Hi there
I have 4 piggies and they are on their second round of injections from the vet for lice. The problem is Rosa who had the worse infection I a no better. It’s so frustrating as last year it was mites and I don’t know where I’m going wrong! I like to think I’m a bit of a hay perfectionist and am very particular about what hay I buy so wonder where they come from. The vet did say he’s seeing more lice and mites that are immune to treatments and some pigs are just carriers which is worrying. Any advice would be great thank you!
Hi! You might want to discuss with your vet whether a two-pronged approach with a lice shampoo in addition to your injections is now indicated. Some varieties of lice and hay mites can be very hard to get on top of indeed!
Ivermectin injections are the most effective way to give it, more than spot-on, so you are in good hands there.
Some people have had success with a combination of Gorgeous Guineas lice'n'easy shampoo and ivermectin. It is not so much an issue for you because the ivermectin is not also applied topically so the 48 hour wait after any application on the skin is not a problem, but I would not bathe on the same day as the injection.
Problem Solving Shampoos
Please use a bowl on a towel on the floor of the shower or the bathtub for bathing to prevent blind jumps and nasty accidents if your piggy is hell-bent on escaping. We strongly advise against using a sink or basin. Hopefully that can help you to remove at least more lice from the body just by washing them out at the recommended shampoo intervall.
We have certainly seen a big rise of much more resistant hay mites all year long in recent years since pet shops have started selling imported hay. Before that they were usually confined to a spate of them coming in untreated farmer's hay in autumn and no problem to get on top of with a bath or two. These days I am recommending to cut of any hairs with hay mite eggs on them to simply remove as many mites mechanically as possible to get on top of them easier.
However, it can well be that Rosa has got an underlying health problem which lowers her immune system that has led to the stronger infestation in the first place. Healthy guinea pigs have an immune system that can help them to beat parasites back and resist a bad infestation in the first place.
The problem with lice and hay mites is that other than mange mites, they do not burrow in the skin and are therefore much less exposed to ivermectin. Overuse of ivermectin in low dosed 'preventative' shop products can unfortunately lead to resistancy over time.
If ivermectin is not working after the third application, then your vet may consider switching to stronghold (selamectin based) and see whether that has a better effect. I would however strongly recommend to complete the course of injections first.
All the best!
