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How long for mites treatment to kick in?

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zez

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Last sat i noticed that Tikka had scratched himself bald in some places. So a week ago today we duly went to the vets and £55 later had Xeno 450 for him and Xeno 50 for his little cagemate just in case. He needs a repeat treatment next mon and 2 weeks after that.

A week on and he is still scabby, his skin is still dandruff looking. His hair comes out when pulled, but i wouldn't say it slides out. There are no bits of skin stuck to the bottom of the shaft when pulled. it does seem rather brittle though, so mites is what i suspected.

Does this seem right?

SHould he still be looking so rotten a week on from treatment and does mites sound like the right diagnosis?
 
I brought my xeno treatment from www.vetuk.co.uk £15, could be worth your while getting from their. Did the vet give you a diagnosis on whether it was mites or fungal infection. Certainly sounds like mites, maybe someone on here with a little more experience can give you a diagnosis.
 
Sorry i'm not sure how to post pictures. The vet said she thinks it is mites. There is a generalised hair thinning, plus several obvious bald and scabby patches. His underside is almost bald/v v short haired. There are skin flakes all over the bald patches. his hair does pull out, but not very very easily and it feels dry rather than greasy. His bald bits look very much like the top picture here, so mites is what i was expecting the diagnosis to be. http://www.gorgeousguineas.com/photogallery.html

I think my consult was £15-20 so i guess the price was fair gien i have 3 tubes of xeno 450 and 9 of xeno 50 (little guy is 600g) - that's a lot of medication.

SHoudl i wait a while (until a few days after the next dose of xeno) and then take him back in if no improvment? Or get a fungal shampoo myself just in case. I obviously dont' want to spend lots of money if the vet is no more sure than i am, but i don't want him to be in pain.
 
I found, when treating for an active mite problem, the biggest improvement was after the second dose had been given. There was some improvement after the first dose, but nothing like after the second.

I do feel it's worth bathing a pig between mite treatments to cleanse the skin, using an anti-fungal shampoo may be beneficial if you wish to rule out a fungal problem.
 
Thank you. That is reassuring. Any recommendations on fungal shampoo and where to get it? Might save me another trip to the vets - sounds like in this case you lot know as much as the vet does!
 
Nizoral shampoo is antifungal and is available from most supermarkets/chemist shops.
When you shampoo the pig you must leave the shampoo/lather on the pig for at least 3 minutes in order to let it have the maximum effect.
 
is it a human shampoo that is safe to use on guinea pigs? Where am i best to do it....in the bath? He is really skittish at the mo as he's uncomfy.
 
it is a human shampoo and its very safe on the guineas i use it a lot in my rescue and ive never ever had a problem with any side affects,
put a bit of water in the sink or a washing up bowl in the bath dont get any water in the nose i do the shampoo treatments 3 times every 7 -to 10 days depending on the condition xxxdont tell the pharmacy that its for an animal as they wont sell it to you if they ask youre getting it for next door lol,but it is safe..

have a look on Gorgeous guineas website they have many shampoos for skin conditions email Chrissy tell her the **** with your guinea and she will mix a shampoo up for you its very cheap too
 
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