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My four princesses

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stargrrlclaire

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have been to the vets and it's bee nconfirmed that they've got lice =-( and they're having injections to fix it, we're using the repellant spray and the powder. We're cleaning them out everyday, all their accessories have been replaced. In all it's going to cost in excess of £300 I think. We're keeping them on towels that are being washed twice a day on a high heat, washing powder and bleach, then another 90degree cycle with nothing in it. Totally worth it to make my girls better though. I just don't understand how they got it at all, we're always so carefull to keep them clean. pow-powmallethead:o:{:08...
 
Hiya M&M is right. you don't need injections for lice. Lice can be treated with neem shampoo (either from GG or any health food store).
Are you sure it's lice and not mites? Either way the price sounds very high!
 
I'll echo the above posts and am flabbergasted by the price you've mentioned
 
The treatment for lice should cost you no more than £10.

All the items required are available from GorgeousGuineas. A shampoo with lice * easy and then neem a few days later, repeated a week after the initial shampoo is enough to clear most cases.

To check if they are lice I posted some pictures earlier this week of lice eggs in the health section. Take a look at these and see if you can see any signs of these eggs or little white running lice and you will know for sure if that is what your piggy has.

Even if it is mites that they have, again it certainly won't cost £300 to treat. A couple of doses of ivermec is all they need from the vets and then some lavender and Myrrh lotion from Gorgeousguineas to help on the affected area. This should cost you £50 ish including the consultation at the vets.
 
stargrrlclaire said:
have been to the vets and it's bee nconfirmed that they've got lice =-( and they're having injections to fix it, we're using the repellant spray and the powder. We're cleaning them out everyday, all their accessories have been replaced. In all it's going to cost in excess of £300 I think. We're keeping them on towels that are being washed twice a day on a high heat, washing powder and bleach, then another 90degree cycle with nothing in it. Totally worth it to make my girls better though. I just don't understand how they got it at all, we're always so carefull to keep them clean. pow-powmallethead:o:{:08...
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the injections are £15 each, so £45 per pig, £180 for the four, plus £20 per consultations, so £60 in total. We've been advised to treat their hidey houses but they are wood so need to be chucked and any opened hay/woodsavings need to be chucked, plus we need to buy sprays to treat their cage (plus their old cages), so vets are £240 for vets, about £40 for new houses plus new woodshavings and hay. Ohh and we need to disinfect accessories! We've bought them blankets and towels for their temporary accomodation whilst their cage is being treated.

Is it true lice are caused by stress or lacking in vitamin c? we feed them some fresh veg every day ?/:...
 
I don't know if you saw my reply on the chat earlier Claire but lice is easily treated. Lice and easy will get rid just wash all stuff out in a solution of water and pets cleaner and thats fine.

10 of mine had it and this is what I did. Lice comes in on the hay its like nits for us its nothing major.

mites are more serious there is no need to treat with injections for lice. :)
 
I think there might be some confusion over what your girls have.

Lice - can be seen with the naked eye and normally come in on the hay.
The treatment for lice is shampoo as mentioned before using a neem based product. Injections will not make any difference at all. definitely yet to disinfecting all of the cage and accessories but for this you can use vinegar (much cheaper and better for the piggies). I would also disregard and unused hay/bedding as this is probably where they came from in the first place

Mites - Can not be seen by the naked eye and usually you will not know they are there until the piggies are itching A LOT. It is thought that all piggies have mites permanently but that when a piggy is a bit under the weather or stressed the mites will multiply and become a problem. The treatment for mite is ivermec which can be given either by injections or spot-on applied to the coat. Personally I would only go for the spot-on treatment as it works just as well and it is obviously a lot less painful to the piggies. With the topical treatment the vet should be able to give you the pipettes so that you can re-apply at home and therefore saving on the consultation fees.

I would get clarification from you vet as to which they think the girls have as getting injections for lice will not make a different and will obviously cost you and be stressful for the pigs. Is you vet guinea pig savvy, sadly many vets get mites/lice/fungal confused.

Let us know what the vets says
 
Laure said:
I think there might be some confusion over what your girls have.

Lice - can be seen with the naked eye and normally come in on the hay.
The treatment for lice is shampoo as mentioned before using a neem based product. Injections will not make any difference at all. definitely yet to disinfecting all of the cage and accessories but for this you can use vinegar (much cheaper and better for the piggies). I would also disregard and unused hay/bedding as this is probably where they came from in the first place

Mites - Can not be seen by the naked eye and usually you will not know they are there until the piggies are itching A LOT. It is thought that all piggies have mites permanently but that when a piggy is a bit under the weather or stressed the mites will multiply and become a problem. The treatment for mite is ivermec which can be given either by injections or spot-on applied to the coat. Personally I would only go for the spot-on treatment as it works just as well and it is obviously a lot less painful to the piggies. With the topical treatment the vet should be able to give you the pipettes so that you can re-apply at home and therefore saving on the consultation fees.

I would get clarification from you vet as to which they think the girls have as getting injections for lice will not make a different and will obviously cost you and be stressful for the pigs. Is you vet guinea pig savvy, sadly many vets get mites/lice/fungal confused.

Let us know what the vets says
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I asked if the vets had any expierience in exotic pets/guinea pigs and they said the vet we saw definatly had.

I'm sure he said the injections were ivermec, he said with the fact they were itching, he'd go with the injections as their skin is aggrivated and he didn't want to risk them having even sorer skin by putting on spoton.

I'm sure it was lice, you could see them and they were brown long things, only small, but long, and they moved.

I have got an order with petplanet for spot on which hasn't arrived, I've ordered four treatments. Would you advise going ahead with this treatment too? Just to make sure? The vet said I could re-use their houses if i treated them with the spray we already had, but they're wood so i thought it maybe best to totally get rid.
 
i just looked, the injections were inject panomec injection does that help?​
 
OK definitely sounds like lice then as you would 100% NOT be able to see mites.
In that case ivermec will be of no use what's or ever and the vet is either confused or trying to make a fast buck (sorry but it does happen).

You can order treatment from GG at www.gorgeousguineas.com and what you will need is the lice and easy shampoo, the neem melt can also help so personally I would get that too. The products come with instructions.

Otherwise (and you might want to go down that route in the meantime if you can not wait for GG to send you the product) go to a health food store and buy any natural neem shampoo (like holland and barrett).

I have also heard that oil suffocates the lice and I have heard that some people have put olive oils on their piggies in an emergency and where they cannot get access to neem shampoo. But I have never used this before personally so can not say if it would work. It would not harm though as I use olive oil to mosturise mine sometimes and to clean their ears.
 
stargrrlclaire said:
i just looked, the injections were inject panomec injection does that help?​
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Sorry just seen this. Yep that a treatement for lice which your girls do not have. Might be worth checking with the vet in case he thinks that they have both but I very much doubt that is the case as would be too much of a coincidence.
 
Thank you so much. I will get on the site and buy a load as we have four all with it. The melts, are they like skin cream that go on before the shampoo?
 
Laure said:
Sorry just seen this. Yep that a treatement for lice which your girls do not have. Might be worth checking with the vet in case he thinks that they have both but I very much doubt that is the case as would be too much of a coincidence.
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ok,so this is the right treatment for lice?
 
Doh! sorry it doesn't help if I type the wrong thing does it. No the treatment you've been given is for mites and your girls have lice. Sorry about that. Not having a very good day!
 
Yep the injections are for mites

Lice you can see like nits! God they are horrid! Poor Milo he had them in his coronet and he is only tiny himself! :(
 
Laure said:
Doh! sorry it doesn't help if I type the wrong thing does it. No the treatment you've been given is for mites and your girls have lice. Sorry about that. Not having a very good day!
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LOL! Typo! x
 
SunshineAndTwinkle said:
Yep the injections are for mites

Lice you can see like nits! God they are horrid! Poor Milo he had them in his coronet and he is only tiny himself! :(
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Yes they are very much like nits, although I think that waht you can see are the eggs really. Don't quote me on that though
 
There will be the lice then. Normally you cal also see the eggs which are attached the the hais.
 
I've never seen an egg myself just a crawly thing! They are yukky! :)>>>
 
so is coconeem melt, lice and easy shampoo, microneem and bugs be gone from gg ok?
 
You only really need the lice and easy and neem melt will help but not absolutely necessary. Microneen I think is more for fungal and bugs be gone is more to protect their surrounding i.e repel bugs like flies/bees etc... again I have not used these products so can't be sure.
You should email Chrissie who runs the site. she will advise you and is very helpful, she normally answers pretty quickly too. I would also mention their age just in case they need a special product for minis
 
good thinking! two of mine were born on the 1st of feb, the other two were born on the 12th may, so pretty mini x
 
stargrrlclaire said:
In all it's going to cost in excess of £300 I think.
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That is ABSOLTELY DISGRACEFUL. That vet should be reported. Lice on pigs is nothing different from kids getting headlice (I don't mean same lice, I mean the principle - and the fact that it is no big deal and needs a trip to the pharmacy or petshop).

Please take people's advice and save yourself heck of a lot of money.
I have used Johnsons Bird mite spray and Sherleys/Bob Martins Kitten Shampoos but I appreciate that there are people here who prefer to use G. Guineas ......anything but use that vet.
 
Juniper said:
That is ABSOLTELY DISGRACEFUL. That vet should be reported. Lice on pigs is nothing different from kids getting headlice (I don't mean same lice, I mean the principle - and the fact that it is no big deal and needs a trip to the pharmacy or petshop).

Please take people's advice and save yourself heck of a lot of money.
I have used Johnsons Bird mite spray and Sherleys/Bob Martins Kitten Shampoos but I appreciate that there are people here who prefer to use G. Guineas ......anything but use that vet.
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ok,point taken. the £300 isnt just from the vet or one pig though
 
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