Hello. We took my daughter's elderly female guinea pig to the vet after we noticed some hair loss and her scratching and biting her hind quarters. We have got some Ivermectin to treat her with for possible mites. I'm just wondering if there is a recommended shampoo or bath treatment we could use while the Ivermectin is taking effect to alleviate the itching and perhaps moisturise her skin a bit? Any help would be gratefully received. Thank you.
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Itching Piggie
- Thread starter DaveG
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Hi and welcome!
Every skin treatment takes a minimum of 48 hours to take full effect. Any other topical treatment will interfere and diminish the effectiveness. You need at least 3 rounds of ivermectin at the product specific interval for a full course.
As uncomfortable as it is, you have to sit it out! However, the itching should come down noticeably after two days to more of a nuisance level and disappear fully soon after the second treatment. The third round is there to take care of any stragglers and prevent a return. The hair should start growing back again within a month.
Baths can cause seizures in more severely affected guinea pigs with mange mites because the skin is so inflamed and painful. The less you touch it, the better, so please try to interact with your piggies less via cuddle sessions and more via playtime in the next few weeks.
You can give a gentle bath a week after the last round of ivermectin treatment to wash off any dead skin flakes.
How To Bathe Guinea Pigs - Including Ears & Grease Glands
Mange mites, like all skin parasites, are species specific and cannot survive on humans or other pets.
Wow. Thank you for your quick, and comprehensive, reply. We have to wait 4 weeks for the second Ivermectin treatment but hopefully it is already starting to work. It is interesting you mentioned seizures because my daughter saw and mentioned to the vet that her guinea almost looked as if she was having a seizure at one point. The vet suggested it could be a neurological disorder but could it in fact be due to the mites causing her so much distress do you think?
Annette Bessant
New Born Pup
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I find a little aloe vera gel on dry and flaky or itchy skin is cooling and has a soothing effect. I use it on my gp and it seems to stop her scratching.
We do not recommend home treatment on spec, especially not when it could trigger seizures in mange mites piggies.
It is likely connected to the mites. What product has your vet used? 1 month is a very long interval. Normal are 10-14 days for any higher dosed product.
KookosPoika
Junior Guinea Pig
I rescued a gp that had all the typical mange symptoms including seizures even multiple times a day and it had been treated with ivermectin, even more times than usually needed I understand, but it wasn't helping so the vet suggested that the pig should be put down.
That's when I luckily ran into the pig and offered to take him home with me, where I took my chances and treated him for skin fungus (I've had experience with it before but nothing this bad) which was regular washing every few days with nizoral shampoo. Also I had multiple open sores to worry about that was the hard part in treating him.
Just see how the ivermectin affects, unfortunately there's not much to do for the itching if it is mange mites because anything moist or vet makes the creatures crawl deeper and that's painful for the pig. In a fungal chase I found that coconut oil eased the itching a lot.
Here's a picture of my boy to brighten up the day
That's when I luckily ran into the pig and offered to take him home with me, where I took my chances and treated him for skin fungus (I've had experience with it before but nothing this bad) which was regular washing every few days with nizoral shampoo. Also I had multiple open sores to worry about that was the hard part in treating him.
Just see how the ivermectin affects, unfortunately there's not much to do for the itching if it is mange mites because anything moist or vet makes the creatures crawl deeper and that's painful for the pig. In a fungal chase I found that coconut oil eased the itching a lot.
Here's a picture of my boy to brighten up the day
I rescued a gp that had all the typical mange symptoms including seizures even multiple times a day and it had been treated with ivermectin, even more times than usually needed I understand, but it wasn't helping so the vet suggested that the pig should be put down.
That's when I luckily ran into the pig and offered to take him home with me, where I took my chances and treated him for skin fungus (I've had experience with it before but nothing this bad) which was regular washing every few days with nizoral shampoo. Also I had multiple open sores to worry about that was the hard part in treating him.
Just see how the ivermectin affects, unfortunately there's not much to do for the itching if it is mange mites because anything moist or vet makes the creatures crawl deeper and that's painful for the pig. In a fungal chase I found that coconut oil eased the itching a lot.
Here's a picture of my boy to brighten up the day
View attachment 49652
Hiya - fungal and mites in combination are not unusual in very neglected guinea pigs, but we do NOT recommend to home treat on spec, especially not when seeing a piggy savvy vet, which you obviously haven't got access to where you are in Finland.
Nizoral is a human antifungal shampoo and is rather harsh on guinea pig skin; there are milder and more efficient products around now. IF and when fungal skin treatment is necessary!
Please appreciate that we do not and cannot recommend any home treatment on spec with human products on this forum according to UK law. Our forum policy is not to throw the kitchen sink any piggy. Our health/illness section is specifically montired by some experienced members whose knowledge and judgment we trust in order to support any member to ask the correct questions for optimal treatment from their vet and then support them in the prescribed treatment according to the diagnosis, telling them when to seek vet care again for further advice and care depending on developments of complications. Please respect that.
If you do not have access to a piggy savvy vet, then we will adjust our support accordingly to make sure that your guinea pig is getting best possible care from a non-piggy savvy vet and access to proper medication through him. But we do work through vets, first and foremost!
PS: You STILL need to wait at least 48 hours between any skin treatments, or they will be ineffective.
Health and Illness - Important Information
KookosPoika
Junior Guinea Pig
Well excuse me but I didn't know it's called home treatment if the nizoral was prescribed by a vet a long with canofite vet eardrops for the most effective treatment. Also that came with a carefully planned washing schedule.
If the nizoral has been prescried by your vet as a further treatment after mites treatment did not do the trick, then it is OK. It was not obvious from your post.
However, please let this member have their mites treatmene first and only then get into possible complications when there is any cause for it.
KookosPoika
Junior Guinea Pig
I know I could've explained a little bit better my situation, but it was just my experience , the whole point I made in my message was to not do anything else but just wait and see how the piggy responses to the ivermectin treatmentIf the nizoral has been prescried by your vet as a further treatment after mites treatment did not do the trick, then it is OK. It was not obvious from your post.
However, please let this member have their mites treatmene first and only then get into possible complications when there is any cause for it.
Thank you all for your advice and i know we all have the health and welfare of the guinea pig in question as the priority. Everyone's help is very much appreciated.
We have treated the guinea pig with an over the counter mite treatment Beaphar as suggested by the vet but it does state that reapplicaton, if necessary, should be 4 weeks from first application.
I do hope well-meaning forum members have not got in to trouble for suggesting treatments that perhaps should not have been posted but I realise all comments are well meant.
It is particularly useful to know that handling the guinea pig could cause more discomfort as I thought that that could help reassure her and ease the irritation. Basically - distract her.
We have treated the guinea pig with an over the counter mite treatment Beaphar as suggested by the vet but it does state that reapplicaton, if necessary, should be 4 weeks from first application.
I do hope well-meaning forum members have not got in to trouble for suggesting treatments that perhaps should not have been posted but I realise all comments are well meant.
It is particularly useful to know that handling the guinea pig could cause more discomfort as I thought that that could help reassure her and ease the irritation. Basically - distract her.
Amazing before and after pics!I rescued a gp that had all the typical mange symptoms including seizures even multiple times a day and it had been treated with ivermectin, even more times than usually needed I understand, but it wasn't helping so the vet suggested that the pig should be put down.
That's when I luckily ran into the pig and offered to take him home with me, where I took my chances and treated him for skin fungus (I've had experience with it before but nothing this bad) which was regular washing every few days with nizoral shampoo. Also I had multiple open sores to worry about that was the hard part in treating him.
Just see how the ivermectin affects, unfortunately there's not much to do for the itching if it is mange mites because anything moist or vet makes the creatures crawl deeper and that's painful for the pig. In a fungal chase I found that coconut oil eased the itching a lot.
Here's a picture of my boy to brighten up the day
View attachment 49652
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