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hairloss on stevie?

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mstori

mstori

Adult Guinea Pig
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not sure what this is.. could it be ringworm? although my younger boys have now almost finished their treatment and i have been so careful about handling, etc.
I phoned vets and they said it will cost about £50 if it isnt .. £25 for consultation and aprox £25 for meds, if cream and oral medication needed. (if it is ringworm it will go on the free account) I dont mind paying vets fees, obv i wouldnt have animals if i did, but think this is a lot of money if anyone can offer any advice first, i would apreciate it.
the patch is behind his ear and is quite large. The first pic is what it looks like and the second is when i seperate the fur. Its not a very good pic cos he didnt like me doing this, and kept moving.
At first i thought mites cos the quality of hay has been so bad lately but cant see anything and i was told they would be obvious.
Thanks x
P22-05-09_1244.jpg

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the patch is about 2" long and about 1" wide. It wasnt there on Sunday, when i gave him his brush, and with the fur being so long, I didnt notice it before today :(
 
Guinea pigs have a bald patch of skin just behind their ears - are you sure it isn't that? Has he got a similar bald patch behind his other ear?

It doesn't really look mitey or ringwormy to me.
 
If you contact gorgeous guineas through email with your picture as an attachment, they might be able to help, it will work out cheaper than the vet.
 
Difficult to se from your pic.

If it scabby and itchy, it could be mites or ringworm! Better have it checked ot out by the vet.

If you stroke the area and he squirms, it might be mites - they tickle. But better use a glove in case it's ringworm!
 
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when i run my hand over it, he does squirm.. oh no!.. will get him looked at just tio be sure then. I do the full check on them every sunday and he was itching, but it looked ok. Ive been keeping an extra eye on them because of the babies having ringworm, even though they are seperated and i have been taking care. (although i hadnt been before i knew if you know what i mean) but its been about 4 weeks now. Could it take that long to show?
Will phone the vets. Cant believe this. My dog really ill also. :(
 
Oh, you poor mite! Everything at once!

If it's mites, it's still quite early, so there shouldn't be too much of a problem to clear it up. If it's coming up to the time to introduce all the pigs, make sure the babies get some ivermectin as well, just to be on the safe side.

I did that with my newcomers, as Dizzy has some very stubborn mites and was on treatment ofr them - they can pop up months later again, if the pigs are stressed about something!
 
thanks..
i cant get him seen til tuesday because of bank holiday. They told me mites are obvious and i would be able to see them.
I have to give him a bath, and check him over and see what its like then. Would have thought this would have stung?
Its like dry skin, i think its only scabby because he has been scratching. Cant understand if it was mites why the others wouldnt be affected (they come from hay dont they?) and it doesnt look the same as the ringworm, which would have been the thing that would make sense.
but! i just came back from the gym and noticed that its the side he sleeps on.. yeah he is a weird piggie.. sleeps on his side with his eyes closed.. when he is really chilled out.. the amount of times i thought i had lost him! wondering if it could be down to that and the heat etc..?
Hey ho! thats my life! always stressful.. x
 
mstori said:
thanks..
i cant get him seen til tuesday because of bank holiday. They told me mites are obvious and i would be able to see them.
Click to expand...

Do the vets have microscopic eyes? rolleyes

Lice can be seen and are obvious, however mites are far more devious and let you see the symptoms while remaining mysteriously absent themselves to the naked eye!

It is worth giving him a bath, even piggies with very severe skin issues are bathed unless there is good reason not to. The right shampoo and a thorough wash can soothe the skin. Aloe vera gel or ointment is also useful to apply to the affected area, may stop him scratching as much, but it won't solve the cause of the problem - only the symptom.

Fungal is possible - doesn't have to be as bad as ringworm - in which case bathing in an antifungal shampoo is the main treatment.
 
thanks. Ive got the aloe vera shampoo so will bath him tomorrow, he seems to have settled down scratching. i put a bit of aloe vera eczema gel on (my daughter uses) its completely natural so should be ok.
Going to vets on tuesday so hopefully will find out then. How would he get lice? if that was what it was? x
 
The only 'source' of lice I am aware of is the hay. Mites can "flare up" when a pig is stressed or their immunity low, but I think they can also come from the hay too.
 
the hay has been terrible lately.. the farm wont even sell any more til june/july its so bad. The stuff ive been getting is quite dusty but its the best i could get :( do you think i should stop using it?
Ive just checked on him there to give him his nightime veg and its not as red, so dont think he has been scratching as much, will be able to tell better after his bath.. oh what fun times! lol rolleyes
 
It is a pain that bad weather means bad hay. One of my pigs got covered in lice within a few days of being around substandard meadow hay. Now I stick with Readigrass or high quality meadow hay with Oxbow, not had a problem since!

If you can find/afford a higher quality hay, then go for it. www.dustfreehay.co.uk do good meadow hay apparently.
 
thanks.. I'm trying another farm next week, and if its just as bad, il try that link.. doesnt seem badly priced at all, thats great!

This British weather! it doesnt seem to know what to do from one minute to the next.. @)

x
 
I thought that Dizzy's initial mites this year were from hay, as everybody was scratching and they did come up in a slightly different place than last year's two runs...

So difficult to find hay from where I live - p@h is the most convenient, but their hay can't be called that half the time...
 
thanks.. i gave up on p@h, even the timothy hay was dry, and got it from the local shop, who gets it from the farm.. but i even found a cigarette butt in it! i just wish i could drive. I have a friend who has a lot of piggies and is searching for good hay and is going to get me some as well, as soon as they find some, but its just been terrible lately.
so now i have to go through it all before i put it in the hutches and cages..
Stevie isnt looking as red today, but there is about 4 small scabs around his ear, i think its where he has been scratching.
He doesnt like bathtime, but enjoys the hugs after x)
Will let you know how it goes! xx
 
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