Mites And Respiratory Issues?

[irene]

we just took our 2 guinea pigs, one with a skin patch/hair loss on back and the other behind her ears to the pet store where we had originally gotten them (I was unaware of guinea pig rescues in my area); the older one has had recurrent URIs and we have spent over $500 at various vets (no exotic vets near me); anyway the pet store owner who is supposed to be very reputable said they have mites and that they can also get into the trachea and cause breathing problems, so he treated both of them and we have to go back in 2 weeks for a second treatment; the one who gets the recurrent URIs will show symptoms of sneezing and labored breathing but always continues to eat and drink well and gains weight; also the younger one never "catches" the URI from her. So i'm wondering if the incidents were truly URIs or mite related. Has anyone had any experience with mites causing respiratory issues?

 

[Jennifer D]

Guinea pigs, I believe, generally tend to have hair loss behind their ears naturally. All of mine do, even the little one. I know that you said that there aren't any exotic vets where you are but be wary of pet stores "treating" your guinea pigs. In the pet stores in my city, that generally means that they take the sick animals to the "quarantine" room where they are not tended at all, and actually left to die. I have it on good authority that this is what happens at the pet store where my two of my friends have been employed. How they get away with it, I will never understand. I hope you get more help from people on here, I don't know anything about illnesses really. I'm sorry to hear your pigs are sick That piggy in your profile picture is adorable!

 

[irene]

Guinea pigs, I believe, generally tend to have hair loss behind their ears naturally. All of mine do, even the little one. I know that you said that there aren't any exotic vets where you are but be wary of pet stores "treating" your guinea pigs. In the pet stores in my city, that generally means that they take the sick animals to the "quarantine" room where they are not tended at all, and actually left to die. I have it on good authority that this is what happens at the pet store where my two of my friends have been employed. How they get away with it, I will never understand. I hope you get more help from people on here, I don't know anything about illnesses really. I'm sorry to hear your pigs are sick That piggy in your profile picture is adorable!

thank you! that's Cinnamon having a "good" hair day thanks to my haircutting skills LOL! she's almost a year old now; yes I know many pet stores are disreputable so i am very cautious and if either one of my piggies were behaving in a sick fashion I would def take them to a vet, i'm actually looking into an exotic vet that i may be able to get to; this pet store fortunately, as pet stores go is very well known and the owner does a TV show here so is very visible and therefore hopefully more reliable than the average pet shop owner! I hope! he didn't say not to take her to the vet if she shows symptoms but said perhaps the mite treatment could possibly be the cause of the respiratory issues; he said that she had it worse than the little one (Pepper) but because Cinnamon has so much thick hair we couldn't see it!!; he advised us to watch them closely, which we always do anyway and if any change to see a vet otherwise we will bring them back to him in 2 weeks for the second treatment.

 

[Jennifer D]

thank you! that's Cinnamon having a "good" hair day thanks to my haircutting skills LOL! she's almost a year old now; yes I know many pet stores are disreputable so i am very cautious and if either one of my piggies were behaving in a sick fashion I would def take them to a vet, i'm actually looking into an exotic vet that i may be able to get to; this pet store fortunately, as pet stores go is very well known and the owner does a TV show here so is very visible and therefore hopefully more reliable than the average pet shop owner! I hope! he didn't say not to take her to the vet if she shows symptoms but said perhaps the mite treatment could possibly be the cause of the respiratory issues; he said that she had it worse than the little one (Pepper) but because Cinnamon has so much thick hair we couldn't see it!; he advised us to watch them closely, which we always do anyway and if any change to see a vet otherwise we will bring them back to him in 2 weeks for the second treatment.

I forgot about the tv show! I think I read that in another post somewhere! And that's actually probably good advice! My rabbit has continuous issues with mites in her ear so I feel your pain! I imagine if one piggy has it, the other one probably does too! lol! Typical! The vet treated my rabbit with something called Revolution. I guess it's for dogs and cats that have mites. I'm trying to find out if I can get it at the store or not because the vet that I went to was useless and only gave her one dose when it's meant to be applied at least three times over three months! So of course the mites have returned Argh! So aggravating! Would you be able to ask what they are using to treat your piggies? I'm trying to find out if I have any more options for my rabbit! Hope your mites disappear!

 

[irene]

I forgot about the tv show! I think I read that in another post somewhere! And that's actually probably good advice! My rabbit has continuous issues with mites in her ear so I feel your pain! I imagine if one piggy has it, the other one probably does too! lol! Typical! The vet treated my rabbit with something called Revolution. I guess it's for dogs and cats that have mites. I'm trying to find out if I can get it at the store or not because the vet that I went to was useless and only gave her one dose when it's meant to be applied at least three times over three months! So of course the mites have returned Argh! So aggravating! Would you be able to ask what they are using to treat your piggies? I'm trying to find out if I have any more options for my rabbit! Hope your mites disappear!

I will ask my son if he knows he actually took them because technically they are "his" piggies but I take care of them lol! Will def find out when we go back though! I know so hard to find a good vet if you're not dealing with a dog or cat! The ones I've been to have been very nice and see exotics but not that many and in my area very few people seem to have guinea pigs. one did call me after he consulted with a guinea pig expert so they do try its just that these animals make up so little of their clientele they just don't have the experience. I have found an exotic only vet that's about a 40 minute drive which is a lot if you have a sick pet but may have to give that a try next time

 

[Jennifer D]

I will ask my son if he knows he actually took them because technically they are "his" piggies but I take care of them lol! Will def find out when we go back though! I know so hard to find a good vet if you're not dealing with a dog or cat! The ones I've been to have been very nice and see exotics but not that many and in my area very few people seem to have guinea pigs. one did call me after he consulted with a guinea pig expert so they do try its just that these animals make up so little of their clientele they just don't have the experience. I have found an exotic only vet that's about a 40 minute drive which is a lot if you have a sick pet but may have to give that a try next time

Yeah, I read the reviews (unfortunately after I brought my rabbit there) about this exotic vet and I was disturbed! Two people swore that their pets (a parrot and a hamster) went in for routine nail clipping and a check-up and ended up dead in minutes. There was one positive review out of 30 awful ones. I have a reputed rabbit vet that's about 30 minutes away and I'll be headed there next. I hope this one turns out better than the last.

 

[irene]

Yes I wish

Yeah, I read the reviews (unfortunately after I brought my rabbit there) about this exotic vet and I was disturbed! Two people swore that their pets (a parrot and a hamster) went in for routine nail clipping and a check-up and ended up dead in minutes. There was one positive review out of 30 awful ones. I have a reputed rabbit vet that's about 30 minutes away and I'll be headed there next. I hope this one turns out better than the last.

Ohh I wish you the best! Its so disturbing to hear those negative vet stories just don't get why you would become a vet and not give 100% to these innocent animals! I have to admit since joining this forum I am envious of the type of exotic care that seems to be available in the UK!

 

[Jennifer D]

Me too! They seem to be much more small animal oriented than North America!

 

[irene]

Me too! They seem to be much more small animal oriented than North America!

Ohh for sure! Here it's primarily dogs and cats ! Other pets are looked at more as disposable and easily replaceable which I quickly found out is certainly not the case. You can get just as attached to a piggy or rabbit! A lot of people don't get that

 

[Wiebke]

Bald patches behind the ears are normal and nothing to worry about as long as they look the same on both sides. Make sure that the bald patch on the back is really mange mites and not fungal. The distinction is not always as obvious as the pictures suggest, especially in the early stages. You also need a good quality ivermectin product. Most shop brands are too low dosed and only geared towards the prevention of mites; they can make the problem worse instead of better. Any treatment needs to consist of at least three rounds of ivermectin at the stated intervals.

If your piggy has recurring URI symptoms that do not respond to antibiotics, she may have likely an allergy to dust etc. It would be good if you had that checked out by a vet. What bedding are you using? Mites do NOT cause URI/harsh breathing symptoms!

http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/guinea-pig-body-quirks.58854/
http://www.guinealynx.info/mites.html
http://www.guinealynx.info/fungus.html
http://www.gorgeousguineas.com/indentification.html
http://shop.gorgeousguineas.com/photo-gallery-27-w.asp

 

[irene]

Ohh

Bald patches behind the ears are normal and nothing to worry about as long as they look the same on both sides. Make sure that the bald patch on the back is really mange mites and not fungal. The distinction is not always as obvious as the pictures suggest, especially in the early stages. You also need a good quality ivermectin product. Most shop brands are too low dosed and only geared towards the prevention of mites; they can make the problem worse instead of better. Any treatment needs to consist of at least three rounds of ivermectin at the stated intervals.

If your piggy has recurring URI symptoms that do not respond to antibiotics, she may have likely an allergy to dust etc. It would be good if you had that checked out by a vet. What bedding are you using? Mites do NOT cause URI/harsh breathing symptoms!

http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/guinea-pig-body-quirks.58854/
http://www.guinealynx.info/mites.html
http://www.guinealynx.info/fungus.html
http://www.gorgeousguineas.com/indentification.html
http://shop.gorgeousguineas.com/photo-gallery-27-w.asp

have to admit disheartening to hear! I was so hoping that perhaps mites could be the culprit as I know that in adults even dust mites can cause respiratory problems so it made sense to me! I use paper bedding , originally used pine but Cinnamon seemed to have problems with that. When I switched to paper there was noticeable improvement in her congestion for a while but then it came back

 

[Wiebke]

Ohh

have to admit disheartening to hear! I was so hoping that perhaps mites could be the culprit as I know that in adults even dust mites can cause respiratory problems so it made sense to me! I use paper bedding , originally used pine but Cinnamon seemed to have problems with that. When I switched to paper there was noticeable improvement in her congestion for a while but then it came back

Dust mites are not species specific mange mites.

 

[irene]

Dust mites are not species specific mange mites. [/Q

 

[irene]

yes i know that; i guess i was just hoping against hope for a simple solution LOL! had hoped that if "mites" could cause resp problems in humans maybe any type of mite could cause issues in guinea pigs! the search continues for the resolution to Cinnamon's issues!