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Flaky skin, I'm at my wits end!

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GuineaPigg

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Both of my boys have dandruff and itchy skin, they seem to be scratching an awful lot. I've treated them for mites/fleas with a spot on like treatment and their hutch was disinfected. Despite this their symptoms remain.

They get fresh veggies daily as well as pellets and muesli mixed, they have an unlimited supply of hay and fresh water. It can't possibly be scurvy can it? Ever since I've had them they've been on a bedding of woodshavings, I've read that it can dry out piggy skin, do you think this could be the cause?

Thanks. :)
 
How many times did you treat them with the spot on? It takes 2-3 applications given a week to 10 days apart to clear an active infestation. A few days after the last dose it is a good idea to give them a bath to get rid of any debris left in the hair.

:)
 
I only treated them once as I thought it was enough, I still have some treatment so I'll apply it tonight followed by a bath on Saturday.
 
I think the reason you have to do more than one dose is to break the breeding cylcle of the mites. The first dose kills live mites but not eggs, so the following doses catch the newly hatched mites. I used Xeno 450 which has ivermectin in it, which seems to be the most often used treatment.

If you are still using the same batch of hay, it may also be worth binning it and starting with fresh, as your guinea pigs may have picked up the mites from hay.

:)
 
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If it might be mites (which sounds very possible) you should get them checked by the vet just to make sure. They can do a skin test and look for them in a few minutes so you don't waste the money on xeno 450 if it is not mites. Also they could tell you if it is anything else.

My girls had mites and I bathed them with gorgeous guineas manuka(spelling?) and neem shampoo a few days before the first xeno treatment. They had 3 treatments, one every 2 weeks and then a bath a few days after the last treatment to get rid of any residue.
 
when my boars were treated for mites, before i knew for sure what the issue was, i bathed the one with heaps of dark brown flecks [dead skin cells] with selsun blue [very important to keep water warm and then keep pig warm. wrap in towel/blow dry lowest setting warm air afterwards to prevent pig from catching chill. the blow dryer must be kept at a safe distance to not burn skin.].

the vet thought that was fine, but also suggested benadryl spray for itch, which i found caused more issues with sticky fur, and fish oil capsule for dry skin.

i only used about 1/4 of the capsule, and placed it on a bit of apple.

the neem seed oil is great when mixed with a carrier oil, and i used it on myself for dermatitis.
 
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I treated the boys on Wednesday night I think it was and then disinfected the hutch from top to bottom. Gave them a bath yesterday but it doesn't seem to have helped in the slightest, I'm going to change their bedding to vetbed to see if that makes any difference.
 
I agree that a proper course of ivermectin is worthwhile. If you still find their skin is flaky a few days after the third and final dose, it may be worth bathing in an anti-fungal shampoo (I have had success with Nizoral), see if that makes any difference.

Good idea changing the bedding to Vetbed, hope it works out for you.
 
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