Black dots on their hair, Advice?

[Lucy_Iris]

Hello. I was playing with my guinea pig when I noticed a little dirty spot on her rear. I grabbed a damp paper towel to wipe it off, when I discovered little black dots on her hair all near her and on her rear. I was looking at it and tried wiping it off but it wouldn’t come off, so I put her in her cage and went off to do some research. It wasn’t very helpful. We can’t take her to the vet and the shampoo that everyone is recommending is out of stock and would take weeks to arrive if it was in stock. Advice?

 

[Siikibam]

We always advise that you take a piggy to the vet if you are worried about something. May I ask why you can’t take him in to be seen? Is it a case of no availability in a reasonable distance or monetary? If the latter, would you be able to borrow from a friend or relative?

 

[Lucy_Iris]

T

We always advise that you take a piggy to the vet if you are worried about something. May I ask why you can’t take him in to be seen? Is it a case of no availability in a reasonable distance or monetary? If the latter, would you be able to borrow from a friend or relative?

There are no reasonable distance vets + the ones that are still anywhere near us they have no availability.

 

[Siikibam]

I know experienced vets are few and far between in the US. Have a look at the link below and see if there are any. When could the ones nearer you fit her in? Will other vets see her? Does she have a friend and does the friend have the same thing?

The other thing to try is to ask rescues near you which vets they use. It really does need looking at though. Sorry you’re in a difficult position. Hopefully you can find a solution soon.

Guinea Lynx :: GL's Vet List

 

[Lucy_Iris]

She has a cage mate but she has black hair around the back so it’s extremely hard to see. Also the nearest rescue is an hour away soo. We are going to petco today to see if there are any solutions there. I also checked out that website and I couldn’t find any in my state, there was literally nothing thing on the website

 

[Princess Dustmop]

You didn't find this list?
Illinois Veterinarians
They do appear to be pretty much all be Chicago suburbs, though, and I know Illinois isn't small. Depending on where in the state you are, you may need to look in a neighboring state to find the closest option (St. Louis, MO; Cedar Rapids, IA; Indianapolis or Evansville, IN).
I would still consider calling that rescue, as they may have a suggestion for you. Then again, I adopted one of my piggies from a shelter nearly two hours away from me, so maybe I'm not a good example.

 

[Siikibam]

Please don’t use any shop bought medicines. Firstly because you don’t know what you’re treating. And secondly they are not vet strength so whatever it is, they wouldn’t work. Please try and find a vet you can get her seen by. Both of them actually, it wouldn’t do any harm. You may just have to travel a bit further than you’d like. Good luck.

 

[Wiebke]

Hello. I was playing with my guinea pig when I noticed a little dirty spot on her rear. I grabbed a damp paper towel to wipe it off, when I discovered little black dots on her hair all near her and on her rear. I was looking at it and tried wiping it off but it wouldn’t come off, so I put her in her cage and went off to do some research. It wasn’t very helpful. We can’t take her to the vet and the shampoo that everyone is recommending is out of stock and would take weeks to arrive if it was in stock. Advice?

Hi

Please read up on hay mites, chirodiscoides caviae (NOT mange mites which burrow their eggs into the increasingly inflamed skin), which fix their tiny egg cases to the hairs, especially at the bum end.
Deep clean the cage and throw away your hay - that is what they usually come with.
Cut off any hairs that have eggs; check the whole body since they prefer the underlayers of hair and can spread further as they take off
The hair cutting removes lots of mites-to-be that you do not have to treat chemically and that can't multiply on the body. The hair will grow back within a month or so, even in short-haired piggies. It may be radical, but it is quite effective as it does stop them in their tracks for a short while you organise the medical treatment, which doesn't just consist and never should just consist of one shampoo. If it is gorgeous guinea shampoo, then it is not necessarily effective on its own anyway.

Please read for more tips and alternative options:
New Guinea Pig Problems: Sexing & Pregnancy; URI, Ringworm & Parasites; Vet Checks & Customer Rights

Please accept that we have much stricter rules re. home treatment on spec here in the UK and that you should always see a vet for a diagnosis. Treating wrongly on spec can really increase and prolong any unncessary suffering.

 

[Lucy_Iris]

Hi

Please read up on hay mites, chirodiscoides caviae (NOT mange mites which burrow their eggs into the increasingly inflamed skin), which fix their tiny egg cases to the hairs, especially at the bum end.
Deep clean the cage and throw away your hay - that is what they usually come with.
Cut off any hairs that have eggs; check the whole body since they prefer the underlayers of hair and can spread further as they take off
The hair cutting removes lots of mites-to-be that you do not have to treat chemically and that can't multiply on the body. The hair will grow back within a month or so, even in short-haired piggies. It may be radical, but it is quite effective as it does stop them in their tracks for a short while you organise the medical treatment, which doesn't just consist and never should just consist of one shampoo. If it is gorgeous guinea shampoo, then it is not necessarily effective on its own anyway.

Please read for more tips and alternative options:
New Guinea Pig Problems: Sexing & Pregnancy; URI, Ringworm & Parasites; Vet Checks & Customer Rights

Please accept that we have much stricter rules re. home treatment on spec here in the UK and that you should always see a vet for a diagnosis. Treating wrongly on spec can really increase and prolong any unncessary suffering.

Thank you for the information. We plan on throwing away the hay and buying more, and we will deep clean the cage and we have bought a special cage cleaner that also is guinea pig safe so hopes are high. As for the vet matter, I have also seen another thread similar to this where you can buy special shampoo? I don’t really know much about it but would that work by any chance?

 

[Lucy_Iris]

Please don’t use any shop bought medicines. Firstly because you don’t know what you’re treating. And secondly they are not vet strength so whatever it is, they wouldn’t work. Please try and find a vet you can get her seen by. Both of them actually, it wouldn’t do any harm. You may just have to travel a bit further than you’d like. Good luck.

Thank you for the information, we are going to cut their hair to get off as many eggs as possible while we look for a vet that we can go to and is available.

 

[Lucy_Iris]

You didn't find this list?
Illinois Veterinarians
They do appear to be pretty much all be Chicago suburbs, though, and I know Illinois isn't small. Depending on where in the state you are, you may need to look in a neighboring state to find the closest option (St. Louis, MO; Cedar Rapids, IA; Indianapolis or Evansville, IN).
I would still consider calling that rescue, as they may have a suggestion for you. Then again, I adopted one of my piggies from a shelter nearly two hours away from me, so maybe I'm not a good example.

Thanks, I was unsure how to operate the website and I just figured it said there were none. That would have been unusual. I will also ask my friend that owns guinea pigs what vet she uses, but her guinea pigs haven’t had to go to the vet.

 

[Lucy_Iris]

Hi

Please read up on hay mites, chirodiscoides caviae (NOT mange mites which burrow their eggs into the increasingly inflamed skin), which fix their tiny egg cases to the hairs, especially at the bum end.
Deep clean the cage and throw away your hay - that is what they usually come with.
Cut off any hairs that have eggs; check the whole body since they prefer the underlayers of hair and can spread further as they take off
The hair cutting removes lots of mites-to-be that you do not have to treat chemically and that can't multiply on the body. The hair will grow back within a month or so, even in short-haired piggies. It may be radical, but it is quite effective as it does stop them in their tracks for a short while you organise the medical treatment, which doesn't just consist and never should just consist of one shampoo. If it is gorgeous guinea shampoo, then it is not necessarily effective on its own anyway.

Please read for more tips and alternative options:
New Guinea Pig Problems: Sexing & Pregnancy; URI, Ringworm & Parasites; Vet Checks & Customer Rights

Please accept that we have much stricter rules re. home treatment on spec here in the UK and that you should always see a vet for a diagnosis. Treating wrongly on spec can really increase and prolong any unncessary suffering.

I’ve taken a look at the link on parasites and would we be able to use a medicated shampoo? If so, do I go to a vet to get that prescribed or get it online? I’m confused about that, but thank you for your help!

 

[Wiebke]

I’ve taken a look at the link on parasites and would we be able to use a medicated shampoo? If so, do I go to a vet to get that prescribed or get it online? I’m confused about that, but thank you for your help!

Please treat with ivermectin, as you should all skin parasites. It is not a shampoo.

 

[Lucy_Iris]

Please treat with ivermectin, as you should all skin parasites. It is not a shampoo.

Ahh, alright. That makes a lot of sense. Thanks.