Dry Skin on Ears and Paws

[h.h.lovecraft]

Hello everyone,

My little Hexi and Witchy are suffering from dry skin on their ears and paws (Witchy on her ears and Hexi on her paws). I know it's not anything serious like ringworm or mites since I took them to the vet a while ago and asked her to take a look at it. She said it was indeed dry skin and their breed type makes them more prone to dry skin. It's not out of control or anything, but it seems to be a chronic issue.

The vet suggested that I could give them one small sunflower seed (without the shell!) a few times a week to help with it, I'm assuming for the fat content. I know it's generally discouraged to give guinea pigs seeds, so I am not sure if this is a long term solution. I tried to look into it a bit and I saw some suggesting coconut oil for dry ears. I don't know how well that would work on the paws however since the dry skin is under the hair a bit and in between the toes. I currently have argon oil that I use on my hair and my hands sometimes, but I don't know for sure if it'd be safe for guinea pigs.

I noticed Witchy scratching her dry ear a lot recently so I was wondering if there was anything I could do to help relieve her of some itchiness!

Thanks in advance for any advice!

 

[h.h.lovecraft]

Oops- made a typo, it's argan oil, not argon oil!

 

[Viennese Furbabies]

Does your vet know her way around guinea pigs?
If your piggies are scratching more than usual I would definately get them checked for parasites. By a piggy savvy vet.

 

[GZB_19]

Once any medical concerns are ruled out such as mites or other parasites... I recommend using coconut oil but apply it using a soft applicator (a small gentle brush, etc.) . Dirt/oil from our hands could cause more damage and also our hands could be too rough. Coconut oil is often used on Skinny pigs to maintain moisture so a small amount on the ears may be beneficial. Also, maybe avoid from putting the oil on the paws since piggies often use their hands to groom and touch around their face. best of luck!

 

[h.h.lovecraft]

Does your vet know her way around guinea pigs?
If your piggies are scratching more than usual I would definately get them checked for parasites. By a piggy savvy vet.

She actually does! Her expertise is in guinea pig dentistry and surgery. She is the best guinea pig vet in the area and she has never given me a reason to doubt her. This vet cured the ringworm when they did have so she definitely knows what to look for. It doesn't look similar to ringworm to me either, it just looks a little dry. They aren't scratching more than usual really, but I can tell Witchy does scratch her dry ear sometimes.

 

[h.h.lovecraft]

Once any medical concerns are ruled out such as mites or other parasites... I recommend using coconut oil but apply it using a soft applicator (a small gentle brush, etc.) . Dirt/oil from our hands could cause more damage and also our hands could be too rough. Coconut oil is often used on Skinny pigs to maintain moisture so a small amount on the ears may be beneficial. Also, maybe avoid from putting the oil on the paws since piggies often use their hands to groom and touch around their face. best of luck!

Yes, that was my concern as well with the paws. Thanks for reply, I think I may try some coconut oil on the dry ear!

 

[Siikibam]

Once any medical concerns are ruled out such as mites or other parasites... I recommend using coconut oil but apply it using a soft applicator (a small gentle brush, etc.) . Dirt/oil from our hands could cause more damage and also our hands could be too rough. Coconut oil is often used on Skinny pigs to maintain moisture so a small amount on the ears may be beneficial. Also, maybe avoid from putting the oil on the paws since piggies often use their hands to groom and touch around their face. best of luck!

It’s not recommended to use anything on ears or skinny pigs.

I would have them checked for parasites but the vet. Hope they start feeling better soon.

 

[Viennese Furbabies]

She actually does! Her expertise is in guinea pig dentistry and surgery. She is the best guinea pig vet in the area and she has never given me a reason to doubt her. This vet cured the ringworm when they did have so she definitely knows what to look for. It doesn't look similar to ringworm to me either, it just looks a little dry. They aren't scratching more than usual really, but I can tell Witchy does scratch her dry ear sometimes.

That's great. If it is really just dry skin, I would give it a try with coconut oil. My Billie is a Teddy with all skin problems that are sometimes described as typical for some of this breed. She does have dry skin on her ears from time to time and I gently rub a little bit of coconut oil on.
If the skin is really raw, I would recommend Bepanthen.

But Billie never scratches (I mean of course she scratches from time to time but not especially her ears). 'Haarlinge' can cause itchiness if there are a lot of them. You can hardly see them but they come from hay and in Vienna we have times when a lot of piggies are effected by them at the same time.

The feeding of sunflower seeds is recommended by some vets and completley disapproved of by others. The specialist vet at the University of Veterinary Medicine once nearly bit my head of when asked about it. So I never tried it.

If the situations gets worse in any way or doesn't improve quickly, please get them vet checked again.