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Guinea Pig Skin Issues

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gibbo0o

Junior Guinea Pig
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Hi Guys!
Looking for some advice regarding an ongoing skin issue I'm trying to handle with my pig (I have a vet appointment for middle of next week which was the earliest available for the exotics vet)
Around 4 weeks ago I noticed one of my pigs itching/nibbling their back a lot more than usual and there was some dandruff in the area. I ordered a parasite treatment from the vets and applied this (it can be reapplied after 4 weeks) as well as bathed her and cleaned her cage and run entirely. I've been monitoring her over the month and she has been itching less, but today I checked the area more closely (she is a rescue and very skittish so i keep direct handling minimal as she gets stressed) and it's developed into a raised hard VERY scaley bump around the size of a penny and none of the hair has come back in at all! As I've said I'm taking her to the vet although I know it's going to be very stressful for her, but I was wondering if anyone has any idea of what this could be as it doesn't look like any mite/fungal infection I'm seeing in photos. Thanks in advance :)
 
It would obviously need a vet hands on examination to say what it is.
You say you ordered a parasite treatment from the vet, did the vet actually see her at this point to diagnose and prescribe such treatment?
 
Agree with @Piggies&buns here, without a hands on exam and fur and skin check a vet couldnt make a proper diagnosis, this could be hay mites, mange mites, ringworm, another fungal pathogen, or a bacterial infection. A vet check and proper diagnostic tests should always come before treatment! What treatment did you order, and what dosage? A 4 week wait between doses doesnt sound quite right, as prescription strength ivermectin antiparasitic Xeno450 is usually reapplied every 2 weeks, for 3 doses...
Please get some proper diagnostic tests done by an experienced vet, home treatments very often make things worse and/or can mask and confuse the original symptoms the vet needs for a proper diagnosis!
 
Yes definitely, as above she'll be in the vets middle of next week and it only the middle of next week and not the start as I made the decision to wait to see the exotics specialist rather than any vet. The medication wasn't POM-V so didn't require a vet check, she had been seen within the last month so they had an accurate record of her weight to go off of. I believe it was a bephar ivermectin spot on but I can't say 100% sure it was bephar however I am certain it was one dose per 4 weeks. It was only very minor when I first noticed it which is why I made the decision to try the anti paracitic before rushing her in as she is very stressy and I didn't want this to amplify her problems! Hopefully they'll get her all sorted on Wednesday, just didn't know if anyone has experience with this in particular as it isn't something I've personal seen or seem to find anything similar of online! Thanks 😊
 
Sorry if I’m not understanding. Did you order the medicine yourself or did the vet prescribe it?

In any case you can’t treat something if it hasn’t been checked. So I’m not sure why the vet (if they did) prescribed something without checking the piggy first. If it’s beaphar then I don’t think that’s a good one. And often off the shelf meds can not be the right dosage so the issue. An continue.

Hopefully it’s something simple. Let us know how it goes.

We’d love some pictures of your girl as well 😊
 
In this case, a regular vet would have been able to deal with this kind of skin issue and prescribe an effective treatment.
Such off the shelf treatments are best avoided. They are not strong enough to solve the problem and can make things worse as they cause a delay in getting the correct strength treatment plus without a vet diagnosis you don’t actually know what you are treating.
Beaphar spot on does state a second treatment after four weeks. This is why such things should be avoided - four weeks between each treatment is simply too long
 
I rang the vets and said I wanted to order some antiparasitic treatment, they said that I could have one dispensed for immediate collection as they'd seen her recently or I could bring her in but the appointment would be a few days away and at this point as the skin complaint was so minor I wanted to treat her ASAP just to try and get on top of it so It didn't go further and mean she had to go through the stress of travel and taking her in.
 
She's eating and drinking all okay, no weight changes and she seems happy in herself. I was just wondering if there was anything I should be doing in the meantime regarding her itching or anything else I could do to help before we see the vet.
 
If she's ok in herself I would just wait to see the vet, anything you might do at home with baths or ointments could mask the symtoms the vet needs to see. Paws crossed for a proper diagnosis and treatment x
 
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