Itchy guinea pig

[ElmoRosie]

Hi! My 5 year old guinea pig has been dealing with itchy skin for a while. She doesn't seem to itch much herself but when I stroke her and gently scratch her rump she reacts very dramatically, a bit like a dog when you scratch the right spot!

I read this post: Guineas with really flaky skin..what to do? which seems very similar to what my girl is experiencing. Itchiness along with flakey skin, lots of dandruff and clumps of hair just coming out as if she's shedding. She had some hair loss over the past few months in the rump area as well which really concerned me. I treated with ivermectin and a medicated shampoo but that hasn't seemed to help much, her hair has grown back beautifully and is looking full but she is still left with the flakey skin and itchiness. Should I do another ivermectin dose or could there be something else causing this?

Thanks

 

[Piggies&buns]

It would be best for you to see a vet for diagnosis rather than treat on spec. You don’t want to use the wrong thing and subsequently prolong the issue.
Hair loss on her rump - did it happen to be in a V shape?

When using ivermectin for a diagnosed case of parasites. Treatment is dosed by their weight and has to be done in a full course which is usually three separate treatments with two weeks between each treatment. If that isn’t done then the full mite life cycle isn’t caught (treatment only kills the live mites, not the eggs so once those eggs hatch the cycle continues if the next dose isn’t given).

 

[ElmoRosie]

It could have been a slight V yeah. Unfortunately my vet isn't knowledgable on guinea pigs at all and have often suggested euthanasia for a simple infection so I usually do my own research and go from there. I have to suggest to my vet the course of action

The treatment was indicated as two doses 4 weeks apart so I will make sure to do the last one and hopefully that might help!

 

[Piggies&buns]

A v shape signifies that it is likely mange mites.
Most piggies have mange mites present anyway but they are kept in check by the properly functioning immune system. Any stressor to the immune system can give the mites the opportunity to take over.

What treatment did you use?
Xeno 450 is the recommended strength treatment (although xeno is currently having supply issues). Any pet shop product usually contains too low of a dose of ivermectin and thus ineffective - it often means they temporarily suppress but you then find the mites coming back particularly if there is a four week gap between treatments if it is a lower dosed product , and the life cycle is the mite isn’t caught at the right times.

So, just doing one more dose is now not necessarily going to help. You have to go through the full treatment again - three treatments with two weeks between each treatment of a correct strength product.
Leaving four weeks between each treatment is just allowing more mites to hatch and perpetuate the infestation because the next treatment isn’t given at the right time to catch the life cycle appropriately.

We would advise you see a vet before carrying out any treatment. Is there another surgery you can get to?

The guide below explains piggy parasites further

New Guinea Pig Problems: Sexing & Pregnancy; URI, Ringworm & Parasites; Vet Checks & Customer Rights

 

[ElmoRosie]

Ah ok that makes sense and good to know it probably is mites then. Unfortunately all the vets around my area are like it, it's awful and they're really not willing to learn either. I wish vets got a better education on small mammals

 

[weepweeps]

My piggy is being treated for lice at the moment. I didn’t really notice him scratching but he had this appear on his back.



Typical v shape for a very itchy back

 

[ElmoRosie]

That's interesting to see, very similar to the pattern my girl had!