Heyli
New Born Pup
Thank you so much for that advice, I will speak to the vet about all of the above. Itchy feet sounds horrendous, I am not looking forward to menopause!
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Guinea pig keeps biting himself sore
- Thread starter Heyli
- Start date
Free Ranger
Forum Donator 2023/24
I've only ever found one friend who had the same thing, although she's allergic to all sorts. Itchy soles are crazy - because you can't stop scratching them (which both tickles and drives you mad) and that just prolongs it... I had to grind my teeth for about 10 minutes and things calmed down enough to get back to sleep. But I know another friend who's a head scratcher - I spent weeks checking my own hair for imaginary nits until I realised it was all part of the same itchy thing. Hair is funny though - it can harbour all sorts of yeasty loveliness under the radar. If I was as woolly as a well-furred piggy I'd probably be scratching a bit too. I really hope you can get to the bottom of this for both your sakes. After all, those new lady-pigs will be needing his time and attention!
Betsy
Anniversary Herd
It's not much fun! I've been going through it for 10 years now and am FINALLY coming out the other side with just a few symptoms every so often including a few hot sweats and itchy feet!
Heyli
New Born Pup
Update: well we tried (3 lots of!) laser skin therapy and although it has helped the hair grow back, Wilbur still continues to itch profusely.
The vet did another microscopy of a clump of hair that had fallen out on a scab when he was having a laser session but this showed nothing.
Our next options are a very low dose of steroids to rule our anything skin related that hasn't been identified but obviously this comes with its own risks. Or he said if that fails then he want to try a drug which is like prozac for guinea pigs as he believes it might be psychological if the steroids don't work. This has literally got all the exotic vets perplexed at the practice I'm taking him to.
I asked about the hormones that Betsy mentioned but the vet didn't seem to think it would be that and kind of brushed it to one side.
The saga continues....But...he's very happy with his girls now
Wilbur (californian), Tallulah (silkie) and Polar (Abyssinian).
The vet did another microscopy of a clump of hair that had fallen out on a scab when he was having a laser session but this showed nothing.
Our next options are a very low dose of steroids to rule our anything skin related that hasn't been identified but obviously this comes with its own risks. Or he said if that fails then he want to try a drug which is like prozac for guinea pigs as he believes it might be psychological if the steroids don't work. This has literally got all the exotic vets perplexed at the practice I'm taking him to.
I asked about the hormones that Betsy mentioned but the vet didn't seem to think it would be that and kind of brushed it to one side.
The saga continues....But...he's very happy with his girls now
Wilbur (californian), Tallulah (silkie) and Polar (Abyssinian).Attachments
Wheekallweek
Adult Guinea Pig
Look at him with his little bandage on 
What a grand job you're doing... Hopefully one of those options will work for him.
Eric
hated having his body touched for a long time. He had some nasty wounds from fighting and a severe allergy to the xeno used to treat his parasites. Even when he was fully healed he still used to twitch and twist and squeal when we touched his body it took a long time but he came around in the end.
It was all mental with him, maybe it is too with Wilbur x
What a grand job you're doing... Hopefully one of those options will work for him.
Eric
hated having his body touched for a long time. He had some nasty wounds from fighting and a severe allergy to the xeno used to treat his parasites. Even when he was fully healed he still used to twitch and twist and squeal when we touched his body it took a long time but he came around in the end. It was all mental with him, maybe it is too with Wilbur x
Free Ranger
Forum Donator 2023/24
Well Wilbur that's quite the corset! I'm sorry you're having such a hard time but at least you've got lady-company. I hope you can find something to ease your itching and take your mind off things x
Heyli
New Born Pup
Update:
The steroids have not worked and Wilbur continues to itch and scratch when the bandages are taken off. Now we are trialling the use of guinea pig prozac to treat his suspected OCD. His case has baffled the exotic vets and it is now trial and error to see if this works. He remains happy and healthy otherwise.
The steroids have not worked and Wilbur continues to itch and scratch when the bandages are taken off. Now we are trialling the use of guinea pig prozac to treat his suspected OCD. His case has baffled the exotic vets and it is now trial and error to see if this works. He remains happy and healthy otherwise.
Wheekallweek
Adult Guinea Pig
What a special piggy he is! 
Free Ranger
Forum Donator 2023/24
Oh my, I'm keeping everything crossed for you Wilbur x
Heyli
New Born Pup
The Fluoxetine (piggy prozac) is not having any effect so the vets have contacted another exotic vet over in America who had suggested Stronghold mite treatment to rule that out completely (we have done skin scrapings). As well as loxicom, in case he's in any pain, and co-trimoxazole which is an antibiotic used to treat certain bacterial infections incase he has something internal causing him pain and to bite himself.
He's still very active, eating and pooping loads. At this stage, I'm beginning to think we'll never cure him
He's still very active, eating and pooping loads. At this stage, I'm beginning to think we'll never cure him
Free Ranger
Forum Donator 2023/24
Oh poor you. It can sometimes seem like you're crawling uphill with no sign of the summit. We had another poster who had pigs with 'fur mites' also called 'static lice' (Chirodiscoides caviae ) which did not respond in the usual way to ivermectin (by dying!) but these critters are usually described as harmless: symptoms slight, and the eggs make themselves obvious - I can't imagine that if he had these you'd see no visible signs. Guinea Lynx :: Fur Mites they look dead obvious!
And it did all start after the neutering...
I know it's a long shot but I'm still pondering hormonal disruption. If you scour the web you get odd cases described in dogs but no obvious cause attributed other than things beginning after neutering. However, have a look at this link if you can see it Itchy Exotics - WSAVA2007 - VIN because it describes a post-neutering hormonal condition which is apparently well known in Ferrets. Look for the bit that says
Hormonal disease: Hyperadrenocorticism (HAC) is very common in Ferrets; with moderate to intense pruritus on dorsum in ~ 30%.
Maybe ask the vet about it... I have no ferret experience (and this is quite an old conference). Ferrets are not guinea pigs but what is being described doesn't seem an exclusively ferret-y condition. It might be common in ferrets and rare in other animals but that doesn't mean impossible. It seems that certain hormones are down-regulated by testicular hormones and that removal of the testes causes these to surge on a temporary basis but that, in ferrets at least, this can lead to over growth of the adrenal gland(s) and over-production of the hormones. The adrenal glands actually sit on top of the kidneys in the saddle of the back, so to speak. Looks like it can be detected in ferrets thus:
Abdominal palpation & ultrasound in Ferrets with HAC: enlarged adrenal glands palpable in ~30%; 80% enlarged left adrenal; 16% bilateral.
... and potentially treated without surgery by an implant(?)
I'm obvs no expert but there are cases out there where someone's pet has been neutered and has started itching - it's not a nutty idea to link the two.
You're all being very brave x
And it did all start after the neutering...
I know it's a long shot but I'm still pondering hormonal disruption. If you scour the web you get odd cases described in dogs but no obvious cause attributed other than things beginning after neutering. However, have a look at this link if you can see it Itchy Exotics - WSAVA2007 - VIN because it describes a post-neutering hormonal condition which is apparently well known in Ferrets. Look for the bit that says
Hormonal disease: Hyperadrenocorticism (HAC) is very common in Ferrets; with moderate to intense pruritus on dorsum in ~ 30%.
Maybe ask the vet about it... I have no ferret experience (and this is quite an old conference). Ferrets are not guinea pigs but what is being described doesn't seem an exclusively ferret-y condition. It might be common in ferrets and rare in other animals but that doesn't mean impossible. It seems that certain hormones are down-regulated by testicular hormones and that removal of the testes causes these to surge on a temporary basis but that, in ferrets at least, this can lead to over growth of the adrenal gland(s) and over-production of the hormones. The adrenal glands actually sit on top of the kidneys in the saddle of the back, so to speak. Looks like it can be detected in ferrets thus:
Abdominal palpation & ultrasound in Ferrets with HAC: enlarged adrenal glands palpable in ~30%; 80% enlarged left adrenal; 16% bilateral.
... and potentially treated without surgery by an implant(?)
I'm obvs no expert but there are cases out there where someone's pet has been neutered and has started itching - it's not a nutty idea to link the two.
You're all being very brave x
Princess Dustmop
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That's interesting, Free Ranger; it sounds like Cushing's disease. If it's Cushing's (excess cortisol production), then steroids would be going the opposite direction ... Steroids would be the treatment for insufficient cortisol production (hypoadrenocorticism or Addison's disease).
Cushing's symptoms often include increased appetite/thirst, developing a potbelly, hair loss, thin/fragile skin, and recurrent skin infections. You mentioned he was eating a lot, and hair loss and skin troubles seems to fit, as well.
Stronghold (or Revolution, as it's called in the US) is the brandname for selamectin, so similar to but different from Xeno, which is ivermectin. The have a similar mechanism of action (activating glutamate-gated chloride channels that parasites have and mammals don't); selamectin is supposed to cross the blood-brain barrier less due to a slightly different transport mechanism.
Articles about it if you care to read them:
Brain penetration of ivermectin and selamectin
Comparison of ivermectin versus selamectin in treatment of mange in guinea pigs
I've used Revolution/Stronghold when I had a pair of baby guinea pigs with lice (one came with them). It was easy and effective. Your vet will need to calculate the dose based on weight. My girls split a kitten dose because they were tiny.
Cushing's symptoms often include increased appetite/thirst, developing a potbelly, hair loss, thin/fragile skin, and recurrent skin infections. You mentioned he was eating a lot, and hair loss and skin troubles seems to fit, as well.
Stronghold (or Revolution, as it's called in the US) is the brandname for selamectin, so similar to but different from Xeno, which is ivermectin. The have a similar mechanism of action (activating glutamate-gated chloride channels that parasites have and mammals don't); selamectin is supposed to cross the blood-brain barrier less due to a slightly different transport mechanism.
Articles about it if you care to read them:
Brain penetration of ivermectin and selamectin
Comparison of ivermectin versus selamectin in treatment of mange in guinea pigs
I've used Revolution/Stronghold when I had a pair of baby guinea pigs with lice (one came with them). It was easy and effective. Your vet will need to calculate the dose based on weight. My girls split a kitten dose because they were tiny.
Free Ranger
Forum Donator 2023/24
Yes @Princess Dustmop it's a strange one. But I think that young Wilbur actually sounds like he's doing pretty well apart from his awful itching whereas 'Cushing's' is associated with more systemic not-feeling-very-well-ness. He certainly looks a glossy glamour-puss in his pictures 
Cushing's hair-loss is typically described as 'non-pruritic' (which means not caused by itchy-scratching for anyone finding this thread in the future!) I think if Wilbur was a bit patchy but not itchy he'd be a lot more cheerful than he is now.
The ferret thing is also associated with other (sexual) behaviours but ferret reproductive biology is different to that of guinea pigs https://www.vettimes.co.uk/app/uplo...and-neutering-techniques-in-small-mammals.pdf if you want to know more about ferret breeding habits than frankly you'll ever need to!
Fingers crossed for you Wilbur and @Heyli that the Stronghold has some sort of effect - be nice if it was simple x
Cushing's hair-loss is typically described as 'non-pruritic' (which means not caused by itchy-scratching for anyone finding this thread in the future!) I think if Wilbur was a bit patchy but not itchy he'd be a lot more cheerful than he is now.
The ferret thing is also associated with other (sexual) behaviours but ferret reproductive biology is different to that of guinea pigs https://www.vettimes.co.uk/app/uplo...and-neutering-techniques-in-small-mammals.pdf if you want to know more about ferret breeding habits than frankly you'll ever need to!
Fingers crossed for you Wilbur and @Heyli that the Stronghold has some sort of effect - be nice if it was simple x
Heyli
New Born Pup
Thank you so much for all this information. The vet is in regular contact with me so I will email him across some of your ideas and see what he thinks. Thank you again!
Heyli
New Born Pup
Update: No luck with the mite treatment, antibiotics or painkillers. The Fluoxetine hasn't done anything either. I tried taking his bandages off for 30mins a few days a go and he gave himself sores again.
Vet has consulted the American exotic vet who wants to try him on a stronger opioid called buprenorphine once I have weaned him off the Fluoxetine.
Told her about the ferret hormone information and she said she was considering blood tests and a skin biopsy to check nothing underlying going on but she wants to try the opioid first.
She also said she wondered if, while he was having those tests, he should stay in for a couple of days to see if his behaviour improved and to rule out being stressed at home. I said that I'd already ruled that out when he went into boarding over Xmas and the lady tried some bandage free time and he did exactly the same. I would also be very surprised if he is stressed at home. He lives like a king!
The saga continues it seems. I really hope this thread helps someone else in the future, if nothing else.
Vet has consulted the American exotic vet who wants to try him on a stronger opioid called buprenorphine once I have weaned him off the Fluoxetine.
Told her about the ferret hormone information and she said she was considering blood tests and a skin biopsy to check nothing underlying going on but she wants to try the opioid first.
She also said she wondered if, while he was having those tests, he should stay in for a couple of days to see if his behaviour improved and to rule out being stressed at home. I said that I'd already ruled that out when he went into boarding over Xmas and the lady tried some bandage free time and he did exactly the same. I would also be very surprised if he is stressed at home. He lives like a king!
The saga continues it seems. I really hope this thread helps someone else in the future, if nothing else.
piggieminder
Forum Buddy
Poor boy I hope the vets can find out what's wrong and treat him soon.
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I haven’t read through it all, as I’m working, but just wondered if you’d tried two weekly panomec injections.
Our piggy, Clover, got severe mites and constantly chewed her back, after losing one of her friends. We initially did a couple of injections and then changed to stronghold, when it looked a little better. She immediately started to bite herself again. We then changed back to panomec injections. It took a few months of two weekly injections but it eventually healed and she’s had no problem since.
Our piggy, Clover, got severe mites and constantly chewed her back, after losing one of her friends. We initially did a couple of injections and then changed to stronghold, when it looked a little better. She immediately started to bite herself again. We then changed back to panomec injections. It took a few months of two weekly injections but it eventually healed and she’s had no problem since.
Free Ranger
Forum Donator 2023/24
He surely does! And not only that but he's been a lone pig and then a husboar so it's hard to think he was stressed by being alone AND by having friends.
That's an interesting suggestion @furryfriends (TEAS). When you first started the panomec how long was it before you saw a change in her behaviour?
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After a few days she appeared worse, but that’s normal, as the mites start to die and can cause more irritation as they’re dying. After the second injection she started to improve. That’s when we changed to stronghold and we took a massive step back, so we reverted back to the injections. It took a good couple of months before she started to really heal, but the wounds she’d made were so very deep.
Princess Dustmop
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So I just ran into this article on the Oxbow website (okay, more like it ran into me ... it was linked in an email). It mentioned that guinea pigs can develop allergies to pellets even if they've been eating them for years ... Could Wilbur be allergic to his food? Maybe try eliminating pellets or changing what he's getting to see if it helps? (Apologies if you already tried that, and I missed it.)
I'll link the article if that would be helpful, but if not, I'll leave off the external link.
I'll link the article if that would be helpful, but if not, I'll leave off the external link.
Heyli
New Born Pup
Hi everyone,
Just thought I'd update you on the Wilbur situation. So the buprenorphine did nothing and now he is on just piriton which is also doing nothing. He's had a blood test which showed nothing abnormal. The next step will be a skin biopsy and xrays which is going to cost £400 so I've held off having that for a bit.
I am changing the bandages every other day but today I've noticed he's pulled his hair out on his back and his belly (no scabs or redness just bald). I think he might have been pulling at the bandages and has pulled the hair out in the process.
I changed his pellets from the Science Selective quite a while ago to the grain free ones and that hasn't made a difference either. I've bathed him with Goregous Guineas shampoo but he just started biting himself as soon as he went back in the cage.
Does anyone have anything else they could suggest? It feels like we've tried absolutely everything.
Just thought I'd update you on the Wilbur situation. So the buprenorphine did nothing and now he is on just piriton which is also doing nothing. He's had a blood test which showed nothing abnormal. The next step will be a skin biopsy and xrays which is going to cost £400 so I've held off having that for a bit.
I am changing the bandages every other day but today I've noticed he's pulled his hair out on his back and his belly (no scabs or redness just bald). I think he might have been pulling at the bandages and has pulled the hair out in the process.
I changed his pellets from the Science Selective quite a while ago to the grain free ones and that hasn't made a difference either. I've bathed him with Goregous Guineas shampoo but he just started biting himself as soon as he went back in the cage.
Does anyone have anything else they could suggest? It feels like we've tried absolutely everything.
Princess Dustmop
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Apologies if this has already been tried and I missed it, but maybe try switching his hay? If he's eating timothy now, maybe orchard grass instead? I'd pause pellets during this test, as well.
piggieminder
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Poor Wilbur. I hope you can find out what's causing his itching soon. He is so lucky to have you fighting his corner.
Merab
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Poor boy.
Holding you in my heart
Holding you in my heart
Heyli
New Born Pup
Hi lovely,
Thank you for taking the time to respond. I've tried lots of different hay, he's currently on hay from a farm but has had top quality Timothy and meadow hay as well, unfortunately all made no difference.
I weighed him this morning (I do this weekly) and he's gone from 1345g on 20th April to 1185g today. He's been out in his garden run almost everyday since around that time so maybe that is contributing? But he's still eating the same amounts. I've contacted the vet again about this as well.
I'm sorry to hear he is still struggling.
I would be offering top up feeds now he has lost so much weight. My piggies are also out on the lawn most days and don’t lose weight
Heyli
New Born Pup
Update!
We've cracked it, at last! I'm not going to lie, I was so close to giving up and even had a little cry the day before the miraculous happened, thinking I would never fix Wilbur but...he's cured! After 10 months of trying absolutely everything going.
The winning combination was gabapentine to relax him, Douox S3 calm mousse and me making a neck/shoulder bandage for him so his back and belly (where he liked to scratch) could get to the air and desensitise the area. The bandage I'd made actually fell off and I panicked when I saw he was sat without it in my pigcam so raced upstairs expecting a blood bath but to my amazement he was just sat chilling. He has now been without bandages and wounds for over a week now. Thank you to everyone who commented and supported me when I needed it.
We've cracked it, at last! I'm not going to lie, I was so close to giving up and even had a little cry the day before the miraculous happened, thinking I would never fix Wilbur but...he's cured! After 10 months of trying absolutely everything going.
The winning combination was gabapentine to relax him, Douox S3 calm mousse and me making a neck/shoulder bandage for him so his back and belly (where he liked to scratch) could get to the air and desensitise the area. The bandage I'd made actually fell off and I panicked when I saw he was sat without it in my pigcam so raced upstairs expecting a blood bath but to my amazement he was just sat chilling. He has now been without bandages and wounds for over a week now. Thank you to everyone who commented and supported me when I needed it.
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So glad that Wilbur is finally well in himself and can enjoy the rest of his life.
