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urgent need help

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polish pete

hey guys, i need some help with my pig it seems like he might have a serious problem. he looks like hes been itching pretty bad so he will scratch and bite himself as normal but hes at the point where hes like crying when he does it because there nice sized cuts. i thought maybe skin problem not enough vitamin c, i mean i have no idea whats going on. but now hes also running around madly irregularly. and for no reason at all I'm kinda afraid that he might have a heart attack or something. any help would be amazing guys.
 
He could have a fungal infection or mites - these are very easily got rid of, but your pig must be treated as soon as possible as your guinea may start to have fits if it gets really bad.

If it's mites, you can get Ivomec from your vet (a spot-on treatment rather than a jab if possible) and he will need follow up treatments after this. If it's fungal he will need special shampoos. A lot of us on here use Gorgeous Guineas products for fungal infections - see www.gorgeousguineas.com. I would advise firstly contacting your vet, and whilst you are waiting for the appointment, try emailing Chrissie at Gorgeous Guineas with descriptions of what your pig seems to be having a problem with and any other details, she gives great free advice. If there are now open wounds due to his scratching or biting these can also be treated with the soothing GG creams. :)

Good luck.
 
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yes i do feel a vet appointment is now appropriate. what kinda of vet? does it matter? and who is chrissie may i ask?

and i think its bad because fits, seems like a good word to describe what hes doing now. he just looks like hes going crazy.
 
Sorry, I meant Chrissie at Gorgeous Guineas, I have amended my post above as I wasn't very clear in what I said. Are you in the UK? Someone on here may be able to help you find a good guinea savvy vet in your area. if it is fungal or mites, most vets will likely treat for both and some are not always sure about the difference. They may suggest a skin scrape to determine what type of fungal it is, which is expensive, stressful for the pig and not necessary, the Neem contained in the Gorgeous Guineas stuff kills almost all types of fungal apparently.

Is he losing weight do you think? Losing hair, dandruff, bald spots?
 
Yes, I echo what Boureki has said. A good indicator of mites is if the itching and hairloss started on the rump at the bottom or either side of the spine. If untreated, it spreads. Fungal can look similar and you get a whitish dust which looks a bit like fine talc.
Both of these are very painful for the guinea and sometimes they can even have both together.
See a vet asap and ask for ivermectin. As it is quite severe, the vet may inject but a topical version can be used. Here in the uk it is called xeno 450, he may need 3 doses each 10 days apart.

I recommend you ask Chrissie at gorgeous guineas too as she can recommend some of her products and she is also a rodentologist.
 
sounds a bit like me without the dandruff hey lol :)p and uh welcome to the boards Polish...mallethead
 
yes he does appear to lost some weight and that description of of the hair loss is pretty much on the money. and it does seem like both, the fungal infection and mites too. and sorry I'm in new york. long island to be specific. seems like i stumbled across a uk board eh? oh well its all the same info.
 
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