Why's My Guinea Pig Not Responding To Mite Treatment?

[Amba]

She scratches sometimes during the day, but nighttime is the worst. When I bought her to the vet, the thinning of her hair could only be seen when pushing her fur back. I was given 'revolution' which I gave her on her skin on her neck. Since then she has developed noticeable bald spot on both her sides. There are no sores or cuts. It's a two dose treatment, 10 days apart, i'm giving her her second and final treatment tomorrow. What's going on?

 

[Wiebke]

Very likely something else and not mites! You will need to finish her full treatment anyway, to be on the safe side.

Hair loss can have a lot of reasons; fungal is usually another good guess. If it is pretty evenly proportioned on the sides of adult sows, then it could be caused by hormonal problems/ovarian cysts. Thankfully, these days there are non-invasive hormonal treatments available as alternatives to spaying.
http://www.guinealynx.info/hairloss.html
http://www.guinealynx.info/ovarian_cysts.html

 

[Amba]

her itching (scratching) could be cause by hormonal problems, or just the hair loss?

 

[Wiebke]

It is not quite clear from your description just where the hair loss is and how it looks. We also cannot give you a diagnosis; all we can give you is potential avenues to pursue with your vet.

If the itching is still very bad and the hair loss doesn't look like the hormonal hair loss on the last picture in the second link in my previous post, then I would rather think of a fungal problem and be inclined to recommend that you discuss with your vet whether a systemic fungal like itrafungol oral solution might do the trick? You should know within a week. Lab tests will usually only test for ringworm, which I do not think that you are dealing with; but they don't test for other forms of fungal.

Here are more pictures of piggies with skin problems. Does one of those pictures ring a bell?
http://gorgeousguineas.com/photogallery.html
http://gorgeousguineas.com/indentification.html

 

[helen105281]

I agree with Wiebke that she needs checking for fungal as you said in your other thread that the vet thought mites as she was run down from her previous illness and fungal can strike when the immune system is compromised.

However, if it is mange mites then the Revolution that you have been given may not be effective enough and the vet should consider given Ivermectin by injection instead, though I know she is near the end of the course already.