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Skin Problem

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sarah24

sarah24

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I have had my four girls just over a week. Gwen had been pestered a bit by a slightly older guinea who had been bullying a few of the other girls, given my two sister guineas a hair cut and gwen had a bit of a baldy face. The bossy pig had been taken out as soon as it had been picked up on.
The skin on Gwen's face was a bit dry and developed a few scabby bits but seemed to be steadily improving. I was keeping an eye on it and wondered if it could be down to the stress of moving home. However yesterday I noticed around her one ear the skin seemed to be very dry and flakey and inside appeared to be peeling a bit.
This prompted me to check the other girls today. Isla also has this sort of peeling in one ear, the other is fine. It was harder to spot with Lilly due to her white fur but she also has dry flakey skin on her ear and also below her ear onto her neck.
Isla's sister is fine.
They don't seem to be itching at all, appetites are normal. They don't drink lots so it appears their behaviour hasn't changed at all. Still popcorning during play time so seemingly not distressed.

They will all be going to the vets as soon as we can get an appointment, hopefully tomorrow. We have an excellent vets near by and one in particular has been around forever so we are hoping to be able to see her.
I am a bit concerned about possible treatments as they are all under 11 weeks and my mother may have to take them herself if I'm not back from university in time to make the appointment.

So really my question is what you think it could be and what should I be conscious of during the vet visit to make sure they are getting the most appropriate treatment?

From pictures I've seen it looks more fungal than anything.

I've also seen there are lots of gorgeous guineas products for skin care and I'm wondering what products I should consider alongside any vet treatment and for their long term care.

I'm going to be giving their abode a thorough clean now and hopefully Toby will volunteer his peice of puppy vet bed as an alternative bedding.

Thank you,

A very worried Sarah.
 
It could be fungal or mites. I'm not sure what the treatment would be on guinea pigs who are so young so your probably best waiting for someone more experienced to come along and reply or wait to see what your vets decide is the best course of action.

The only pigs who I've ever had to treat for fungal/mites have been boys I rescued or fostered, luckily my own tribe have never suffered so you might be lucky and find that once they are clear of it it doesn't develop again. I know some people treat routinely as a preventative measure, I personally have never felt the need to.
 
Please dont worry too much, its not your fault, and skin problems develop at times with piggies, its the most common health complaint in pigs. I cant really say much about what to be looking out for at the vets, just that they give them a full exam, and if they are unsure or worried to take some hair plucks or scrapes to try to diagnose the problem. They may prescribe a ivermectin spot on, probably the most likely thing they will do. They may also give you a shampoo but it depends on what it is. Have you got any pictures you could show us? Bathing monthly can help reduce the incidence of skin problems but it wont necessarily stop them happening.

Hope your piggies start feeling better soon.

x.
 
If you're not sure which Gorgeous Guineas products you need I'd suggest emailing them, I'm sure they'd be happy to advise.
 
And obviously make sure that the vet you go to is experienced with guinea pigs. :)
 
The vet we have is very experienced as she has been practicing for probably around 40 years. I'm not too worried as they don't seem bothered at all but as it appears to have spread it needs sorting. I have a picture of Gwens face though it was taken a week ago.

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I don't have any of their ears or Lilly's neck at the moment.
 
They were also wormed before I had them. Will need to give them a weigh as I found on Guinea Lynx they need to be over 340grams to have the ivermectin.
 
It's definitely a good idea to get a proper diagnosis from the Vet but I agree that it looks fungal - the white 'bloom' is typical of fungal skin infections. Ivermectin won't do anything for fungal skin though. If they're not scratching then I'd be surprised if they have mites.

I'd recommend using F10 veterinary disinfectant to clean out their cages, as it's one of very few cage cleaners which kills fungal spores.

As already mentioned, Chrissie at Gorgeous Guineas is very helpful and knowledgeable and can be contacted for advice.

When it comes to Vets, you'll notice that forum members often mention the importance of finding a guinea pig savvy Vet. This is because even Vets with a wealth of experience treating cats and dogs etc can be surprisingly inexperienced and lacking in knowledge when it comes to guinea pigs. Guineas are classed as "exotic" pets, so generally speaking Vets often don't get the specialist training which these gorgeous little creatures deserve. That said, there are some brilliant guinea pig savvy Vets dotted around the UK and we can always try to recommend one if needed.

Good luck with getting it sorted quickly x
 
Thank you. I didn't think it was mites as a previous guinea had them once and this didn't look familiar. Theres a p@h down the road from uni so I'll go and see what disinfectant they have so I can clean up asap. Thanks for the tip.
We have an appointment this evening so I'm hoping to be able to make it home in time. I did a quick search of the forum and Jean Morris at Summerhill Vets in Newport has been mentioned as a good vet to see and that will be who we are seeing tonight. I like to be armed with as much information as possible though, just in case :)
I haven't seen any of them itching more than is normal one-off scratch and Gwen is fine to let you have a good look at it. Lilly isn't so impressed and will try and have a nibble of what ever is closest but thats nothing new for her.
 
Oh dear little Gwen's face :( hopefully some meds and TLC will cure her fairly quickly !
Best of luck, keep us posted :)

HEALING WHEEEEEEEEEEEEKS FOR GWEN, ISLA AND LILLY XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
 
Thank you. I've sent an email to gorgeous guineas so hope to hear back soon. They have been thoroughly spoilt for the last 12 days so I suppose a bath with some posh "smellies" was due :) Will let you know what the verdict is tonight.

I have to decide quickly for the vets records whether Isla's sister is a Pheobe/Nancy/Ruby/Poppy etc etc pretty quickly :))

Is it best if she is treated as well as the others even if she isn't showing signs at the moment?
 
Well it isn't ringworm... she thinks its fungal but they have had an injection of ivomec incase it is mites and she has given us a suspension to put on to sort out any fungus.
 
Yey. Good to know your vets are covering all bases. Will keep checking theyre progress.
 
Just wondering if you know what they were wormed with before you got them, and when that was?

Good news that it's not Ringworm :)
 
I recently noticed Rocket had what looked like a fungal bloom on his ears and he'd made it sore by scratching. After applying Gorgeous Guineas Kwench lotion for two days and yesterday giving ALL of the piggies a bath in manuka and neem shampoo I am amazed to say that his ear has cleared up completely! Hope you have a similar sucess with whatever G.G's recommend - I'm very impressed! :) :) :)
 
I'm not sure what worming treatment thay had sorry but i can find out.
In a bit of a state at the moment. All were fine last night, eating and normal. Hadn't started the fungal treatment yet as I wanted to make sure they were ok with the injections.
Went in to feed them this morning and noticed Lilly was sleepy, took her out and she had a head tilt and sort of hiccoughs. A previous guinea had a head tilt which we believe was a stroke as dispite treatment and some improvement she passed away.
Immediate rush to the vets, saw a different vet from yesterday but he is equally good and saw the previous head tilt guinea. He's hoping it is a ear infection rather than a reaction to the injection yesterday, especially as the other girls are fine. He has given a cortisone injection and antibiotics and we are syringe feeding her a food and water because she was a little dehydrated and she is taking both quite well.
Too early to tell if there is any improvement but I'm keeping her warm in a box next to me with vet bed and hay and shes fidgiting a little bit which i am taking as being better than no movement at all.
Really hoping that it is her ear because at least there's a chance of it being fixed. She has tended to cuddle into the others to sleep slightly more on her side than the others but i'm not sure if i am just clutching at straws.
Time for a little drink but I do hate to disturb her.
 
sarah24 said:
I'm not sure what worming treatment thay had sorry but i can find out.
Click to expand...

Sorry to hear that Lilly is poorly. You definitely did the right thing taking her to the Vet quickly. I really hope that she shows improvement soon.

Is she eating anything for herself? If not, she will need around 120mls of syringe feeding every 24hrs.

The reason I asked about the worming was because I thought it'd be a good idea for the Vet to know what they've already had, when prescribing this further treatment. (Especially as they're so young and presumably were treated relatively recently)

I'm afraid I don't know much about head tilts or neurological conditions but hopefully someone with more knowlegde will be along shortly. Best of luck x
 
not at the moment. she will eat what is in the syringe though. the packet is for about 70ml which it says is enough for a day for a rabbit but i'm not sure she'll last long enough. She took about 2ml half an hour ago and some water. Seems to be deteriorating so trying to keep her warm and comfortable.
 
I'm so sorry to hear that Lilly has passed away.

RIP little one.
 
Oh I'm very sorry to hear that, Sarah. That's so sad and it came on so suddenly, what a terrible shock for you.

Sleep well little Lilly x

How are your others girls? Hope everything is ok with them, apart from the fungal issue you've already mentioned. Please keep us updated and just ask if there's anything you're unsure of x
 
Sorry for not replying sooner. The other girls r great. Gwens skin has improved a lot they missed lilly on tuesday but are back to popcorning though seem to b eating less. But they have plenty so are probably full. They are loving timothy hay. Because lilly was with me i think they thought i had done something to her because she didnt come back.
we think she may have never been quite right so are trying not to overthink it. Especially as the other girls are ok.
X
 
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