• Discussions taking place within this forum are intended for the purpose of assisting you in discussing options with your vet. Any other use of advice given here is done so at your risk, is solely your responsibility and not that of this forum or its owner. Before posting it is your responsibility you abide by this Statement

Do my new GPs have mange?

Status
Not open for further replies.
T

trowelmonkey

Joined
Jul 6, 2011
Messages
12
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Hi everyone, I'm new to the forum, and to keeping Guinea Pigs so hope you can all be of some help :)

I got two guinea pigs, a year old female and a baby boy of approx 6 weeks- (they live side by side in a c&c cage until the boy is old enough to be neutered)- two weeks ago.

They seemed healthy since I got them, eating loads and very vocal, but the baby has been a bit listless today, has spent most of the day hiding, andhas lost a patch of hair around his right eye. I have just checked him over and there are little white lice in his fur. Is this mange?

Obviously I'll take him to the vet on Monday but wondered if there is anything I could/ should do before then?

Thanks for your help!
 
You could try bathing them in nit shampoo meant for babys. when you go to the vets they might give you some xeno 450. hope that is of some help.
 
Thanks for your replies, running lice look most likely, I'll get them checked out tommorrow
 
flintstones said:
Mange mites are microscopic, not visible to the naked eye.

http://www.guinealynx.info/mites.html

Here's some info on Lice.

http://www.guinealynx.info/lice.html

Gorgeous Guinea sell Lice 'n' Easy.

http://www.gorgeousguineas.com/shampoos.html

I have never used Lice 'n' Easy and due to the age of your Guinea Pig. I would NOT treat him with anything I would visit the Vet.

The above sites can give you more information about possible illnesses.
Click to expand...

I was just thinking this! not sure if its safe to bath so young.
 
The link about lice mentions a product called Advantage which can be used on weaning pups, so I'll mention that to the vet when I go.

I feel awful for them, I got them from a breeder so I assumed they would be healthy, am kicking myself that I didn't notice before now. Just checked the female, and she's crawling with them :(
 
Id be taking the vet bill to the breeeder and also mention its highly likely the others are riddled. It's also illigal for him/her to sell sick animals. Maybe a call to your lisenceing department (council) and rspca is needed!
 
Update and more questions...

Brian and Bob saw the vet last week. He diagnosed 'hay mites' and gave ivermectin and steroid injections. we hae to go back for more this week. I bathed them both last night with lice n easy. Surprisingly, they both enjoyed it! :))

Brian is looking a lot happier and i can't see any more parasites on her so thats great. Bobs fur also looks a lot better, but he's lost more hair around his nose and eyes and the skin is a bit scabby looking. The vet said this was normal with mites, but how long til his hair grows back?

Also, Brian is underweight, only 625g. She's 10mths old. What can I feed her to bulk her up a bit? She has unlimited hay, alfafa pellets and 2-3 veg a day. But she's always hungry, should I give her more veg?

Thanks for your help!
 
Has your vet checked for ringworm (fungal)? Bald patches in the face are typical for it. It is very common in stressed shop piggies, is contagious and can even spread to humans. Is your vet piggy savvy and has experience with treating exotics, as which guinea pigs are classed? Many general vets don't; rodents don't feature large on their curriculum.

http://www.guinealynx.info/fungus.html
http://www.gorgeousguineas.com/photogallery.html
 
Thanks for the links, it looks exactly like the 'fungal face' picture on the gorgeous guineas website.

We have an appointment on Friday for the injections so I'll insist on treatment for fungal infection too.
 
Re vet, I have always been happy with them in the past when treating gerbils, hamsters etc. so assumed they were good with gps too, and he seemed genuinely interested, didn't rush ht e consultation like some do for small animals. They were also treating another gp as an emergency while I was there...
 
trowelmonkey said:
Re vet, I have always been happy with them in the past when treating gerbils, hamsters etc. so assumed they were good with gps too, and he seemed genuinely interested, didn't rush ht e consultation like some do for small animals. They were also treating another gp as an emergency while I was there...
Click to expand...

Thats great :) I work in a veterinary hospital, and I hate it when people are like :o £31.95 for a consultation for a RODENT?! - so what it's a rodent? Where I work, it gets exactly the same examination as a cat or a dog would, often longer, because the younger vets havent seen as many of them as they would have cats and dog, so they double check in books and with senior vets (who then come and examine them themselves) and stuff!
 
trowelmonkey said:
Re vet, I have always been happy with them in the past when treating gerbils, hamsters etc. so assumed they were good with gps too, and he seemed genuinely interested, didn't rush ht e consultation like some do for small animals. They were also treating another gp as an emergency while I was there...
Click to expand...

I was just a bit surprised that he missed the ringworm angle. Mites and fungal complaints can look similar; however fungal problems typically start in the face. Sadly, p@h seem to have quite a ringworm problem; fungal spores are not easy to get rid of.

P@h will refund your bills if you can prove that you have had them treated within 2 weeks after purchase. I am sorry about your problems and hope that they will clear quickly with the right treatment. Make sure that you wash your hands really well after handling your boy and preferably use a special pullover when handling him.
 
My piggies have mange..

Hi there,

My pig Poppy has mange and she's been diagnosed at the vets and has had to have two panomic (I think that's was it was) injections. I don't think your little one has mange because the vet said it is usually bald patches on the back and we couldn't see any "mites".

Still, I have read that guineas can go down hill quickly so if you're unsure you are right to get them to a vet. If they live side by side take them both as they both may need treatment and the vet may be able to spot early signs in the other piggy (we have two herd living side by side and two of one herd have mange and the vet has advised us to treat all of them as they can get close enough to infect each other)

I hope that helps :-)
 
Possibly he dismissed fungal as it was only a very small patch of hair loss when I took them in, the hair loss is a lot worse now :(

They didn't come from p@h, they were from a 'hobby breeder' who advertises in the local free paper... ironically, I was trying to avoid potential problems like this by going to a breeder in the first place.

They were kept outside though, and have come indoors here into quite a noisy environment so maybe the stress didn't help?
 
catasintiger said:
Hi there,

My pig Poppy has mange and she's been diagnosed at the vets and has had to have two panomic (I think that's was it was) injections. I don't think your little one has mange because the vet said it is usually bald patches on the back and we couldn't see any "mites".

Still, I have read that guineas can go down hill quickly so if you're unsure you are right to get them to a vet. If they live side by side take them both as they both may need treatment and the vet may be able to spot early signs in the other piggy (we have two herd living side by side and two of one herd have mange and the vet has advised us to treat all of them as they can get close enough to infect each other)

I hope that helps :-)
Click to expand...

They'll both be going on Friday, but I'll take them before that if they go downhill :)
 
Just for clarity: mange mites are microscopic skin parasites that you can't see with your naked eye. The first signs are usually increased, vigorous itching and bald patches, typically on the back. The hair stems are broken. In advanced stages, guinea pigs will fit, loose hair and weight because they go off food. It is a very excruciating slow death if not treated rightly or promptly.

You always need to treat all guinea pigs living closely together and mites treatment needs 3-4 rounds, spaced 10-14 days apart with an ivermectin product, like xeno 450 (or xeno 50 for piggies below 800g) for spot on treatment. Panomec is another ivermectin product that is used by vets; it is either injected or given orally. For members in the US, other products apply.

Fungal treatment consists of baths with an antifungal shampoo, either every 3 days in bad cases or once weekly in not so bad ones, as well as topical treatment. When treating for both mites and fungal, be careful not give a bath within 48 hours of applying topical mites treatment. Please use only the suds of a shampoo for face and ears or guinea pigs below 16 weeks old. Usually the hair comes out in clumps attached to skin flakes if piggies have a fungal problem; ringworm being only one of them, if the most aggressive. There is also build up of a crust. the skin can be very itchy and a piggy can scratch itself bloody.

Any open sores should be treated with a disinfecting (often steroid) product.

If in any doubt, please see a vet asap for diagnosis and appropriate treatment. Some form of mange mites can be very aggressive. Do not treat at home if you are not sure what you are treating or whether you are using an appropriate product. You can do real harm and prolong the suffering of your piggies.

In the case of the thread poster, I would strongly advise to continue the mites treatment, but see the vet before the next round is due.

If you want to find out more about the various kinds of skin parasites that guinea pigs can get, then look up this link: http://www.guinealynx.info/parasites.html
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top