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Dennis Has Mites!

Betsy

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Took Dennis to see the vet today cos he has hair loss on his nose. I thought it might be the dreaded ringworm:yikes: but it turned out to be mites. I am so relieved. The vet put some spot on XENO 50 on the back of his neck which I have to repeat in 3 weeks time. She told me to look out for the others but she thought they would be alright. :D

When I told him he was going to the vets this morning he ran and hid under the blanket!

Dennis hiding in Blanket.webp
 
I'm sorry dennis has mites,usually all piggies that share same cage need to be treated,and it is usually every 7 to 10 days for three consecutive times.you can buy xeno on vet uk ,it is usually cheaper than the vets.Hope all clears soon.x
 
Well I'm totally confused now! The vet checked the box and she said the info on the box was 3 weeks before I had to give another dose. I specifically asked if I needed to treat the others and she said no that they should be OK and that rex type guinea pigs were more susceptible to mites than the other pigs. I thought this was a bit odd but took her word for it and she did look at Betsy (who I had taken along for moral support) and couldn't find any on her Maybe I should have questioned her more. Anyway I thoroughly cleaned out the cage today. What do I do now? Have looked up the Guinea Lynx website and that says 7-10 days too.
 
When Eddi had mites we treated all of the guinea pigs, even though he was the only one showing any signs of them.
To be honest I bought the Xeno online (the vet told me to!) and it wasn't a huge expense for peace of mind.
I also did 3 treatments 7 - 10 days apart (actually every 8th day).
 
Well I'm totally confused now! The vet checked the box and she said the info on the box was 3 weeks before I had to give another dose. I specifically asked if I needed to treat the others and she said no that they should be OK and that rex type guinea pigs were more susceptible to mites than the other pigs. I thought this was a bit odd but took her word for it and she did look at Betsy (who I had taken along for moral support) and couldn't find any on her Maybe I should have questioned her more. Anyway I thoroughly cleaned out the cage today. What do I do now? Have looked up the Guinea Lynx website and that says 7-10 days too.

Please treat all piggies living together. The interval is product specific; you have to follow what is stated on the label.
However, I would strongly recommend to do a three rounds course of mites treatment. The first two rounds are there to catch all emerging mites. The third is there is catch any stragglers and make sure that there is no return.
You can get xeno50 online and do the third round yourself if necessary. The one lesson I have learned when it comes to skin parasites and fungal treatment is to always to a full course and make sure that problems are not passed on, or they have a habit to come back to haunt you.
 
@Wiebke thanks for your help on this. The vet def looked at the box and said 3 weeks. So I get some more online and do a third treatment 3 weeks after that?
 
I would order some more and check the paperwork for yourself. I just googled recommended use and got this pdf http://wildpro.twycrosszoo.org/000ADOBES/Lagomorphs/UK_licenced/GenetrixDS031_01_Xeno-50-mini.pdf

Under the dosage level boxes it says "For the treatment of an existing infestation, repeat doses are required two weeks and four weeks after the initial application." I've previously had ivermectin based products and did weekly but it really depends on the recommendations for the specific product you have. You will definitely need to treat all the piggies that live together though
 
Have just ordered some more Xeno 50 from Vet UK as I'm going to treat my other 4 Piggies too. I don't want it to be a vicious merry go round of mites!
 
Poor Dennis. Hope the treatment sorts the problem.

Silly question but how do guinea pigs get mites?
 
They can get mites from hay. I have just got some new hay, but I don't think it's that as I hadn't started the new hay when I first noticed the problem. So I'm not sure where they came from :hmm:. Dennis is a tricolour rex and apparently rex's are more susceptible to mites.
 
Some Guinea pigs have mites that naturally live in their fur and usually don't cause any problems unless they are stressed or I'll
 
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