Might be mites on Sal?

[Pat Shields]

Not sure if I should post this in another section, so since it was brought up to me here I'll post here:

Connie told me:

Please dont take this as critisism or harsh, But mites CANNOT be seen by the human eye, and he really looked like he might be suffering from them. invectermin can be purchased online and will treat these with 3 topical applications every 2 weeks. The dose depends on his weight, I'm not sure of the brand names over there, hopefully a US member can help?

OK, what I will do is alert the vet when I take him, hopefully that will be within 1-2 days, and they can sell me what I need there. They have done skin scrapings of dogs and cats I have brought there to detect mites, so I am sure they can do the same for guinea pigs.

But tell me - do the mites jump, and can they get on the cats and dogs? I am keeping him quarantined and isolated (except for the trip around the house by my well-meaning, animal-loving friend), but once in a while the others get curious and go over to have a sniff. They can't get to him, but they do put their noses at the front of the cage (Sal is in the back), and right now I have a towel draped over the dog carrier to block openings to prevent drafts but there is a cat hunkered down on the top.

 

[Suzygpr]

The mites that guinea pigs carry are species specific so not a problem for your dog/cat.

Red will however be at risk until they both get treatment as you could transfer the mites on your clothes, etc - as his skin is shed, especially through scratching, there may be eggs/adults in it.

Fungal issues are far more troublesome and difficult to shift. Everyone/animal in the home is a risk from infection if strict quarantine isn't followed. Until you have been to the vet you will not know if the skin issue is diet/mite/fungal based - it can be all three!

Suzy

ETA - I will ask that this get moved to the relevant section - Health & Illness so it doesn't get lost in amongst all of Sal's other posts.

 

[Pat Shields]

ETA - I will ask that this get moved to the relevant section - Health & Illness so it doesn't get lost in amongst all of Sal's other posts.

Thanks for that.

I have Sal and Red at opposite ends of the house, and I generally don't pick up Red and cuddle him as he seems not to like it, so I don't do it often. I will keep that up at least for the time being as from what you described, it might reduce the risk of transmission of any mites or other conditions.

I definitely have kept the two apart since I brought the new one home as Redemption was very lucky in being a healthy one with no conditions and I want to keep him that way. And the one time I had Sal close to my chest for warmth I washed myself afterward and changed my shirt. It is good to know the mites are species-specific.

 

[Connie]

Sorry, i didnt want to scare you with my post, just alert you that just because you cant see anything doesnt mean it isnt serious/there isnt anything there. Even though he looks bad that isnt the worst case weve seen and now that you are aware you should be able to treat whatever it is.