Dry skin?

[Neesy95]

Hi guys was hoping someone could help.

My gorgeous Lancelot ( very fluffy boy) has got some dry skin. On his like chest area below his neck? It's quite a big patch, but I had hold of him yesterday, and I didn't notice it? I would like to think I would notice something like that!

I'm worried? Is it the heat?
He's a naughty boar and loves to sit in his own pee, could he have dried his skin out because of his teenage boarish behaviour?

He also has a smaller (much much smaller) little scab of dry skin on his side.

We don't drive and I really don't want to take the piggies out in this heat to go on public transport? It would be too much for them.

Could they be too hot? Is that what is causing his irritation?

We are trying our best to keep the flat cool, windows are shut, curtains are shut, they have frozen water bottles covered in socks which they can use for comfort if they feel to hot. Lancelot especially has been enjoying these frozen sock bottles.

I do change their water bottles, and they have water bowls that I change too. (I never see my piggies drink water and it worries me but they never drink it?!)

I have cut his hair but can't get it very short, his rosettes are very very thick, and tight, so we can't give him a short cut, because the clipper we tried to use can't even get through the rosettes. So we have cut them as short as we can.

Any advice would be great please! I'm so worried. I feel awful, the small side dry patch, I thought was just some poop or something stuck, (it's common for him to wake up with some stuck to him cos he likes to sleep on all of it, pretty sure he thinks it makes him smell delicious!) so, I went to pick it off, and he made a noise and I was like that's weird, and saw it was a scab that I have picked ever so slightly. He's fine, not in any like immediate pain, just doesn't like me touching it. He politely licked my hand to ask me to stop.

Please help! I really don't want to take them out in this heatwave.

Thanks!

 

[Neesy95]

It's actually where his neck like folds down and beggining of his chest. Maybe it's chafing? I have posted a picture!

 

[Neesy95]

I would like to add he's absolutely fine in himself. Likes to play with his brother and eats very well! He's a little mischievous fella, and he's not in anyway acting different, apart from not as active because of the heat. All my piggies seem to just lounge around a little bit more because of this heat!

 

[Claire W]

Hi, I would have him vet checked to rule out mites or fungal. A vet will be able to tell you whether it’s one of those or just dry skin and prescribe the appropriate treatment

 

[weepweeps]

I agree. It’s best to nip these things quickly in the bud before they possibly get worse.

 

[Wiebke]

Hi guys was hoping someone could help.

My gorgeous Lancelot ( very fluffy boy) has got some dry skin. On his like chest area below his neck? It's quite a big patch, but I had hold of him yesterday, and I didn't notice it? I would like to think I would notice something like that!

I'm worried? Is it the heat?
He's a naughty boar and loves to sit in his own pee, could he have dried his skin out because of his teenage boarish behaviour?

He also has a smaller (much much smaller) little scab of dry skin on his side.

We don't drive and I really don't want to take the piggies out in this heat to go on public transport? It would be too much for them.

Could they be too hot? Is that what is causing his irritation?

We are trying our best to keep the flat cool, windows are shut, curtains are shut, they have frozen water bottles covered in socks which they can use for comfort if they feel to hot. Lancelot especially has been enjoying these frozen sock bottles.

I do change their water bottles, and they have water bowls that I change too. (I never see my piggies drink water and it worries me but they never drink it?!)

I have cut his hair but can't get it very short, his rosettes are very very thick, and tight, so we can't give him a short cut, because the clipper we tried to use can't even get through the rosettes. So we have cut them as short as we can.

Any advice would be great please! I'm so worried. I feel awful, the small side dry patch, I thought was just some poop or something stuck, (it's common for him to wake up with some stuck to him cos he likes to sleep on all of it, pretty sure he thinks it makes him smell delicious!) so, I went to pick it off, and he made a noise and I was like that's weird, and saw it was a scab that I have picked ever so slightly. He's fine, not in any like immediate pain, just doesn't like me touching it. He politely licked my hand to ask me to stop.

Please help! I really don't want to take them out in this heatwave.

Thanks!

Hi

Please have him vet checked for either primarily fungal (potentially ringworm but with long-haired piggies with a thick coat in hot/humid weather it could be a milder form that thrives in those conditions), mites (mange or hay mites) and only thirdly for an abrasion, which would rather form rather a scab but not a crusty surface.

We cannot diagnose reliably just from a picture but as all possible issues need different treatment and will do much better if you step in with the appropriate medication at the correct strength once and for all instead of turning it into a long running and ultimately costlier saga when you end up with a vet anyway.

New piggy problems: URI - ringworm - skin parasites

Here are our tips for travelling with guinea pigs in hot weather: Travelling with guinea pigs

Our comprehensive hot weather guide with all possible measures (you may need a combination of as many measures as you can implement for the weekend/coming week) plus what to do in case your piggies overheat: Hot Weather Management, Heat Strokes and Fly Strike

 

[Neesy95]

So update, I have managed to get lancelot in for an appointment tomorrow at 11am.

I'm really worried, hopefully he will be fine overnight and nothing will happen to him? He seems fine, just hot and bothered.

I guess I'm panicking, I just really don't want it to be something too far gone. I literally only noticed it yesterday, and he was fine the day before. So hopefully whatever it is, it's early.

We have had lancelot basically since he was born, we have never had any instances of ringworm with any of our piggies. Could it still be ringworm? Is it something they catch, or can any guinea pig get it? His brother William, his cagemate, has no signs of anything, does he need to be treated too? As a precaution?

Fingers crossed everything will be fine. I think I just have a bit of almost PTSD, with losing 2 other piggies this year. I just don't want it to be a very scary situation again, especially as I feel like I have noticed this early on.

 

[Neesy95]

I have an option of taking him to another vet closer to home, today.

But these vets aren't ALL exotic trained.

Does this need to be seen by an exotic vet or can it be treated by any vet?
Because if its specifically best for just an exotic vet, I will leave his appointment tomorrow. But if any vet can see him, then I'd rather get it sorted ASAP.

Please advise when you can.

Thanks so much for all your help

 

[Swissgreys]

I would wait and take him tomorrow.
It does need to be seen, but it is not that urgent.
He will be absolutely fine overnight.

You are clearly a very devoted owner and even the best cared for piggies can get the occasional problem.

 

[Neesy95]

Lancelot has mites - the walking dandruff type. Ivermectin has been prescribed and he's got some antibiotics for the skin irritation.
All the piggies will be getting some ivermectin now, and a deep clean on the c&cs when I get home!

He will be okay, which I'm very happy about!

Thanks for all your help!

 

[Neesy95]

Hi everyone,

Regarding the above,
Lancelot went to the vets on the 15th and they said he has walking dandruff.

I actually noticed lancelot was scratching a lot on the 12th, so I gave him a pipette of ivermectin I had at home, just as a precaution because I couldn't see any mites but thought maybe there was something there I was missing (and obviously there was). I got him the soonest appointment I could which was the 15th. The vet said the ivermectin dose I gave him was too low and he's since prescribed Lancelot a correct dose. (lancelot is a very big boy and I was stupid to think the ones I use for a much smaller piggy would be okay for his size).
But anyways, I actually gave him 150 pipette of store bought ivermectin on the 12th.
Our vet kindly prescribed us the correct dose and told me to wait 2 weeks before I put it on him, because of the weaker dose I already gave him.

Lancelot is not happy, he's scratching away and seems very uncomfortable and I see on here in other threads that you can give doses closer together.

So what I'm asking is, if I gave the initial wrong weaker dose to lancelot on 12th July, will it be okay for me to give lancelot the correct dose today, 20th July? Or do I need to wait 2 weeks. The vet told me to put the new dose on 2 weeks after lancelots appointment which would mean the 29th. It just seems cruel for lancelot to be scratching and unhappy all that time.

On the plus side his rash seems to have gotten better.

Any advice would be great.

I feel really silly for giving the wrong dose, but I just didn't think that his weight (which is so much bigger at 1.4kg) would require a bigger dose, that was an oversight on my part. I just don't want lancelot suffering because of my stupid mistake.

Please advise me. I think from what I read on here, it would be fine for me to give him the correct dose now?

 

[Piggies&buns]

They can overdose on ivermectin so you can’t just give another dose without all calculations being exact. Please follow your vet’s advice and don’t medicate on spec.

A course of Xeno is three separate treatments with two weeks between each treatment - so 6 weeks to fully treat mites.

You will not be able to see any mites as they are not visible to the human eye.

 

[Neesy95]

Okay, i just thought as the first dose was not a correct dose and much lower than what lancelot needed and 8 days ago, it might be safe to put on the new correct dose now.
I read on here somewhere that in some cases doses are repeated 7 or 10 days after initial dose. And just thought if that was okay for just a 7 or 10 day wait between 2 correct doses for guinea pigs, then maybe I could do the same for one very low incorrect dose and one correct dose. Which would mean lancelot could have had the correct dose either yesterday or Friday 22nd?
7 or 10 day wait is more desirable because I just want lancelot to feel more comfortabke, but my vet has told me to wait 2 weeks after lancelots appointment which is the 29th (he wasn't given the low dose on this date) . I don't see why it should be 2 weeks after his appointment, it makes sense for it to be 2 weeks after the low dose which would be the 26th.

 

[Free Ranger]

This is a really tricky one because you don't want to go against the vet's advice but also he's uncomfortable now. Also, he's been diagnosed with mites but that's not to say he doesn't have something else too - I mean you'd have to be pretty unlucky but it's quite possible.

In your shoes I would actually phone the vet again and get another consult - even a discussion on the phone as the vet has already seen him (though you might still have to pay for that) - and be clear about your specific circumstances and exactly which product you used and how your pig is still in marked discomfort. My vet told me a while back that there is a range of safe active doses for topical ivermectin so it's worked out in mgs per kg of pig as a target but there's a bit of leeway each side, and you can obvs also underdose, as well as overdose, in which case it's just not effective. We get xeno-450 and use 1 pipette per 1.2(+) kilo pig. Now, they also told me that after application it wears off within "a few days" - which is why you have to have the repeat doses - but I don't know what a few days would be exactly and I don't think that it all disappears, just that the amount gradually drops until it's no longer effective but there is some still in the environment (on piggy). I know there's a product commonly used in the States where they don't have repeat doses because it hangs round for a month killing off the eggs as they hatch - but I think our stuff is different. If that's correct and the lower amount you applied has had enough time to break down (esp if it wasn't a high enough dose to kill those mites off to begin with) the vet might agree to your starting his 'proper' treatment sooner.

Finally, some vets have more experience with this than others, so it is worth considering a delicate way to suggest that you are so keen to alleviate Lancelot's discomfort for his sake that perhaps your vet could discuss this with others at their practice to see if the treatment could be moved forward? It's tricky though - because unless you know them well they generally get their back up about that sort of thing and you can perhaps understand why!

Hang in there Lancelot x

 

[Neesy95]

It's definitely just the scratching that's making him miserable. He's scratching and he's doing this thing where he's making a noise and bouncing his head up, and his head is actually hitting the top of the upstairs section of the c&c. I have a divide going across half way down the grid, and they like to go into the "downstairs" one sometimes and they'll jump upstairs whenever they want to. He's currently "downstairs" and he's making this noise and bouncing his head up and it's hitting the upstairs. He does this a couple of times and then he just goes to sleep or goes to eat some hay or something.

Not sure if maybe the top of his head is itchy and he's getting frustrated. He seems fine in himself and I know this heatwave has made all of my piggies a little lethargic.

I know the vet won't change his mind, because I already mentioned to the nurse that I didn't think it was right. But I know my vets practice has a shortage of vets right now and there's only a couple of vets in each day and they are stressed out.

Hence why I thought I'd ask here. As I'm sure I have read on other threads that it's safe to repeat doses are 7 or 10 days.

 

[Free Ranger]

I've never done less than 2 weeks personally.

My pigs also do the head-bump thing on the roof of their bedroom. As my cages are modified (see pic) they can actually lift the shelves which are only fastened in place on one side and they bang when they come back down. A bit of this is quite normal as they settle down, but my boy also deliberately bangs to attract attention if the girls are out seeking treats from us - he bangs the roof up and down and then pokes his head out to check I've noticed. And he definitely does it a bit more when he's annoyed (like when I've just unbunged him at night and his dignity is compromised). George is quite literally flipping his lid!

 

[Neesy95]

Yeah, it wouldn't surprise me of it is just lancelot, being full of boisterous attitude and doing crazy things like this.

I guess what I'm worried about is, if I wait for the 2 week point (which I'm more than happy to do) of course all it will mean is he scratches a lot. But is there a chance this could develop into something life threatening if I wait for 2 weeks?

Does the walking dandruff type of mites cause anything dangerous to happen? Will it be okay to wait 2 weeks, which would be the 26th?

If nothing terrible will happen to him in this time from these mites, that would make me feel loads better.

I'm just worried waiting might make something terrible happen. I have no idea what these mites can do? Could it become life threatening?

 

[Neesy95]

I'm naturally a really stressy/anxious person and I just worry something terrible will happen all the time. But I guess, my vet wouldn't have told me to wait 2 weeks if it was something that could become life threatening?

And honestly these vets, are vets our family has used for 20+ years, but still I know guinea pigs are not the easiest creatures, even for vets that have experience. It actually makes me feel better if I get validation from what the vet has suggested from here because I know people here are very experienced!

I love my babies (we all do) and I just don't want anything terrible to happen. And as long as these mites aren't (and won't cause) a life threatening situation I'm happy to wait for the 2 weeks.

Thanks for the support and advice, it's really appreciated!