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incessant scratching

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MrsM

MrsM

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I'm back on this section with a recurring problem. Finlay scratches himself a lot at the moment, like a lot, he bites his own back, repeatedly. I have only found one scab but I can't say there aren't more for his coat is very thick.

He has had similar problems before and trips to the vet only managed to REALLY upset him. Nothing was found, mites, lice or else... Things had calmed down for a while but it's recently flared up again and I've started to worry. You can see what he does to his back in my clip on 'more popcorning' thread in pic galery.
 
i just checked out the video one more time. i dont think that is very big of a problem... is it? i thought they were just cleaning themselves...? I'm not sure.
 
Have you tried contacting Gorgeous Guineas, they are very helpful and will recommend something for you.

It may be he is just sensitive, I have two Rex and one of them has a really thick coat and her skin is often red. I have attached the link for you.

http://www.gorgeousguineas.com/index.html
 
We've tried the lavender ointment from GG and this usually helps short-term, except Finlay has been sulking since he's had it on. rolleyes It seems it's given Frank some sort of added assurance and Fin's not too happy with not being total top pig. :))
 
It really sounds like mites. All mine acted this way when they had mites and there is really no need for a vet to diagnose it. Just get some xeno 450, here is the cheapest I have found:

www.vetuk.co.uk

Instructions per weight of guinea are inside but it is normally one pipette on the skin of the neck and down the spine, then a second pipette 10 days later.
 
can I treat pigs as preventive measure?
 
Some people do, I know Vedra does but I personally wouldn't as the guinea could become immune to the ivermectin thus making it less effective in the future. It won't do Finlay any harm to treat him for mites in this instance, even if he doesn't have them, but I would be almost sure from your discription that he does!
 
"I personally wouldn't as the guinea could become immune to the ivermectin"

If a gp has had a course of Ivomec and the mites have been destroyed how can they (not the pig) become immune to the Ivomec?
 
Did I say the mites would become immune to ivomec? :{ not sure what you are getting at?

If you have someting more constructive to add the the thread to assist Mrs M with her guinea's problem, please do share as I acknowledge your wealth of experience :)
 
It might not be mites, it could be just dry skin. One of my pigs has long hair and very dry skin and he can scratch himself raw. Try keeping your pigs claws cut short and i use Aloe Vera spray which really seems to work for him. Its a vetinarian product and was given to me by my local Guinea Pig rescue centre. Its called Forever Animal care and the website on the bottle iswww.foreverliving.com. Hope this helps.
 
thanks every body....

will try things in stages and keep invermectin for last resort...
 
The mites could become immune to Ivomec but if they are all killed off with the treatment the next batch of mites will have had no exposure to Ivomec. The pig will not become immune to the Ivomec.
I must admit that I only treat my pigs when they have mites and not on a regular six monthly basis.
 
Thanks, AP, that's clearer.

I've given Fin a little bath to get rid of residue of lavender ointment. We had a little incident, Fin was standing on hind legs, front paws on my arm and suddenly lost his footing and fell on his back in the water. Thankfully, only the top of his head and one cheek got wet, not the whole head, but the poor boy got scared. :(
After the bath, I gave him a gentle rub on the skin with baby oil with aloe vera and vitamin E I had bought for sun burns last year. He's not looking as greasy, smells nice and has been grooming instead of scratching. So maybe that'll do the trick.
I'm not keen on medicating for the sake of it, but he was getting so miserable with the scratching...

Thank you for all the tips and I'll keep you informed...
 
I take the view that if you treat with Ivomec, say every six months, the pig may not have mites, so it is a waste of time. If the Ivomec were to have an effect for a long time, after precautionary treatment, that would be a totally different situation.
 
Ivomec not arrived, yet, so piggy not treated.

Less scratching, although not totally disappeared.

If one has mites, will the other one have them too?
 
meds have arrived, piggies are still scratching badly, especially Finlay.

Should I treat them both?

Should I wear gloves (I'm pregnant)?
 
I would treat both, and also wear gloves. No idea if ivermectin is safe during pregnancy, but it's obviously absorbed via the skin, so you don't particularly want to get it on you if you can prevent it.
 
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