Pepperdog
Adult Guinea Pig
I am taking her to the vets weds to get to the bottom of this problem but I think crystal has an allergy to something which flairs up from time to time, I think stress sets it off.
When I first had her, the gang got lice, I treated with over the counter ivormec, her skin went bright red and she was clearly uncomfortable for 2 days with what I can only assume now is chemical burns from something in the treatment, but she and the others had lice and needed to be treated. It cleared up within a week, her skin went scabby in patches where she scratched so much and after a month the fur grew back.
Then in the winter when they were all inside again lice, treated with the evil stuff and again all gone, 4 weeks to regain a full coat. I then vowed to avoid as much as possible using the evil ivormec brought in pet shops and got gorgeous guineas lice and easy shampoo, and lotions to sooth any flair ups, and a shampoo for sensitive skin which I used 6 weeks after the lice and easy one was used on them all.
Then flash died, within a week she shows signs of a flair up, all shampooed with lice and easy and it settled down, then it came back again, in little patches and i would treat with aloe, put louse powder in her coat but never saw evidence of any lice, it would get better then come back a week later, each time the old patch would heal and regrow (quicker than when I treated with ivormec), but a patch just above that one would appear.
I have not changed any washing liquid - I am allergic to powder so have liquid for our clothing and they have non bio which is done seperately to our clothes in the same machine. I have not changed the food, they have the same muesli since last year, although I have now introduced burgess which they have had in the past (although they refused to eat it last time). I use chopped up tea bags for their litter trays, which again I have used all the time with them. The only thing I can think that has set her off is the hay.
The first time I found they had pulled a lot down and were lying in it, after the first flair up I stopped them doing this by placing the litter tray underneath and raising them up and they didnt do it again. The second time it was a really dodgy bag which I threw out, similar smell to the one they pulled down for bedding and the third time I just threw out the bag as soon as it happened. I started a fresh bag, I also mixed in timothy hay and have now got camomile hay as I wonder if the meadow is the trigger.
It was during the introduction of silver that I think my evdience of allergy is strongest. I had meadow hay in the hay rack for silver, the girls were on timothy and crystal went over and had hay from silvers hay rack (I never thought about it), after 5 mins she went mental, rubbing her whole body on the fleece, like she had something irritating her and made self sore again. I have taken out all meadow hay at present and they only have the camomile in the hay racks to eat, her skin during her rubbing episode was bright pink and very irritated, it is now back to a nice colour but of course I need to solve this problem for her else she is going to be a very miserable pig indeed.
I know that the stress of the bonding has not helped but since losing flash she has not improved much and I hope that once its all over and done with she will regrow a full coat.
I dont need a debate on potential parasitic problems, this is too long a problem to be anything else. Imagine flea allergies in cats and dogs and you can understand what she is doing, but its not fleas, the only factor is hay and lice. Sorry for the long post but I needed to explain a lot of the background, she will seek the vet to see if we can treat with antihistamines perhaps or something that will stop her getting this problem, what I am asking is has anyone ever had something similar before, have piggies been given antihistamines, is it possible for them to be allergic to hay or is this lice allergy?
When I first had her, the gang got lice, I treated with over the counter ivormec, her skin went bright red and she was clearly uncomfortable for 2 days with what I can only assume now is chemical burns from something in the treatment, but she and the others had lice and needed to be treated. It cleared up within a week, her skin went scabby in patches where she scratched so much and after a month the fur grew back.
Then in the winter when they were all inside again lice, treated with the evil stuff and again all gone, 4 weeks to regain a full coat. I then vowed to avoid as much as possible using the evil ivormec brought in pet shops and got gorgeous guineas lice and easy shampoo, and lotions to sooth any flair ups, and a shampoo for sensitive skin which I used 6 weeks after the lice and easy one was used on them all.
Then flash died, within a week she shows signs of a flair up, all shampooed with lice and easy and it settled down, then it came back again, in little patches and i would treat with aloe, put louse powder in her coat but never saw evidence of any lice, it would get better then come back a week later, each time the old patch would heal and regrow (quicker than when I treated with ivormec), but a patch just above that one would appear.
I have not changed any washing liquid - I am allergic to powder so have liquid for our clothing and they have non bio which is done seperately to our clothes in the same machine. I have not changed the food, they have the same muesli since last year, although I have now introduced burgess which they have had in the past (although they refused to eat it last time). I use chopped up tea bags for their litter trays, which again I have used all the time with them. The only thing I can think that has set her off is the hay.
The first time I found they had pulled a lot down and were lying in it, after the first flair up I stopped them doing this by placing the litter tray underneath and raising them up and they didnt do it again. The second time it was a really dodgy bag which I threw out, similar smell to the one they pulled down for bedding and the third time I just threw out the bag as soon as it happened. I started a fresh bag, I also mixed in timothy hay and have now got camomile hay as I wonder if the meadow is the trigger.
It was during the introduction of silver that I think my evdience of allergy is strongest. I had meadow hay in the hay rack for silver, the girls were on timothy and crystal went over and had hay from silvers hay rack (I never thought about it), after 5 mins she went mental, rubbing her whole body on the fleece, like she had something irritating her and made self sore again. I have taken out all meadow hay at present and they only have the camomile in the hay racks to eat, her skin during her rubbing episode was bright pink and very irritated, it is now back to a nice colour but of course I need to solve this problem for her else she is going to be a very miserable pig indeed.
I know that the stress of the bonding has not helped but since losing flash she has not improved much and I hope that once its all over and done with she will regrow a full coat.
I dont need a debate on potential parasitic problems, this is too long a problem to be anything else. Imagine flea allergies in cats and dogs and you can understand what she is doing, but its not fleas, the only factor is hay and lice. Sorry for the long post but I needed to explain a lot of the background, she will seek the vet to see if we can treat with antihistamines perhaps or something that will stop her getting this problem, what I am asking is has anyone ever had something similar before, have piggies been given antihistamines, is it possible for them to be allergic to hay or is this lice allergy?
