Guinea pig with back problems.

[SummerMacaca]

Just wondering if anyone has experienced anything similar.
I took my 1 year old Guinea pig to the vets last week because he bites stuff when you touch the middle of his back. He's been on Metacam for 6 days but there's been no cchange. He moves around absolutely fine and goes up and down his ramp. So gonna take him back and maybe have to do xrays. Just wondering if anyone had seen anything similar.

 

[Wiebke]

Just wondering if anyone has experienced anything similar.
I took my 1 year old Guinea pig to the vets last week because he bites stuff when you touch the middle of his back. He's been on Metacam for 6 days but there's been no cchange. He moves around absolutely fine and goes up and down his ramp. So gonna take him back and maybe have to do xrays. Just wondering if anyone had seen anything similar.

Hi and welcome

Please consider a potential mange mites outbreak with your vet. They typically (although not always) start in the middle of the back. The earliest sign is generally a sensitivity/discomfort in the skin there (not wanting to be touched or wiggling). Self-barbering/biting the spot is also very common (including biting themselves bloody in more advanced stages) before the characteristic v-shaped bald area manifests. Metacam doesn't do anything for mange mites.

Mange mites, which are present in the skin of many piggies, are generally kept under control by a fully working immune system but can make an appearance if the immune system is weakened or overloaded for some reason.

Here is a link with some more information about mange mites and their treatment. Please do not home treat on spec with pet shop products (not even ones labelled 'vet strength' - they are designed for unnecessary maintenance but not acute cases) and are basically a waste of money: New piggy problems: URI - ringworm - skin parasites

 

[SummerMacaca]

This has just been recommended to me by someone else also. Thank you very much for your advice.