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My new piggies have arrived today BUT.....

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pippinskyblue

pippinskyblue

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Hi today I have taken on 2 beautiful girlies who are about 3 years old....... I gave them a check over and noticed their nails were very long and curly and their coats abit dull and scaly........ the lady that gave them to me had taken them on 2 months ago , she didnt know much about piggys and found they werent the type of pets for her family so rightly offered them for adoption. I was lucky enough to be chosen to have them.

After clipping their claws I gave them a nice bath (she said as far as she knew they had never been bathed even by their original owners) I bathed them in a herbal shampoo containing Neem as they had a few mites. The shampoo although meant for humans with head lice seemed to work well and after drying them they had beautiful shiny coats. However I do have one concern, thier fur seems to be coming out handfuls and their skin especially on fudge seems very dry and scaly......... it seems to be going a bit tough.bit like elephant skin!! I remember a few years ago I had a piggy with a similar problem and it was because he had those mites/lice that burrow in the skin. I can see no abrasions on the skin and would like to know what I can use for these damn burrowing mites? Is it going to be a case of a trip to the vet or can I bathe them in a guinea pig shampoo for this kind of thing, or can I put drops on them.??

Apart from that little problem they are lovely chubby little piggies.
Thanks in advance
 
It sounds either like mites or fungal, so it would be good if you took them to the vet to get a proper diagnosis and treatment! I would not try any home cures; you could make things worse.

Mange mites are treated with ivermectin. Depending on the severity, you inject (usually at the vets), give orally or in mild cases use as a spot on. You can get spot on ivermectin from the internet (xeno450). Each course of mites treatment needs to be repeated at least twice after 10-14 days.

Fungal treatments are often shampoos and creams, although there are systemic drugs for severe cases. Fungal baths need be repeated once weekly. If you treat for both you need to make sure that there is a 48 hour gap between the fungal and mites treatment.

Here is more info:
http://www.guinealynx.info/mites.html
http://www.guinealynx.info/fungus.html
http://www.gorgeousguineas.com/photogallery.html
 
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Thanks I'm going to get some treatment with Ivermectin tomoro, hopefully that will do the trick, luckily they have no sores, its just very scaly dry skin and the fur is starting to come out
 
I'm a bit concerned on reading your posts..and for the benefit of other people reading ... I thought I ought to reply.

Firstly - What shampoo did you use?

Human head louse shampoos (be they medicated such as Hedrin, Lyclear and Full marks) or herbal alternatives (such as the one you stated you have used ) often contain chemicals in too high concentration for a sensitive piggie skin compared to ours - which could be why their fur is now coming out "in handfuls" and their skin is now leathery/scaley. Essential oils such as neem, lavender, rosemary and tea tree are actually very harsh naturally-occurring chemicals and great care is needed to ensure they are applied in a dilute enough appropriate carrier lotion for a piggie to cope with.


Do NOT start treating with topical ivermectin tomorrow - you need to rest them and give their skin a chance to recover in view of what you may have used on them today and their skin's possible reaction to it.

If it's mange mites (rather than the shampoo) causing fur to come out in handfuls this suggests a severe infection and you should in any case opt for injections from the vet as spot on treatment is only for mild cases or as a routine maintenance to stop infections actively developing.

A trip to the vet will also help to identify if they also have ear mites as you may need some ear drops to dissipate the gunk in there so the ivermectin injections can work properly....and also whether they have a fungal infection instead or as well as.....


I know you want to do right by your girls so please - before you start any more home treatments - take your piggies to the vet to get a proper diagnosis and guinea pig friendly treatment. You cannot see mites with the naked eye - only running lice are identifiable. Even static lice need to be viewed under magnification to distinguish between them and a (possible fungal) scurf.

For info - shampoo to use in the future (keep a bottle in the cupboard) includes the Gorgeous guineas range and also Johnsons Small animal Insecticidal Shampoo (the latter being available from most pet shops in garden centres open on sundays). These and spot-on are great for lice eradication and mite prevention. However neither is an appropriate substitute for a serious mite infestation which more often than not will require injections to clear it properly (plus maybe other meds to relieve discomfort)
HTH
x
 
thanks for your reply.......... firstly the 2 guineas in question only came to me today and their fur was dull, dandruffy and their skin very dry with no sores.....their fur was falling out before I bathed them...... The shampoo I used does not contain chemicals its all natural products with neem and coconut oils, I used a very tiny amount............ its very very mild and they were rinsed off very well, they have not scratched once since so it obvioulsy soothed them. I know the shampoo did not cause this problem as they already had it. Secondly, I did not use this shampoo before researching on the internet to make sure it was safe and I was told by a few different sites that it was safe o use and it would certainly help them, it was not a strong human had lice shampoo it is a natural herbal shampoo from a health shop.....

I just wanted to say I have kept piggies for 8 years and I would never do anything to harm them... I have ordered some marvellous melts and some shampoo off GG for them.
 
Just an update........... Fudge and Brownie today have beautiful soft shiny fur, Fudge's skin is a lot softer and neither of them have dandruffy bits, also , the fur is not coming out anymore, its a little sparse in places but I havent seen them scratching......... I rang my vet and explained all, he told me not to worry, but if they started scratching or started losing more fur to take them in to see him........ fingers crossed that won't happen. I have ordered some shampoo and some marvelous melts from GG just to pamper them a bit.
 
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