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Lice Alert!

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justjo14

justjo14

Junior Guinea Pig
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Hi lovely piggy people,

I am so confused. One of my piggies has acquired what I am fairly sure are running lice...lots of them on rump, and what i guess are egg cases, orangey see through in colour and long. Took both to the vet 2-3 weeks ago and vet was unable to catch any on sellotape but agreed there was an infestation of them. She prescribed Ivermectin topically which i did my best to apply to two very wriggly piggies but had to draw out the correct amount for their weight with a syringe and lost some in the fiddly process. Also, a lot of it seems to go on the fur and not the skin? I was only given one dose and grooming over last 2 weeks has been all clear. Yesterday i groomed and one was covered again?! I phoned vet nurse who said more than one application is usually necessary 2-3 weeks apart to break the egg cycle?! Would have been good if they'd told me that at the time. I now have 2 more lots of tiny tubes and a needle syringe to tackle again! I have also read that Ivermectin is not guaranteed to get rid of lice? What are the alternatives please? I keep both their indoor winter and outdoor summer hutch and run immaculate, and clean weekly with disinfectant including bowls, wooden arches, toys etc so any advice on where they are coming from would be great...do they come in bagged meadow hay? Woodshavings? how can i avoid buying infested bedding? Any help/advice grate:ple::help:fully received. THANKS x
 
I'm afraid that you do need to give at least two applications of ivermectin to get rid of lice. It's annoying that the vet didn't tell you about this. Don't worry about getting more on the fur than the skin. It works either way. There have been some instances where lice have grown resistant to ivermectin, but from what you have described it looks like these lice were killed off, but the eggs weren't (which is normal), so they hatched and reinfested your pigs. The alternative is to use an antiparasitic shampoo (e.g. Lice n Easy, or even Lyclear (for human head lice)) weekly for 3 weeks. If you have the ivermectin, I would press ahead with that. It is very effective.

As for prevention, it's most likely that the lice are coming in with the hay. Some people freeze and defrost, or microwave their hay before giving it to the pigs. Personally, I try to get the best quality hay I can find and keep an eye out for lice! I hope that has answered your questions.
 
Elwickcavies said:
I'm afraid that you do need to give at least two applications of ivermectin to get rid of lice. It's annoying that the vet didn't tell you about this. Don't worry about getting more on the fur than the skin. It works either way. There have been some instances where lice have grown resistant to ivermectin, but from what you have described it looks like these lice were killed off, but the eggs weren't (which is normal), so they hatched and reinfested your pigs. The alternative is to use an antiparasitic shampoo (e.g. Lice n Easy, or even Lyclear (for human head lice)) weekly for 3 weeks. If you have the ivermectin, I would press ahead with that. It is very effective.

As for prevention, it's most likely that the lice are coming in with the hay. Some people freeze and defrost, or microwave their hay before giving it to the pigs. Personally, I try to get the best quality hay I can find and keep an eye out for lice! I hope that has answered your questions.
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Thank you so much for the advice. I now have enough Ivermectin for two more treatments and just checked the calendar and it was 3 weeks ago they were last treated. Should i treat 2 weeks apart or less/more please? I didn't realise you could see the lice in hay and will look closely. It is Devon Meadow Hay from a local pet shop that i have been using all year. Any recommendations welcome for affordable, more reliable supplies? They have tons of hay in a hay tray, hay rack and for bedding.
 
justjo14 said:
Thank you so much for the advice. I now have enough Ivermectin for two more treatments and just checked the calendar and it was 3 weeks ago they were last treated. Should i treat 2 weeks apart or less/more please? I didn't realise you could see the lice in hay and will look closely. It is Devon Meadow Hay from a local pet shop that i have been using all year. Any recommendations welcome for affordable, more reliable supplies? They have tons of hay in a hay tray, hay rack and for bedding.
Click to expand...
Also, have just ordered some Lice N' Easy shampoo from Gorgeous Guineas to use regularly as the Johnsons Insecticide shampoo clearly isn't effective?!
 
Elwickcavies said:
microwave their hay before giving it to the pigs. Personally, I try to get the best quality hay I can find and keep an eye out for lice! I hope that has answered your questions.
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I agree if you buy the best quality , you should never have any problems . personaly l swear by Alf Alfafa King Thimathy ! !
N B , many years ago l tried microwaving hay, and there is a distinct risk of Fire !
 

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justjo14 said:
Thank you so much for the advice. I now have enough Ivermectin for two more treatments and just checked the calendar and it was 3 weeks ago they were last treated. Should i treat 2 weeks apart or less/more please? I didn't realise you could see the lice in hay and will look closely. It is Devon Meadow Hay from a local pet shop that i have been using all year. Any recommendations welcome for affordable, more reliable supplies? They have tons of hay in a hay tray, hay rack and for bedding.
Click to expand...
I usually treat every week for three weeks. I get my hay from a farmer, by the bale, and touch wood it has always been lice free. You can usually spot a duff batch by the smell and look of it.
 
My two long haired guinea pigs Granville and Marlow are being treated by the vet for lice. Granville was the worst effected by the lice but Marlow was also scratching so I took them to vet. They were seen by an exotic vet not the one they will normally see. They were both given injections of 0.03 x Panomec 50 MI. I was told bring them back after 2 wks. I did notice Granville still had lice. I took them back this Tuesday they saw a different exotic vet. Who gave them a stronger injection of Panomec (0.05 x Panomec 50MI). They have to go back again next week for vet to check if any signs of lice still. I have replaced the wooden hidies with plastic ones so they can be cleaned.
 
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