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Going bald

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piggybaker

piggybaker

Adult Guinea Pig
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I have noticed that my boar branston is going bald, the skin is fine not red, there is no broken skin and he has not been barbard as he lives with a barren sow,
he did look a sorry soul out in the sun today ?
He is a good weight and has good teeth.
Has anyone else ever had this prob,

them
 
It souns lik skin mits...though you will n to mak an appointmnt to s a goo guina pig vt to hav this confirm.

I'v sn rscu pigs com in quit bal, yt with no sors, rnss or surprisingly irritation. Yt thy hav in ha mits an rspon wll to Ivomc. Som guinas ract violntly to mit infstation, biting an scratching lik h*ll. thrs just los hair big tim. If you ar inxprinc in this ara, on't attmpt hom tratmnt, s your vt for hlp.

Also, plas on't vr prsum a sow is barrn...how o you know?
Sh may on ay prouc a viabl gg/s an if sh is in with an ntir boar, if an olr girl...sh is in big troubl.
nc you hav ha your guina pigs skin proprly trat mayb consir nutring him.

bviously if it is a parasitic or vn fungal infction, you will n to trat all th guina pigs h has bn nar or you hav hanl aftr holing him.

It shoul go without saying that [colorr]you mustn't tak in any boarrs if you hav a contagious guina pig.

Barbara
 
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I've never known a piggy lose hair that didn't have a problem somewhere - either mites or in the case of sows, hormones or cysts can cause hair loss. I would go and see your vet to get a confirmed diagnosis.

As Barbara said, if it is mites or a fungal infection then you will need to to ensure that all your piggys are treated.
 
my jinx who had a paralised leg is chewing fur from his leg and above on his hip so am thinking its more likely nerve tinglings that makes him do that as he is regulary dosed with Ivomec, as i have nerve/muscle probs in my arm I know the feeling well, lol it makes me scratch and rub my arm, but am keeping him closely watched ,
 
yes have asked the vet fora bottle of Ivomec but he he wants to administer it himself, which ends up being expensive.
But i have heard there are different kind of Ivomec oral and the one you dab on the back of the neck or injection, which would you say is the best one, and does anyone know where i can get some, but i do bath my guineas in a special herbal shampoo from this fab site especiall for guineas. Will post the address for all to see.
 
Mods note - contact details edited out as we do not have owners permission for them to be displayed.

Please contact Hils direct by PM if you need the details.
 
Good Morning:
Ivomectin only works if the mites are under the skin as it works from the inside out to get rid of the problem. I have had a lot of cases of these pesky critters and I have found shampooing them with the Gorgeous Guineas, medicated shampoo really helps the piggies. It rids them of the surface mites and lice but it also soothes the skin and the piggie seems much more comfortable.
Hope this helps the big guy..
Linda
 
hils78 said:
Mods note - contact details edited out as we do not have owners permission for them to be displayed.

Please contact Hils direct by PM if you need the details.
Click to expand...

but i haven't posted any, But does this rule still stand if it is a business address that can be round on the search machine? but it is the above gorgus guineas i was going to say.
 
I have removed the contact details of the source for ivomec as we do not have permission to display them - people are welcome to search for themselves of course as that is independent of the forum.

Gorgeous Guineas is another range of products - all natural and very safe and effective. They would always be my first port of call with skin trouble.
 
greeneracres2001 said:
Good Morning:
Ivomectin only works if the mites are under the skin as it works from the inside out to get rid of the problem. I have had a lot of cases of these pesky critters and I have found shampooing them with the Gorgeous Guineas, medicated shampoo really helps the piggies. It rids them of the surface mites and lice but it also soothes the skin and the piggie seems much more comfortable.
Hope this helps the big guy..
Linda
Click to expand...

This isn't true at all. Ivermectin does work from the inside out but it still works on mites on the surface as they still feed from and through the skin of the guinea pig. If ivermectin dosed orally or by injection isn't as effective it can also be dosed topically (directly onto the skin).

The gorgeous guineas shampoo is great, though.
 
piggybaker said:
yes have asked the vet fora bottle of Ivomec but he he wants to administer it himself, which ends up being expensive.
Click to expand...

Yes sadly vet bills are expensive. But it's all part of responsible animal ownership :)
Your vet would want to see the guinea pig before administering any drug and rightly so. For the welfare of your pet, you need to take him along and have him diagnosed as fungal and parasitic problems can be difficult to differentiate between...and the treatment is very differrent.
Frustratingly, they often exist side by side! Just to confuse everyone.

The well being of your own guinea pig aside, as you take in paying piggy guests you need to sort this out as soon as possible. Clients won't thank you if their beloved pets come home with mites or possibly worse....ringworm ::)
Keep in mind that fungal infections can be transmitted to people too.

Let us know what your vet thinks.
Good luck :)

Barbara
 
Barbara thank you so kindly for your advice, of course i will not take in anymore guests until Easter due to the Guinea hotel only being open in the school holidays as i have said before,which have finished. the vets will be booked Monday morning to have Branston looked at.

What i was pointing out was the vet will not allow me to have Ivomec to administer myself i would have to bring all guineas in to be given the ivomec which becomes expensive, I didn't say i was not going to do it, I was having a whine about it, :tickedoff:
 
Hmm sorry to hear about this. I have just put up a post about Babs going bald but the strange thing is that it happened to Babs overnight which indicates barbering from one of her cage mates.
 
OK have been to the vet. and he said it was just one of those things, He did a skin scrape :o and said there was nothing there and the baldness was just one of them things,

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piggybaker said:
OK have been to the vet. and he said it was just one of those things, He did a skin scrape :o and said there was nothing there and the baldness was just one of them things,

a030.gif


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Click to expand...

Skin scrapings rarely show up mites and are painful and unnecessary. Baldness is almost NEVER "one of them things". I would still get him treated for mites regardless.
 
I am trying to find a vet that specialises with guineas as all though i would trust my vet with my dogs life i do sometimes feel he is out of depth with my gang, but i am getting in touch with gg for some more shampoo.
 
daftscotslass said:
piggybaker said:
OK have been to the vet. and he said it was just one of those things, He did a skin scrape :o and said there was nothing there and the baldness was just one of them things,

a030.gif


.
Click to expand...

Skin scrapings rarely show up mites and are painful and unnecessary. Baldness is almost NEVER "one of them things". I would still get him treated for mites regardless.
Click to expand...

Absolutely. When I have spoken to Vedra about mites/fungal probs, what she said backs up this. She said that scrapings very often give a false negative and this is especially likely if the guinea has been recently bathed.

While shampoos can go along way to helping skin problems, if your guinea has considerable hair loss, he needs Ivomec as soon as possible.
You need to find a differrent vet or call the CCT for help.

Good luck,
Barbara
 
Thanks i think for once i actually agree with you :) i am going to post a pick of him on the forum to see what you all think, but have posted on the recommended vet site to see if there is a piggy specialist near me, like my vet very much but sometime he seems unsure, :-\
But Branston is not distressed by this at all but want to get it sorted before that even happens.
 
Phone the CCT for recommendations or check the yellow pages. I've yet to meet a vet in 15 years of piggy-owning that would refuse to treat for mites just in case.

Were you aware that the next stage of mites is scabby skin and open sores? If it is allowed to go on and it IS mites then your guinea pig could end up in severe pain.
 
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