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Mites/lice Overgrown Claws And Big Sticky Poos! Rescued Piggy.

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cheeseandpeas

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I agreed to rehome a local piggy whose owner loved him but had to move away. I brought him home and examined him, he had all sorts of wriggly things I. His fur by his ears, his claws were so overgrown his poor toes had become twisted, and he didn't seem to know what hay was :( .We named him Broccoleese, to go with Cheese and Peas.
I got rid of his cage, and everything, clipped his claws back so he could walk easier and got him straight to the vet who gave him Genitrix xeno450, he's quite big (and fat) 1.5kg. The vet squeezed out a large stinky soft poop, yuk. A week later on a better diet, with hay and fresh grass and a large hutch he seems much better. BUT (and here's where I'm looking for reassurance) when I checked him out today his skin on the back of his neck on his black/brown bits was all thick and dry and sort of coming away in clumps. He really didn't want me to look, it seemed to uncomfortable for him. Also he's just done another really big stinky wet poop, I heard him struggling. Please can anyone help, is the poop because of his change in diet, will it get better? And is the dry skin because of the vet treatment? Is it going to all come away?
Thank you, k x
 
I meant to say he's been kept completely separate from my existing two pigs, following the quarantine advice I read on here.
 
Hi and welcome. Sounds like you have taken on a pig who really needs some TLC.
Have a read through this thread
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/posts/1721914/
It includes a link to a little video about impaction. Does your new boy sound to have this kind of problem? Do you have any idea how old he may be or did the vet have a view? Some older boys can have problems with impaction when the muscles in their bottom become weaker but it is quite easy to manage once you know how. And as you say it should get better with improved diet and lots of hay. Exercise helps.
Are you booked to see the vet again about the mites? 1 round of medication will not resolve the problem. Your vet should have planned further xeno applications although injections are better.
Great that you have kept the new one separate - worth bearing in mind that boar trios are not known to work out very often so you may need to think of some other options longer term if you were thinking of a trio?
 
Thanks, that does look like it might be the problem, although he's only 2 years, he's had nothing to eat but the musli type of food up until now so hopefully things will improve with good diet. Vet wants to give another dose next week. The hutch he's in now is a spare/ winter home so if he doesn't get on with the other pigs there will always an exclusive hutch for him if he needs it. I understand that boys don't always get on. Thank you! Any ideas on the flaky thick skin?
 
Can you post a picture of the skin or is he too nervous yet? I would raise it with the vet when you go back for treatment. I could be from the mites and scratching or it could be another skin condition that has attacked when he is under the weather with the other issues. We can only really guess over tinternet :) but vet may need to do skin scrape / other tests. All the best for his recovery.
 
Thank you, I will attempt a pic but I might leave it a while, he hated me touching it earlier and i don't want to keep upsetting him :(
My gut feeling is that it's where the mites have been bothering him.
 
If you could post a photo of his skin that would help, it is possible that it is a reaction to the Spot On, I have heard of it happening a few times before but it could also be a fungal issue. As Laura has said, I would speak to the vet about this before he gives the next dose. It may be best to give the Ivermectin by injection instead, and this is more effective for mange mites anyway.

As for the poo, it is likely to be the change in diet and so should improve, though you will need to introduce any dietary changes gradually. A friend took in a pig who had had an awful diet and he really struggled with the nice hays etc that she was giving him as he couldn't digest them very well.
 
First of all a very big well-done you on taking him on. He sounds like he has landed on his paws with you! Neglect and incorrect diet will take a bit of time to sort out, but wishing you well and sending him a big gentle hug. Hope he feels better really soon. x
 
Well done to you. It sounds like he would have gone down-hill fast if you had not taken him in when you did, but it also sounds like his conditions are treatable, and hopefully in a couple of weeks there will be quite a change in him (as there already is since you took him). It sounds like she was oblivious to what guinea pigs actually need. xx
 
Thank you everyone, so helpful! Thank goodness for this forum! He seems quite well in himself and comes out to see me rather handing away. The one thing the vet said he may not be able to reverse is his poor twisted toes where his claws had overgrown :( but he's already walking a bit better so I feel hopeful. I will show the vet the skin I'm concerned about when I go back and see what they say.
Will update with a photo if he'll let me.
 
My first thought given where it is situated, is that the flaky skin could be a reaction to the ivermectin spot-on....it might be better to opt for injections instead when he is due his next treatment......
 
Ok I couldn't get him to stay still to photograph him, but I found this that he'd scraped off, yuk, the skin on it is kind of blackened like a scab, but his skin is like that under his fur all round his neck.
 
Ok I took him back to the vet yesterday and the flaky bits were just the spot on treatment that had dried up in his fur, so that's a relief. He's lost a bit of weight, vet said was a good thing as he was quite fat before! His mites etc have all gone but his tummy is loose now and he's got 10 days of baytril diluted in his water.

I bathed him later to remove the flaky bits from his fur which he hated but it helped him gently cool down, then the funniest thing, I wanted to rinse off the piggy shampoo in fresh water and my little girl had finished with the paddling pool and the water was luke warm from being in the sun, so I held him in the water and rubbed out the shampoo, his feet didn't quite touch the bottom so I kept my hand under his tummy holding his legs but he forced his way free and swam a lap beautifully, like a little water rat, before coming back to me to scoop him out! I was shocked! I know most animals can swim if they have to but I didn't expect that! Probably the most exercise and excitement he's had! I won't be bathing him in the little paddling pool again :)
 
It's so lovely to hear what you are doing for this Luttle chap. He sounds like he's now having the time of his life :-)
 
It sounds like you're doing a grand job with him. I'm not sure what you mean by him having ten days of Baytril diluted in his water. If it's in his bottle, he can drink all that in a coup;e of days in this weather. Baytril is normally administered by a syringe orally at home. Baytril is known to upset tummys in large doses.
 
He's got 0.5 ml baytril diluted with 100ml water each day for 10 days, as directed by the vet, once he's drunk it I rinse his bottle and refill with water.
I thought I should administer it straight into his mouth but the vet said this would be easier?!? He's very compliant and happy so I think he'd take it!
It's nice to see him improving, he seems such a sweet little guy, costing me a fortune but he deserves to be healthy.
 
I agreed to rehome a local piggy whose owner loved him but had to move away. I brought him home and examined him, he had all sorts of wriggly things I. His fur by his ears, his claws were so overgrown his poor toes had become twisted, and he didn't seem to know what hay was :( .We named him Broccoleese, to go with Cheese and Peas.
I got rid of his cage, and everything, clipped his claws back so he could walk easier and got him straight to the vet who gave him Genitrix xeno450, he's quite big (and fat) 1.5kg. The vet squeezed out a large stinky soft poop, yuk. A week later on a better diet, with hay and fresh grass and a large hutch he seems much better. BUT (and here's where I'm looking for reassurance) when I checked him out today his skin on the back of his neck on his black/brown bits was all thick and dry and sort of coming away in clumps. He really didn't want me to look, it seemed to uncomfortable for him. Also he's just done another really big stinky wet poop, I heard him struggling. Please can anyone help, is the poop because of his change in diet, will it get better? And is the dry skin because of the vet treatment? Is it going to all come away?
Thank you, k x

How old is your boy? He could have mild impaction if he is no longer quite young, which is a chronic condition when the muscles at the back weaken and the boars lose their power to push out the redigestible poos.
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/impaction-recovery-how-to-help-your-guinea-pig.120787/
A very fibrous diet (the more fibre the better) and a strictly regular feeding regime with the same foods every day at the same time can help towards stablising it.
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk...or-a-balanced-general-guinea-pig-diet.116460/ (just keep the diet to the veg and amounts recommended in our daily veg).

Otherwise, your vet may consider a course of worming with panacur, plus again, a rather fibrous diet without much fresh food to help stabilise the guts. Please speak to this to your vet. He can judge wether you are dealing with impaction or a digestive issue.

For the crusts at the back of his neck, please see your vet or a piggy savvy vet again. It sounds like fungal to me, but without seeing it, there is no way of giving you any other recommendations.
However, if it is fungal and your boy is already on a regime of repeated spot-on treatment, I would recommend you to ask your vet for an oral fungal medication like itrafungol, which has been used very successfully for fungal issues by vets in the last few years. You may have to sign a form as it is not on the list of licensed medications. Otherwise you have to be aware that you have to leave at least a 48 hour gap between any topical (i.e. skin) treatments.

Parasites and fungal are opportunists that hit when the immune system is lowered either through stress, illness or from neglect. And by the sound of it, your poor boy has not exactly been well looked after for quite a long time, if ever!
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/ringworm-hygiene-and-pictures.115402/
 
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