Is It Possible To Overdose On Spot-on?

[anniedabannie]

I did both my boys' defleaing today, but was home alone so had to do it one handed and they were really wriggly!

Anyway.... I think I put on too much on them both. Will that be ok or should I wash some off? I'm worried about making them ill.

Thanks!

Annie, Poldark and Sage xx

 

[biscandmatt]

what type of spot on was it?

 

[anniedabannie]

It was the kind you get in Pets At Home, the 'Bob Martin My Little Friend' stuff.

 

[biscandmatt]

It was the kind you get in Pets At Home, the 'Bob Martin My Little Friend' stuff.

i'm not 100% sure but i think that is one of the ones that isn't recommended anymore. i remember our vet mentioning it to me a while ago now. i think it also doesn't state the ingredients, or at least didn't used to, which is in itself concerning.

if you have possibly given them more than the recommended dose stated for their age and weight then i would contact your exotics vet for advice because depending on the ingredients it *could* potentially do harm, although hopefully not too much, if at all. if there is potential for harm, the vets may beable to help.

do they have mites or fleas at the moment? if not, i wouldn't risk giving them anything at all as a preventative. it's not likely to work anyway and just adds un-necessary 'chemicals' to their bodies. if they do have symptoms of something like mites etc, then seeing the vet for diagnosis and treatment would be the best thing

 

[anniedabannie]

The active ingredients are...
S-methoprene 3% w/w (whatever w/w means!)
and Ethyl butylacetylaminopropionate 10% w/w

They were itching a lot, so I got what they stocked at Pets at Home I live with my parents and they aren't keen on paying vets' bills for de-fleaing because it's quite expensive to have to do regularly and everything, and the spot-on things have worked for our cat and dog.

What brands do vets recommend? I'll definitely buy that for next time!

 

[Wiebke]

It was the kind you get in Pets At Home, the 'Bob Martin My Little Friend' stuff.

Please wash it off; it is worse than useless anyway!

Guinea pigs do not have species specific flies that can survive on them for any length of time.

The itching is very likely down either fungal or mange mites, which need a proper diagnosis and appropriate treatment for either condition with products that are higher dosed than cheap shop products.
By home treating on spec you can make things a LOT worse instead of better; Bob Martin products are the worst kind and have lead to a slow and agonising death of an affected piggy more than once.
You will need to wait at least 2 days before you can see a vet after any topical (surface) medication.

 

[anniedabannie]

Ok, will do!

 

[biscandmatt]

The active ingredients are...
S-methoprene 3% w/w (whatever w/w means!)
and Ethyl butylacetylaminopropionate 10% w/w

They were itching a lot, so I got what they stocked at Pets at Home I live with my parents and they aren't keen on paying vets' bills for de-fleaing because it's quite expensive to have to do regularly and everything, and the spot-on things have worked for our cat and dog.

What brands do vets recommend? I'll definitely buy that for next time!

you don't need to treat them unless they have actual symptoms and if they do, there isn't anything you buy that replaces vet treatment unfortunately. you really do need a vet diagnosis and then either treatment bought from them, or given by them. you can buy ivermectin to treat yourself, but again, if you don't know what they have then you potentially will be risking putting something into their bodies that they may not even need. you may end up treating the wrong issue and delaying treatment for something else or cause more issues because the body then has to deal with this new 'thing' in their system.

if they are really itching then they will be very uncomfortable. this will in turn cause stress. i'm afraid going to the vets does sound necessary in this case. i can relate to having parents who begrudge paying for the vets but it shouldn't be a huge cost for something like this, and will definitely be less than if something is left to require treatment at a further more advanced stage. i hope you can persuade them that it is in the best interest of the piggies.

 

[Kerrie74]

It is best to take piggies to the vets so they can do a tape test to see if they do actually have lice/mites. They can advise you properly.

 

[anniedabannie]

They've had a bath now, will definitely get straight onto talking to my parents about having a vet checkup. My neighbour is a vet so I might pop in for a visit with her just to get some advice first.

They don't seem stressed by their itching... but how much is "normal"? They seem to itch quite a lot but are happy otherwise?

I feel like such an awful owner, I was trying to do the right thing for them lesson learned, anyway. Thank you everyone for being so helpful.

 

[MintyAndGarry (TEAS)]

I have used spot-on treatments before, for lice rather than mites, with no issues at all.

Do your piggies have any areas with thinning hair? Classically, this falls on their backs with mites, sometimes causing a 'v' shape to form. Fungal issues (ringworm) generally start on the face area of the pig, and yours seem to look fine in the picture above. A good vet should be able to diagnose either mites or fungal visually, without the need for further testing. If it turns out to be mites, then a course of injections will be the quickest and easiest way to get rid of the problem - you can discuss this more with the vet. Should your pigs be prone to skin issues, then it may be worth considering using some form of spot-on treatment as a preventative, but again you will need to speak to the vet about this.

Your piggies look very cute! Just make sure you dry them off fully, even in this warm weather. They shouldn't need bathing again - piggies are designed to smell like piggies!

 

[Kerrie74]

Cute guineas