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Maybe A Skin Problem?

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Kerrie74

Kerrie74

Adult Guinea Pig
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Hi,

I posted before about our new addition, Jericho, in my other post I mentioned that we'd taken him to the vets and that the vet said he was producing to much grease which is irritating his skin, so my son did as she said, he still has some grease there but he still doesn't seem right, as in his fur is still sticking up, it's not from him grooming because I was watching him when he was relaxing on my bed, when you stroke him it obviously goes down, but when you stop it rises again and not only that my son was trying to check his skin only he was throwing a fit and biting his own foot so my son couldn't check him properly.

My son is going to call the PDSA tomorrow and ask if we can register him and then book him in, but I wanted to ask what we could do in the mean time while he's waiting for an appointment?

I did buy some Coco Neem Melt and Manuka & Neem shampoo but I really don't want to use them if they are going to irritate his skin more and I'm not sure how long he'll be waiting to go to the PDSA.

Any advice is welcome.

thanks in advance

Kerrie
 
My first thought is fungal especially as he is greasy, and it seems to me like he is sensitive too if he is biting himself when you touch him. I would not treat on spec but wait to see what the vets says. If they agree it's fungal I would opt for Imaverol dips. I can give you the link to buy online. Mange mites are also possible as they can get a combination problem. We are just at the right time of year for fungal to make an appearance unfortunately. Does his skin seem bright pink at all? When you say the hair falls back into place, does is still do it if you rub his hair the wrong way? Is there any baldness or scaly patches?
 
I'll try and explain as best as I can and I'll see if I can get a pic of his fur in a bit.

Firstly, he was taken to a vet when we first got him because I noticed the dandruff, fur sticking up on the back end and that his private parts were scabby plus a weird smell coming from him, my son took Big E with him because I was worried it was mites/lice or some other skin problem that could be caught. The vet checked them both over and said they are both creating too much grease, Jericho's was to the point where it was irritating his skin and we were told if it had been left any longer that it would have turned into dermatitis. She gave Jericho some metacam (which he has finished) and gave my son some hibiscrub to use on both Jericho and Big E. My son's been doing the hibiscrub, Big E is pretty much good now but Jericho still has some grease so we will continue with the hibiscrub until it's gone.

To try and answer your questions and later I'll see if I can get a pic of his fur sticking up.

There's no bald spots or scaly patches. It's not mange because the vet would have picked up on it.

In regards to his fur it sticks up but when you stroke him it's down and then when you stop it's up (if that makes sense?) He does groom it, but it's goes up after we've stroked him, so I'm not sure if it's him grooming? Could his fur being sticking up because of the grease? In saying that though it would go down when we stroke him? (Confused).

My son tried to check for red skin but he went off on one and was trying to bite things but couldn't find anything so bit his own paw. I'll ask my son if he can try and take another look without stressing Jericho out.

I'll try and check if his fur will fall back if I rub it the wrong way although he might bite lol, he really does not like his back end being messed with and I know a lot of piggies are like that, we have ones that moan at you if you touch the back end! Three of them kick us if you touch a certain part of their side at the back.

My son's going to call the PDSA today to see if we can get Jericho in for an appointment, the problem is, he could be waiting until next week which is why I was asking if there was a way to help in the meantime.

When my son is up I'll get him to check the other two things you've asked and will post again :)

Thanks very much for trying to advise @helen105281 It's very nice of you to give up your time to answer people on the forums :)
 
Happy to help. I have to start work in a mo so will be back on at lunch to read properly.
 
A photo would definitely help. Sometimes if a pig is in pain their hair can look as if it is standing on end, does it look like that at all? It really does sound like he is very sensitive if he is reacting like that. When he sees the vet I would ask for some pain relief too.
 
Ahh really? I was thinking the same about the pain and thought that's why it might be sticking up. I'm going to ask my son if he'll go and get Jericho out so I can have a look if his fur is up today and take a pic if it is.

He did have metacam but he finished it :/
 
Did his hair look the same when he was on Metacam do you know?
 
He doesn't look as bad as he did when we first got him, there doesn't seem to be any dandruff... just a question out of curiosity, is it possible that the hibiscrub is bothering his skin?

WP_20150513_001.jpg


WP_20150513_005.jpg
 
His fur isn't sticking up as much as it was, do you think he should still go and get checked by a vet again?
 
It is possible, different pigs react to different things. Silly question, but are you diluting it?

I do if he is having such a pain response when touched.
 
Yeap diluted, the vet showed Aidan (my son) what to do. Ok I'll ask Aidan to call the vets and see if we can get him booked in. Thank for the advise :)
 
You're welcome.

The other photo has just loaded, it looks slightly fluffed up to me but it could be the light. The skin also looks a bit pink which could indicate either a reaction to the Hibiscrub or fungal. I would not rule out mange mites either as they are invisible to the naked eye and his reaction is what my Millie did when she had them.
 
Ok thanks @helen105281 I hope it's not mange mites :S The rescue should have taken him to the vets and got him checked over, this is the second guinea pig we've adopted that's ended with a problem and we've had to take them to the vets, the first was a sow who ended up having to be pts because the vet didn't diagnose what was wrong with her when she saw her.

He is a bit fluffed up, just not as much as when we first got him, it really was sticking up then.
 
Hi @helen105281 my son took Jericho, he's just on his way back... I asked what the vet said... he said she didn't seem sure but gave him some Virbac shampoo. Is that ok to use? We have gorgeous guinea stuff if that's any better.
 
My son got in about 5 minutes ago and I asked what the vet actually said... it looks red and sore and there's a bit of grease left... that was her diagnoses lol.
 
Have not heard of Virbac, will go and look it up now. To be honest I don't usually advise using Gorgeous Guineas for suspected fungal and recommend Imaverol instead as in my opinion it is more effective but still gentle. Will let you know what I find.
 
Could you post a photo of the actual product as Virbac seem to be a lot of different things?
 
I don't think it's fungal, she just said "sore and red". I'm just uploading the pics now of the Virbac and I'll link them when their uploaded.
 
Ok, from what I saw online it may be a shampoo to sooth the redness or have some antibacterial function.
 
Ok, I think she also thought that the grease from his glands caused it as he did have LOADS when we first got him, my son's been cleaning him and he's not really got much now. It sounds like the previous owners didn't bother with him much.

289a9c7b-75cb-4feb-9462-4853178f6664.jpg
 
Poor boy. Hopefully the shampoo will help. I have asked someone I know who runs a piggy clinic about it too and will let you know what they say and if they have used it before.
 
Will let you know what I find out. Looks same brand as the Humilac spray I use on my skinnies.
 
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