Help Please!

[Rurolilo]

Hi all. We are proud owners of four gorgeous girls who are approx 6 months old. We got them 8 wks old and after 3 days of leaving them to settle in to their home we discovered one had ringworm. All 4 stayed at vet for 1 month. Got them back, left for 5 days and another had ringworm. Treated her at home this time. They are treated to a wide variety of organic veg and fruit with friends envious of their food! Additionally we put Pro-C in their nuggets and when it's warm they graze on our lawn.
To the point! I recently thought one was scratching, couldn't see any mites or sore skin so bought some spot on treatment to stop them from getting them. Clearly I needed to weigh them and was shocked to discover they are the same weight as 3 months ago. I am a newbie to pets and wasn't told to regularly weigh them, so I've only been checking eyes, feet, teeth, ears and bottom on a daily basis. They all feed very well, don't appear to be distressed, behave as they always do - just the weight that's bothering me. When I weighed them again today I noticed one mite, so clearly need to use veterinary grade medicine to clear this up.
Is the medicine something I need to get from the vet to can I buy it from a pet shop? Should I take them to the vet? Syringe feed to keep weight up? We all love our pigglies and were desperately sad when they had ringworm- we felt so responsible for them becoming poorly, despite having followed pet shops instructions to the letter. We even had a 2storey 6 foot hutch with extra wide, railed ramp made especially for them!
Sorry for the very long post but I just want to do the best I can for out beautiful girls. Hope you can help. Thanks so much!

 

[Wiebke]

Hi all. We are proud owners of four gorgeous girls who are approx 6 months old. We got them 8 wks old and after 3 days of leaving them to settle in to their home we discovered one had ringworm. All 4 stayed at vet for 1 month. Got them back, left for 5 days and another had ringworm. Treated her at home this time. They are treated to a wide variety of organic veg and fruit with friends envious of their food! Additionally we put Pro-C in their nuggets and when it's warm they graze on our lawn.
To the point! I recently thought one was scratching, couldn't see any mites or sore skin so bought some spot on treatment to stop them from getting them. Clearly I needed to weigh them and was shocked to discover they are the same weight as 3 months ago. I am a newbie to pets and wasn't told to regularly weigh them, so I've only been checking eyes, feet, teeth, ears and bottom on a daily basis. They all feed very well, don't appear to be distressed, behave as they always do - just the weight that's bothering me. When I weighed them again today I noticed one mite, so clearly need to use veterinary grade medicine to clear this up.
Is the medicine something I need to get from the vet to can I buy it from a pet shop? Should I take them to the vet? Syringe feed to keep weight up? We all love our pigglies and were desperately sad when they had ringworm- we felt so responsible for them becoming poorly, despite having followed pet shops instructions to the letter. We even had a 2storey 6 foot hutch with extra wide, railed ramp made especially for them!
Sorry for the very long post but I just want to do the best I can for out beautiful girls. Hope you can help. Thanks so much!

Hi and welcome!

Could you please add your country, state/province or UK county to your details so we can help you more efficiently. We have got members and enquiries from all over the world. Please click on your username on the top bar, then go to personal details and scroll down to location. This makes it appear in every post you make and allows us to tailor any advice and recommendations straight away.

How much do your girls weigh (in grams please)? We cannot comment without any data as to whether their weights are OK or not.

Please do not treat on spec with low dosed shop products; they do not cure an acute infestation and only prolong the suffering.
Also be aware that there are several skin parasites. The only visibly moving ones are lice. Of hay/fur mites (chirodiscoides caviae), you see the egg cases fixed to hairs at the bum end (they are the least harmful), but the worst ones, mange mites (trixacarus caviae), you do not see anything of as the mites themselves are invisible to the naked eye and they burrow their egg cases into the skin. Please see a vet for a correct diagnosis and the appropriate treatment. It is a lot cheaper and easier on your piggies to treat properly once.

As to ringworm: it is often endemic in pet shops. The time between infection and acute outbreak is 10-14 days. Most piggies we are confronted with are newly bought ones that have been infected at the shop; we strongly recommend to reclaim any vet cost resulting from a shop infection from there.
Ringworm is the most transmittable issue between all mammals (including humans). Spores are shed in their thousands during an acute outbreak and can live up to 18 months. You need to deep clean everything in contact and wash every fabric at a high temperature.
Here is our ringworm hygiene guide with all the practical tips on how to make sure that it really does not go any further. These tips result from our own experiences with acute outbreaks and are a compilation of what really works. Ringworm: Hygiene And Pictures

I am moving your thread to our health/illness section which is specially monitored by some experienced members.

 

[Rurolilo]

Thank you so much for your reply. We live in U.K., Stratford upon Avon. The girls' weights are as follows
Adele 658g
Tic Tac 546g
Gem 586g
Ginger Nut 650g
The bug I saw reminded me very much of a nit- different shape, but a reddish brown colour as though it was a blood sucker.
Thanks again for getting back to me - it's great to be part of a community that cares so much for these gorgeous piggies.

 

[Pound Shilling & Pig]

Although some pigs are just small these weights seem low for 6 month old piggies, especially as you say they are the same as 3 months ago.

As said above they need to see a vet for a correct diagnoses and treatment as to their skin condition. The vet can also assess their body condition and let you know if they are underweight.

The diet you describe sounds very good. Are they getting hay too? This should make up the bulk of their diet and be constantly available to them.

 

[gizzy]

Hi, those weights seem fine! Pigs come in shapes and sizes just like Humans!
I have a couple of sows that are 320 g and 335 g !

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you so much for your reply. We live in you.K., Stratford upon Avon. The girls' weights are as follows
Adele 658g
Tic Tac 546g
Gem 586g
Ginger Nut 650g
The bug I saw reminded me very much of a nit- different shape, but a reddish brown colour as though it was a blood sucker.
Thanks again for getting back to me - it's great to be part of a community that cares so much for these gorgeous piggies.

The weights are on the low side for 6 months olds. Have your piggies access to unlimited fresh hay, which should make over 80% of their daily food intake?
Recommendations For A Balanced General Guinea Pig Diet

Here is our recommended vets locator: Guinea Pig Vet Locator
The best piggy savvy vet in the whole region is the Cat & Rabbit Care Clinic in Northampton, but they are usually very busy.

 

[Rurolilo]

Although some pigs are just small these weights seem low for 6 month old piggies, especially as you say they are the same as 3 months ago.

As said above they need to see a vet for a correct diagnoses and treatment as to their skin condition. The vet can also assess their body condition and let you know if they are underweight.

The diet you describe sounds very good. Are they getting hay too? This should make up the bulk of their diet and be constantly available to them.

Thanks for reply. Yes, lots of hay available and have also just bought some Timothy hay to try and fatten them up a bit too. I've got the details of a veterinary surgery which is supposed to be very good and plan to make an appointment for the girls to get checked over first thing in the morning.
Everyone's help is very much appreciated!