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Mites?

Team Baby Bear

Junior Guinea Pig
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Hi there, my Guinea pig has been scratching since the day I got her last November. I think she has some kind of mites, and that's what the vet thinks but we've used two rounds of 'PHARMAQ Mite Treatment' and still my piggie is scratching. Anyone have any suggestions? Cheers!
 
:wel:
Did the vet only administer two rounds of treatment? If she’s been scratching since you got her I would keep taking her back as something is obviously not right. Is the vet experienced with guinea pigs?

As an aside, piggies aren’t meant to live alone. Does your girl have a cage mate? If not then please do think about finding her one (in a rescue) once lockdown is over. If she does then forgive me.

please also add your location to your profile so info can be better tailored to you. This is a UK based forum and it’s gone past midnight now. I’ll Tage some members and they should hopefully get back to you at some point later today.
@Wiebke @PigglePuggle @VickiA @Piggies&buns
 
:wel:
Did the vet only administer two rounds of treatment? If she’s been scratching since you got her I would keep taking her back as something is obviously not right. Is the vet experienced with guinea pigs?

As an aside, piggies aren’t meant to live alone. Does your girl have a cage mate? If not then please do think about finding her one (in a rescue) once lockdown is over. If she does then forgive me.

please also add your location to your profile so info can be better tailored to you. This is a UK based forum and it’s gone past midnight now. I’ll Tage some members and they should hopefully get back to you at some point later today.
@Wiebke @PigglePuggle @VickiA @Piggies&buns

Hi there, thanks for your help.
Yep, she has a little friend whose my brother's and she ls also scratching.
Thanks for the advise about location :)
 
I can only advise that you to take them both back to the vet. Whatever you have used obviously hasn’t been effective so they will require further treatment.
 
I’d agree that a vet trip is needed to identify the cause of the problem and get the right treatment at the right strength. Was this a home (over the counter) treatment?
 
I can only advise that you to take them both back to the vet. Whatever you have used obviously hasn’t been effective so they will require further treatment.
Hi there, thanks for the reply,
Yeah it's difficult as the vet has stated there is no alternative medication and they are at the highest dose that a Guinea Pig can take.
 
I’d agree that a vet trip is needed to identify the cause of the problem and get the right treatment at the right strength. Was this a home (over the counter) treatment?
Hi thanks for you're response. It was an over the counter prescription of drops on the skin. The vet has stated there is an injection available however it is actually well over the dose meant for a Guinea Pig so understandably the vet wants to avoid this.
 
Where are you located? And is your vet guinea pig savvy? So the vet prescribed the medicine? How often did you use it or was it just the once? Sorry for the many questions, just need some clarification.
 
Where are you located? And is your vet guinea pig savvy? So the vet prescribed the medicine? How often did you use it or was it just the once? Sorry for the many questions, just need some clarification.
Hi there, I'm in Glasgow. The vet is a small animal specialist and they've had 2 rounds of a three week course.
 
Okay. Did you take them there more recently or when you got them in November? Have you thoroughly cleaned their cage etc?
 
So they had a course as soon as I got them as they were scratching once I bought them and then they appeared to scratch a little less but in the last month it got a lot worse and so I did another course but the results should have happened weeks ago. And yes I clean their cage regularly and the bedding they use I also use for our old guinea pig in a different cage and she doesn't have mites so the mites are not arriving in through the bedding which makes me think they possibly never left fully after the first course.
 
Hi!

Full mites treatment consists of three rounds of ivermectin or selamectin as their active ingredient at the appropriate strength and the product specific interval in order to get rid of them. The first round should take care of any mites on the body, the second of any mites emerging from the eggs (mange mites burrow theirs in the skin and hay mites fix them to hairs especially at the bum end); the third round is there to catch any stragglers and prevent a return. In severe cases more rounds may be necessary.
Here is more information on guinea pig specific parasites: New piggy problems: URI - ringworm - skin parasites

Mange mite eggs sitting in the skin cannot be killed off. they are usually kept in check by a fully working immune system but can make an appearance if the immune system is for some reasoned lowered or overloaded (illness, stress, bereavement; babies, pregnancy and old age).
Hay mites, as their name says, come these days mainly with industrially harvested and imported hay from international hay brands. As the ground is churned up a lot more than in more traditional smaller scale methods, more stuff gets into the hay. If you are dealing with hay mites, then changing the hay provider is usually helpful.
A Comprehensive Hay Guide for Guinea Pigs (incl. providers in several countries)

Could you please clarify which product you have been prescribed and whether your vet has diagnosed mange mites or hay mites?
 
@Wiebke she said pharmaq although I’m not entirely sure if it was prescribed by the vet.
 
Okay. Did you take them there more recently or when you got them in November? Have you thoroughly cleaned their cage etc?
Hi thanks for getting back to me. I took them to the vets as soon as I got them as they were scratching and they were given a three week course. I then took them back to the vet in march as the scratching was getting a lot worse and they were given another 3 week course. I have now been advised by the vet to give them another 3 week dose of the same mite treatment as she said it's the only one really suitable for guinea pigs. I clean their cage out thoroughly, wash it and use 'clean n safe' spray so I can't see any way of the mites staying within their cage.
 
Hi!

Full mites treatment consists of three rounds of ivermectin or selamectin as their active ingredient at the appropriate strength and the product specific interval in order to get rid of them. The first round should take care of any mites on the body, the second of any mites emerging from the eggs (mange mites burrow theirs in the skin and hay mites fix them to hairs especially at the bum end); the third round is there to catch any stragglers and prevent a return. In severe cases more rounds may be necessary.
Here is more information on guinea pig specific parasites: New piggy problems: URI - ringworm - skin parasites

Mange mite eggs sitting in the skin cannot be killed off. they are usually kept in check by a fully working immune system but can make an appearance if the immune system is for some reasoned lowered or overloaded (illness, stress, bereavement; babies, pregnancy and old age).
Hay mites, as their name says, come these days mainly with industrially harvested and imported hay from international hay brands. As the ground is churned up a lot more than in more traditional smaller scale methods, more stuff gets into the hay. If you are dealing with hay mites, then changing the hay provider is usually helpful.
A Comprehensive Hay Guide for Guinea Pigs (incl. providers in several countries)

Could you please clarify which product you have been prescribed and whether your vet has diagnosed mange mites or hay mites?
Hi there, thank you for sharing those useful links and explaining it all, really appreciate it :)
So they were prescribed Ivermectin. The vet didn't say which type actually, but in terms of their hay, I don't think the mites are arriving in that as our 3rd Guinea Pig has a different cage and doesn't scratch. Cheers!
 
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