guinea pig excessively scratches himself with feet and teeth

[evymv]

Hi,

I have in total 4 guinea pig but only one of them scratches himself excessively with his feet and teeth. I have noticed in the past month that he had two spots on both sides of his body where there were some hair missing (not completely bald). I've been to two different vets, they both said they couldn't see anything but prescribed Dolmectin.
I have also tried the ivermectin paste from the LA guinea pig rescue and still nothing. The last vet I visited did say that it might be related to a health problem like his kidney or something. Have any one you been through this?
I also have to mention that he has and infection around the area of his front teeth which caused his eyes to always be watery and crusty. I found that out yesterday at the vet and now I'm just waiting for the medicine.

Thank you for reading.

 

[Wiebke]

Hi,

I have in total 4 guinea pig but only one of them scratches himself excessively with his feet and teeth. I have noticed in the past month that he had two spots on both sides of his body where there were some hair missing (not completely bald). I've been to two different vets, they both said they couldn't see anything but prescribed Dolmectin.
I have also tried the ivermectin paste from the LA guinea pig rescue and still nothing. The last vet I visited did say that it might be related to a health problem like his kidney or something. Have any one you been through this?
I also have to mention that he has and infection around the area of his front teeth which caused his eyes to always be watery and crusty. I found that out yesterday at the vet and now I'm just waiting for the medicine.

Thank you for reading.

Hi!

Have your vets checked for a potential mild fungal infection and have you checked whether more humidity in the air could help ease the symptoms?

How many applications of ivermectin products has your boy had?

I have not come across itching in connection with kidneys so I can't say.

 

[evymv]

They didn’t do any test on him. They just checked with their naked eye. She said his skin was kinda dry. I gave him 1 pea size one time once a week for three weeks. Do you think I should try the one where I put it directly behind his ear?

 

[Wiebke]

They didn’t do any test on him. They just checked with their naked eye. She said his skin was kinda dry. I gave him 1 pea size one time once a week for three weeks. Do you think I should try the one where I put it directly behind his ear?

Sorry, we have have a fluid vet grade spot-on in the UK, so I cannot comment on your products.
You need to be aware that you should always follow the advice on the packaging because ivermectin and selamectin should NOT be overdosed. Always opt for vet grade strength. Any ivermectin or selamectin course should be applied three times at the product specific interval for full effect.

Please also be aware that any fungal skin infection will require different treatment.

Here is more information with further links: New piggy problems: URI - ringworm - skin parasites

 

[Free Ranger]

Although I don't know about the Dolmectin medication or the correct dosage, if it is an anti parasitic prescribed for him by a vet against mites or lice it should be effective and reduce symptoms at least in the short term. If piggy has these parasites the meds should make him stop scratching within a day or so... the scratching then might return a week or two later as fresh eggs hatch out - if it's mites. But if it made no difference in the first few days I would look for alternatives and be maybe considering a fungal issue. Is he an older boy? Is he shedding a lot or not much? I had an older girl and as her immune system failed she picked up a fungal issue (itchiness and generalised hair loss) which was treated with special shampoo (her companions did not show any symptoms of it).

The next bit is just a snapshot of my previous experience so don't panic as it might not be the same thing. One of my very first piggies some years ago was a big, fluffy older boar called Casper. We didn't know how old he was as he was a rescue but he might have been 4 or 5. He lost his boar friend so was neutered and paired with sows. His last companion loved him and was a lively young girl - very quick, bouncing around all over. One day I noticed a wound on on side of his back - a good scratch on the 'saddle' area - and I thought "Oh she must have run over him!". I kept an eye on it in case it didn't heal - but two days later I saw a mirror-image wound on the other side of his back and couldn't understand why. I think he actually must have been scratching himself enough to break the skin but it was not something I picked up on - he didn't seem to be generally itchy or shedding more than usual. I bathed the wounds and decided to see a vet but before we could get there he stopped eating. At that point I didn't understand gut stasis and so didn't syringe feed - he seemed peaceful enough sitting tucked into my dressing gown. He passed shortly after.

I did wonder whether it might have been a kidney issue for Casper - I saw no signs of urine infection or anything (like wet bits from incontinence, blood in urine, a bad smell, pain when peeing etc.), it's just that his scratch wounds were so symmetrical on his back and I can remember thinking "if he was a person that's where the kidneys would be". But I don't know where they are actually positioned in a guinea-pig. When people get proper kidney disease or kidney failure one of the common symptoms can be excessive itching - either in one area or all over the body - and it can come and go. Perhaps this is what that vet was thinking about. I don't think the exact cause is known but it's something to do with kidneys not being able to do their job properly. There is sometimes dry skin too. But these are people and not piggies.

I do hope you can get to the bottom of it and that it's something treatable like fungus. If it turns out to be a longer term problem associated with aging I'm sure your vet can talk to you about management of symptoms and what to watch out for. Guinea pigs can get pain and anti-inflammatory meds like metacam (loxicom) which might be appropriate for his situation. He is probably just bothered about being itchy and his teeth infection problem so anything they can do to help these will make him happier. Good luck and please do keep us updated if you have any news x