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Flaky mites skin

maisiesguineapigs

maisiesguineapigs

Junior Guinea Pig
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Hi,
I took my guineapig spice to the vets as she was starchy loads and her fur was coming out and it was flaky I also brought sugar along and they said spice has mites so we put spot treatment on them both and then like a week later I saw spice skin looks worse I don’t know what to do as the vet appointment was very expensive is there anything I can try at home?
 
maisiesguineapigs said:
Hi,
I took my guineapig spice to the vets as she was starchy loads and her fur was coming out and it was flaky I also brought sugar along and they said spice has mites so we put spot treatment on them both and then like a week later I saw spice skin looks worse I don’t know what to do as the vet appointment was very expensive is there anything I can try at home?
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The skin does not look good, particularly those red, broken areas. They definitely need to be seen by a vet again. There is nothing you can do at home.
Mites are treated via a course of treatments - usually three separate treatments with two weeks between each treatment. One treatment is not likely to be enough.
 
Hello. I’ve treated my two boars twice for mites and you definitely need three lots of treatment two weeks apart. So six weeks of treatments in all. I’d go back to the vets to double check it’s mites and get more treatments. ❤️
 
My guineapigs is stressed from their skin it’s very itchy I gave them a bath and one of them did that thing again where they went on their back I was scared again any free vets in Liverpool is PDSA Kirkdale okay is there any free number or email I can message
 
unfortunately a bath won’t help. Vet care is the only way. Have you been able to Google the PDSA and find contact details? What you could do is to email them pictures and follow up with a phone call tomorrow.

I’m also going to merge your threads as it’s the same subject. I hope you can get her seen tomorrow. Try exaggerating the symptoms just a little.

Do let us know how you get on, we’re rooting for you.
 
maisiesguineapigs said:
My guineapigs is stressed from their skin it’s very itchy I gave them a bath and one of them did that thing again where they went on their back I was scared again any free vets in Liverpool is PDSA Kirkdale okay is there any free number or email I can message
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The phone number for that branch of PDSA is on their website. Definitely give them a ring. Bathing them isn’t a good idea before seeing a vet but in any case a bath won’t help.
 
Thank you I feel bad as spice went on her back again as she’s stressed out what shall I do to reduce the stress or help them I gave them their favourite carrot
 
maisiesguineapigs said:
Thank you I feel bad as spice went on her back again as she’s stressed out what shall I do to reduce the stress or help them I gave them their favourite carrot
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You need to have them seen by a vet. There is nothing you can do other than get the correct treatment for the mites
 
Here is more information on mange mites. If your girl is fitting (i.e. has a serious case of mange mites), you should not bathe as that could trigger another fit.

The only effective treatment is with proper vet grade ivermectin, either by injection or by topical treatment. Please stay off the pet shop stuff (including beaphar, whatever they on the bottle; it is still only low dosed and will only prolong any suffering). Please see a vet who has experience with guinea pigs.
New piggy problems: URI - ringworm - skin parasites

Here are your customer rights re. vet cost refunds if your piggies are newly bought: New Guinea Pig Problems: Sexing & Pregnancy; URI, Ringworm & Parasites; Vet Checks & Customer Rights
 
It’s better to go to the vets and get the right treatment than buy cheaper products from the pet shop. These won’t work. I don’t want to scare you but I did have a very young piggy who passed away with sore patches that looked like these. I hope it’s just mites.
 
Poor sugar and spice, they must be feeling very down, but hopefully they will be less itchy after their first treatment x

The standard treatment for mites is ivermectin but the brand name for the product they my have prescribed is xeno spot-on which comes in a little tube: you snap the end off and put the small vol of liquid onto the skin (often the natural bald bits behind the ears but perhaps also spotted along the spine where they can't lick it off). Xeno comes in 2 concentrations which are called 450 and mini-50. My adult pigs are all over 1.2 kilo and get a tube of 450 each time (the dose is determined by body weight so vets will weigh pigs to get the correct dose). When I get a mites diagnosis they always give me three tubes per pig. If I have 2 pigs that means 6 tubes. I pay for each tube BUT I only pay once for the vet... you should not have to go back separately and pay the vet fee each time - you just buy the prescribed meds from the vet and treat them yourself. The treatments are just repeated 2 weeks apart with both pigs being done at the same time. No baths or anything - the skin is very delicate and they don't like water. About a day or two after a treatment you should clean out the whole cage area and wash everything that needs to be washing and throw away any cardboard tubes etc that could harbour mites. The repeat treatments are because the ivermectin does not kill the unhatched eggs so they need time to hatch and the critters are then killed off by the repeat treatment. The life cycle from hatching to breeding is about 3 weeks so by treating every 2 weeks you should be killing mites which have not yet started to breed and it breaks the cycle. They don't go onto people but it will make you feel itchy just thinking about it!

If it is mites and they have scratched so much they have made scabs and one is fitting is is a very bad infestation which has been around for a while. You can tell that from how much hair they have lost. That means that when they put the treatment on they would feel even more itchy for a few hours and scratch into a frenzy. This is because mites spasm as they die and the piggies skin feels worse before it feels better. Seeing this is so upsetting but has one consolation... it means the treatment is working. If there are not many mites there it doesn't bother the pigs so much. Vets are expensive it is true - but usually treating something early is cheaper than waiting until things get really bad. Mites are pretty common in new piggies but you can get rid of them completely - it's not like de-fleaing the cat or worming the dog which is something that has to be done constantly! We have only seen a problem when we have brought in a new pig. There are other things which can cause itching - fungal infections are also seen quite regularly - but the loss of hair round the bum area is pretty typical of mites. It is really important that this is dealt with as serious cases can kill and fitting to death because you can't stand how much your skin is itching is just unimaginable.

Personally I would first of all phone that first vet and speak to someone senior and complain bitterly about the lack of advice and repeat treatments - they might just say it was a mistake and cough up with more xeno tubes and not charge you. You get 6 tubes of xeno in a box and there is an instruction sheet in with it which explains the repeat treatments so they have absolutely no excuse not to know. It's not piggie-specific, it is used on a wide range of little animals so that vet really needs to brush up on their notes!
Then I would look into PDSA - if you are eligible (I think you need to be on certain benefits but am not sure). We used PDSA when I was a kid.
A third option that other posters have resorted to - and I only say this because I don't know your circumstances my lovely - is that of surrendering them to a rescue who will make sure they get the vet treatment they need. This forum is of course for owners and fans of guinea pigs but we all agree that the piggies needs have to come first and sometimes very loving owners have a change in circumstances and just can't afford the vet. In this country at least we have the PDSA as a back up. I hope you can figure something out x
 
I hope you manage to get them booked in with the vet today. They open 8:30 so be sure to ring them soon.
 
What can indicate dry dandruff broken skin with lots of fur loss and wounds? I’m thinking of taking my guineapigs to a mother vets the PDSAas it’s cheaper and I hope they be more helpful and give them proper treatment as my guineapigs got worse after the other vet appointment it was disappointing as it costed a lot and the topical treatment didn’t work any ideas what it could be.
 
Is this the same piggy as in your other thread?

If so, then you may still be looking at parasites etc. Were they taken to see a vet when we advised you to a few weeks ago, as per your other thread?
Our advice will remain the same as per your other thread if the issue has not been dealt with
 
Piggies&buns said:
Is this the same piggy as in your other thread?

If so, then you may still be looking at parasites etc. Were they taken to see a vet when we advised you to a few weeks ago, as per your other thread?
Our advice will remain the same as per your other thread if the issue has not been dealt with
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Apparently they got scabies
 
maisiesguineapigs said:
Spukte scabies
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Hi.
I have deleted your other thread, as it is simply repeating what you have already posted here.
Please don't start multiple threads about the same topic - just add a comment in this thread and it will keep all of the information in the same place.

I am sorry your guinea pigs have been diagnose with scabies.
What treatment did the vet give - Ivermectin would be the most common.
Did they ahve oral or topical medication.

As for cleaning their cage hygiene is very important.
You need to use a proper disinfectant to wipe down all hard surfaces and wash all bedding in hot water.
What is your actual cage set up - indoor/outdoor, fleece, disposable bedding etc.
This will allow us to give you more specific advice.

But a good place to start is with the ring worm guides:
Ringworm: Hygiene, Care And Pictures
 
What treatment have they offered? Were you not able to get them seen in person?
 
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