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Really Worried :(

  • Thread starter Thread starter Gonecrazy
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Gonecrazy

Gave Crazy a good check this afternoon and found that his feet appear swollen and he has a very large scab on his back. We will be calling the vets first thing tomorrow and taking him down there. Wondering if any of you may know the reason why and maybe put my mind at ease tonight.
 
It sounds like it could be mites. The swollen feet could be bumblefoot. Are there any scabs or blisters on his pads? Chrissie at www.gorgeousguineas.com has come up with an ointment. I think it's called perfect paws for piggies who get sore feet so you could that a try.
 
Could be bumblefoot and fungal infection. Possibly mites may be the cause of the scab on his back.
Best treated for both possibilities. Ivomec for mites. If it is b.foot that is more difficult to cure. Intrafungal is a good drug for fungal problems. Wonder which feet are swollen? B.foot is more common on the front feet.
 
Following on from the good advice from ACP, just wondered what bedding he is on? Pigs skin is very sensitive and he could be allergic, especially to woodshavings or sawdust. One of mine got sore feet from aubiose which is normally a very piggy friendly bedding.

I would treat for mites first as has been suggested, if the bedding is woodshavings change that too, maybe to vetbed or fleece and use a soothing cream on the feet such as bepanthen nappy rash cream.
 
He was treated for mites about 3 weeks ago and it said to only treat once every four weeks. Would it hurt to do it again sooner? His bedding is megazorb with a bit of shredded paper in his house compartment. There are no sores on his feet just a small patch of dry skin on one of them.
 
When treating for mites, a second treatment HAS to be given 10-11 days after the first treatment. This second dose kills the eggs. If he only had one dose, the eggs have long sinced hatched and he is irritated again with mites.

You will need to start again with the mite treatment, Ivermectin (dose according to guineas weight) and second dose 10 days later. For a severe infestation, some give a 3rd dose 10 days after the second. I don't recommend the type bought from the pet shop, xeno 450 is fine if you are not experienced with dosage-available online at www.vetuk.co.uk or from vets (more expensive).

The bedding sounds fine, if it is a dry patch of skin, you could try a soothing cream as suggested or www.gorgeousguineas.co.uk has lovely creams for guinea pig feet.
 
What product did you use to treat first time round? The advice of giving one dose every four weeks indefinitely is not right, strictly speaking. For active cases of mites, the dosing routine is as above - two to three doses (depending on severity, usually only two are needed) 10-14 days apart.

There is little point of treating every four weeks on an ongoing basis - in any case - as a preventative measure.
 
Took him to the vets yesterday and he was given treatment for his mites and we have to take him back again in 10 days for his 2nd. The vets said his feet are perfectly normal, so just me being paranoid!
 
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