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Being paranoid.... possible mites?

artcasper

artcasper

*Rescue Buddy*
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So..... I noticed last night that Brownie looks like she has a V shape on her back... impossible to get a clear photo of it as she is so shiny... had a good look with a light and magnifying glass... all I saw was what looked like a bit of dandruff...

Got Winny out and on her back she has the same sort of thing, dandruff looking but bigger bits and a small crusty bit of skin which came off with some hair when I twizzled it...

Daisy has what looks like a small white patch on her nose.. with only having them 2 weeks I cant think if they were there before..

Going to book all 3 in at the vets for a check up!

If it is mites- what is the best treatment?
 
Hi there,

You're doing the right thing in getting a diagnosis from the vet first who can tell you what you are dealing with and recommend the right treatment. If you've only had them 2 weeks could it be possible they came to you like that? Where did you get them from as they should pay your vet costs...it may be something & nothing hopefully but they will advise you. Hopefully this link helps x

What to check for in new guinea pigs (vet checks, sexing, parasites, ringworm&URI)
 
Darcey15 said:
Hi there,

You're doing the right thing in getting a diagnosis from the vet first who can tell you what you are dealing with and recommend the right treatment. If you've only had them 2 weeks could it be possible they came to you like that? Where did you get them from as they should pay your vet costs...it may be something & nothing hopefully but they will advise you. Hopefully this link helps x

What to check for in new guinea pigs (vet checks, sexing, parasites, ringworm&URI)
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They came from a reputable rescue... so I wouldn't ask them to pay.. that's not an issue for me luckily.. just want to make sure that they are ok!
 
artcasper said:
So..... I noticed last night that Brownie looks like she has a V shape on her back... impossible to get a clear photo of it as she is so shiny... had a good look with a light and magnifying glass... all I saw was what looked like a bit of dandruff...

Got Winny out and on her back she has the same sort of thing, dandruff looking but bigger bits and a small crusty bit of skin which came off with some hair when I twizzled it...

Daisy has what looks like a small white patch on her nose.. with only having them 2 weeks I cant think if they were there before..

Going to book all 3 in at the vets for a check up!

If it is mites- what is the best treatment?
Click to expand...

The best treatment for mange mites is good quality ivermectin but also best to check for possible fungal.

2 weeks is typical for new piggies that have been exposed to mites (possibly already in the womb) and/or fungal because the stress of the move to a new environment can lower the immune system.

You can reclaim any vet cost from the place you have got your piggies from as you have in effect been sold damaged ware if parasites or fungal have been diagnosed as part of your customer rights.
 
Wiebke said:
The best treatment for mange mites is good quality ivermectin but also best to check for possible fungal.

2 weeks is typical for new piggies that have been exposed to mites (possibly already in the womb) and/or fungal because the stress of the move to a new environment can lower the immune system.

You can reclaim any vet cost from the place you have got your piggies from as you have in effect been sold damaged ware if parasites or fungal have been diagnosed as part of your customer rights.
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I am thinking they have all been a bit stressed out! I think Winny has been stressed with losing her cage mate in xmas day, then being shipped off to the rescue for bonding.. she is a nervous thing anyway.. they are still not settled as a 3.. dominance issues... so hopefully nothing too serious!
 
artcasper said:
I am thinking they have all been a bit stressed out! I think Winny has been stressed with losing her cage mate in xmas day, then being shipped off to the rescue for bonding.. she is a nervous thing anyway.. they are still not settled as a 3.. dominance issues... so hopefully nothing too serious!
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It is the kind of situation that can lower the immune system enough to no longer be in control of mange mite eggs, which many piggies have in their skin.

However, in my own experience with skittish rescue piggies, this can usually be dealt with pretty easily. Especially any healthy companions will bounce back quickly, especially when you catch the problem very early on. The rest is a matter of time and good general care to gradually strengthen the immune system and boost the confidence of the new piggy...

I would not panic in any case! if dealt with correctly and promptly, it will never go any further than a short term minor nuisance level.
 
Wiebke said:
It is the kind of situation that can lower the immune system enough to no longer be in control of mange mite eggs, which many piggies have in their skin.

However, in my own experience with skittish rescue piggies, this can usually be dealt with pretty easily. Especially any healthy companions will bounce back quickly, especially when you catch the problem very early on. The rest is a matter of time and good general care to gradually strengthen the immune system and boost the confidence of the new rescue...

I would not panic in any case! if dealt with correctly nd promptly, it will never go any further than a short term minor nuisance level.
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Vets on Thursday for all 3 so hopefully what ever it could/ might be has been caught early and will be dealt with.
 
artcasper said:
Vets on Thursday for all 3 so hopefully what ever it could/ might be has been caught early and will be dealt with.
Click to expand...

It sounds rather minor to me and should be easy to sort out. It doesn't sound like your newbie has ringworm anyway; either some dry skin or a milder form of fungal apart from the mange mites.
 
Sounds like you are being understandably sensible and cautious @artcasper make sure the vet looks under the microscope at the dandruff flakes to see if there are mite egg cases and takes skin scrapes for dermatophyte culture for any fungal infection- these tests are usually really cheap and quick to do but sometimes vets best guess and prescribe first before testing- a fungal test takes about 2 weeks to come back definitively negative but you will hear back sooner if something grows- in the meantime if mites are strongly suspected or confirmed you probably want to ask for Xeno 450 if all the piggies are over a kilo in weight.
Whatever it is sounds like you caught it very early x
 
UP-DATE... So all 3 went to the vets this morning........ Vet has treated them all with Xeno 450 - to be repeated in 2 weeks... as he says looks for sure to be mites.. white dandruff like flecks, and Brownies fur etc...

Poor Brownie looks the worst affected but not sure if thats just because she is a smooth and the other 2 have loads of hair..

I feel bad...

I am just off to clean their cage as normal, binning the wooden tunnel bridge just incase..

Is there anything else I should do?
 
Blitz the cage with F10 and throw away any open bags of hay, could well be the source of the mites... and hot wash all your fleeces at 60 degrees! Or if you have freezer space, freezing your fleeces and any furniture you want to keep will also kill mites within 24 hours. Hopefully that will help, when we had suspected mites we did a cage blitz clean every 2 weeks to coincide with each dose of Xeno- glad you got the proper treatment so promptly, hopefully after 3 doses of Xeno 2 weeks apart that will be the end of it x
 
PigglePuggle said:
Blitz the cage with F10 and throw away any open bags of hay, could well be the source of the mites... and hot wash all your fleeces at 60 degrees! Or if you have freezer space, freezing your fleeces and any furniture you want to keep will also kill mites within 24 hours. Hopefully that will help, when we had suspected mites we did a cage blitz clean every 2 weeks to coincide with each dose of Xeno- glad you got the proper treatment so promptly, hopefully after 3 doses of Xeno 2 weeks apart that will be the end of it x
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I don't have any F10 in but am ordering some now.. Have disinfected the cage bars etc and put all new bedding in - their fleece gets washed at 60 degrees or above each time - even the throws that go over the top of the cage and the one in the floor run...

Only thing I have chucked out is their wooden tunnels and cardboard boxes...

They had a new bag of hay yesterday so that should be ok as it was spotted before they had any of that...

Quick question - when i go for the next dose - would you expect to pay a consolation fee per pig again - or just 1 fee & treatment? Just out of curiosity...
 
Should I change they hay they have? Currently on Meadow Hay from b&m for the most part and then I top up with Timothy Hay from B&M...

as in they just had a new bag but I should change which type they are given? Sorry - too many questions!
 
artcasper said:
I don't have any F10 in but am ordering some now.. Have disinfected the cage bars etc and put all new bedding in - their fleece gets washed at 60 degrees or above each time - even the throws that go over the top of the cage and the one in the floor run...

Only thing I have chucked out is their wooden tunnels and cardboard boxes...

They had a new bag of hay yesterday so that should be ok as it was spotted before they had any of that...

Quick question - when i go for the next dose - would you expect to pay a consolation fee per pig again - or just 1 fee & treatment? Just out of curiosity...
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I think usually the vet should have given you all 3 doses for each piggy after the first consultation and shown you how to apply it at home... Xeno450 comes in packs of 3 and its easy to apply, just part the fur on the back of the neck and dribble it straight onto the skin then massage it in a bit!
If this is hay/fur mites it may well have come from the hay, and there might be a contaminated batch- changing brand for a while might help get on top of it, we had suspected mites over a year ago that we wondered if it came from the Pillow Wad so we swapped brands for a few months just to rule that out... its so hard to say for sure though as I imagine most piggies have 1 or 2 hay mites lurking, its only when they get a bit stressed or out of sorts and their immune system dips a bit they flare up into simething that needs treatment! Sending many healing weeks and antiparasitic vibes x
 
PigglePuggle said:
I think usually the vet should have given you all 3 doses for each piggy after the first consultation and shown you how to apply it at home... Xeno450 comes in packs of 3 and its easy to apply, just part the fur on the back of the neck and dribble it straight onto the skin then massage it in a bit!
If this is hay/fur mites it may well have come from the hay, and there might be a contaminated batch- changing brand for a while might help get on top of it, we had suspected mites over a year ago that we wondered if it came from the Pillow Wad so we swapped brands for a few months just to rule that out... its so hard to say for sure though as I imagine most piggies have 1 or 2 hay mites lurking, its only when they get a bit stressed or out of sorts and their immune system dips a bit they flare up into simething that needs treatment! Sending many healing weeks and antiparasitic vibes x
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Thanks @PigglePuggle - I have just rang the vets and the vet lady there said that at the next visit I would be charged the same as today - so 3 x £30 consultation and the cost of the Xeno 450 :yikes:..... so £111.54.....

I am now thinking I will buy the Xeno 450 online £19.40 for 6 Pipettes from VET UK....

All the pigs weigh over 1kg and the vet today used 1 pipette each and I can't see any size reference to the actual pipettes.. so would that be ok to do? I think so but like some reassurance!
 
artcasper said:
Thanks @PigglePuggle - I have just rang the vets and the vet lady there said that at the next visit I would be charged the same as today - so 3 x £30 consultation and the cost of the Xeno 450 :yikes:..... so £111.54.....

I am now thinking I will buy the Xeno 450 online £19.40 for 6 Pipettes from VET UK....

All the pigs weigh over 1kg and the vet today used 1 pipette each and I can't see any size reference to the actual pipettes.. so would that be ok to do? I think so but like some reassurance!
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Although as you know we cant officially advocate home treatments I think seeing as you have seen the vet and got a diagnosis and correctly prescribed treatment then yes I think you can safely buy Xeno450 online to give the other 2 doses at home, we did this when Jezzy got a probable hay mite diagnosis, the vet gave Jezzy a Xeno450 treatment on the day and showed us what to do and gave us her other 2 doses to give at home... but he initially suggested separating Jezzy for 6 weeks, well there was no way I was going to do that to my lovely floofy girl, and obviously her friends had also been exposed to any mites, so on the vets advice we bought Xeno450 online for the other piggies and treated the whole herd so they could stay together! 1 pipette of Xeno450 is the dose for a 1200g piggy. The vet told us there is a 50% safety and efficacy margin so one pipette full wont harm a slightly smaller piggy and will still be enough to treat a larger piggy effectively. Though for piggies under 800g (this was Puggle at the time) half a pipette was recommended.
That vet must be raking the money in charging £90 for the 3 minutes it takes to pour 3 pipettes of Xeno onto 3 piggies...! Just make sure the Xeno goes straight onto on the skin not onto the fur, it is absorbed into the body via the skin to kill mites everywhere not just where you pour it in! And where nitrile medical examination gloves (available from Amazon for about £6 a box) while you do it to avoid an inadvertant hooman delousing treatment :) x
 
PigglePuggle said:
Although as you know we cant officially advocate home treatments I think seeing as you have seen the vet and got a diagnosis and correctly prescribed treatment then yes I think you can safely buy Xeno450 online to give the other 2 doses at home, we did this when Jezzy got a probable hay mite diagnosis, the vet gave Jezzy a Xeno450 treatment on the day and showed us what to do and gave us her other 2 doses to give at home... but he initially suggested separating Jezzy for 6 weeks, well there was no way I was going to do that to my lovely floofy girl, and obviously her friends had also been exposed to any mites, so on the vets advice we bought Xeno450 online for the other piggies and treated the whole herd so they could stay together! 1 pipette of Xeno450 is the dose for a 1200g piggy. The vet told us there is a 50% safety and efficacy margin so one pipette full wont harm a slightly smaller piggy and will still be enough to treat a larger piggy effectively. Though for piggies under 800g (this was Puggle at the time) half a pipette was recommended.
That vet must be raking the money in charging £90 for the 3 minutes it takes to pour 3 pipettes of Xeno onto 3 piggies...! Just make sure the Xeno goes straight onto on the skin not onto the fur, it is absorbed into the body via the skin to kill mites everywhere not just where you pour it in! And where nitrile medical examination gloves (available from Amazon for about £6 a box) while you do it to avoid an inadvertant hooman delousing treatment :) x
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I have and will always go to a vets but I think charging per pig to administer the other 2 doses is wrong.. Thanks for the tips about making sure it goes on their skin.. and to wear gloves! Altho my head is always itchy :lol!:
 
Sending lots of healing vibes we have always had success with xeno 450 for mites
 
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