New Piggy, Mites?

[Dilly's Piggies]

I just picked up my new baby, she is a 6 week old Lunkarya, I've been waiting for her since she was 1 day old and I finally got to bring her home today. Her name is Dolly! This whole time the breeder never said anything about any kind of skin problem, she sent me pictures every week and I never saw anything wrong but that is due to her hair it's good at hiding it. I thought I was picking up a 100% perfectly healthy Guinea Pig today, but when I got there I saw this wasn't the case, Dolly and all the breeders other pigs had huge bald patches, inflamed skin with bleeding scabs, although most looked healed so I assume the breeder is treating the pigs, they aren't quite healed yet, so I'm a bit upset I wasn't told about Dolly having a skin problem too, because now I have to fix it and it messed up a lot of my plans. Dolly's ears are the worst affected from what I can see at the moment, they look and feel absolutely awful, they are red, inflamed, scabby, bleeding, flaky, crusty and hot to the touch, the poor little girl, she also has this large bald patch on her shoulder which still looks inflamed although the skin looks healthy besides some redness, the hair looks to be growing back in this area, but she has multiple smaller bloody scabs as well that look to be new, her feet/toes are also hot to the touch and inflamed. The breeder said the bald patches are from hair pulling, I highly doubt that.

I'm also concerned she may have a little URI, she is only tiny and when she is sniffing or breathing heavily I can hear a whistling sound, she also has a small 'bogey' which I wiped clean and it hasn't come back, eyes look clear and no nasal discharge since, she was living on woodshavings and low quality hay so maybe she just has some dust up there making this, I hope so, I don't want to add a URI to her skin issue!

She is going to the vet on Tuesday, she is in her own cage quarantined at the moment, my other 8 pigs are in the same room and she is happy enough just hearing them, all she cares about is that you feed her lol, she is a bright, active, alert and extremely outgoing and confident pig, I am impressed with her attitude for such a young baby, being by herself in a brand new environment, she is not timid at all and is very interested and curious about her new home. I have her bedded on fleece just like all my piggies, especially with that nose whistling I didn't want to put her on woodshavings, not to mention the fact I hate them anyway.

What do you guys make of this, mites also? Fungal? I do have topical ivermectin 1% drops at home however with her being only 6 weeks old I'm reluctant to treat her with anything and would rather take her to the vet. So yeah, today didn't go how I hoped it would in any way, shape, or form, but at least I have this precious baby now so I can give her the life she deserves, I'm just sad that this happened to her. I'm sure she'll bounce back quickly after getting the right meds from the vet!

 

[Swissgreys]

What a little sweetie, although it sounds like health wise she is a bit of a mess.
I am shocked that a breeder wouldn't mention any of this to you, but at least she is safe now.

I am not sure what the problem is, but if it were me I would move her to a separate room away from the other piggies.
It might sound cruel, but if she has some sort of fungal it could possibly spread, and the last thing you need is 9 poorly piggies.
Good luck at the vet on Tuesday.

 

[Betsy]

What a cutie! I am also shocked that the breeder let her go in this condition! Isn't she a bit young to be away from Mum? Velvet fed Christian, Meg and Dennis for 8 weeks before I separated the boys. Velvet was feeding them up to 7 and a half weeks.

 

[Dilly's Piggies]

What a little sweetie, although it sounds like health wise she is a bit of a mess.
I am shocked that a breeder wouldn't mention any of this to you, but at least she is safe now.

I am not sure what the problem is, but if it were me I would move her to a separate room away from the other piggies.
It might sound cruel, but if she has some sort of fungal it could possibly spread, and the last thing you need is 9 poorly piggies.
Good luck at the vet on Tuesday.

She has been housed in the same room as them for 8 hours now, is this not too late to put her in a different air space already or should I still move her? It would make me feel a little guilty but she is a confident pig I think she would do fine without even hearing the others as long as people are around. I do have F10SC disinfectant and I'm OCD with it, I clean everything with the stuff, I can maybe move her and fog the pig room? :/

 

[Poppy'sMum]

I would keep her in a separate room, it's likely she has fungal Please observe strict hygiene; handle your own pigs first, & use gloves & separate clothing to handle her, then wash your hands & any clothing separately. Breeders do not care about their pigs, they breed to make money Very few are likely to want to follow up & see how their pigs are. I would be sending her the vet bill This is why it's best to rehome from a reputable Rescue. I have been in the same position in the past; luckily the lady did actually tell me she couldn't let me have my piggy until she had been treated for fungal. Tbh if she has rattly breathing you can't wait until Tuesday, she is so young & a URI will take hold very quickly. I would take her tomorrow if you have a vet in PAH or somewhere that is open tomorrow it won't cost an OOH fee.

 

[Stayc1989]

I agree it could possibly be fungal as these were the symptoms peach had when she had ringworm. Your definitely doing the right thing in taking her to the vets and I would inform the breeder of the diagnosis so they can treat the others too. I had peach in the same room as my other piggies for 3 days before the vet said it was ringworm because the first time I took her they said it was mites so took her again and it was ringworm and mites. So I think you should be okay as long as they didn't come into contact with her but as already said the spores do spread on clothing and things if you use your f10 hopefully none of your others will have caught anything. Hope you get it all sorted poor little baby. Let us know how she gets on. Oh and she is beautiful by the way

 

[Dilly's Piggies]

Quick update - Dolly is still going to the vet, but here is what her skin/ear looks like today compared to 3 days ago, it's a million times better. I have not put anything on it but the breeder told me she was using ivermectin spray from the vet.

 

[Poppy'sMum]

Ivermectin spray is purely for mites, it won't treat fungal I'm afraid She still needs to get that checked by a vet; hair loss/bald patches/crusty ears can all point to fungal.

 

[Dilly's Piggies]

Ivermectin spray is purely for mites, it won't treat fungal I'm afraid She still needs to get that checked by a vet; hair loss/bald patches/crusty ears can all point to fungal.

Yes I know that, but because it is healing so well it doesn't look so fungal anymore, since fungal won't respond to ivermectin. Is it possible being OCD with cleanliness helped fungal this much?

 

[Poppy'sMum]

Erm no Fungal infections are spores in the air, they are not mites It's likely your little girl has both. Are you keeping her well away from the others & observing the hygiene as I mentioned earlier? Because if it is fungal it will spread @Wiebke for more advice. Only a vet visit will diagnose what it actually is.

 

[Wiebke]

Yes I know that, but because it is healing so well it doesn't look so fungal anymore, since fungal won't respond to ivermectin. Is it possible being OCD with cleanliness helped fungal this much?

Ivermectin spray can help suppress fungal temporarily, but it doesn't cure it - it wil simply come back again. Please be aware that pet shop spray is NOT strong enough to cure mange mites, either!

PLEASE do not treat on spec and see a vet for a diagnosis and good quality treatment. It is much cheaper and quicker in the end than treating with lots of cheap pet shop stuff that doesn't do the trick in the long run and means a lot more suffering for the piggies involved and hassle (and cost) for you. It is false economy to think you can do it on the cheap on your own without exactly knowing what you are up against.

Good hygiene is important to get on top of airborne fungal spores as well as mites, which can either already come as eggs burrowed in the skin (mange mites), be passed on through contact or picked up from the environment or come in hay (especially fur/hay mites). But it cannot replace a vet visit.

Fungal (of which ringworm is the most aggressive form) is something completely different to skin parasites and requires different treatment. Fungal needs to run its due course once you have an acute outbreak, but you need to treat with good fungicidal products to prevent it from coming back. It is spread by spores, which are shed in their thousands in an acute outbreak and can get into any nooks and crannies. They can also sit in the coat of a seemingly unaffected companion. Ringworm spores can stay alive for up to one and a half years.
If you have a fungal problem or a suspected fungal problem, investing in a fungicidal disinfectant like F10 (which is the only one proven to also kill fungal spores) is well worth it.

 

[Cavy Kung-Fu]

Dolly is beautiful, she'll be happy with you now.

I'd personally report that breeder, sounds like a bloody horror show in there. This is why I don't like breeders, they're far worse than pet shops. Rescue all the way for me.

 

[Dilly's Piggies]

Couldn't get an appointment today but she has one for tomorrow, thanks everyone.

 

[Wiebke]

Couldn't get an appointment today but she has one for tomorrow, thanks everyone.

All the best! it is always a worrying time.