your help and replies

 

[lauralucy]

hi where abouts is the missing fur? could it be mites?

 

[DJ KT]

hi where abouts is the missing fur? could it be mites?

its just one patch on his back, on the right side ish, nearer the hips...I had a check and I've not seen anything on his skin or fur, but I'm guessing you cant see mites? I know you can see lice, as I had a problem with that when i first had piglets which was easily sorted

 

[Suzygpr]

Is there any chance of a pic? Have you treated for mites recently? Did he come from a rescue/breeder/petshop? How old is he?

The first thing that comes to mind is ringworm but it's difficult to say without seeing the problem. So what to recommend is hard but keeping it clean is always a good start, and always washing your hands after handling him as if it is fungal then it can easily be passed on to the other pig and you could even catch it too.

I have recently treated a whole group with ringworm with Imaverol dip which I found very effective. One little piggy which was very badly affected was prescribed Mycozole spray and she has now started hair regrowth and shows no signs of the problem now.

Suzy x

 

[DJ KT]

Is there any chance of a pic? Have you treated for mites recently? Did he come from a rescue/breeder/petshop? How old is he?

The first thing that comes to mind is ringworm but it's difficult to say without seeing the problem. So what to recommend is hard but keeping it clean is always a good start, and always washing your hands after handling him as if it is fungal then it can easily be passed on to the other pig and you could even catch it too.

I have recently treated a whole group with ringworm with Imaverol dip which I found very effective. One little piggy which was very badly affected was prescribed Mycozole spray and she has now started hair regrowth and shows no signs of the problem now.

Suzy x

I got him from a local shop a couple of weeks ago, he is 8months old. is there any other visual signs i can look out for in regards to ringworm?
I'll try and get a pic if he will sit still, but he seems to be finding my sleeves rather tasty at the moment, so I'll see what I can do

 

[lauralucy]

no you cant see mites. i would be tempted to treat for mites anyway just in case. good luck taking the photo

 

[DJ KT]

no you cant see mites. i would be tempted to treat for mites anyway just in case. good luck taking the photo

thanks

Should I wait for the scabs to heal up a little before treating, as I wouldnt wanna risk agrevating the skin...(although it is just that one patch)I will defo treat for mites on both of them (i've never treated for mites before on guineas, have done my budgies but not guineas so any help/advice on that would be great)

 

[Suzygpr]

The sooner you treat the better, you can treat with Xeno 450 spot on, or with insecticidal shampoo - which would help the skin heal too. I find that piggies coming in with unknown skin probs recover quickly when shampooed, weekly for 3 weeks to ensure all mites/lice are finished off completely. Any skin issues that remain or worsen are normally fungal and will require different treatment. If you are at all unsure how to treat I would advise a vet trip to get a confirmed diagnosis and appropriate meds.

suzy x

 

[DJ KT]

ok heres a pic I'm sending my OH out to get some stuff tomorrow so tomorrow night we will get his treated. shoud I treat with mite stuff and a shampoo or just one of them?

also heres a pic

 

[Suzygpr]

You treat with one, whichever suits your needs best. Though if you choose to treat with both you must wait 48 hrs between shampoo/spot on. Do remember that this treatment will not help with fungal issues, so if it doesn't improve or gets worse by the second treatment then fungal should be suspected.

Suzy x

 

[Sodapops]

On first glance i would say that looks like a fungal infection - i'm sure the more expereinced folk will be along to confirm this.

My two long haired boys had one when they were younger and i treated the one piggie using Surolan ointment (given to me by my vets) and Nizoral shampoo on his cage mate.

I personally found the Nizoral shampoo to be the better out of the two. The basic idea is to wash and rinse the pig, then lather up again and allow to soak in for up to 5 minutes. The bath will need repeating weekly for 2-3 weeks.

If in any doubt though - or you are worried please consult your vet as soon as possible.

Also note if it is a fungal infection, you will need to handle your piggie with gloves and practice a strict hygiene regime (i.e plenty of handwashing) as it is know for humans to catch ringworm from animal fungal infections

I hope he gets better soon

 

[DJ KT]

Thank you for all your help. Ill get him to a vet and see what the prognosis is, fingers crossed it will all be easily sorted out

 

[DJ KT]

hey all just got an update to this...I have since treated for mites (he was a very good boy while i was trying to treat him too!) and his patch has since healed up, and has no more scabs on it, and no more scratchy looking-ness to it (i cant describe it very well...lol) basicly its looking better, just like normal piggy skin So looks like the darn mites got in! so I'm gunna keep treating for them regularly to make sure none come back in either of my boys. How long would it take for the hair to grow back over the patch?

Also in your opinions/experiences, have you found drops of medicine type or shampoo type treatments for mites work better than another (or have a preference to use one or the other?)

Ta peoples

 

[Niki]

hey all just got an update to this...I have since treated for mites (he was a very good boy while i was trying to treat him too!) and his patch has since healed up, and has no more scabs on it, and no more scratchy looking-ness to it (i cant describe it very well...lol) basicly its looking better, just like normal piggy skin So looks like the darn mites got in! so I'm gunna keep treating for them regularly to make sure none come back in either of my boys. How long would it take for the hair to grow back over the patch?

Also in your opinions/experiences, have you found drops of medicine type or shampoo type treatments for mites work better than another (or have a preference to use one or the other?)

Ta peoples

Glad his skin is looking normal His hair will re-grow fairly quickly.
Guinea pigs have mites all the time but their numbers are small enough not to cause any problems but stress or illness can upset the balance & this is when you see the hairloss, scratching etc.

I only treat whenever i see symptoms & always give 3 doses, this ensures adults, young & any eggs that may have hatched inbetween doses are also killed.

I have used johnsons insecticidal shampoo & also ivomec (given orally) & had good results with both. My preference is to give oral ivomec purely because my pigs lived outside & bathing them wasn't an option in the winter.

 

[DJ KT]

Glad his skin is looking normal His hair will re-grow fairly quickly.
Guinea pigs have mites all the time but their numbers are small enough not to cause any problems but stress or illness can upset the balance & this is when you see the hairloss, scratching etc.

I only treat whenever i see symptoms & always give 3 doses, this ensures adults, young & any eggs that may have hatched inbetween doses are also killed.

I have used johnsons insecticidal shampoo & also ivomec (given orally) & had good results with both. My preference is to give oral ivomec purely because my pigs lived outside & bathing them wasn't an option in the winter.

thank you for your reply!
perhaps because of the stress of a move to my house and new environment didnt help with the hairloss/scratching.

Because my boys live indoors I think I will defo try the shampoo option, as I love bathing my boys as I think its sorta like a bonding time so to speak

How often would you suggest using the shampoo, or only use when I see symptoms? I cant wait to get them both sorted (as I wanna make sure Bubbles is all clear too) and then they can meet

 

[DJ KT]

sorry for double post, but just thought I'd update with letting you know his furs growing back

I saw his patch looked really dark and i got him out to check it and it was so cute, a little covering of short black fur yay